Raziel Phoenix yelped and dodged in panic.

"Haha! I knew it!" he shouted while retreating. "I'll tell Teacher you're setting bad examples at a young age!"

"Try it," Lily said flatly, lunging after him with a flash of light in her palm.

Ray sighed and hurried to stop them, arms spread wide. Scenes like this had long become routine.

In the end, the three of them still set off together early the next morning.

Raziel Phoenix had attempted to sneak out first to ditch Lily, but she had been waiting right outside the dormitory doors and caught him instantly.

"Raziel Phoenix, where's the auction house?" Ray asked as they walked through the city.

Raziel Phoenix shot a sideways glance at Lily's smug smile. "West OceanMuseum. The auction house is integrated into it. There's a special exhibition area for auction goods, and the actual auctions are held on the upper floors. We'll check the exhibition first. The auction schedule's posted there."

Lily looked at Ray curiously. "Ray, why are you suddenly interested in auctions? You've never cared about this stuff before."

Ray smiled faintly. "Just a whim. Let's take a look."

West Ocean Museum stood slightly south of the city center. The building was plain and dignified, consisting of one main structure and two secondary buildings.

The main building displayed rare soul beast specimens and historical artifacts collected over countless years. To its left stood the secondary building housing the auction exhibition area that Raziel Phoenix mentioned. The auction hall itself occupied the upper levels of the main structure.

The exhibition area required no entry fee. People moved freely in and out, and the flow of visitors was constant.

The secondary building had four floors. Despite being labeled a secondary structure, it was massive, at least two hundred meters wide. As West Ocean City's only auction house, its scale was naturally impressive.

Each floor displayed different grades of items. Rare and expensive pieces were restricted to special zones inaccessible to ordinary visitors.

Upon entering, the trio saw a large signboard indicating the layout of the first floor.

Soul Devices and Non-Soul Devices.

The soul device section was further divided into rare metals and finished soul devices.

"So where to?" Raziel Phoenix asked, already guessing Ray's goal.

"Non-soul devices," Ray replied. "I want to see if they have the fruits I mentioned before."

"Spirit fruits?" Lily blinked. "You want to buy spirit fruits?"

"Not buy," Ray said quickly. "Just looking."

Raziel Phoenix nodded and led them forward with practiced ease.

Glass display cases filled the halls, showcasing items Ray had never even heard of. Even the cheapest piece carried a six-digit price tag. The cases themselves were made from special transparent alloys, far beyond ordinary glass.

"This is the spirit fruit section," Raziel Phoenix said, stopping inside a spacious rectangular hall. "Take your time."

The room was nearly three hundred square meters, filled with rare plants and spirit fruits. Each item sat beneath a clear label describing its name, age, and properties.

Ray took a quiet breath.

This was the first real step.

Dragon Spirit Grass, ten years old. A rare plant.

The starting auction price was 260,000 federation coins, with an expected final price between 300,000 and 350,000.

Water Crystal Peach, twenty to thirty years old. A spirit fruit that nourishes the body.

Starting price: 150,000 federation coins.

Expected final price: 180,000 to 210,000.

Ray's lips twitched as he scanned the displays.

Everything is outrageously expensive…

He continued searching carefully, moving from case to case, until he finally found what he was looking for in the farthest section of the hall.

Ice Crystal Fruit, thirty years.

Ice-attribute spirit fruit. Rare. Nourishes water-type martial souls and can also increase soul power.

Starting price: 180,000 federation coins.

Expected final price: 220,000 to 250,000.

Scarlet Flame Fruit, forty years.

Fire-attribute spirit fruit. Rare. Nourishes fire-type martial souls and can increase soul power.

Starting price: 160,000 federation coins.

Expected final price: 220,000 to 230,000.

The Ice Crystal Fruit shimmered with a translucent, light-blue glow. This thirty-year specimen was no larger than a longan, and under the light, faint white ripples drifted through its core.

The Scarlet Flame Fruit was deep crimson, flecked with pale golden sparks, only slightly larger than the Ice Crystal Fruit.

Ray stared at them quietly for a long moment.

At least… they existed.

That alone made his heart settle a little. The golden figure hadn't lied. However, these were far from the hundred-year fruits he needed.

