Sun Moon Royal Academy Library.
As a peerless spirit tool research institution, its collection of books and materials on spirit tools is unmatched on the entire Douluo Star.
Once enrolled, students can borrow books from it, utilizing its vast resources to enrich themselves.
Xu Tianyang borrowed a copy of "Level 3 spirit tool Array Formations, Xu Yunxiao's Annotated Edition," found a well-lit spot, and began reading with great interest.
It must be said, some of the insights truly gave him great inspiration; his father was indeed worthy of being hailed as the genius most likely to break through to a Level 9 Soul Engineer.
"Boss, I've been looking for you for ages, why are you here?"
Zui Hongchen's somewhat low voice came, and Huang Xiuwen, who had gradually become inseparable from him this semester, sat down on either side of him.
"No way, Boss, the final exams are over, and you're still studying?" Zui Hongchen peered over Xu Tianyang to see the book in his hand, then lowered his voice and couldn't help but wail.
"Are you going to leave us poor students any room to live?!"
Seeing Zui Hongchen's resentful expression, Huang Xiuwen on the side was the first to react, saying with an unfriendly look: "Fatty, besides the Boss, you were the only one who got full marks on the final theoretical knowledge assessment. If you're a poor student, then what am I?"
"And don't think I didn't see that 'Overview of Common Questions for Level 3 Soul Engineer Exams' under your pillow. You're the one secretly studying hard, aren't you!"
Listening to the angry voice beside him, the flesh on Zui Hongchen's chubby face couldn't help but tremble, and he chuckled awkwardly: "Ahem, Old Huang, aren't I just trying to improve? Besides, didn't we agree, the two of us brothers, one civil and one military, would assist His Royal Highness the Grandson and achieve great accomplishments?"
"So, the academy is on holiday, why aren't you two going home? What are you doing staying at school?" With a light chuckle, Xu Tianyang closed his book, turned to Zui Hongchen and asked.
Three months had passed since the last practical combat session, and the academy had completed a year's worth of courses and begun its holiday.
Since Xu Yunxiao and Mu Mengyu had not yet returned, Xu Tianyang did not go back to the Crown Prince Residence. For him, staying at school or the Crown Prince Residence was essentially the same.
Compared to the Crown Prince Residence, he preferred to stay in the school library.
"Boss, the Starlight Auction House has received a few interesting items," Zui Hongchen leaned in mysteriously and whispered.
"Let's go, let's take a look!" Xu Tianyang heard this, smiled, and stood up.
The Starlight Auction House is an old auction house located near the Sun Moon Royal Academy. Due to its location, students and teachers of the academy often visit it to check for new items or opportunities to find bargains.
Xu Tianyang also knew that the Hongchen family was a shareholder of the Starlight Auction House. If Zui Hongchen, with his knowledge, found something interesting, then it must be good. His curiosity was indeed piqued.
Night fell, and the city lights began to glow.
As the largest city in the Sun Moon Empire, the Imperial Capital, due to its strength, had never worried about the ravages of war. Its prosperity could be considered the greatest city on the Sun Moon Continent.
On the wide streets, pedestrians came and went, their faces all beaming with happy smiles.
The three passed through the school gate and soon arrived in front of a peculiar circular building, where they stopped.
This circular building occupied an extremely vast area, with a diameter of at least five hundred meters and a height exceeding one hundred meters. Even within the Imperial Capital, it was an extremely rare structure.
To occupy such a large area in this prime location, where every inch of land is precious, showed the profound background behind it.
Besides the Hongchen family, several top families, and even the Imperial family, were among its stakeholders.
The main entrance of the Starlight Auction House was also semicircular, and like the overall architecture of the auction house, it was presented in an ancient black color.
In front of the door stood several tall receptionists. These young women were clearly carefully selected; not only were they all around 1.75 meters tall, but their figures were also extremely well-proportioned. Although they couldn't be called stunning beauties, their attractive features and vibrant youthful aura were still very appealing.
However, they held no particular attraction for Xu Tianyang and his two companions.
After Zui Hongchen produced a token, the three entered the auction house amidst the excited expressions of the attendants.
The interior of the auction house was not opulent; instead, it exuded simplicity and elegance. The floor was made of off-white marble, and the surrounding walls were adorned with various bas-reliefs.
Display cases built into the walls showcased some rare metals, either crystal clear or brightly colored, as well as many exquisitely crafted spirit tools.
For students valued by the academy, they all had privileges granted by the academy, allowing them to spend freely within a certain limit.
This was equivalent to an early investment by the academy in talented students from less privileged backgrounds.
In terms of nurturing students, their Sun Moon Empire was serious.
Inside the auction house, within the Hongchen family's exclusive private box, the most striking feature was the huge floor-to-ceiling window in front, made of a large crystal. After special treatment, it allowed a clear view of every corner of the venue.
"It seems the items at tonight's auction are quite significant, with so many 'big shots' showing up," Xu Tianyang glanced over the various VIP rooms, each emanating a strong aura, and chuckled as he looked at Zui Hongchen beside him.
"These guys are like rats, their noses are so sharp," Zui Hongchen's expression couldn't help but change at this sight, and he cursed in a low voice.
Seeing this, Xu Tianyang's curiosity was completely piqued, and he watched the center of the auction hall with great interest.
At this moment, the lights in the auction center gradually dimmed. Under the illumination of several spirit tool crystal lamps on the stage, the hostess, clad in a purple dress, gracefully ascended the stage.
