"It's a carving knife from the Carving Knife Rankings!"
When the final auction item was brought up, Xu Tianyang, who had been waiting, was slightly stunned.
Carving knives on the rankings were rare and highly sought after; no Soul Engineer could refuse a carving knife, which was like a divine weapon to them. As far as Xu Tianyang knew, most of the carving knives on the rankings currently had owners, and very few were lost in the wild.
He hadn't expected one to appear at an auction today. No wonder people who were usually hard to see had all shown up as if by prior arrangement.
Upon closer inspection, what could attract them were nothing more than top-tier treasures like Spirit Bones and carving knives.
"That's it!"
"Look at those lines, so beautiful!"
"This item is destined for me!"
Zui Hongchen was already practically glued to the glass, his eyes fixed on the carving knife on the stage, occasionally making a slurping sound.
Xu Tianyang's eyesight was excellent; even from his seat, he could clearly see the carving knife.
The Frigid Moon Carving Knife, as its name suggested, was entirely white and jade-like, exuding a chill. It was very small, about half a foot long and only as thick as a finger, shaped like a crescent moon. Its two ends looked very sharp, with faint patterns inscribed upon them, emitting a subtle ancient aura.
"Xiuwen, don't you want it?" Xu Tianyang withdrew his gaze and curiously asked Huang Xiuwen, who seemed to have no reaction.
No Soul Engineer would refuse a ranked carving knife. The reason he wasn't interested in this carving knife was that, just among the ranked carving knives he knew of, seven were stored in his home, four of which ranked higher than the Frigid Moon Carving Knife.
There was no need to bid for it.
"Boss, my grandpa said that once I break through level thirty, my family's heirloom carving knife, Purple Lightning, will be given to me," Huang Xiuwen said calmly, scratching his head when he heard this.
"So that's how it is!" Xu Tianyang suddenly understood. The Huang family was one of the few families that approached spirit tool cultivation with a 'go with the flow' attitude. Their family still primarily focused on cultivating inherited Spirits, which was why Huang Xiuwen wasn't so keen on spirit tools.
Maintaining an average standard was enough.
Zui Hongchen, on the other hand, had extremely high talent in spirit tools, and he also loved them. The Hongchen family had top-tier Soul Engineers in every generation; it could be said that spirit tools were the foundation of the Hongchen family.
The Hongchen family also had its own ranked carving knives, but they all had owners and wouldn't be passed down to Zui Hongchen anytime soon. That's why he was so invested when a new ranked carving knife appeared this time; he wanted to own his own exclusive ranked carving knife.
"I bid one million!"
"One million two hundred thousand!"
"One million five hundred thousand!"
"..."
"Two million..."
Fierce bidding echoed continuously. In the blink of an eye, the auction price had doubled and was still rising non-stop, showing no signs of stopping.
High-level Soul Engineers never lacked money. There were only so many ranked carving knives in the world, and not every high-level Soul Engineer owned one. Therefore, every time a ranked carving knife appeared, it would fetch an exorbitant price.
"Four million two hundred thousand!"
"Five million!"
Zui Hongchen finally couldn't help but bid, directly increasing the price by eight hundred thousand. This terrifying increase in bid caused the heated atmosphere in the venue to momentarily freeze, followed by a brief silence.
"Five million one hundred thousand!"
However, this time, the reputation of the Hongchen family did not make everyone back down, and the price started to rise again.
Zui Hongchen and the others engaged in a fierce, unyielding bidding war. Xu Tianyang and Huang Xiuwen watched with great interest. As for helping, there was no need; no matter how much Zui Hongchen bid, the Hongchen family would naturally cover the cost.
After Zui Hongchen directly raised the price to ten million, and after two rounds of back-and-forth, he finally secured it for twelve million.
After finally securing it, Zui Hongchen's chubby face flushed slightly with excitement. But when the auction hammer fell for the third time and the Frigid Moon Carving Knife was announced as his, Zui Hongchen's excited emotions began to recede, and he was drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water.
After the auction, Zui Hongchen eagerly rushed home to study his newly acquired divine weapon, while Huang Xiuwen also had to return for his family's specialized training.
Xu Tianyang, however, did not return to school. Instead, he was picked up and brought back to the Crown Prince Residence, because Xu Yunxiao and Mu Mengyu, who had been away for a long time, finally returned today.
"Father, Mother!"
Seeing Xu Yunxiao and Mu Mengyu again, even the composed Xu Tianyang felt a little excited. It had been more than half a year since their family had gathered together.
"Hahaha, Yang'er, come here quickly and let Father and Mother see you." Seeing their son, Mu Mengyu and Xu Yunxiao were very excited, pulling him over for a flurry of warm greetings.
Xu Tianyang also took the opportunity to tell his parents about the events that had happened to him over the past year, including what had occurred at the Starlight Auction he had just attended.
Xu Yunxiao and his wife nodded repeatedly as they listened, smiles never leaving their faces.
After Xu Tianyang finished speaking, Xu Yunxiao softly said, "I know Zui Hongchen and Huang Xiuwen; they are both promising talents. You can completely trust in befriending them. Perhaps in the future, they will become your right-hand men."
