"Three million!"
"Four and a half million!"
"Six million!"
...
"Ten million!"
In less than the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, the price of the Array Spirit Stone skyrocketed from two million straight to ten million, showing no signs of slowing down.
In the auction house, many Martial Artists who were also Array Masters were gearing up. Clenching their fists tightly, they stared at the Array Spirit Stone with eyes glowing green, like a pack of starved, thirsty wolves.
"Fifteen million!"
Suddenly, a calm voice drifted from a private booth not far from Lin Huang. The entire auction house fell silent for a brief moment before erupting into a deafening uproar.
"Fifteen million! A Fourth-Level Array is truly extraordinary. Fifteen million gold coins is enough to cover an entire year’s worth of illicit income for a faction in the Blood Triangle."
"It’s Pavilion Master Songg Yuanyang of the Tiansong Pavilion making a bid!"
"Since the Pavilion Master of Tiansong has placed a bid, I’m afraid few can compete with him."
The charming woman on the auction stage also had a gleam in her eyes. Raising the price by five million in one go—truly worthy of the deep-pocketed Pavilion Master of Tiansong. She then cast a sultry, tender glance toward his booth. The seductive smile on her face was enough to send a tingling numbness through anyone, melting their very bones.
On the second floor, Songg Chen pulled back the curtain. Looking down at the soul-stealing woman, an elegant smile surfaced on his face, as refreshing as a gentle breeze. However, his tightly clenched fists betrayed the excitement in his heart.
"He truly is throwing money away like dirt just to win a beauty’s smile!" Lin Huang curled his lips as he looked at Songg Chen in the distance.
"That Hann Qixiu was originally a Third-Level Array Master. If he can obtain this Array Spirit Stone to study, breaking through to become a Fourth-Level Array Master will only be a matter of time." Fengg Wanli chuckled hoarsely, a trace of disdain in his voice.
"So, Alliance Leader Fengg is going to make a move?" Lin Huang smiled. He wasn’t anxious about the Array Spirit Stone at all. After all, Fengg Wanli was the one stepping up; no matter how much money was spent, it had nothing to do with him.
Fengg Wanli nodded, and his voice subsequently echoed throughout the auction house.
"Twenty million!"
As his words fell, everyone in the auction house shuddered. They abruptly turned their heads to look at the booth where Lin Huang was seated.
"The Blood Robe Alliance Master bids twenty million!" Hongxiu announced in a soft, sultry tone, the smile on her exquisite face growing even more enchanting. Even for a Fourth-Level Array, a bid reaching twenty million was somewhat beyond her expectations!
"Twenty-five million!"
Just as Fengg Wanli’s voice faded, a bid rang out from Songg Yuanyang’s booth.
The expressions of the crowd in the auction house shifted. Many simply turned around to watch the two major booths, waiting for the outcome. While shocked by the astronomical prices, a sense of amusement suddenly welled up in their hearts.
They thought, "These two stubborn fools are at each other’s throats again!"
"Thirty million!" Fengg Wanli said nonchalantly, as if money were nothing but scrap paper in his eyes.
"Father, it’s already at thirty million. Even a Tier Four Array isn’t worth this price, and we’re here tonight for that specific item." Inside the Tiansong Pavilion’s booth, Songg Chen spoke cautiously upon seeing Songg Yuanyang’s gloomy and furious expression.
Songg Yuanyang furrowed his brows. He glanced back at Hann Qixiu, only to see an aloof expression on the latter’s face. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he shouted, "Forty million!"
On the auction stage, the smile on Hongxiu’s face became even more mesmerizing. After Songg Yuanyang made his bid, her limpid eyes cast a deep gaze toward the booth holding Fengg Wanli and Lin Huang.
"Sixty million!"
As the voice transmitted from Fengg Wanli’s booth, the entire auction house plunged into dead silence. Everyone stared dumbfounded at Fengg Wanli’s booth, their hearts churning like a tempestuous sea, unable to calm down.
They wondered, "Raising it by twenty million in one go... Could this Blood Robe Alliance Master, Fengg Wanli, be an idiot?"
Even the woman on the stage was covering her small mouth, feeling a wave of shock. Dropping sixty million in a single breath—she hadn’t encountered such a situation many times in her life.
Inside the Tiansong Pavilion’s booth, Songg Yuanyang heard the "sixty million" coming from not far away. His gaunt face twitched involuntarily, and the veins on his tightly clenched fists bulged out, revealing extreme rage.
Lin Huang, who was in the same booth, took a long time to recover his wits and clicked his tongue in admiration. "Alliance Leader Fengg, you are truly far too generous."
