Chapter 88: Fierce Competition
"50 million Gold Soul Coins!"
A Soul Master raised their bidding card first, their voice tinged with nervousness and excitement.
"60 million Gold Soul Coins!"
Almost immediately, another voice followed, firm and decisive.
As the atmosphere in the auction hall became more intense, the price of the puppet continued to rise rapidly, soaring like a rocket.
Many forces did not hesitate to join the competition, their bids coming one after another.
"I was originally disappointed that I couldn't study the puppet I saw before, but I didn't expect the Star Auction Pavilion to give such an opportunity," an excited yet slightly aged voice rang out in the auction hall—this was Mirror Hongchen from Mingde Hall.
He had been disheartened after missing out on the Martial Soul Replication Mirror and had seemed somewhat listless.
However, when the puppet appeared again on the auction stage, it was as if a ray of light broke through the gloom in his heart, reigniting his burning fighting spirit.
The first time he had seen the puppet, he had been deeply attracted by its exquisite structure and overwhelming power.
But unfortunately, that puppet belonged to the Star Auction Pavilion, and he could only watch from a distance, filled with helplessness and regret.
But this time, the Star Auction Pavilion had brought a puppet for auction.
This unexpected surprise made Mirror Hongchen extremely excited, and his hands even trembled slightly.
However, with his years of deep research and sharp insight into Soul Guidance Devices, Mirror Hongchen quickly realized that this puppet was not as powerful as the one he had seen outside the Star Auction Pavilion.
While the two puppets had the same structure, the energy they emitted was quite different.
The previous puppet's aura was much deeper and stronger, as if it contained endless power. The aura of this puppet, on the other hand, was relatively weaker.
Even so, Mirror Hongchen still saw this puppet as a priceless treasure. In his eyes, it was still an invaluable research material.
As long as he could successfully obtain it and understand its operating mechanisms and construction, Mingde Hall would certainly be capable of mass-producing puppets.
Thus, Mirror Hongchen did not hesitate to enter the competition, raising his bidding card decisively.
"What do you think of this puppet?"
At this moment, the Soul Beast faction on the fourth floor, led by Di Tian, looked at the puppet on the auction stage with a solemn expression.
He knew that Soul Guidance Devices existed in the human world, and a level-9 Soul Guidance Device could threaten even a Title Douluo-level powerhouse.
He had originally thought that a level-9 Soul Guidance Device would be enough to amaze him, but this puppet had completely changed his understanding.
From what was just demonstrated, this puppet not only had extremely high agility, but its own strength was also formidable. Moreover, it was made of metal, granting it powerful defensive abilities.
This made Di Tian feel quite uneasy. After all, the strength of this puppet had already reached the level of a human Title Douluo.
To a certain extent, it could even pose a threat to a true 100,000-year Soul Beast.
If humans continued researching it, wouldn't they be able to create puppets that could threaten even Beast Kings?
The thought of this made Di Tian's scalp tingle.
Humans were indeed a gifted species.
"This puppet's structure is more sophisticated than any Soul Guidance Device I've seen before. Just the fact that it can unleash the power of a Title Douluo-level Soul Master with enough Soul Power shows its strength," Di Tian remarked.
"Indeed, the Soul Beast faction could never have developed such a profound puppet."
Wan Yao Wang, standing next to him, couldn't help but admire the human race's talent. This puppet had far exceeded his expectations.
"You don't need to be too pessimistic. From the expression changes I saw in the Soul Masters' eyes just now, it's clear that even the top human Soul Masters are shocked by this puppet," said Gu Yue Na, looking around the room and drawing a conclusion.
"That means, with the current state of human Soul Guidance technology, they probably won't be able to produce such puppets in the short term."
"Perhaps only the Star Auction Pavilion has the ability to create such a puppet, and given their way of doing things, I don't think they will mass-produce these puppets. So, we don't need to worry too much," Gu Yue Na continued.
After Gu Yue Na's words, Di Tian and the other Soul Beasts, looking around at the crowd's expressions and their desire for the puppet, found themselves agreeing with their leader's conclusion.
It seemed they had overthought things.
...
Half an hour passed quickly, and the auction continued in full swing.
As time passed, most factions gradually withdrew from the competition.
"600 million Gold Soul Coins!"
Mirror Hongchen's eyes turned red as he unhesitatingly called out a sky-high bid of 600 million Gold Soul Coins.
When this price was announced, the whole room fell silent.
The previous bid was only 500 million Gold Soul Coins, and now someone had increased it by a staggering 100 million Gold Soul Coins. It was truly shocking.
Everyone's eyes turned to Mirror Hongchen, and most factions recognized him immediately.
Thinking of the immense power of Mingde Hall, most factions gradually withdrew from the competition. On one hand, it was due to fear, and on the other, seeing Mirror Hongchen's crazed behavior, they realized that the bidding price would only escalate further.
"610 million Gold Soul Coins."
After a brief pause, Du Bu Si from the Body Sect raised his bid.
Although the Body Sect was powerful, with many Title Douluo-level powerhouses, spending such an amount of Gold Soul Coins on a puppet with Title Douluo-level combat power was still a good deal.
"620 million Gold Soul Coins."
The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect quickly joined the competition. After all, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect was incredibly wealthy and was also unwilling to let go of this puppet.
"700 million Gold Soul Coins!"
Mirror Hongchen was determined to win the puppet and didn't want to waste any more time.
Of course, he also had his own plans.
By increasing the bid significantly, perhaps he could make some factions hesitant to continue competing, which was a small strategy on his part.
Sure enough, when this price was announced, some factions backed out.
The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect and the Body Sect hesitated, realizing Mirror Hongchen's craziness. He was raising the price by nearly 100 million at a time.
If they continued, they would probably end up fighting him to the bitter end.
They also understood that Mingde Hall, as the most advanced Soul Guidance research institution on the Douluo Continent, had wealth far beyond their imagination.
(END CHAPTER)
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