Douluo Unrivaled: The Beginning Materializes the Black Abyss and White Flowers

Chapter 135 Awakening of the Holy Mark
Just as the crowd in the auction hall was blinded by greed, a heavy pressure suddenly descended, and a chilling sword intent hung high in the air.

The oppressive aura and sword intent instantly brought everyone back to their senses, and their reason, which had just been blinded by greed, returned.

When the sword intent dissipated, everyone realized that their backs were already soaked with cold sweat.

They secretly rejoiced, for if it weren't for this oppressive aura and sword intent, they probably would have acted impulsively and been killed by a single sword strike in the next moment!

"A 100,000-year-old Sacred Mark, the Mountain-Moving Ape, starting bid 100 million Gold Soul Coins. You have 20 minutes to view the item, so please make the most of your time!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the doors of the various private rooms opened one after another, and many people hurriedly left the Tianquan Auction House.

Without a doubt, they were raising funds to prepare for this fierce auction.

In VIP room number four, Old Ma's pipe fell to the ground with a "thud," but he paid no attention and urgently ordered the others: "Quickly, everyone, take out your soul tools!"

He planned to exchange all his soul tools for gold soul coins, even if it meant selling his own natal soul tool, he would do everything he could to acquire this holy mark.

For the Soul Masters of the Sun Moon Empire, the significance of this Sacred Mark was far too great.

Because Soul Masters focus on the research and use of Soul Tools, their physical fitness and Soul Power levels are often inferior to those of traditional Soul Masters. Even if they break through to become Title Douluo, they will find it difficult to withstand the powerful force of a 100,000-year Soul Ring.

In the past, even if they were able to hunt down 100,000-year-old soul beasts, they were unable to absorb soul rings, and all their efforts were in vain.

However, this Holy Mark is completely different. Since even Soul Douluo can absorb it, Soul Masters, even if their physical attributes are relatively weak, will have the opportunity to obtain a powerful 100,000-year Soul Ring when breaking through to Title Douluo.

This is a key item that can raise the upper limit of a Soul Master's strength, how could it not tempt Elder Ma?
Moreover, the effects of the Stigmata go far beyond this.

Whether it's improving physical fitness, gaining the power and defense of the Mountain Moving Ape, or the gravity manipulation ability and bloodline inheritance ability after the awakening of the Holy Mark, each one is like a huge temptation, constantly impacting Old Ma's rationality.

Moreover, their family's inherited martial soul is the Big-Headed Ape, a high-level martial soul. Once they obtain this sacred mark, their family's martial soul might evolve as a result, which makes it impossible for him not to be tempted.

The overall level of martial spirits in the Sun Moon Empire was lower than that of the original Douluo Three Kingdoms, and top-tier martial spirits were even rarer.

The incredible effects of this holy mark constantly exerted a deadly attraction, almost causing Old Ma to lose his mind.

If that sword intent hadn't appeared in time, he probably would have acted impulsively, or even tried to seize it by force.

At the same time, they secretly speculated that the developer of this holy mark, that mysterious genius, was very likely Lady Black Tower.

After all, Lady Black Tower's simulated universe had already demonstrated extraordinary capabilities, and this Stigmata might just be another masterpiece of hers.

Inside VIP room number one, Gu Yue was filled with shock, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

She stared intently at the blood-red crystal, her heart filled with hope. She didn't care much about the other effects of the Holy Mark, but the fact that she could obtain a Soul Ring without hunting Soul Beasts deeply attracted her.

This might be the hope of the Soul Beast race! At this moment, she had only one question in her mind: what exactly is the price of creating the Holy Mark?
Gu Yue looked at Lu Jingming with a hint of hesitation in her eyes, pondering how to ask him.

"The Sacred Mark was made by Mebius. The raw materials are the genetic and soul information of the Mountain Moving Ape, plus some other materials. Moreover, it is possible to extract these materials without specifically killing soul beasts."

Lu Jingming seemed to have already guessed what Gu Yue wanted to ask, and before she could speak, he said calmly.

Gu Yue was taken aback, a complex look flashing in her eyes.

She should have guessed long ago that, given Lu Jingming's mystique and the Black Tower's capabilities, her identity had probably already been exposed.

She simply didn't know how much she had revealed, how much Lu Jingming knew, or whether he had already guessed her true identity.

However, seeing that Lu Jingming did not point it out and was still acting as usual, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Gu Yue gently pursed her red lips and whispered, "Thank you!"

Lu Jingming smiled and teased, "If you want to thank me, why not do something practical!"

As he spoke, he pointed to his lips.

Gu Yue's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said with some annoyance, "Dream on!"

She felt ashamed and annoyed. How could this scoundrel, who usually seemed so shrewd, suddenly become so stupid?
If you had asked me alone, I might have agreed on a whim. But you asked me in front of so many people, how could I possibly agree?
The people present reacted differently to the conversation between Gu Yue and Lu Jingming. Some were completely bewildered, some seemed thoughtful, and some even smiled.

"Brother, we don't have enough money on us!" In VIP room number five, two burly figures stood like iron towers, attracting much attention.

At this moment, twenty minutes quietly passed, and the auction for the Holy Mark had begun, making the burly man with arms as thick as wooden stakes look anxious.

Normally, given his temperament, he would have already resorted to robbery.

But right now, with Snow Moon Douluo in charge, even the Body Sect, which is known for its reckless and fearless behavior, doesn't dare to act recklessly here.

