"ah?"

Upon hearing this, Ang Lee's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the box.

What is that?

A national treasure?

My lord, where did you get this?

You get it and then auction it off?

Behind him, Prince Xuexing, who had just been deeply moved by the future of the royal family, and Emperor Xueye, who had a look of relief on his face, both froze instantly.

They stared at Ning Liu in disbelief, then at the familiar brocade box in Li An's hand, their minds blank.

We...we just sold them?

No, we actually wanted to send it!

We went to great lengths, with a prince and the emperor personally making a trip, offering promises and expressing our gratitude, before we finally reached an agreement on this "deal".

And then you just turned around and auctioned it off?!

At this moment, Emperor Xueye, who had lived to such an old age, felt for the first time what it meant to be in a daze.

He even began to wonder if he had just had a dream.

In the deadly silence, a voice broke the deadlock.

"Ha, a national treasure?"

Dugu Bo curled his lip and glanced at the two royal nobles.

"Li An, you're an old man now. The Lord has plenty of good things in his possession, don't you know that?"

He wasn't bragging.

He still has a lot of the soul essence that the master casually gave him when he went out this time.

That thing was an excellent way to quickly restore soul power for a titled Douluo like him, but for his granddaughter Dugu Yan, it was simply a divine object that allowed her to rapidly upgrade her soul power.

Li An held the brocade box, his hands still trembling. Hearing Dugu Bo's words and looking at his master's calm and collected demeanor, he suddenly felt that... it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

He composed himself and said, "Understood, I will make the arrangements immediately!"

After saying that, he carefully picked up the box and quickly left.

After Ang Lee left, the atmosphere in the room became strange again.

Emperor Xueye and Prince Xuexing remained frozen in place, unsure of what expression to use when facing Ning Liu.

Ning Liu, however, seemed oblivious to the expressions on their faces, and instead extended an invitation with a smile:

"The auction is about to begin. If Your Majesty and His Highness the Prince do not mind, would you like to join me in a private room for a look?"

Go? Of course I'll go!

The Snow Night Emperor wanted to see what this young man was really up to!

Moreover, he also wanted to see for himself what kind of magic the Glazed Heaven Auction House possessed that could bring national treasures up for auction.

"In that case, I will be troubling Sect Master Ning."

Emperor Xueye quickly adjusted his mindset and nodded slightly.

Prince Xuexing let out a long breath and followed behind his elder brother, his expression complex.

A moment later, on the top floor of the Liulitian Auction House, inside the auction house owner's room.

Through the enormous one-way crystal window, one can take in the entire grand scene of the auction.

The room below was packed, filled with the sounds of people, including countless Soul Masters, nobles, and wealthy merchants, all with eyes gleaming with anticipation and fervor.

"Brother, you haven't been here in person, so you can't understand!"

Prince Xuexing had completely recovered from the shock and even spoke to Emperor Xueye with a hint of pride.

"Sect Leader Ning's auction is simply irresistible! Don't be fooled by the large crowd below; most of the truly valuable items are sold in our private rooms."

He lowered his voice, leaned close to Xueye's ear, and added mysteriously:

"Brother, don't forget, besides the Title Douluo we bought earlier, I, the future Title Douluo, was also 'bought' from this auction in a sense!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xueye's lips twitched slightly.

It was indeed bought with a national treasure.

He glanced at Ning Liu, who stood calmly beside him, and was filled with emotion. He sincerely praised Ning Liu:

"Sect Master Ning is truly a young man of great talent. Such a feat is unique in the entire continent."

"Your Majesty flatters me."

Ning Liu waved his hand, indicating that they should relax. "Let's see, it's starting."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lights below the auction stage suddenly dimmed, leaving only a soft white light projected precisely onto the center of the auction stage.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a woman in a gorgeous dress with a graceful figure slowly walked onto the stage, accompanied by the sound of her light footsteps.

It was DouDou, the top auctioneer from LiuLiTian.

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to our grand auction at Liulitian once again!"

DouDou's sweet and penetrating voice instantly ignited the atmosphere of the entire venue.

"At every gathering, Liuli Tian is committed to bringing surprises and miracles to everyone."

"So what new tricks have we prepared this time?"

She winked playfully, eliciting good-natured laughter and cheers from the audience.

"Miss DouDou, stop keeping us in suspense and bring out the items for auction!"

"Yes, I brought all my belongings with me!"

"I heard that a great treasure has been discovered this time. What could it be?"

Inside the private room, Prince Xuexing rubbed his hands together expectantly and said to Emperor Xueye, "Brother, watch closely! The first item up for auction is usually a great start; it's definitely something special!"

Emperor Xueye nodded slightly, his gaze fixed intently on the scene below.

He wanted to see what level of treasure Liuli Tian would choose as the first item to be auctioned.

Amidst the expectant gazes of many, DouDou smiled and clapped her hands.

A waiter carried a tray covered with a red cloth and walked steadily onto the stage.

"Now, I announce the first item to be auctioned!"

DouDou's voice rose in pitch as she abruptly ripped off the red cloth.

On the tray, lay quietly a piece of... a dusty gray shell covered with diamond patterns.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the unremarkable carapace, their faces full of question marks.

What's this?

DouDou cleared her throat and, in her alluring voice, began to introduce herself in a serious tone:

"Please look, everyone! This is the carapace of a ten-year-old pangolin!"

Ten years? Pangolin?

The crowd below the stage was completely stunned, and for a moment, there was no sound.

Inside the private room, Prince Xuexing's expectant expression froze. He turned to look at Emperor Xueye, then at Ning Liu, his mouth opened but he couldn't utter a single word.

Emperor Xueye's expression was even more interesting; he even doubted whether there was something wrong with his ears.

DouDou on stage continued her presentation in that passionate tone.

"Don't underestimate it! According to the professional assessment of our Liuli Tian appraisers, this shell has only one characteristic, and that is—hardness!"

"It's really hard!"

"With it, you possess a shield that might withstand a single attack! Or..."

DouDou paused for a moment, then smiled and said.

"...a very nice pot lid."