"I know, Father." Xu Tianyang nodded. Zui Hongchen and Huang Xiuwen had good talent, and their personalities suited him well. They were indeed worth cultivating carefully.
"Alright, it's getting late. Yang'er just returned from the auction and probably hasn't had dinner yet. Our family has been apart for so long; let's have a good get-together tonight." Mu Mengyu stood up with a gentle smile, pulling Xu Tianyang out.
The three arrived at the dining room. As soon as they stepped through the door, Xu Tianyang saw a familiar figure sitting upright at the dining table, her small face taut, displaying a nervousness Xu Tianyang had never seen before.
"Xu Nianshuang, why are you at my house?" The person was none other than his classmate, Xu Nianshuang. Xu Tianyang looked at her, full of questions, and asked.
"Greetings, Crown Prince and Crown Princess!" Seeing the three approach, Xu Nianshuang quickly stood up and respectfully bowed to Xu Yunxiao and his wife.
"Shuang'er, it's only been a year, and you've already forgotten what I told you?" Mu Mengyu immediately stepped forward, helped Xu Nianshuang up, and pinched her slightly chubby cheeks, saying, "What were you supposed to call me again?"
"Aunt Yu!"
Xu Tianyang rarely saw a shy expression on Xu Nianshuang's face. From the current situation, his parents clearly knew her long ago. No wonder he had been investigating her background for a year without success.
If his parents were involved, it wouldn't be strange at all.
He couldn't help but glance back at his father, hoping he would answer his questions.
Xu Yunxiao saw the question in his son's eyes but didn't explain. Instead, he pulled him to a seat and said, "You two must already know each other, so I won't introduce you further. From now on, Shuang'er will live in the Crown Prince Residence and go to school with you. You two must support each other well and grow together."
"Tonight is our family's first family dinner. Let's not talk about anything else; quickly start eating. These are rare delicacies I specifically had people hunt for – soup stewed with ten-thousand-year Wood Soul Dragon. It can strengthen your foundation and nourish your vitality, so you two must eat more."
Listening to Xu Yunxiao's words, Xu Tianyang felt strange, especially when he looked at Xu Nianshuang across from him, whose small face was flushed, almost hiding in his mother's arms. The strangeness in his heart grew even stronger.
A suspicion vaguely surfaced in his mind.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the priority was to eat. This table was full of rare delicacies. As for other matters, he believed his father would give him an explanation later.
After dinner, Mu Mengyu took Xu Nianshuang somewhere unknown, while Xu Tianyang followed Xu Yunxiao, strolling along the corridor.
"I know you have many questions. Let me explain it to you slowly," Xu Yunxiao began to explain on his own this time, before Xu Tianyang could even ask.
"That girl, Nianshuang, is a pitiful one. Her village, when she was six, unexpectedly encountered an Evil Soul Master."
"Evil Soul Master!" Xu Tianyang was a little surprised, then thought it seemed normal. As long as Spirits awakened, Evil Soul Masters would appear. Compared to the Douluo Continent, the Sun Moon Continent had no Angel God, no Spirit Hall.
So, Evil Soul Masters were more rampant here. Although the empire was also eradicating Evil Soul Masters, their methods were bizarre, and there were always those who slipped through the net. Clearly, Xu Nianshuang's village was very unfortunate.
"The entire village, except for her, was massacred. Later, a small team from the Fire Phoenix Soul Guidance Group passed by there on a mission, found her, and brought her back to the military camp. They even helped her awaken her Spirit. Unexpectedly, this girl's talent was so high: an ice element Spirit, with innate ninth-rank spirit power."
"Such talent directly reached your mother's ears. She then personally went to bring her back and, by the way, avenged her."
The story was simple. Similar things happened every day on the Sun Moon Continent. The difference was that Xu Nianshuang's talent was very high, and she was taken in by his parents for cultivation.
"So, you've taken her as a goddaughter?"
"Smack!" A slap landed on Xu Tianyang's head. Xu Yunxiao said, annoyed, "You rascal, do you think you can hide it from your father? You couldn't have failed to notice?"
His head hurt. Xu Tianyang held his head, chuckling as he looked at his father, "So, I have a fiancée?"
"You don't want her?" Xu Yunxiao glared at Xu Tianyang, then turned and said, "Then I'll go tell Nianshuang and your mother. Who do you think your mother and I are doing this for? You won't find such a good wife even if you search with a lantern in the future."
"I didn't say no!" Xu Tianyang muttered. Given his status, the choice of his future wife would most likely not be his own.
Xu Nianshuang had good talent, was a beautiful embryo in appearance, and her personality seemed decent so far. She was indeed an excellent partner.
He naturally wouldn't be pretentious and push her away. He had just been a little slow to react.
"You brat!" Xu Yunxiao cursed with a laugh, then raised a hand. Seeing Xu Tianyang beg for mercy, he smiled and shook his head, saying, "Treat her well. Although your matter has been settled by your mother and me, how you get along is your own business."
"Shuang'er has a rather cold personality. Originally, I was worried you wouldn't get along, but now it seems I underestimated you. I can see that Shuang'er has a good impression of you, which is very rare."
Looking at his father's approving gaze, Xu Tianyang scratched his head in confusion. Xu Nianshuang had a good impression of him?
Where did that come from?
Had they even interacted?