The auction of the Dragon-Whipping Whip had been proceeding steadily all along. Although prices kept climbing, each bidder had remained relatively rational, only raising the stakes by two or three hundred thousand at a time.
But Yang Kai had just shouted out six million in a single breath — a full one million more than Yin Sudie's bid!
The entire hall erupted in uproar once more.
On the elevated auction platform, the beautiful woman who had been hosting the auction glanced at old Yan Pei with suspicion, wondering if this was a shill he'd arranged. But if it was, the shill wasn't very professional — it was far too obvious.
To her surprise, Yan Pei slowly shook his head, indicating that the shill he'd arranged was not in that private box. The woman froze on the spot.
In Box Bing-13, when Wu Yi and Yang Yan heard Yang Kai actually bid six million, both women covered their mouths in shock, staring at him with wide eyes, unable to understand what he was thinking.
Six million! If the Dragon-Whipping Whip ended up stuck in their hands, they'd have nowhere to cry.
Yang Kai's expression remained unchanged, his eyes brimming with confidence.
He believed the Dragon-Whipping Whip was worth more than six million! At the very least, in a setting like this, it was worth far more.
Having attended the auction until now, he had already appraised the value of artifacts at different tiers, and the results differed vastly from his initial estimates. He had thought that Void-grade low-tier artifacts could only sell for two or three hundred thousand Saint Crystals each, yet every single one had fetched over a million, and the pair of forked spears Yang Yan had refined had even sold for the staggering price of two million one hundred thousand.
Now the Dragon-Whipping Whip was a genuine Void-grade mid-tier artifact — how could it possibly be worth only a mere few million? Ten million was entirely possible.
If not for what Qu Changfeng had said earlier, countless people would be competing for this whip and the price would be skyrocketing. But precisely because Qu Changfeng had spoken first, very few people were willing to bid now — none of them wanted to offend him or Yin Sudie of the Glazed Glass Sect. That was why things had gone somewhat cold.
Yang Kai had no favorable impression of Qu Changfeng whatsoever, nor did he have the slightest connection with Yin Sudie. There was no way he would let a stranger profit from his goods at a discount. Since no one else was willing to bid, he could bid himself — worst case scenario, he'd just buy the Dragon-Whipping Whip back. He refused to let others have the bargain.
"Hmph, that's quite the lofty tone, friend. Six million — can you even produce that?" Qu Changfeng's chilling voice drifted from the direction of his private box. He clearly assumed someone in a Bing-tier box couldn't come up with that many Saint Crystals.
"Whether he can produce it or not is none of your business. If he can't, the Treasure Gathering Pavilion will naturally make him pay the price. If you want to bid, then bid — enough with the chatter," Fang Tianzhong remarked with a mocking tone.
"Brother Fang, this doesn't concern you, does it? Why stick your nose in?" Qu Changfeng's voice grew even colder. In normal times, his tit-for-tat clashes with Fang Tianzhong were one thing, but having him undermine his face at a moment like this was truly pushing Qu Changfeng to the limits of his patience.
"I simply can't stand the way some people behave, that's all."
"You two juniors, don't be so arrogant and dismissive. If you dare prattle on any further, you'll both be thrown out of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion and banned from its auctions forever!" Yan Pei snorted coldly.
When old Yan Pei spoke, no one dared disregard his authority. Qu Changfeng and Fang Tianzhong both immediately offered their apologies.
Yan Pei gave a slight nod and called out in a loud voice: "Box Bing-13 bids six million. Any higher?"
"Six million five hundred thousand!" Qu Changfeng immediately raised the bid.
Before Yang Kai could open his mouth, Fang Tianzhong's voice rang out: "Seven million!"
Before Qu Changfeng could bid again, Yang Kai gritted his teeth and barked: "Eight million!"
"Hahaha, can't let you young people have all the glory — this old man bids eight million five hundred thousand!" Qian Tong's hearty laughter echoed through the hall.
Yang Kai paused for a moment, then thought it over and smiled faintly. He picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and said to Wu Yi and Yang Yan with an air of leisurely contentment: "Get ready to collect the money. That's about enough."
Qian Tong had bid up to eight million five hundred thousand, but he wasn't bidding for the sake of the auction. He was deliberately drawing attention and enmity onto himself by raising the bid right after Yang Kai.
Qian Tong was a genuinely good person. Yang Kai accepted this favor.
In the Shadow Moon Hall's private box, Wei Guchang and Dong Xuan'er both looked at Qian Tong in puzzlement, not understanding why he had suddenly joined the bidding again. They were curious but didn't ask — Qian Tong certainly had his reasons.
The auction of the Dragon-Whipping Whip turned out to be quite dramatic. A Void-grade mid-tier offensive artifact like this had initially attracted barely any interest when the auction began. There had even been several awkward lulls. But no one could have expected that at the final moments, its price would surge upward with every bid making hearts skip a beat. After Qian Tong bid eight million five hundred thousand, Yin Sudie immediately followed with nine million, and that was the final price.
Although the Dragon-Whipping Whip hadn't reached ten million, the price still sent shockwaves through countless hearts.
Nine million — how many factions in the entire Dark Star could even produce that kind of money?
In Box Bing-13, Wu Yi and Yang Yan were completely dazed. Both women's faces flushed with excitement, their hands tightly clasped together, their gazes fixed on Yang Kai with pure adoration.
If Yang Kai hadn't stirred things up at the last moment, the Dragon-Whipping Whip would have sold for only five million at most. Now it had fetched nearly double that price.
Combined with the Void Condensing Pill and the pair of forked spears from earlier, the three of them had reaped an enormous harvest from this single auction.
Over ten million high-grade Saint Crystals, obtained so simply and effortlessly — in the past, they wouldn't have dared to dream of such a thing, not even in their wildest fantasies.