"No wonder..."
Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
If it was really an auction organized by them, they would surely be able to purchase the Soulless Metal Humanoid.
"Have you appraised this Soulless Metal Humanoid? What's the deal with it?"
Seeing that the auction hadn't started yet, Zhang Xuan asked once more.
After receiving the five thousand spirit stones, not only did he return the hundred spirit stones that the other party lent him, he even compensated him with another hundred.
In other words, he had a total of 4800 spirit stones on him at the moment. Even though Master Sai had said confidently that it would be sufficient, Zhang Xuan still had to find out more about it.
"That's right!"
Master Sai nodded his head. "About a month ago, an elder came to the Appraiser Hall and asked me to appraise an artifact. This artifact is made of metal, as though it is forged from gold. It looks like a puppet, and after studying it for a long time, I felt that it was identical to the legendary Soulless Metal Humanoid. Then, I had Elder Lu and Elder Chen verify it before I made up my mind! "
"This metal humanoid is incomparably resilient. Most likely, it was forged using a unique secret art after consuming metal when it was alive. Its body is perfectly round, and there isn't the slightest hint of aura leaking out. There is a formation set up within its body, and it can be driven using spirit stones. In terms of fighting prowess, it is comparable to a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan expert. "
"When it was alive... Could it be that the Soulless Metal Humanoid wasn't forged but forged by a real person?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
He had only heard about the soul oracles from Pavilion Master Luo casually, so he wasn't aware of the specifics. When he heard about the Soulless Metal Humanoid, he thought that it was a man-made artifact, just like the one Mingshi Tang encountered in the trial.
"Of course not! Man-made puppets are similar to forged artifacts. After a long period of time, they will develop a spirit, and a human's soul will be unable to infiltrate them. Even if it is possible, it will be difficult to control them. This is similar to tools like weapons and armor. It is convenient to use, but it isn't as easy to wield as one's limbs, "Master Sai said.
Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
No matter how easy a tool was to wield, it couldn't be compared to one's limbs. Man-made puppets were in fact man-made weapons. Even if one could wield them with one's soul, it would be no different from wielding a weapon.
"However, the Soulless Metal Humanoid is different. It is forged from a living human, and its entire body is forged from metal. Not only is its defense invincible, it possesses incredible strength as well. More importantly … it could perfectly accommodate souls, allowing him to easily control them. Legend had it that soul oracles possessed incredible control over their souls, but their physical bodies and fighting prowess were extremely weak. It's using souls to control these things. It's invincible and instills fear in others. "
Master Sai explained.
Coming to a realization, Zhang Xuan was astonished.
Turning living people into puppets just to protect themselves … this profession was truly strange and evil.
"In ancient times, soul oracles were on par with poison masters, and both of them were fearsome existences. It was said that it was possible to forcefully extract a person's soul from their body with the help of their powerful control over the soul and refine the body into a golden man. Some powerful soul oracles can even create a terrifying army of Goldmen. "
Master Sai said, "This was precisely the reason why the other occupations objected to it. Eventually, Mingshi Tang made a move personally and destroyed it. As a result, the heritage of the Soulless Metal Humanoid was lost. I only managed to confirm the existence of the Soulless Metal Humanoid after reading through many ancient books. Otherwise, I might have really thought of it as an ordinary puppet. "
Suppressing his nervousness, Zhang Xuan asked, "I heard that this occupation … is capable of awakening a sleeping soul. May I know if that's true?"
Even though Luo Qianhong was a 3-star master teacher, his knowledge was still lacking compared to the 4-star appraiser, Master Sai. Thus, he should be able to obtain a more accurate answer from him.
"The soul is an extremely complex subject. Only a Seven Star master teacher would be able to comprehend it. Otherwise, even a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan pinnacle expert wouldn't dare to touch it. Only soul oracles would be able to achieve such a feat without sufficient strength! This occupation is capable of extracting the souls of living humans, so awakening a sleeping soul should be a walk in the park. "
Master Sai said with a grim expression.
Hearing the other party's confirmation, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
"Alright, the auction is about to begin!"
While the duo was chatting, a commotion sounded below. Turning around, they saw that the auction had indeed begun.
The one hosting the auction was none other than Elder Chen.
As a 4-star appraiser and an elder of the Appraiser Hall, Zhang Xuan's words were more convincing, and he was able to convince others of the authenticity of the artifact.
"The items being auctioned today include weapons, armor, antiques, paintings, otherworldly treasures, ancient Soulless Metal Humanoid Puppets, and so on. There are a total of thirty-five items. Every single one of them has been appraised by our Appraiser Hall, and our evaluation is accurate. There isn't the slightest bit of falsehood in it. "
Scanning the surroundings, Elder Chen exuded an astonishing aura.
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he reverted back to the dignified 4-star appraiser he once was. He was no longer the fellow who was forced into a corner by Sun Qiang previously.
"Thirty-five items? So many treasures? "
"Of course! The Appraiser Hall only holds an auction once a year, and the items on sale are all invaluable. Otherwise, do you think that anyone would be able to get an invitation letter?"
"I've been preparing for this for a very long time. There are some items here that I must obtain no matter what..."
…
Upon hearing the introduction, discussions broke out in the surroundings.