Underneath the Blood Robe, Fengg Wanli maintained a calm expression. He said leisurely, "Did you forget who my father-in-law is? Although he has passed on, it’s not like the wealth he accumulated over most of his life was just thrown away.
"If that Songg Yuanyang wants to compete with me in wealth, he should first go find a father-in-law whose riches rival a nation. He simply doesn’t understand the sorrow of having more money than one can ever spend!"
In the booth, Lin Huang scratched his head. "Finding a filthy rich father-in-law is a skill in itself!"
"Alliance Leader Fengg bids sixty million! Are there any other bids?"
A moment later, when Hongxiu’s voice rang out again, the crowd finally snapped back to reality. Many Array Masters looked at the Array Spirit Stone on the stage and shook their heads in resignation.
"Sixty million... This Fengg Wanli must be insane!"
"Sixty million going once!
"Sixty million going twice!"
Inside the Tiansong Pavilion’s booth, Songg Yuanyang looked back at Hann Qixiu with difficulty, only to see the latter still looking as steady as a Fishing Platform. Inevitably feeling frustrated, he gritted his teeth fiercely. Just as he was about to open his mouth to increase the bid, Hann Qixiu finally waved his hand and said, "Forget it. Our main objective this time is that item. Compared to it, a Fourth-Level Array still lacks some weight!"
At that moment, Songg Yuanyang finally let out a long sigh of relief. If they really forced themselves to win this Fourth-Level Array, given the Tiansong Pavilion’s resources, it would be extremely difficult to secure the item later on.
"Sixty million going... three times! Sold!"
Accompanied by the resounding chime of the bell in the auction house, Fengg Wanli finally won the Array Spirit Stone. On the auction stage, Hongxiu held the multicolored Array Spirit Stone in her jade-like hands. Her charming face was flushed, and her ample bosom heaved heavily, revealing the intense excitement in her heart.
A scroll containing a Fourth-Level Array maxed out at thirty million gold coins. This time, however, it had exactly doubled. Even though she had spent years navigating the business world, she couldn’t help but feel emotionally stirred.
In the booth, a smile blossomed on Lin Huang’s face. With the Array Spirit Stone, he now possessed the power to protect himself.
"Kid, the Array Spirit Stone has been secured. I invested a massive amount of capital this time. I hope you’ll remember this favor," Fengg Wanli’s indignant voice rang out from beneath the blood-colored robes.
Although the feeling of crushing Songg Yuanyang with money was truly satisfying, a single Array Spirit Stone had cost him several times its actual price. No matter how wealthy he was, he still felt rather stifled. To think an Array Spirit Stone had cost sixty million gold coins. He was spending so much unjustified money to buy something that wasn’t even his, and the Fourth-Level Array inside had nothing to do with him either.
Thinking of this, Fengg Wanli couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation as he watched Lin Huang standing idly in front of him.
"Naturally!" Lin Huang nodded with a smile.
***
Following the conclusion of the Array Spirit Stone, several other treasures were successively rolled out in the auction house. Their rarity was not the slightest bit inferior to a Fourth-Level Array. However, they still fell a bit short of reaching the sensational heights caused by the Array Spirit Stone.
Fortunately, the woman named Hongxiu was an expert at livening up the atmosphere. Every gesture, every smile, every turn, and every glance backward would cause the bids from the floor to skyrocket.
Although the bidders clearly knew she harbored no real affection when casting smiles their way, they were still more than happy to throw away fortunes just to win the beauty’s frequent backward glances.
Under the woman’s orchestration, the atmosphere in the venue didn’t cool down in the slightest.
As for these items, Lin Huang lacked interest and didn’t pay them much attention. Although they were all extraordinary treasures, they were not what he needed.
His greatest concern right now was for the auction to end quickly so he could get his hands on the Array Spirit Stone sooner.
"Next is the finale item of this auction." After having the previous auction items removed, Hongxiu gently waved her jade-like hand, and the lights on the high stage dimmed. Turning slightly, she lifted a veil of red silk on the auction table.
Beneath the red silk lay a transparent Glazed Jade Bottle. Inside the bottle swayed a crimson flower, surrounded by intense, lingering flames.
The faint flames illuminated the auction house once more, and the temperature of the air seemed to become quite scorching at that moment.
Lin Huang initially hadn’t paid much attention, but when Hongxiu’s soft, crisp voice introducing the item drifted into his ears, his lazy demeanor was entirely swept away, his expression changing drastically.
"This item is called... the Sea of Karma Flower!"