Chapter 18 — The Ten‑Thousand‑Year Spirit Bone
Tiandou Auction House!
"Thirty‑thousand!"
A deep voice came from one of the black VIP seats, followed by the auctioneer's call:
"Thirty‑thousand! This black VIP bidder offers thirty‑thousand! Any higher bids?"
Another person raised their bidding card and shouted, "Thirty‑five thousand!"
"Thirty‑five thousand once! Thirty‑five thousand twice! If there are no further raises, this storage belt belongs to the black VIP bidder…"
"Thirty‑five thousand three times! Sold! Congratulations to this black VIP for winning this exquisite storage belt for thirty‑five thousand!"
…
Inside one of the private auction boxes, Dugu Bo watched the auction items on the stage with little interest. Once the belt was sold, the next item appeared — a piece of silvery metal.
Upon seeing it, Dugu Bo suddenly became attentive. He straightened in his seat and looked down at the auction platform.
The piece of metal was about the size of a fist, but the auctioneer pointed at it and announced:
"This is a rare metal called Chen Yin. Chen Yin has exceptional capacity and extensibility."
"It's most commonly used in crafting defensive armor and weapons. Starting price: ten thousand Gold Spirit Coins, and each raise must be at least one thousand Gold Spirit Coins. Let the bidding begin!"
"Ten thousand!"
"A VIP bidder offers ten thousand! Any higher bids?"
"Eleven thousand!"
"Fifteen thousand!"
"Fifteen thousand! A VIP bidder offers fifteen thousand! Any higher bids?"
Watching the constant bidding, Dugu Yan couldn't help whispering, "This chunk of metal is worth ten thousand? Is this ripping people off? And there are so many bidding on it? What are they thinking?"
Dugu Bo patiently explained, "Chen Yin is essential for making weapons and armor. Most armor and weapons use refined iron as the base metal — hardened but not flexible. That means they can break under stress. But if you combine some Chen Yin with the iron, then it gains flexibility and strength. That metal could make several suits of armor and weapons. Ten thousand isn't too expensive for something like that, you understand?"
After listening, Dugu Yan nodded with understanding. "Ohhh, so that's why!"
By the time they finished talking, the price of the Chen Yin had already reached twenty thousand Gold Spirit Coins.
"Twenty‑thousand! Twenty thousand Gold Spirit Coins! Any more bids? If not, this piece of Chen Yin belongs to the purple VIP bidder!"
At that moment, Dugu Bo calmly raised his bidding card and said, "Thirty‑thousand."
The moment his voice fell, the entire auction house went silent.
It was just a piece of Chen Yin metal — many people could afford it. But very few would dare to bid against a Red zone VIP at thirty thousand, especially when the material itself wasn't even worth that much. Only someone who simply didn't care about money would do such a thing.
In another box, an older man in golden‑red robes — the Red‑Robed Archbishop representing the Spirit Hall — turned his gaze toward where Dugu Bo was seated.
From his angle, he could clearly see Dugu Bo standing by the panoramic glass. The Archbishop murmured to himself, "That voice… it is that old poison guy! How did he suddenly get so young?!"
This was the same Red‑Robed Archbishop who had been thrown out of the Nine Heart Begonia estate alongside Huyan Zhen by Dugu Bo.
Beside him was an older man in platinum robes, meticulously groomed white hair. He asked, "Max, is that really Dugu Bo?"
Archbishop Max, visibly uneasy, replied cautiously, "Yes, Lord Salas. That is Dugu Bo."
This platinum‑robed man — Salas — was known for confronting the Snowy Night Emperor during the Spirit Master Tournament. But at the time, he had only recently taken up his post in the Tiandou Empire and didn't personally know Dugu Bo.
"So that's the guy who slapped you last time?" Salas stared at Dugu Bo, his eyes flashing with something unreadable.
When Max remembered being sent flying by Dugu Bo with a single slap, his face flushed with humiliation. He gnashed his teeth: "Yes! That was him! He swatted me like an insect!"
Max had hoped Salas would help him get some face back — but Salas only asked a single question and moved on. Frustrated, Max tried, "Lord Salas… Elder Yueguan is here too. Should we—?"
"Don't worry about it," Salas stopped him with a raised hand.
"Thirty‑thousand Gold Spirit Coins! This bidder offers thirty‑thousand!"
"Thirty‑thousand once! Thirty‑thousand twice! Thirty‑thousand thrice! Sold!"
Dugu Bo won the Chen Yin metal for thirty thousand Gold Spirit Coins.
Almost instantly, an attendant brought the Chen Yin on a tray into the box where Dugu Bo was seated.
Dugu Bo casually took the piece of Chen Yin and waved the attendant away with a dismissive gesture, her disappointed expression unnoticed.
Dugu Yan looked at her grandfather holding the Chen Yin in his hand and asked curiously, "Grandpa, what are you going to use Chen Yin for? Didn't you say it was used to make weapons and armor?"
Dugu Bo smiled and ruffled her purple hair. "Grandpa is going to make something."
"Oh." Dugu Yan lifted her little head in acknowledgment, then returned her gaze to the auction platform.
Seeing his granddaughter uninterested, Dugu Bo gave a helpless smile.
The auction continued, with all kinds of items — rare beast cubs, precious parts of spirit beasts, and even orcs were put up for bidding.
But Dugu Bo wasn't interested in any of it, except for one thing: he bought Dugu Yan a storage necklace.
Just then, the auctioneer's voice rang clearly through the microphones throughout the entire hall:
"Next up — I'm sure everyone here has heard of what will soon be offered!"
"That's right! It's a spirit bone!"
At those words, a tall, elegant woman in a qipao appeared on stage carrying a tray with a rectangular box.
The auctioneer slowly opened the box. Inside, a long spirit bone radiated strong spirit force while lying quietly within.
"This is the right arm bone of a dual‑headed Ming Xi, estimated at about fifteen thousand years old — exceptionally suited for serpent‑type and dragon‑type spirit masters."
Dugu Yan suddenly leapt up from her seat, eyes wide with disbelief as she stared down at the auction stage.
"Grandpa! Did you hear that?! It's a spirit bone! They're selling a spirit bone here at this auction!"
"Of course I heard," Dugu Bo replied with a dry tone. Not only did I hear — I came here for it, he thought to himself.