CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: IS THERE A HIGHER BID?

EDITOR: ENDLESSFANTASY TRANSLATION

"The storage ring, it’s finally here."

As the seductive voice of the woman in red concluded, Luo Feng, who had been looking around casually in the private box, suddenly focused his gaze on the jade plate beside her.

The entire auction hall was eerily silent; everyone stared wide-eyed in excitement at the auction stage.

This was indeed the grand finale!

"A storage ring, a legendary Spiritual Artifact! This is my first time seeing one. I wonder what it looks like," a martial artist licked his lips excitedly.

"What’s the point of looking? The value of this storage ring is far beyond the Stacking Wave Palm. We don’t have a chance at all."

The martial artists nearby shook their heads.

"I know we don’t stand a chance, but it’s still good to feast my eyes on it. Opportunities to see Spiritual Artifacts are rare. Some people go their whole lives without seeing one."

"That’s true. I’m afraid the bidding this time will be even more intense than for the Stacking Wave Palm. I wonder who the storage ring will end up with..."

"It must be one of the Four Great Families; they won’t let such a treasure slip away. Li Tianyang seemed really confident earlier. I think the Li Family has a good chance."

"After being thwarted by Luo Feng, Li Tianyang spent 1,500,000 silver taels for the Stacking Wave Palm. Including the compensation of 150,000 silver taels for the silver verification, it was suspected he might not have much silver left. I reckon the Luo Family has a better chance; Luo Feng’s performance just now was impressive."

"Look, the auction is starting!"

On the auction stage, the woman in the red skirt personally brought a purple-gold plate to the front. She then waved her hand gently, causing the red silk on the jade plate to fall and reveal an antique-looking ring lying quietly within.

"The Rock Spirit Ring, a Tier One Spiritual Artifact. It contains a space two meters in length and width, controllable by the user’s will. It is a superb piece of equipment for martial artists who wander the rtiad."

Saying this, the woman in red put the ring on her right index finger, which was as white as a scallion.

SWISH!

Drawing the sword from a nearby attendant’s belt, the woman in red swiped her finger across the ring. The three-foot-long sword instantly vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed!

"So this is a Spiritual Artifact! It’s incredibly convenient!"

The crowd watched the ring on the woman in red’s hand, the sound of gulping audible.

Seeing everyone staring at the ring, unable to look away, the woman in red revealed a satisfied smile.

"The storage ring. The starting price is 800,000 Silver Taels, and each increment must be no less than 50,000 silver taels!"

"Nine hundred thousand silver taels!" a skinny old man shouted.

Luo Feng recognized him. He was a well-known weapons merchant in Panlong City. Although his power couldn’t compare to the Four Great Families, he was still a significant figure in the city.

"Nine hundred and fifty thousand silver taels!" Not long after the old man’s bid, a middle-aged martial artist stood up and announced his price.

"One million silver taels!" The skinny old man glared at the middle-aged martial artist and raised the bid again.

The bidding in the hall was not particularly fervent, with offers coming sporadically only from well-known figures in Panlong City. After all, the high price of one million silver taels was enough to deter most people. When the bid exceeded 1,100,000 silver taels, the pace of bidding markedly slowed. The first few bidders began to hesitate, clearly nearing their limits.

Most people weren’t paying close attention to the current bidding, knowing it was just an appetizer. The real drama was yet to unfold, as none of the Four Great Families had made a move so far.

"One million three hundred thousand silver taels!"

Suddenly, a hearty voice wafted from one of the private boxes, instantly raising the price by 100,000 silver taels!

"It’s Han Ji from the Han Clan! One of the Four Great Families is finally making a move!"

Everyone became alert upon seeing who the bidder was.

As soon as Han Ji made his bid, the few bidders who had been struggling to stay in immediately gave up and reluctantly returned to their seats.

"One million four hundred thousand silver taels!"

A delicate voice came from another private box; it was Feng Lingyue.

"One million five hundred thousand silver taels!" Li Tianyang, his face gloomy, called out the price from his seat.

After suffering a significant loss at Luo Feng’s hands earlier, Li Tianyang was now cautious and didn’t dare to raise the bid recklessly.

"TSK! Three of the Four Great Families—the Han Clan, the Feng Family, and the Li Family—have all made their moves. The allure of a Spiritual Artifact is truly exceptional. I wonder if the Luo Family will join in."

Everyone expectantly watched Luo Feng’s private box, but no sound emerged.

"It seems the Luo Family’s funds are limited to 1,300,000 silver taels."

Seeing Luo Feng remain silent, many felt a tinge of regret. They had been eagerly anticipating another confrontation between Luo Feng and Li Tianyang.

"Young Master, we didn’t bring much silver this time. Should we continue to raise the price?" inside their box, a white-bearded servant asked Han Ji.

Han Ji’s cold gaze flickered. He closed his folding fan and shook his head. "No need."

With a sharp glance at the other private boxes, a cold smile touched Han Ji’s lips.

HEH. The Four Great Families... they will all soon belong to our Han Clan. Let them hold onto this storage ring for a few more days!

"The Han Clan gave up so quickly..."

The Han Clan’s withdrawal in the second round of bidding surprised many people. They were, after all, currently the most powerful family, and their financial capacity and influence should have outstripped the others.

It was now the Feng Family’s turn to bid.

"Miss, should we raise the price?" Ling Que, her hair in two pigtails, turned to look at Feng Lingyue.