The auction hall was similar to an ordinary dueling ring. Since a person of high standing like Master Sai was seated in a private room, there were quite a few seats below.
There were unaffiliated cultivators and guests from powerful clans. They had prepared for a very long time to purchase the items they wanted.
Looking through the window, Master Sai remarked, "It seems like the Soulless Metal Humanoid is a huge attraction. Quite a few experts are here!"
"Indeed!" Jin Conghai nodded.
He was a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert, and he had been with the royal family of the League of Nations for a very long time. As such, he was acquainted with almost all of the famous experts in the league.
Even though this auction was held in Honghai City, there were quite a few experts who were on par with him here. In fact, there were even quite a few who were stronger than him. This was truly a frightening sight.
Usually, there wouldn't be so many people at an auction. Clearly, they were all here for the Soulless Metal Humanoid.
"I'm afraid that three thousand spirit stones might not be enough to buy it!"
After taking a closer look, Master Sai smiled bitterly with a grim expression.
Previously, he estimated that the value of the Soulless Metal Humanoid was only 1500 spirit stones. Even if he were to double the price, it would only be around 3000 spirit stones. Given that so many experts were here, it wouldn't be easy for him to buy it at this price.
"I'll just take it one step at a time! If it isn't enough, Master Sai can just lend me more money! "Zhang Xuan chuckled.
"Ah..." Master Sai rolled his eyes. This fellow hadn't forgotten about this matter yet.
"Everyone, silence. The auction shall begin now. Let's begin with the first auction item!"
After allowing the crowd to vent their shock, Elder Chen smiled faintly, and with a wave of his hand, he grabbed forward.
Huala!
A stone platform slowly rose from the ground, and a narrow jade box appeared on it.
Opening the jade box, a crystalline plant appeared before everyone's eyes. It exuded a bone-chilling cold. Even from afar, it felt as though one would be frozen into a popsicle.
"This is a five-hundred-year-old Glacial Spirit Grass. It has miraculous effects on those who cultivate ice-attribute cultivation techniques. If one were to consume it after forging it into a pill, their cultivation would surely soar. The starting bid is 220 spirit stones, and each increment must be no less than 20 spirit stones! "
"Glacial Spirit Grass? It can be used to forge a grade-4 Ice Soul Pill. Not only is it effective on those who cultivate ice-attribute cultivation techniques, it's also effective on Transcendent Mortal 3-dan Yin-Yang realm cultivators! "
"Indeed, treasures, real treasures. As expected of the annual auction of the Appraiser Hall, the items are already extraordinary!"
"I'll be taking this Glacial Spirit Grass. 240 spirit stones!"
"You want to buy a five-hundred-year-old spirit grass with this little bit of money? Dream on! 260 spirit stones! "
"Give it to me instead! 300 spirit stones... "
Even though the first treasure was just a spirit grass, it immediately stirred up the atmosphere.
Glacial Spirit Grass was rare in the first place, not to mention a five-hundred-year-old one. It didn't take long for the price to rise to 500 spirit stones, and eventually, the final price reached 540 spirit stones!
"As expected of an auction, it sure is popular..."
Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Based on the price he had in mind, the Glacial Spirit Grass should be worth around 300 spirit stones at most. Yet, in the end, it actually rose to 540 spirit stones, nearly double that. Most likely, just as Master Sai had said, the Soulless Metal Humanoid wouldn't be easy to buy.
The second treasure was a unique ore. Adding a sliver of it into a weapon would enhance the might and sharpness of the weapon.
As soon as the ore appeared, it immediately became even more violent than the Glacial Spirit Grass.
What accompanied a cultivator day and night was their weapon. The higher the tier of the weapon, the greater its survivability. Who would be willing to miss out on such a good treasure?
Soon, the price exceeded 600 spirit stones, and eventually, it was bought by a middle-aged man for 720 spirit stones.
"The third treasure is a sword known as' Frigid Yin '. It was forged three hundred years ago by 4-star pinnacle Blacksmith Jiu Muzi after gathering thirty-seven different ores. Among them, the most valuable one is a Glacial Yin Stone. Wielded by a yin or frost attribute cultivator, the might of the sword will be amplified, granting it greater fighting prowess!"
Elder Chen took out a sword and lightly unsheathed it. In an instant, a cold gleam emanated from it.
"This is a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon, capable of slicing through metal as though mud. The starting bid is 500 spirit stones, and every increment must be no lower than 50 spirit stones!"
"Frigid Yin Sword? I've heard of it before. It's a sword used by a lady, and it's extremely powerful! "
"A Spirit intermediate-tier weapon is more than sufficient for a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert to wield. Five hundred spirit stones isn't expensive at all. I'll be taking it!"
"I'll be leaving this for my companion. You can forget about it. 550 spirit stones..."
...
The moment the sword appeared, the eyes of the crowd below began burning with desire.
"This item isn't weak. Zhao Ya, do you want it?"
Taking a look, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately turned to look at the sword.
Zhao Ya possessed the Pure Yin Body, and this sword was suitable for her. If he could buy it for her, her fighting prowess would surely be enhanced significantly.
"You should save the money for the Soulless Metal Humanoid to save Lu Chong. I... don't want it!"
Zhao Ya shook her head, but her eyes were filled with desire.
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