"They're these two," Raziel Phoenix said as he walked over, stopping beside Ray. "Ice Crystal Fruit and Scarlet Flame Fruit."

"But they're not hundred-year fruits," Ray muttered.

Raziel Phoenix nodded. "This is only the first-level exhibition. The rarer the item, the higher the level. Hundred-year spirit fruits should be on the second level, but we can't go up there."

"Why not?" Ray asked immediately.

"To enter the second level, you need qualifications," Raziel Phoenix explained. "Either you pay a deposit, or you're a third-rank professional."

"How much is the deposit?" Ray pressed.

Raziel Phoenix looked at him strangely. "You're really serious about this. Normally you wouldn't care about things like this."

Ray exhaled softly. "Just tell me."

Raziel Phoenix frowned. "Ray… did something happen to you?"

Ray shook his head. "I don't want to lie to you, but I can't explain either. If you don't tell me, I'll ask someone else."

Seeing Ray turn as if to leave, Raziel Phoenix hurriedly grabbed him. "Alright, alright. The deposit for the second level is 100,000 federation coins. For the third level, you need another 100,000 on top of that. The higher you go, the more expensive everything becomes."

One hundred thousand.

Ray's heart sank slightly. He could scrape together that much, but it would drain nearly everything he had.

Then another thought surfaced. "You said third-rank professionals can enter freely?"

"Of course," Raziel Phoenix replied. "Third-rank professionals are considered elites. A third-rank Soul Grandmaster qualifies. I do too."

Ray's eyes flickered.

Soul Grandmaster was still far away for him, but…

He was a blacksmith.

He knew very well that Thousand Refinement was the threshold of a third-rank blacksmith. He already had the ability. The only reason he hadn't taken the examination was that Gilbert forbade him from revealing his skills.

That was exactly why he had called Gilbert.

This afternoon, Gilbert would arrive in West Ocean City.

Ray's goal was clear: third-rank blacksmith certification.

Raziel Phoenix spoke sincerely, "Ray, if you need help, say it. I'll do what I can."

Ray nodded calmly. "I'm fine. Let's keep looking."

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart. Now that he knew these items existed, he could come back when he was ready.

As for the ten drops of blood from a hundred-year dragon-type soul beast…

He didn't even mention it.

The auction trip wasn't wasted. They toured the entire first floor, familiarizing themselves with prices and categories. Ray paid particular attention to the forged metal section.

Only a hundred refined metals were displayed here.

Which meant…

Thousand-refined metals were on the second level.

Hope quietly took root in his heart.

If he became a third-rank blacksmith and accepted higher-level forging commissions, money would no longer be an impossible problem.

After leaving the auction house, the trio returned to the academy for lunch. Not because they disliked eating outside, but because Ray's appetite was terrifying. Eating for free at the academy was simply the most economical choice.

"I'm heading to the forging workshop this afternoon," Ray said. "You two go train. And Raziel Phoenix, try to gather information on class one. We know almost nothing about them."

Raziel Phoenix waved dismissively. "Class one? I could handle them alone."

A sharp, mocking voice suddenly cut in.

"Three little fish from class five. Now that is arrogance."

Ray, Raziel Phoenix, and Lily turned together.

A few intermediate division students stood nearby, all around their age.

The one who spoke had neatly parted hair and decent features, but his thin lips and sneering expression made him instantly unpleasant.

The others beside him stared coldly.

Raziel Phoenix's expression darkened as he slammed a hand onto the table, stepping forward.

Ray immediately pulled him back and whispered, "We've already caused enough trouble for Teacher. Control yourself."

Raziel Phoenix's eyes burned with frost as he stared ahead. "You must be from class one."

He sneered.

"After tomorrow, you'll just be class two."

The eccentric boy laughed loudly. "Good! Then I'll wait and see what kind of skills you have that can knock us down to class two."

As his voice fell, his eyes gleamed sharply. His body tensed, then abruptly expanded a little, becoming strangely flexible, almost boneless.

Two yellow soul rings rose from beneath his feet, while cyan scales crept up from his neck. His pupils narrowed into vertical slits.

"Two rings?"

"A Soul Grandmaster?"

Ray, Raziel Phoenix, and Lily were all shaken.

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