Feng Lingyue thought for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "No need."

The storage ring was indeed a rare treasure, but it didn’t hold much attraction for Feng Lingyue. Tianlan School was the foremost among the four great academies, possessing immense influence. While a storage ring was precious in other academies, it wasn’t considered extraordinary in Tianlan School. As an inner disciple of Tianlan School, there were many ways to obtain a storage ring, provided one had sufficient strength.

A wave of whispers swept through the auction hall. Many had expected a fierce bidding war, but it had ended so quickly and unceremoniously.

"HAHAHA... this storage ring is mine!"

Li Tianyang, who had anticipated a tough fight, was ecstatic at how easily he had won. He looked up at the woman in red and laughed heartily. "No one else is bidding! Announce the end!"

"Who said no one else is bidding? Li Tianyang, you’re celebrating a bit too soon."

Before Li Tianyang’s voice faded, another voice interjected.

Luo Feng stepped out of his private box, a slight smile playing on his lips as he glanced at Li Tianyang. He then bid directly, "One million six hundred thousand silver taels!"

"It’s Luo Feng again!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar, surprised to see Luo Feng as the bidder.

Li Tianyang hadn’t expected Luo Feng to suddenly jump in. He looked like a furious lion as he glared at Luo Feng. "Luo Feng, are you deliberately trying to cross me today?"

Luo Feng ignored Li Tianyang’s threatening gaze, touched his nose, and said with a faint smile, "Li Tianyang, this is an auction. Are you the only one allowed to bid? Can’t others participate? Please, don’t be so childish."

A ripple of stifled laughter went through the auction hall.

Feeling the scornful gazes around him, Li Tianyang felt his head might explode. He pointed at Luo Feng, his eyes filled with a chilling light. "Luo Feng, you’re ruthless. Let’s see how much silver you have! One million seven hundred thousand silver taels!"

"One million eight hundred thousand silver taels."

Luo Feng’s tone remained perfectly calm, without the slightest fluctuation.

Inside his private box, Luo Xiao broke out in a cold sweat for Luo Feng, though he inwardly admired his composure.

Adding the 150,000 silver taels of compensation from Li Tianyang, Luo Feng had a total of just over 1,800,000 silver taels. In other words, 1,800,000 silver taels was Luo Feng’s absolute limit! Yet, he stated his bid so calmly that no one could fathom his true financial situation. Luo Xiao admitted to himself that he could never have managed such composure.

"Damn it!"

Li Tianyang stared at Luo Feng, his fists clenched and his eyes bloodshot.

He had brought a total of over 3,700,000 silver taels this time. After spending 1,750,000 silver taels on the Stacking Wave Palm, he was left with nearly 1,900,000 silver taels. He could only raise his bid once more. But looking at Luo Feng’s calm gaze, Li Tianyang didn’t believe 1,900,000 silver taels would be his opponent’s limit.

Luo Feng observed Li Tianyang’s expression and felt a surge of joy.

"Thankfully, this guy is also at his limit. Otherwise, if he raised the price again, I would surely lose."

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Seeing Li Tianyang hesitate to bid further, the woman in red picked up the jade gavel.

"One million eight hundred thousand silver taels, going once! Is there any other bid?"

Li Tianyang’s face contorted. He turned to Li Tianyao. "Tianyao, do you have any more silver on you?"

Li Tianyao shook his head, unable to help.

"One million eight hundred thousand silver taels, going twice..."

The woman in red looked at Li Tianyang, shook her head slightly, and raised the jade gavel.

"Wait!"

Li Tianyang suddenly gritted his teeth and waved his hand to stop the woman. He took out a crystal-clear jade stone that radiated a fiery glow.

"This is an Extreme Fire Jade! Carrying it refines the body and strengthens the flesh; its effects are no less than a Tier Two Spiritual Medicine! Its value is no less than 800,000 silver taels. Adding that to the 1,900,000 silver taels I have, I bid 2,700,000 silver taels!"

Casting a cold glance at Luo Feng, Li Tianyang said ominously, "Luo Feng, if you can offer a higher price than this, I’ll leave immediately!"

"This Li Tianyang has gone mad! This isn’t an auction anymore; it feels like they’re dueling."

The surrounding martial artists stared at Li Tianyang’s frenzied eyes, exclaiming in shock.

"HAHA, pride really gets the better of people. Li Tianyang suffered a huge loss to Luo Feng just now. Now that Luo Feng seems determined to get this storage ring, Li Tianyang definitely wants to regain his face."

"Two million seven hundred thousand silver taels! Scions of great families indeed, spending so much silver without batting an eye. Luo Feng will probably lose this time..."

"Regardless, this auction has been worth attending, just to witness such a spectacular confrontation."

Discussions buzzed around as everyone eagerly awaited the next development.

The woman in red glanced at the fiery jade in Li Tianyang’s hand and nodded her delicate, snow-white chin. An attendant nearby immediately presented the Extreme Fire Jade to her.

"Indeed, this is a top-grade Extreme Fire Jade."

The woman in red examined the jade carefully and nodded, a hint of excitement in her eyes.

She had auctioned Tier One storage rings before, and the highest price reached was 2,700,000 silver taels. Today might break that record. How could she not be thrilled?

Her gaze shifted to Luo Feng, and her alluring voice once again echoed through the auction hall.

"Two million seven hundred thousand silver taels! Are there any higher bids?"