Chapter 514: The Silver Apple Auction

Song Bei hardly needed the reminder from the aged voice. He was more than familiar with Silver Apples—Song Chi had updated the family archives with everything about them ages ago, including all the details on the Tier-Seven Silver Apple.

The sight of this Tier-Seven Silver Apple instantly brought to mind the collection order the family had issued over twenty years ago.

Without hesitation, the North Star River’s hatch slid open and a fifth-tier Doomstar stepped out. At the same time, Song Bei spoke up:

“No telling how long this Bodhi Inheritance Tower challenge might last. Teacher, I’m counting on you to keep watch for a while!”

As soon as he said this, a phantom shot out from the warship’s control room, darted through the hatch and precisely merged with the now-normal-sized fifth-tier Doomstar outside.

Only after that did Song Bei finally catch the deep, gravelly reply in his ear.

With all that done, Song Bei had no reason to linger. He spun the ship around and sped straight toward the original teleportation point.

With his teacher commanding a fifth-tier Doomstar to stand guard, he had no worries—even if the three younger family members finished their trial early, they’d be safe for the time being.

As for himself, he made a beeline for the teleportation spot and used a special technique to reconnect to the teleport channel.

Seeing the North Star River return so quickly, Song Xuanfeng, inside the Grand Profound Soul Guard, thought the juniors might’ve met trouble.

But the moment he heard Song Bei mention a Tier-Seven Silver Apple, Xuanfeng instantly caught on.

“I’ll report to the family at once. Get back quickly, Bei! Yiming, Yichuan, and the others are some of our best young talents—they can’t come to harm!”

……

When Song Chi received the message via his quantum comms band, it was Song Xuanfeng who had reached out with a starfield projection.

Dragon-Spine Continent couldn’t be left undefended, especially since none of the Dreadnought-class captains were stationed there at the moment. The task eventually fell to Song Chi.

The Heavenly Ruin blasted skyward from Azure Moon Estate, breaking through the Dragon-Spine Continent’s floating-land shield in no time.

Song Wujian didn’t offer the Three-Eyed Clan’s Imperial Flagship as backup—not just because Dragon-Spine needed its own deterrent, but because he trusted the Heavenly Ruin would be more than enough.

For starters, the Starry Sky Dragon Shark in Song Chi’s hands, though not at full power yet, had spent twenty years in that silver medical pod. Over sixty percent of its injuries were healed by now, and it was fit for combat.

Even if he didn’t summon the Starry Sky Dragon Shark, Song Chi could always use the Market Projection Token. As long as he secured that Tier-Seven Silver Apple and got everyone out safely, there’d be no problems.

……

In the alien gathering area near the Bodhi Inheritance Tower, Song Bei had already approached the trading point where the Tier-Seven Silver Apple was up for grabs.

Until the family’s top powerhouses arrived, his only job was to make sure the apple didn’t get sold off.

Though the North Star River was formidable—well into Zhulu-class cruiser territory and even able to tangle with top Tier-Five creatures from the Star Sea—Song Bei felt a growing sense of wariness with each step closer to the trade.

Because of this Silver Apple, the trading point had quickly drawn a massive crowd of alien races, including no shortage of Tier-Five and Tier-Six threats.

But that wasn’t surprising—a Tier-Seven Silver Apple could upgrade any red Starsea Oddity to a legendary silver one. What high-level Star Sea alien didn’t have a red oddity or two?

“Easy, Bei. If things go south, activate your warship’s armor defense right away. Get into close-quarters, and your Tier-Six silver shield won’t help you. One slip, and we’re talking total destruction.”

“Got it!”

Song Bei knew this all too well. His teacher had once been sunk by a peak Tier-Six Star Sea alien while still a Dreadnought-class captain. Only a special component on the warship saved his life. The two of them happened to meet later during an Outer Domain expedition.

With such a bloody lesson, Song Bei wasn’t about to drop his guard now.

Nearing the trade point, Song Bei caught a Tier-Six Star Devourer Wolf making an offer for the Tier-Seven Silver Apple.

“One legendary weapon-type silver oddity, plus fifty strands of Tier-Six Floating-Land Origin!”

Despite how high the bid was, none of the other aliens rushed to outbid it.

Worried the wolf would win the Silver Apple outright, Song Bei steeled himself and spoke up:

“One legendary silver oddity, plus fifty-two strands of Tier-Six Floating-Land Origin.”

His sudden offer brought a smile to the seller’s face, but earned shocked glances from all around. When the crowd realized the North Star River only gave off a Tier-Four aura, that shock quickly turned to mockery.

Even the near-peak Tier-Six Star Devourer Wolf cast its gaze over. Despite the warship between them, Song Bei still felt the immense pressure of its stare.

Luckily, the Star Devourer Wolf looked away again, its snarling jaws parting for another bid.

“Weapon-type legendary silver oddity, plus sixty strands of Tier-Six Floating-Land Origin!”

And just as expected, no one else stepped in. The whole crowd now turned their attention to the North Star River, curious to see if Song Bei would keep bidding.

A minute passed with nothing further from the North Star River.

Just as everyone thought the wolf would take the Silver Apple, Song Bei suddenly broke the silence.

“One legendary silver oddity, plus sixty-two strands of Tier-Six Floating-Land Origin!”

This second bid finally infuriated the near-peak Tier-Six Star Devourer Wolf.

“Tier-Four ant, are you trying to provoke me?”

As it roared, a terrifying Tier-Six pressure poured from its body, landing squarely on the North Star River. Strangely, none of the other aliens felt a thing—it was all focused on his ship.

