"Two hundred thousand silver taels is already a generous sum — are you still not satisfied?" Bai Yunfeng's brows furrowed slightly as he regarded Yang Kai with displeasure. They had purchased quite a few martial arts techniques lately, but they had never offered anyone such a lofty price. If it weren't for the rumors about this technique's extraordinary power, would he have been so lavish?
This brat doesn't know when to accept a favor! Bai Yunfeng let out a cold snort. He was a young master of the Bai family — even if that technique really was worth two hundred thousand taels, Yang Kai should have been grateful to sell it for a hundred thousand!
Dong Qinghan noticed the man growing irritated, and unable to stay out of it any longer, he pretended not to know Yang Kai well, fanning the flames from the sidelines: "Kid, I'll bump the offer too — two hundred thousand taels, plus a bottle of the Dong family's special Mysterious Origin Pills. How about that?"
Bai Yunfeng and Fan Hong both stared at Dong Qinghan in surprise. They hadn't expected him to go so far as to offer Mysterious Origin Pills — those were earth-grade, mid-tier spirit pills. The rank wasn't terribly high, but their effects were undeniably useful. A single pill could double the efficiency of cultivation.
Was that martial technique really that valuable? Come to think of it, Dong Qinghan had negotiated with Yang Kai quite a bit before this — he must have had some understanding of the technique, which was why he was willing to part with a whole bottle of Mysterious Origin Pills.
"Two hundred thousand taels, plus a mortal-grade, high-tier artifact!" Fan Hong immediately raised his own bid.
Dong Qinghan frowned. "Brother Fan, that's what you'd call malicious competition."
Fan Hong said nothing, but Bai Yunfeng picked up the thread: "Brother Dong, what are you saying? If the technique is truly remarkable and we all want it, then naturally each of us must use every means at our disposal. Highest bidder wins — that's the fair way. I offer three hundred thousand taels, plus a mortal-grade, high-tier artifact as well — and it's a defensive artifact!"
Fan Hong froze, then laughed bitterly. "Brother Bai, you're really willing to go that far."
That was a price even he wouldn't dare to offer, yet Bai Yunfeng had committed to it without hesitation.
Dong Qinghan chuckled as well. "Since Brother Bai is determined to have it, I won't compete any further. Pushing it any more would only harm our friendship."
Bai Yunfeng burst into hearty laughter and cupped his fists toward both of them. "I humbly yield, humbly yield! Once this business is settled, I'll throw a banquet and toast to make amends!"
The three continued bidding among themselves, chatting merrily. From the way things were going, it seemed the ownership of Star Trace had already been decided, and Yang Kai's opinion hadn't crossed anyone's mind.
Yang Kai's brows drew together, and he said flatly, "I never said I was selling this technique."
The smile on Bai Yunfeng's face froze instantly. Fan Hong was equally stunned.
"Three hundred thousand taels, plus a mortal-grade, high-tier defensive artifact — and that still isn't enough to cover the value of your technique? Kid, don't be greedy. Otherwise you might end up losing both the money and your life." Bai Yunfeng's expression turned cold, his voice dropping to a chilling threat.
Cao Zhengwen, standing behind Bai Yunfeng, sneered. "Yang Kai, don't push your luck when someone's being generous. Young Master Bai's offer is already more than fair — what more could you want?"
Bai Yunfeng unfurled his folding fan, crossed one leg over the other, and regarded Yang Kai at his leisure, the fan wafting a gentle breeze across his face, his expression dripping with contempt and disdain.
Dong Qinghan kept stirring the pot, asking deliberately: "Oh? Could it be you'd like to join one of our organizations?"
Bai Yunfeng and Fan Hong both frowned, struck by the possibility.
Before either could speak, it was Cao Zhengwen who cut in coldly: "Young Master Bai, this man has been at Lingxiao Pavilion for three years and only reached Body Tempering Stage Three. He's a Trial Disciple — someone with mediocre talent who is destined for nothing. Admitting him to the Bai family would only be a humiliation. You should reconsider carefully."
Before the words had even faded, Yang Kai suddenly flicked his wrist. The cup of wine before him shot forward, splashing squarely into Cao Zhengwen's face.
The entire table's expressions changed in an instant. Bai Yunfeng's face, in particular, turned ugly beyond belief.
"Yang Kai, you're courting death!" Cao Zhengwen erupted in fury and was about to launch an attack when Bai Yunfeng held him back.
"Kid, even when you beat a dog, you look at the owner." Bai Yunfeng stared at Yang Kai with cold, dangerous glint in his eyes. "If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation today, you can forget about leaving here alive."
"An explanation?" Yang Kai's expression was indifferent, his voice calm. "My technique is mysterious-grade. Is that explanation enough?"
At those words, everyone's face changed again — even Dong Qinghan stood there, stunned.
Mysterious grade!
Everyone had previously guessed that the martial technique Yang Kai possessed might be heaven-grade, but none of them had imagined it could be mysterious-grade.
Even first-tier powers like the Dong family, Bai family, and Purple Violet Valley possessed only a handful of mysterious-grade techniques. Every single one was a closely guarded secret of these great factions, and only those destined to become pillars of the family were permitted to learn them.
"Is that true?" Dong Qinghan's voice trembled slightly. He cursed inwardly — damn it, if I'd known it was a mysterious-grade technique, I wouldn't have sat here playing spectator. I should have just traded for it from my cousin and none of this would've happened. Now, with those two idiots Bai Yunfeng and Fan Hong mixed in, this is going to be hard to settle.
"Inside the Inheritance Grotto-heaven, I was only at the seventh level of the Kaiyuan Realm, and I managed to critically wound a sixth-stage demon beast. Do I really need to spell out the rank of this technique?" Yang Kai let out a soft snort.
Several people's breathing grew heavy. Looking at Yang Kai again, there was no trace of the contempt and disdain from before — every pair of eyes was gleaming with greed.
"The original conditions stand, and you may also join the Bai family as a disciple." Bai Yunfeng drew a deep breath and made his decision. Trading a disciple's position for a mysterious-grade technique — the Bai family would profit enormously. As for what kind of treatment Yang Kai would receive after entering the family, that would depend entirely on his own aptitude.
"I can represent Purple Violet Valley in accepting you as a disciple and provide you with an excellent cultivation environment." Fan Hong quickly spoke up as well.