Chapter 1496: A Major Arrival

The blessings of the Elven race are undoubtedly a powerful racial talent. These various strange and peculiar enchantments can directly enhance a cultivator's strength.

The songs of the Mermaid race have a similar wondrous effect. Furthermore, all Mermaid women are beautiful; if one could unite with a pure-bodied Mermaid woman, there might even be an opportunity to obtain a unique secret technique.

The Soul race has neither blessings nor songs, but they can possess souls!

This peculiar race has very strange bodies, neither fully illusory nor fully corporeal, much like ghosts, which is why they are called the Soul race.

Regardless of gender, they all possess a unique ability to perform soul possession techniques. A cultivator on whom this technique is used will find their strength enhanced.

Lu Ye once saw information about the Soul race in the records of the Pixie race's Xi Yuan Pavilion. At that time, an idea sparked in his mind because in Kyushu, there was a group of martyrs who had long lost their bodies but still lived on.

Kyushu has now ascended to a large realm, but those martyrs who once made great contributions to Kyushu remained trapped within Xian Yuan City, unable to escape or even grow throughout their lives.

The sacrifices of these ancestors should not be forgotten. Today's Kyushu is no longer the Kyushu of the past, and they should have better treatment.

Lu Ye had thought at the time that if he ever encountered the Soul race, he might be able to contact them and learn how they cultivate and grow stronger.

Unfortunately, he had never encountered the Soul race until he later learned that this race is very rare. Because of their unique racial talent, they are coveted by cultivators of various major races, so they rarely appear in front of outsiders.

Unexpectedly, a member of the Soul race appeared at this auction!

Lu Ye knew immediately that he could choose not to participate in bidding for other items, but he absolutely had to acquire this Soul race member. Missing this opportunity, it would not be so easy to encounter the Soul race again.

So, as Yu Xiuzhai's voice fell, he unhesitatingly made his bid!

At the same time, in Private Room A6, a young man stared intently at the Soul race member, exclaiming excitedly, "The news was indeed correct! There really is a Soul race member at this auction!" He turned to look at a middle-aged man beside him. "Uncle, we must secure this Soul race member. If we can use her soul to create that automaton, its power will surely be greatly enhanced. Then, even if I encounter a Moon Jade cultivator, I will have the power to escape."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly and was about to make a bid.

Just then, Yu Xiuzhai on the high platform announced, "The fellow cultivator in Private Room D9 bids five million spirit jade!"

Many cultivators in the hall looked on with envy, feeling that the person in D9 was truly wealthy. They had already successfully bid on several items with a total value exceeding ten million, and this time, starting with five million, they seemed determined to win. No one knew which major power they hailed from.

In Private Room A6, the young man indignantly said, "It's this guy again."

Previously, he hadn't competed for the Sky-rending Arrow, precisely because he was waiting for this Soul race member. The price of the Sky-rending Arrow was already quite high then, so this time, he absolutely could not give up.

The middle-aged man said nothing, merely made a bid silently.

On the high platform, Yu Xiuzhai immediately turned to look in that direction: "Private Room A6 bids five million one hundred thousand!"

Immediately, several other parties made bids, and Lu Ye kept pace. In just a short while, the price had already exceeded eight million.

After another moment, the price had surpassed ten million. By this point, there were not many bidders left. Including Lu Ye and Private Room A6, only Private Room B7 was still bidding.

When the price was approaching twenty million, Private Room B7 also fell silent, clearly feeling the price was too high or had exceeded their financial capacity.

After all, only a small portion of cultivators could afford such prices.

In this regard, Lu Ye undoubtedly had an advantage; as a lone wolf, he didn't need to consider anything else.

The young man in Private Room A6 had sweat on his forehead because he realized he had underestimated the capital of the cultivator in Private Room D9. Twenty million spirit jade already exceeded their expectations, and it would undoubtedly be unwise to continue bidding. However, this was an excellent opportunity, and it would be a shame to miss it.

He couldn't help but say, "Uncle, why don't we add more at once to make him retreat when he sees the difficulty?"

The middle-aged man's bidding strategy was to add only ten thousand spirit jade each time, a slow and steady pace that made the young man feel uncomfortable.

The middle-aged man shook his head. "You don't understand. Bidding this way puts pressure on the other party. No matter how much he bids, we only add ten thousand. This is to tell him that we are determined to get this Soul race member!"

The young man nodded knowingly. "Uncle is still more astute!"

In the auction hall, the participating cultivators felt their horizons broadened, as it was rare to witness two forces fiercely competing with spirit jade in such a manner.

To be honest, not only were they surprised, but even Yu Xiuzhai was surprised.

In the Myriad Forms Chamber of Commerce's own estimation, this Soul race member would at most fetch twenty million spirit jade; after all, no matter how valuable she was, there was a limit. But now, in this situation, twenty million was clearly not the end, and the price was already heading towards thirty million.

After a while, the price indeed broke through thirty million. This time, not only did the young man have sweat on his forehead, but even the usually calm middle-aged man's expression became grave.

He truly couldn't understand which force this was, bidding so aggressively and not giving up even after the price reached thirty million.