Inside, Song Bei didn’t feel any physical discomfort, but the blaring shipboard warnings made his heart skip a beat.

[External high-intensity suppression detected. Shield energy at 96%.]

[External force… shield energy at 94%.]

[External force… shield energy at 92%.]

Every two seconds, another chunk of the shield dropped. Even with the orange-grade repair component on board, the North Star River wouldn’t hold out much longer.

Song Bei’s nerves were stretched thin as he searched for solutions. Suddenly, a faint ripple of spatial energy appeared behind him. In the next instant, a massive Torch Battleship—over fourteen thousand meters long—materialized in front of the North Star River.

“Is that Cousin Song Chi…?”

Song Bei breathed a huge sigh of relief.

With this legendary cousin present, he could finally relax.

Now, at last, a calm, common-tongue voice rang out from the Heavenly Ruin.

“Just fair bidding—is that what you call provocation?”

Sensing the connection between the Heavenly Ruin and North Star River—and noting the aura from the Ruin was only Tier-Five—the Star Devourer Wolf barely gave it a second thought.

“Tier-Five? Pathetic…”

But before the wolf could rant further, an absolutely massive force erupted from the Heavenly Ruin.

The once-arrogant Star Devourer Wolf instantly went silent. Its head even ducked down, almost involuntarily.

Its eerie green eyes flickered uneasily toward the Heavenly Ruin.

“Is that… Dominion?”

Indeed, the aura pulsing from the Heavenly Ruin belonged to a Tier-Seven Dominion. But it wasn’t Song Chi or the Starry Sky Dragon Shark releasing that power. This time, it was a hidden feature on one of the ship’s modules.

The Mirage Dragon Metamorphosis Pearl’s special ‘Mirage Dragon Aura.’

This ability had been dormant for over two centuries, but using it here against so many gathered aliens—Song Chi had to admit, it worked wonders.

With the Star Devourer Wolf cowed, Song Chi didn’t waste time. His eyes went straight to the Tier-Seven Silver Apple up for trade.

The Ruin had plenty of aces up its sleeve, but after years of preparation, they were all cooled down and ready to go. So, why use the ‘Mirage Dragon Aura’ on the wolf?

Avoiding ‘stirring up trouble’ was key. The Bodhi Inheritance Tower banned actual Dominions, but it was still swarming with near–Tier-Seven powerhouses. The Ruin might be mighty, but its Projection Token and Dragon Shark weren’t guaranteed to work here.

He’d much rather wait until the Ruin advanced to Dreadnought-class and team up with the family’s other dreadnoughts—then sweep this whole crowd once the time was right.

After that upgrade, so long as no true Dominion was involved, the Ruin would be unbeatable.

Even without the Projection Token or Dragon Shark to rely on.

For now, Song Chi glanced over the crowd almost like he was eyeing a group of walking loot bags. Since the time wasn’t right, he didn’t want to spook them.

Using the Mirage Dragon Aura was perfect. It could scare off the competition for now, but once they realized it was just a temporary trick, they’d be less likely to flee before the real action started.

That way, the area around the Bodhi Inheritance Tower would stay packed.

When Song Chi finally spoke to the Tier-Five vendor, the latter, clearly intimidated, agreed right away to the price Song Bei had offered.

Song Chi pulled a non-convertible oddity from the Market and counted out sixty-two strands of Tier-Six Floating-Land Origin. The Silver Apple—so critical to the family’s plans—was finally theirs.

Having succeeded, Song Chi didn’t rush off. Instead, he and Song Bei chose to wait for the rest of the family members still challenging the Bodhi Inheritance Tower.

While they waited, the two caught up. They were of the same generation, after all—even if their current strengths were worlds apart, they still had plenty to talk about.

“By the way, how are things with you and Annier Dusk these days?”

Song Chi suddenly recalled that Song Bei used to get on quite well with Annier, one of the Dusk Family’s top talents, and couldn’t resist asking.

Song Bei couldn’t hide his grin when the subject came up.

“Our old ancestor’s already set a date to ask for her hand. And Cousin Chi, soon enough you’ll be an uncle! If you don’t bring a decent present, don’t blame me for telling everyone what a cheapskate you are!”

“So, she’s expecting already? Congratulations! Don’t worry, this uncle will see my little nephew gets a fat red envelope.”

……

Though the chat was lively, when Song Chi learned Annier was pregnant, he couldn’t help but sigh. He and Shen Youran had been married even longer and weren’t shy about being close, but still, no baby news at all.

Sure, the higher your life tier, the harder it gets to have kids… but Song Bei was already a Tier-Four Torch Captain, and it hadn’t affected him. It was hard not to grumble just a little.

Thankfully, he didn’t dwell on it long. High lifeforms do have trouble with fertility, but there was still plenty of time—and all sorts of remedies and rare treasures in the Star Sea. Sooner or later, he’d have his own luck.

As the two chatted away, time slipped by. More than half a month passed before a bronze glow reappeared atop the Bodhi Inheritance Tower, signaling the end of the current trial.

Soon after, crowds of figures began emerging around the tower in the starry sky.

At the sight, some of the aliens cried out.

Of the tens of thousands who entered the challenge, only a scant few thousand made it through—just a pitiful ten percent success rate. And truthfully, many of those survivors bowed out early, so the real rate was likely much lower.

In the ship’s magwave chat, Song Chi and Song Bei grinned—they could already see their three family members among the survivors. Clearly, all three had cleared the trial.