Chapter 62: The Plans Crumble… and the Dragon Opens Its Eyes
Then all the details reported by Qing Ya and the others were relayed to the Emperor of Star Luo.
He listened in silence.
And when the report ended—
he muttered in suppressed anger:
"Damn it."
It was not a shout.
Just a word weighed down by frustration.
Then he let out a long breath, carrying a trace of helplessness.
In an auction like this…
if the other party had no intention of buying,
what use was it, even if he was the mastermind behind the scenes?
He could not place a blade against their throats and force them to make a purchase.
Jiujiu lifted her gaze toward him, clear concern in her eyes.
"Brother… what about our plan?"
The Emperor of Star Luo sat down on the sofa, leaned back, then rubbed his forehead with visible fatigue.
Ji Lin's behavior—and even Xiao Hongchen's stance beside him—had truly been beyond all their expectations.
It was not merely a refusal of an enticing offer.
It was a calculated refusal—silent, and disorienting.
Without exaggeration—
what Ji Lin did did not only confuse their plan… it overturned it completely.
The chessboard they had prepared so carefully suddenly flipped.
The Emperor remained silent for a few moments, then said slowly, heavily:
"And what can we do?"
He lifted his eyes toward the distant screen.
"Let the auction continue.
Since matters have reached this point… let us proceed step by step, and see what happens."
Then he suddenly asked, some focus returning to his voice:
"And how did those sects with the ability to compete react?"
Jiujiu answered at once:
"All of them reacted.
Among them, two sects had relatively clear stances, and they have sold us many valuable things."
She paused, then added in a practical tone:
"By a conservative estimate, our profit from this auction will exceed forty million soul gold coins.
This amount will allow us to purchase many good things within the Sun and Moon Empire."
The moment the number was spoken—
the atmosphere in the room shifted slightly.
Jiujiu's voice turned more enthusiastic, and a faint glow of partial victory appeared on her face.
As for the Emperor of Star Luo—his expression finally improved.
Forty million.
At the very least… the night had not been a complete loss.
Thirty minutes passed in haste—more than enough time for many matters to be handled.
The auction for the one-hundred-thousand-year spirit beast embryo was about to begin, and its starting price set a record in the history of Starlight Auction House: one hundred million soul gold coins.
The bidding process could only be described as brutal. At the beginning, two parties entered the competition, and the price rose rapidly until it reached one hundred and thirty million soul gold coins.
At that point, the acceleration of the bidding began to slow. Once the hundred-million mark had been crossed, this was no longer a sum that ordinary forces could afford.
In the end, the number on the screen settled at one hundred and forty million soul gold coins, and it did not move again for a full minute.
Inside VIP Room Number Three…
The air was different.
There was no political tension, no hidden calculations like in the other rooms.
Instead, there was unmistakable excitement—almost overflowing from the walls.
The middle-aged man spoke with undisguised joy:
"Excellent! The one-hundred-thousand-year spirit beast embryo is now in our hands. Even though we paid a high price, everything is worth it as long as we return it to the young master."
He appeared to be in his forties.
Tall.
But what drew the most attention—
was his right arm.
Massive in an unnatural way.
At least twice the size of his left, swollen with muscle, as if it did not belong to an ordinary human, but to some primordial beast.
His entire body radiated a rough aura, like the scent of an ancient forest after rain—powerful… primal… not easily tamed.
Beside him stood another man of roughly the same age.
Thin-bodied.
Yet his head was strikingly large, disproportionate to the rest of him.
His eyes…
flashed with a sharp gleam whenever they opened and closed, like two lamps suddenly igniting in the dark.
His gaze held no emotion.
Only sharpness… calculation.
From their unusual physiques alone, it was easy to tell that their origins were anything but ordinary.
And indeed, that was the truth.
They were from the mysterious sect known as the Body Sect.
The large-headed man was named Lang Ya.
As for the one with the massive arm—his name was Yu Tao.
