"Ten million!" A sudden voice rang out.
The bustling auction hall fell silent in an instant. Countless heads turned toward Room One, eye corners twitching uncontrollably.
They all recognized the voice placing the ten-million bid as Yang Kai's, and hatred surged through their hearts.
The price jump was terrifying — from three million straight to ten million, nearly four times over. Even these Emperor Realm cultivators were shaken by such a leap.
That said, a Heavenly Puppet was indeed worth that much. Ten million High-Grade Source Crystals was no small sum, but if you could bring one back, it was worth the price. One could only say that the young man in Room One had the decisiveness to quote a high price and deter most competitors looking to get lucky on the cheap.
An auction was, after all, a battlefield of wits and nerve. If you couldn't handle the new bid, you could only withdraw.
"Damn it!" Wu Ming cursed furiously from behind the elevated platform.
Others assumed Yang Kai was spending lavishly and was dead-set on the Heavenly Puppet, but Wu Ming knew Yang Kai's true intentions. The bidding price was nothing but a number to Yang Kai — he had never once planned to actually pay the Source Crystals. Forget ten million; he might just as easily shout out a hundred million.
At that thought, Wu Ming's heart lurched, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
This kid... he wouldn't actually bid a hundred million, would he?
"What bold bids, young man!" The old man in Room Seven called out, a trace of anger in his voice. He secretly resented Yang Kai's complete disregard for auction etiquette — who inflated bids like this at an auction? Bidders destroying each other only benefited the organizers. If Yang Kai hadn't already bid on two Heavenly Puppets earlier, he would have suspected the boy was a shill.
"Ten million High-Grade Source Crystals for a Heavenly Puppet — not a bad scheme, young man, but unfortunately for you, you're up against me." The old man in Room Seven sneered and placed a new bid: "Eleven million."
That price was nearly at his psychological limit, but Yang Kai's behavior was far too arrogant. He couldn't swallow his pride and secretly resolved to fight the boy to the bitter end — to teach him what it meant for the old ginger to be spicier.
"A hundred million!"
Yang Kai sat in his chair, propping his cheek on one hand, and took a gentle sip of tea.
"Pfft..." Ye Jinghan couldn't help herself and nearly burst out laughing.
By now, how could she not see through Yang Kai's plan? This entire auction was nothing but a joke to him. Ten million, a hundred million, a billion, or even ten billion — it was all the same. They were just numbers thrown out at random, never to be honored.
Ye Hen and Du Xian also wore odd expressions, quietly wiping the sweat from their foreheads.
Behind the stage, Wu Ming's face was pitch-black. Of all the things he had feared, this was the one that came true — the kid had actually shouted out a bid of a hundred million.
Meanwhile, in the private rooms outside, sharp intakes of breath rang out one after another. In the main hall, countless gazes converged on Room One. Every face was frozen in disbelief, their expressions stunned.
"Did I hear that right? A hundred million? Low-Grade Source Crystals or High-Grade?"
"Dreaming, dreaming — I must be dreaming."
"This kid's lost his mind. Does he have so many Source Crystals he can't spend them all? If you can't spend them, give some to me. Why play the fool?"
"Young Master, this humble servant would love to attend to you... My chest is very full, very soft, very fair..."
......
The hall erupted into chaos, everyone thoroughly shaken by Yang Kai's hundred-million bid. The number rang like a thunderclap, leaving them dizzy and dazed.
"You... you... you..." In Room Seven, the old man froze for a moment before erupting in fury, slamming his fist against the armrests of his chair. "Boy, you've gone too far!"
Yang Kai curled his lip and glanced coolly toward Room Seven. "It's an auction. The wealthiest wins. How exactly have I gone too far?"
"You're placing reckless bids — it's outrageous!" He didn't believe for a second that Yang Kai was actually willing to spend a hundred million High-Grade Source Crystals on a single Heavenly Puppet. At most, a Heavenly Puppet was worth ten to twenty million. What was a hundred million? Even first-class Sects might not be able to produce that many Source Crystals.
Yang Kai snorted. "If you can't afford to play, don't play. At your age, you'd do better to find a quiet place to enjoy your retirement than come out here and embarrass yourself."
"You're making my blood boil!" The old man in Room Seven was apoplectic. He turned to Hua Qingsi on the stage and demanded, "Madam, does this auction allow a man to bid recklessly and cause chaos like this? Is there no one here to maintain order?"
This was a branch of the Seven Luminaries Commerce Association — an institution whose reputation people still trusted. The old man assumed Hua Qingsi was affiliated with the Commerce Association, which was why he asked.
Hua Qingsi cast a cool glance toward Room Seven. "His bids are his business. I haven't seen him causing any trouble — on the contrary, you're the one who's been jabbering nonstop."
The old man started, suddenly remembering that the boy in Room One seemed quite familiar with the auctioneer. Before the auction started, the two of them had been whispering together on stage. Of course she would side with the boy — why would she bother with an outsider?
"A den of snakes and rats — thick as thieves!" The old man flicked his sleeve, his disappointment in the Seven Luminaries Commerce Association reaching its nadir. Still, he insisted, "I refuse to believe he can produce a hundred million High-Grade Source Crystals. He's placing reckless bids — mark my words."