"I'll leave you an address. If you have any matters, you can send someone over in advance to leave a message," Qian Renxue said as she took out a pen and paper, writing down the name of a shop.
"Then I won't linger here any longer," Li Xun replied politely, tucking away the note before leaving with Dugu Bo.
Once outside the gates, Li Xun glanced back at the magnificent Spirit Hall behind him, a faint smile appearing on his face. From today onward, he no longer needed to worry about the Soul Hunt Operation. As for proving his worth, he would start with his fifth Spirit Ring.
"Xiao Xun, shall we head back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School now?" Dugu Bo asked with a smile, stroking his beard.
Li Xun had proven that he hadn't misjudged the situation. The thought of potentially having Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo under his control in the future filled Dugu Bo with excitement.
A little chrysanthemum and a little ghost—what should he do with them?
"No need for that trouble. Didn't Teacher come to Heavenly Dou City ahead of us? Come on, Grandpa Dugu, I'll take you to see something interesting," Li Xun said with a mysterious smile, as if he had thought of something.
"Oh?" Dugu Bo, seeing Li Xun's expression, knew that someone was about to fall into this kid's hands.
"Young Master, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo are, after all, close to the Pope," Serpent Spear Douluo She Long said cautiously as he approached Qian Renxue.
Currently, the Elders Hall was in the most awkward position within the Spirit Hall.
Both the Great Enshrinement and Pope Bibi Dong had the authority to command them. To avoid this situation, they could only choose to align with one side.
Although this wouldn't completely prevent them from being ordered around, it was still better than being caught in the middle and pleasing neither side. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were prime examples.
"She Uncle, the continent's top auxiliary-type Martial Soul, plus two Super Douluos, and a future Super Douluo in the making—this deal is a win no matter how you look at it, isn't it?" Qian Renxue stood by the window, calmly watching Li Xun and Dugu Bo leave. "I almost forgot, there's also Poison Douluo."
"But Your Excellency, the Pope..." Serpent Spear Douluo said carefully.
"She Uncle, I have my own plans regarding this matter," Qian Renxue replied, feeling the warm sunlight streaming through the window as she slowly closed her eyes.
Thinking of the disdain Bibi Dong, her mother, had shown her since childhood, Qian Renxue's eyes suddenly snapped open, her gaze gradually becoming resolute.
As the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heavenly Dou City's prosperity was beyond question.
The wide roads, the endless stream of carriages, and the well-dressed wealthy merchants all showcased the city's ability to attract wealth, but none of this had anything to do with the common people.
Li Xun led Dugu Bo forward, soon arriving in front of a hemispherical building.
"Xiao Xun, why are you bringing me to an auction house?" Dugu Bo asked, puzzled.
"I recently heard that Teacher has been secretly buying female slaves behind our backs," Li Xun said in a low voice, looking at the sign with a hammer carved into it. "But I've never seen him bring anyone back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Don't you think that's strange?"
"Are you serious?" Dugu Bo's eyes lit up.
Li Xun took out two masks, handing one to Dugu Bo. "Grandpa Dugu, come in with me and you'll see for yourself."
To enter the auction house, one needed proof of assets worth at least ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.
This wasn't a difficult task for Li Xun. The two of them made their way to the lobby, declined the assistance of the attendants, and quietly sat on the sofa to wait.
"Kid, are you sure Ning Fengzhi will come?" After waiting for a while and still seeing no one, Dugu Bo began to grow restless.
"I'm pretty sure. I remember Teacher arrived in Heavenly Dou City before us, right?" Li Xun glanced toward the entrance, his confidence wavering. "We didn't delay much at Qian Renxue's place either."
"They're here, they're here! I never thought Sword Douluo, who always acts like a righteous gentleman, would get involved in this." Dugu Bo's usually steady voice wavered with excitement as he saw four people enter through the door.
The two of them carefully averted their gazes, trying not to make eye contact.
"Xiao Xun, isn't that the 100,000 Year Soul Beast from Shrek Academy? How bold of her to stroll around in broad daylight?" Dugu Bo lowered his voice, keeping the conversation between the two of them.
"Is it strange for a Soul Beast to enjoy shopping?" Li Xun glanced at Tang San and Xiao Wu. "Grandpa Dugu, calm down. I know a 100,000 Year Soul Beast is tempting, but now is not the time."
"We're about to join Spirit Hall soon. We'll need them to take the brunt of things while we just reap the rewards from behind."
"You want to stir up conflict between them and then snatch the spoils from the tiger's mouth?" Dugu Bo instinctively reached to stroke his beard but remembered he was wearing a mask and stopped.
"Do we even need to stir things up between them and Spirit Hall?" Li Xun watched as Tang San and Xiao Wu were stopped by the reception staff. "Look at their situation. Which elder from Spirit Hall wouldn't want to take advantage of them if they passed by?"
"But won't the Soul Beast be captured by them?" Dugu Bo looked at Li Xun in confusion.
"Have you forgotten about Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Sect?" Li Xun watched as Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo entered the auction hall and slowly stood up. "Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is too small to afford any losses."
Li Xun led Dugu Bo as they quietly followed Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo to the center of the auction hall.
The auction center, located on the second floor, was spacious, no smaller than the Battle Spirit Stage of a large Soul Arena.
Seeing Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo take their seats in the general area, Li Xun and Dugu Bo quietly found empty seats behind them.
"Does Rongrong know about this?"
"How could I dare tell her? If she found out, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would be in chaos."
Sword Douluo, overhearing the whispers behind him, almost couldn't suppress a smile.
With his cultivation level, as long as the distance wasn't too great, he could sense even the slightest movement around him unconsciously. Ever since he entered the auction hall, he had heard the two of them whispering nearby.
This was partly due to Li Xun's low cultivation level, as he couldn't yet compress his voice, and Dugu Bo could only communicate with him normally. More importantly, the two of them hadn't even bothered to change their outfits.
Sword Douluo glanced at Ning Fengzhi out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that he was completely unaware, he shook his head with a smile.
Xiao Wu gave an unimpressed look to the indifferent waiter. After the waiter left, she couldn't help but mutter, "Hmph! Looking down on people. Dressed so provocatively, she's probably trying to seduce the rich men here."
Xiao Wu thought about the waiter's voluptuous figure and then looked down at her own flat chest. "What's the point of growing so big? Do rich people really like that kind of thing?"
Li Xun and Dugu Bo were momentarily stunned by the words, then exchanged a glance, barely suppressing their urge to burst into laughter.
Ning Fengzhi quickly spoke up to explain a few things to the service staff here.
The Sword Douluo had once seen Tang San and the others in Suotuo City. Although they were now wearing masks, a 100,000 Year Soul Beast was not so easy to conceal.
Seeing that Ning Fengzhi was actually chatting happily with those who had bullied his little princess, he hurriedly sent a mental message to remind him.
Ning Fengzhi's expression stiffened, and he gave Tang San and Xiao Wu a deep look before suddenly falling silent.
Tang San had already fainted when the Sword Douluo appeared, so he had never seen the Sword Douluo before.
Seeing that Ning Fengzhi, who had been chatting with them so well, suddenly fell silent, he was somewhat puzzled.
(End of Chapter)