Lang Ya spoke slowly, his voice low yet firm:
"Third Brother… this treasure is a dangerous one. It must not be underestimated. After completing the transaction, we must exercise the utmost caution and keep a low profile. As long as we transport it back to the sect through secret channels… we will be at ease."
He spoke like someone accustomed to planning the retreat even before the celebration began.
But Yu Tao did not hide his excitement.
Clenching his enormous fist, he said:
"Once we bring back the one-hundred-thousand-year spirit beast embryo this time, the Sect Master will be extremely pleased. And with the young master's strength, it won't even take ten years before he can absorb this embryo."
His eyes gleamed.
"And at that point, the young master will become far stronger… and lead the Body Sect to new horizons."
Lang Ya waved his hand, cutting off his enthusiasm.
"Enough, enough… that is talk for later. Do not forget our objective this time."
Yu Tao smiled carelessly and waved his massive hand.
"Of course I haven't forgotten. With that martial soul bloodline of his, it can only be fully developed by joining our sect. Any sensible person wouldn't refuse… right?"
Lang Ya looked at him for a long moment.
Then he said in measured calm:
"Let us hope so."
But in his eyes…
there was a subtle awareness—that matters in this auction had not unfolded exactly as planned.
Inside VIP Room Number Two.
With the sale of the one-hundred-thousand-year spirit beast embryo, the high-tier auction was officially declared concluded. Ji Lin signaled to Elder Yan and Elder Ma with his eyes. They immediately understood and nodded.
After receiving the auction items from Qing Ya, Ji Lin and the others left the VIP room through a secret passage.
When they returned to the Star Emperor Hotel, Elder Ma had already disappeared, so Elder Yan took charge of distributing the gains obtained from the auction.
The Tyrannical Tiger Soul Blade and the Earthfire Essence Gold were handed to Ji Lin, while Elder Ma took the pre-installed set of sixth-level fixed-position spirit-guidance cannon shells. As for the Underworld Wolf King left leg soul bone, Ji Lin took it and immediately teleported to Nannan's location and gave it to her.
He was certain that after Nannan absorbed the Underworld Wolf King left leg bone, her strength would experience a noticeable improvement.
After that, Ji Lin returned to his room.
As for the Grade Eight spirit-guidance device—the Tyrannical Tiger Soul Blade—although it could be used by someone who had reached the seventh-rank Soul Saint level, Ji Lin was currently unable to wield it.
Therefore, he stored it away.
The room fell silent.
The night had ended.
But something else was approaching.
I lay quietly on the bed.
My breathing was steady… but my thoughts were not.
That day… had truly been exhausting.
Not because of the auction.
Nor because of the schemes.
But because the time… had arrived.
I closed my eyes.
And I did not sink into a sea of energy…
but into the void of consciousness.
It was not complete darkness.
Nor complete light.
But a vast gray expanse, its ground like a transparent mirror reflecting my shadow,
and a misted ceiling without bounds.
The air was heavy.
Still.
But at the center—there was a red gauntlet.
A single gauntlet.
Hovering slowly in the void.
Its leather was a deep crimson, etched with fine black lines like veins, pulsing faintly like the heartbeat of something asleep.
It was not massive.
Nor radiant.
Yet its presence alone… was enough to lower the temperature of the entire space.
This was the Boosted Gear.
The Sacred Gear that carried the soul of the Red Dragon.
It was not merely a tool.
It was an entity.
Within the gauntlet—there was consciousness.
Deep.
Ancient.
I felt it watching me.
No hostility.
No warmth.
Only evaluation.
I took a step forward.
The moment I drew closer—the void trembled.
As if something had taken its first breath.
Then—a voice resounded.
Deep.
Thunderous.
Carrying the weight of thousands of years.
"…At last."
The voice was not angry.
Nor excited.
But the voice of a dragon long accustomed to waiting.
I felt pressure surround me.
Not an attack.
But a test.
The Boosted Gear did not grant power freely.
It chose.
It measured.
It observed.
And in that moment—I knew…
I was no longer facing an artifact.
But a true dragon.