His side was adding ten thousand by ten thousand, but the other side was even more ruthless, directly adding one million at a time, showing greater momentum than him. Moreover, each time they matched the bid quickly, without any hesitation.

He pondered for a moment, then, activating his spiritual power, he spoke: "Fellow cultivator, this Soul race member is of great use to my Boundless Isle. Might I ask if you would be willing to give her up? If you are willing..."

However, he knew he was breaking the rules. This was an auction, after all, and one doesn't negotiate like this. But he truly was approaching his limit, and drawing more spirit jade from Boundless Isle now was clearly too late.

The price of the Soul race member ultimately settled at thirty-two million, and Private Room A6 made no further bids.

In Private Room D9, Lu Ye's eye twitched.

He had just made up his mind that he wouldn't participate in bidding for any more items at the auction, no matter how good they were, yet he didn't expect such a significant item to appear now.

He checked his spirit jade; after deducting what he would have to pay shortly, only eight million remained.

However, if he could find a way through this Soul race member to solve the problem of those martyrs and allow them to escape the confines of Xian Yuan City, no matter how much spirit jade it cost, it would be worth it.

Fortunately, he still had some spirit crystals. If these were converted into spirit jade, they should be worth about ten million, enough to secure the Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal. According to the market information Lu Ye had gathered earlier, although the Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal was valuable, it would at most cost a few million spirit jade and certainly not exceed ten million.

The auction continued. After a moment, the Myriad Forms Chamber of Commerce staff brought the cage over.

Also delivered with it was a jade token. From the staff's explanation, Lu Ye learned its purpose: the Soul race member was not only confined in the cage but also had special restrictions placed on her body, and this jade token controlled those restrictions.

The Myriad Forms Chamber of Commerce staff had considered things thoroughly. Knowing that this Soul race member, having been captured and then put up for auction, would harbor resentment and not easily obey others, they had placed restrictions on her beforehand to make it convenient for the successful bidder to control her.

Lu Ye directly opened the cage. Observing with his Insight Spiritual Mark, he saw the Soul race member step out of the cage, then walk to a corner and stop without a sound, showing no intention of escaping.

She was clearly not foolish, knowing that escape was impossible in such a place, and thus made no futile attempts.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Ye spoke: "I mean you no harm. There are some things I'd like your help with. I still have one more item to bid on; I'll take you away after the auction is over!"

It was unknown whether the Soul race member believed him or not. In any case, Lu Ye appeared unconcerned but was actually vigilant. The movements of the Soul race were difficult to detect; if she were to ambush him here without precautions, he might not be able to evade it.

A moment later, the Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal, which Lu Ye had been waiting for, finally appeared. From its appearance, it was just a fist-sized crystal, seemingly nothing special. However, this item was one of the most desired treasures for Weapon Cultivators in the late Star Constellation stage.

The starting bid was eight hundred thousand, and Lu Ye immediately started bidding.

He had just been reprimanded by Yu Xiuzhai, but since Yu Xiuzhai's cultivation was higher, he was older, and his status more noble, he couldn't hold a grudge or seek revenge. Instead, he blamed everything on Lu Ye in Private Room D9.

Lu Ye had previously snatched both the Sky-rending Arrow and the Soul race member from him. Now, seeing Lu Ye interested in the Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal, he naturally wanted to raise the price to vent his anger.

The cultivators in the auction hall witnessed another bizarre scene.

Private Room A6 and Private Room D9 once again began a fierce bidding war with spirit jade!

The Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal, originally worth at most a few million, had its price raised to nearly twenty million in the confrontation between these two individuals, which was truly astonishing.

However, unlike the results of the previous two times, when Private Room A6 bid twenty million, Private Room D9 made no further move.

Thus, everyone knew that in this confrontation, Private Room A6 had won!

He took a deep breath of fresh air, his chest trembling.

Confusion, bewilderment, and various emotions surged through his mind.

Where was this?

Then, Shi Yu subconsciously observed his surroundings, becoming even more bewildered.

A single dorm room?

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room now.

And his body... why was there not a single injury?

Filled with doubt, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally resting on a mirror at the head of the bed.

The mirror showed his current appearance: around seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome face.

But the problem was, this wasn't him!

His former self was a handsome young man in his twenties with an extraordinary demeanor, who had been working for some time.

Yet now, this appearance looked like that of a high school student...

This change left Shi Yu in a daze for a long time.

Don't tell him the surgery was a success...

His body and appearance had both changed; this wasn't a matter of surgery but rather immortal arts.

He had completely transformed into someone else!

Could it be... he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror at the head of the bed, which was clearly placed in poor feng shui, Shi Yu also found three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked them up and saw the titles, which instantly silenced him.

"Essential Beast-Rearing Manual for Novice Breeders"

"Postpartum Care for Pet Beasts"

"Appraisal Guide for Heterogeneous Beast-Eared Girls"

Shi Yu: ???

The first two book titles seemed normal, but what was up with the last one?

"Cough."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out, but his arm quickly stiffened.

Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

Beast Tamer?