Chapter 26: Soul Skill Pill and the Costly Duel
With the identity of Jing Hongchen's disciple, Xiao Qiang stayed in the Sun Moon Royal Auction House for one night. The next day passed in leisure—eating, drinking, and exploring the surroundings—until nightfall came, marking the highly anticipated auction.
Seated comfortably in the private VIP room, Xiao Qiang watched as one item after another was presented on stage—heavenly treasures, rare spiritual herbs, high-grade elixirs. Many of them piqued interest, but after consulting Jingyun, Xiao Qiang only chose those with estimated final auction prices lower than the advance bids. His sharp eye allowed him to pick out items with higher cost-effectiveness, leaving little room for interest in ordinary goods.
He calmly purchased a few elixirs and spiritual items, then settled in to wait for the item he truly wanted—the Marrow Cleansing Pill.
That was the plan… until something unexpected came up.
"Next up," the auctioneer's voice echoed across the venue, "our seventh lot of the evening—the Soul Skill Pill. This pill can forcibly extract and grant the soul skill of a soul beast. Once fed to a soul beast, you must kill it within one incense stick's time. The strongest soul skill of the beast will then, with high probability, be absorbed as your own. The starting price is one million gold soul coins."
Xiao Qiang's eyes widened in disbelief.
What?! A pill that could forcibly extract a soul skill from a beast? Was something like this even possible? On the Douluo Continent, such technology was unheard of. Even in the more advanced Douqi Continent, this kind of pill would be beyond belief.
"How could something like this even be made? Is it actually real?" Xiao Qiang muttered.
"Dear guest," said Ruoshui, who stood beside him, "rumor has it that this pill was originally developed to ensure that the royal family could consistently acquire powerful soul skills. Since strong soul beasts are so rare, alchemists of the empire created this to empower the royal lineage—especially His Majesty the Emperor."
"So that's the story," Xiao Qiang murmured. His eyes gleamed with determination. "I'll take it. Two million."
He had made up his mind. The Soul Skill Pill would be the key to awakening the Ice Explosion Technique for the Ice Emperor. That was what truly mattered. He had no interest in the Ice Explosion Technique's original source—the seventy-thousand-year-old left arm soul bone from the Xingluo Empire. While that soul bone might be extraordinary for an ordinary soul master, Xiao Qiang had higher ambitions.
His goal wasn't to merely walk in the shadow of someone else—not even Huo Yuhao.
Although Huo Yuhao was the so-called son of destiny, his soul bone configuration paled in comparison to that of Tang San. Tang San's torso bone was a million years old, while Huo Yuhao's was four hundred thousand. Yuhao's arm bones were seventy thousand and one hundred thousand years old, and his leg bone was only ten thousand. Only his skull could compare to Tang San's setup.
That level of preparation wouldn't cut it for the kind of adversaries Xiao Qiang expected to face in the future.
Xiao Qiang didn't plan to replicate Huo Yuhao's path. But he still needed the Ice Explosion Technique. And thanks to this pill, he finally had a method to obtain it. Without hesitation, he confirmed the bid.
"Yes, sir." Ruoshui nodded and pressed the button, raising the price to two million gold soul coins.
Since Xiao Qiang had immediately doubled the starting price, no one else dared to compete. The Soul Skill Pill was his.
Several more items passed by. Then, as expected, the Marrow Cleansing Pill finally appeared. Just as Jingyun had predicted, Xiao Qiang secured it with a bid of three million gold soul coins.
He couldn't help but feel relieved. His preparation had paid off. And even more than that, he felt lucky that his teacher wasn't someone written by Tang Jia San Shao.
If he had such a teacher, Xiao Qiang mused, he would've probably been tricked into some traumatic "learning experience" he couldn't afford.
Just like how Wu Zhangkong from Douluo Dalu 3 needlessly increased the difficulty for Tang Wulin's group when they were already struggling. Tang Wulin didn't even lack money for long—it was all just pointless drama for a lesson that didn't matter in the long run.
Or take Tang Wulin's first forging teacher—utterly worse. Xiao Qiang scoffed at the thought. Wulin's labor was worth at least 10,000 federal coins, but he only earned 30,000 after three whole years. The tuition fees were laughable. And that wasn't even the most appalling part.
As someone who rose from the bottom, that teacher should've known better than anyone the consequence of taking a white soul ring as a first ring. And even though he must've known about the Soul Ascension Platform and its cost, he didn't lend Wulin a single coin. He simply let him go down that path alone.
No wonder Tang Wulin became a divine craftsman later. Since his forging teacher never did him any true favors, Wulin owed him nothing. That teacher had tried to suppress him and keep him obedient for life. In the end, it backfired. Wulin rose, became the disciple of a divine craftsman, and that old teacher received exactly what he deserved.
With the Marrow Cleansing Pill secured, Xiao Qiang bought a few other miscellaneous items as well. He was just about to check out when an unexpected voice called out.
"What's the matter, classmate Xiao Hongchen?" Xiao Qiang asked, noting how Xiao Hongchen looked much better than before. The swelling had gone down. He quietly marveled at the Sun Moon Empire's healing medicines.
"Fight me," Xiao Hongchen said, eyes locked on him.
"…What?"
"I said, fight me."
"Why?" Xiao Qiang blinked in confusion.
"I was surprised yesterday that you beat me. I won't lose again today."
"So you just want to beat me?"
Xiao Hongchen nodded with conviction. "Yes."
"Oh," Xiao Qiang said, raising his hands as if surrendering. "I surrender. You win." He turned and made to leave.
"Stop right there! You're not going anywhere until you fight me!" Xiao Hongchen snapped.
"Brother, please, I was wrong. Why would a three-ringed soul master like me fight a four-ringed soul master like you? Isn't that just asking for a beating?"
"I won't let you suffer for nothing. Win or lose, I'll cover all your purchases tonight—just fight me!"
Xiao Qiang stopped mid-step. Slowly, he turned around and walked calmly back toward Xiao Hongchen.
"You serious?"
"Of course I'm serious! I'm Xiao Hongchen—my word is my bond. And besides, you just became my grandfather's disciple. How much could you have possibly spent?"
At that exact moment, a staff member approached politely.
"VIP Guest Xiao Qiang, your total expenditure this evening is 12.3 million gold soul coins. May I ask whose card should be used for the payment?"
Xiao Hongchen: "…"