Holding a sound-amplifying spirit tool, she glanced at the many top VIP rooms, then began to host the auction with a charming smile.
As the auction officially began, the bustling audience seats quieted down.
The first few auction items were not expensive, within the range of ten thousand gold coins, but they were sufficient to warm up the crowd.
"Sold! Congratulations to VIP number 476 for winning this Level 4 Profound Water Shield with a bid of twelve thousand one hundred and thirty-eight gold coins."
In the ordinary seats in the hall, a young man showed a half-crying, half-laughing expression. Bidding was exhilarating in the moment, but afterward, it was like a cremation ground. Late night was indeed a high-incidence period for impulsive spending, especially in an auction house, a place that makes one's adrenaline surge.
"Thank you, esteemed guests, for your presence. Next, let us unveil tonight's first heavyweight auction item: the Paragon Shield, which His Royal Highness the Crown Prince proposed to develop some years ago. Although this is only a Level 5 spirit tool, due to its special nature, the starting price is one hundred thousand gold coins. Bidding will open in five minutes, with each increment not less than five hundred gold coins."
The opening act concluded, and the real auction began. As expected, the very first item sent waves of excitement through the bidders below the stage.
The Paragon Shield, this spirit tool was developed based on an extremely rare Spirit Ability, the Paragon Golden Body. With the injection of the core array, the Paragon Shield could instantly unleash the energy within the golden crystal, thereby generating powerful defensive capabilities.
Even a mere Level 5 Paragon Shield could block any Spirit Master's attack below the Spirit Douluo level for three seconds. Its value was no less than a millennium Spirit Bone.
"It's actually the Paragon Shield? Isn't this thing forbidden for circulation by the Imperial family?" Zui Hongchen blinked his narrow eyes, unable to resist secretly glancing at Xu Tianyang several times.
"Why are you looking at me? Since the auction house dares to put it up for auction, it must have received the Imperial family's approval," Xu Tianyang noticed his gaze, holding his drink cup with a relaxed demeanor.
He hadn't expected that the Paragon Shield was actually developed under his father's leadership. The Paragon Shield, as a spirit tool, was a life-saving treasure in certain situations. As soon as it appeared, it was deemed the most beloved spirit tool by Spirit Masters, with an extremely wide market. Given the current complex environment, after the experimental results were obtained, the Imperial family immediately issued a ban, prohibiting its circulation in the market and reserving it for use by generals on the front lines.
Such an excellent defensive spirit tool could sometimes change the outcome of a war. In such a tense situation, the Imperial family also had to guard against people from the Moonflow Empire obtaining the Paragon Shield. If the enemy were to research and replicate it, it would be tantamount to indirectly aiding the enemy.
Seeing Xu Tianyang's reaction, Zui Hongchen breathed a sigh of relief, then rubbed his hands together, his eyes burning with eagerness as he looked at the Paragon Shield in the auction house.
Such an excellent spirit tool was simply fatally attractive to a genius Soul Engineer like him. Previously, due to the ban, even he had only heard about it from his grandfather and had never seen the real thing.
At this moment, the instant he saw the actual item, he had only one thought.
"Buy it, decipher it, master it."
"Good stuff, I really want..." Huang Xiuwen walked to the one-way glass of the private box, staring unblinkingly at the Paragon Shield.
"No, you don't!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Zui Hongchen immediately turned around and interrupted him with a serious expression.
Huang Xiuwen heard this, rolled his eyes, shrugged, and sat back down. Although he studied spirit tool manufacturing, he wasn't as enthusiastic as Zui Hongchen, and his talent was also not as good as the latter's.
While the few of them were talking, the price of the Level 5 Paragon Shield in the venue rapidly soared to three hundred thousand gold coins, and it was still rising.
Every new type of spirit tool was a strong temptation for these high-level Soul Engineers, let alone an excellent spirit tool like the Paragon Shield.
"Five hundred thousand!"
Finally, after Zui Hongchen shouted out a price of five hundred thousand, the Paragon Shield was acquired by him.
During this process, Xu Tianyang clearly felt several unwilling gazes, but when they saw the private box that had made the bid, they all gave up on further bidding.
Although the Hongchen family's influence was not as great as during Huo Gua's era, it was still among the top. Since the Imperial family had already given its approval, everyone would eventually obtain the Paragon Shield from other sources, so there was no need to lose face by competing.
Moreover, it was rumored that Zui Hongchen of the Hongchen family was very close to His Royal Highness the Grandson. It was a pity that their families didn't have outstanding younger generations of similar age.
The subsequent auction items were all Level 7 or higher spirit tools. Of course, the various spirit tools put up for auction were all those that did not involve core technology.
Xu Tianyang had been quietly observing, not bidding on a single item. Coming from the Imperial family, he had seen much and naturally had high standards. In his opinion, these spirit tools were only mediocre and completely unnecessary to bid on.
"Next is tonight's grand finale item."
The clear and melodious voice rang out again. Those who knew the inside story of the day couldn't help but sit up straight, rubbing their hands together, and staring at the auctioneer on stage.
This time, the presentation was grander than any before. Two young women held a dark rectangular metal box with both hands. Then, the auctioneer slowly approached the two women, extended her slender fingers to open the closed metal box, and began to introduce it to everyone.
"This is tonight's final auction item, the Frigid Moon Engraving Knife, ranked seventy-eighth on the Engraving Knife List."