After all, Snow Moon Douluo's killing intent was not just empty boasting. If they were truly angered, they might actually be killed with a single sword strike!

"No matter the cost, we are determined to obtain this Holy Mark. Our young master has exceptional talent; once he fuses with this Holy Mark, he might even achieve a Gold-level awakening. Regardless of who ultimately wins the bid, we will seize it as soon as they leave Haiyuan City!"

The burly man, addressed as "Big Brother," was tall and slender, but his head was disproportionately large for his body. His slightly narrowed, triangular eyes flashed with a cold light, clearly indicating he had already planned his next move. The bidding prices on the soul-guided screen soared like a runaway horse.

When the words "150 million gold soul coins" were finally displayed, the entire auction house fell into a deathly silence. Then, whispers rose and fell like a tide.

This astronomical price far exceeded everyone's expectations, even surpassing the rumored valuation of a 100,000-year-old soul bone by a significant margin.

Although there has never been a precedent for a 100,000-year-old soul bone being publicly auctioned, everyone present knew that this first-ever appearance of a sacred mark was extremely rare and precious.

Because it was the first time the Stigmata had been unveiled, many people still had doubts; otherwise, the final transaction price would have been even more astonishing.

More importantly, the auction came without warning, leaving many parties with no time to raise sufficient funds.

If Qunyu Pavilion had promoted it extensively beforehand, this Sacred Mark could easily have fetched 200 million Gold Soul Coins.

Among the many forces present, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was the wealthiest, and the Mingde Hall behind it was even richer.

Even Shrek Academy, which owns an entire city and doesn't have to pay taxes, can hardly match its financial resources.

Wang Yan stared at the final price on the Soul Guidance screen and couldn't help but sigh.

If he hadn't previously spent 50 million gold soul coins to bid for Ma Xiaotao's Blazing Heaven Armor, he would have continued bidding without hesitation.

As a scholar who dedicated his life to the research of martial souls, the allure of the Holy Mark was irresistible, even leading him to consider embezzling Shrek Academy funds.

However, he firmly believed that the academy would not blame him.

If they successfully capture the Holy Mark, those senior academy elders will probably be laughing in their sleep.

Being able to exchange money for such a rare treasure is well worth the price, no matter how many gold soul coins are spent. After all, 100,000-year soul bones have always existed only in legends and are rarely traded in the real world. The value of this holy mark far exceeds that of a 100,000-year soul bone.

Everyone knew that the auction of this sacred mark by Qunyu Pavilion was actually a carefully planned publicity stunt.

This means that the Jade Pavilion, or rather the Sea Abyss City behind it, may very well be hiding more Sacred Marks.

Even though they were tempted, no one dared to make a move. After all, Haiyuan City was powerful and not a pushover. Anyone who had any greedy thoughts had to consider their own strength first.

In VIP room number four, Xiao Hongchen and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that no one was raising the price any further.

This amount of 150 million is already the limit they can afford.

To raise this huge sum of money, they not only sold most of their soul tools, but Old Ma also reluctantly parted with all his treasures except for his natal soul tool, including several level-nine soul tools, which were all his own masterpieces.

Without these level-nine soul tools, Elder Ma's strength dropped by a level.

"Old Ma, after the auction, I'd like to trouble you to make a trip back to Mingde Hall. We have Snow Moon Douluo here in Haiyuan City, so we don't need to worry about safety for the time being."

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Hongchen spoke solemnly.

Although he was proud and arrogant, he also knew the principle of "possessing a treasure is a crime". This holy mark was too tempting, and even a titled Douluo would probably be tempted. It was inevitable that some people would take the risk.

It's alright in Haiyuan City, but once you leave the city, danger will follow you like a shadow. Letting Elder Ma act alone to send the Holy Mark back is not only more secretive, but also safer.

Old Ma nodded in agreement: "That's right. You must keep a low profile during this time and wait for my return."

Meng Hongchen and the others nodded in agreement. They understood the seriousness of the matter and decided that once the auction ended, they would hide in the Daydream Hotel and would not step out unless the competition started.

In VIP room number one, Lu Jingming smiled slightly: "One hundred and fifty million, it's within expectations."

The process of creating the Stigmata by Mebius is quite special. When extracting the genes and soul information of the soul beast, if the soul beast is alive, its cooperation is required; if it is dead, it is not necessary.

The materials needed later are mainly Honkai energy and some rare natural treasures. Putting aside the Honkai energy, the total value of those natural treasures is no more than one million gold soul coins.

Therefore, selling even one Sacred Mark would yield an enormous profit.

Of course, such exorbitant profits are limited to 100,000-year-old Sacred Marks. Sacred Marks that are 100,000, 1,000, or 10,000 years old will have their value greatly reduced.

Theoretically, there is no limit to the number of Sacred Marks a Soul Master can absorb, but in reality, this places extremely high demands on the Soul Master's mental strength.

Most Soul Masters reach their limit when they can absorb three Sacred Marks.

However, a single Holy Mark can provide more than one Soul Ring, and three Holy Marks are generally sufficient for a Soul Master.

As for the awakening of the Holy Mark, the difficulty is unparalleled, several times more difficult for a Soul Master than condensing a Soul Core or breaking through to the Title Douluo level.

To achieve the awakening of a Holy Mark, one must use the Holy Mark as a foundation, open up a Holy Mark space, accommodate the soul information within the Holy Mark's genes, and cultivate it into the Holy Mark's will. Only in this way can one obtain the full power within the Holy Mark's genes.

镜流
(End of this chapter)