An hour later.
The group left the little restaurant.
Su Chen and Gu Yue were both in high spirits, clearly full to the brim.
"Come on, let's go check out the auction house together~"
Su Chen opened the sports car door and invited Tang Wulin and Xie Xie inside.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie didn't refuse.
Gu Yue naturally took the front passenger seat.
The two good buddies, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, sat in the back.
"Vroom—"
The Soul Guidance Sports Car roared and shot forward.
But nobody noticed that Tang Wulin was feeling a little pent up.
When he'd been injured just now, that strange power inside him had been activated again.
He'd meant to use it to catch his opponent off guard, but to his utter surprise, the moment he got back to his feet, Gu Yue had already taken his opponent down in an instant.
As a result, that power had built up inside him with nowhere to go, leaving him feeling inexplicably pent up. Even his meal hadn't tasted right... He'd only managed ten servings of braised beef stew...
East Sea Museum.
The auction house and museum in Eastsea City were jointly run, and the museum featured exhibits of all kinds of rare auction items.
Su Chen and the others were in luck. They'd arrived just in time for a Level 2 auction that was already underway.
The auction house entrance was bustling with people coming and going.
Ordinary people who wanted to enter the auction hall and participate in the bidding had to put down a hefty deposit. Even the most basic auction halls required at least one hundred thousand Federal Coins.
But Su Chen was clearly an exception.
He wasn't just a buyer; he was also an important seller.
The top-grade metals he forged himself—the alloys that had reached the Spirit-Refinement level or higher—were usually sent elsewhere or even overseas through Mu Chen's channels to secure the greatest possible profit.
As for the lower-grade Hundred-Refinement and Thousand-Refinement metals, he mostly sent them straight to this auction house to be sold.
Thanks to his status and the steady supply of high-quality goods he provided, Su Chen had long been one of the auction house's top-tier VIPs, with all sorts of privileges.
"Young Master Su, what brings you here today? I'll go notify Manager Wang right away!"
A pretty female staff member spotted Su Chen and his group. Her face immediately lit up with a delighted smile as she hurried over.
She was clearly very familiar with Su Chen.
"No need to trouble Manager Wang~"
Su Chen waved a hand, his tone casual. "I'm just bringing my classmates to take a look and maybe buy a few things. There's no need to bother him."
"Of course, of course. This way, Young Master Su!"
The staff member's smile remained bright as she led the way with practiced ease, never mentioning the deposit.
She brought Su Chen and the others straight to VIP Room One on the second floor.
The room's decor was in stark contrast to the noisy, crowded hall downstairs.
Wide, soft leather sofas were arranged in a circle around a gleaming glass coffee table, on which fresh seasonal fruit and delicate pastries had already been laid out.
A huge one-way glass window faced the sofas, offering a clear view of the auction hall below and the enormous Soul Guidance screen in front.
The screen displayed details and prices for the current auction item in real time.
The auctioneer's voice carried clearly into the room, while the room's occupants couldn't be heard outside, ensuring complete privacy.
"Holy crap, this is the top-tier VIP room..."
The moment Xie Xie stepped inside, his eyes went wide.
He came from a wealthy family and was one of Eastsea City's top young rich kids, but he was still young, with only a limited allowance. Usually, he could only tag along with the adults in his family to broaden his horizons.
He'd never gotten to enjoy treatment like this himself. He couldn't even afford the one-hundred-thousand-Federal-Coin deposit, so he couldn't have gotten in the door.
But Su Chen hadn't paid a single coin and still got to enjoy treatment like this. Xie Xie felt a sour twinge of envy...
How could the gap between people be this huge...
Tang Wulin was even more stunned by the luxury before him.
He came from a remote little city like Red Mountain City and an ordinary family. He didn't even know which way the entrance to an auction house faced.
Everything before him was beyond his experience.
Only now did he truly realize just how high Su Chen's status was...
No wonder Su Chen had been able to become captain of the law enforcement team in Red Mountain City at such a young age.
What a powerful background...
Gu Yue, on the other hand, seemed completely calm, as if she were used to this kind of scene.
"Please make yourselves comfortable. Just ring the bell if you need anything."
With a smile, the staff member finished speaking and slipped out quietly, gently closing the door behind her.
Su Chen picked up the auction catalog and flipped through it, then glanced at the giant screen. "The auction's been going on for quite a while. Looks like it's nearly over."
Just as he'd said, the auction was already in its latter half.
Every item on the screen was a treasure, with starting bids often exceeding five hundred thousand Federal Coins. Many were even listed with starting bids of a million.
"Now up for auction is item number 37: one Century Dragon Scale Fruit. It contains a pure draconic bloodline aura and has a marked effect on strengthening the body... Starting bid: six hundred thousand Federal Coins..."
The auctioneer's voice came through the Amplifying Soul Tool into Su Chen's VIP room.
The screen clearly showed a strange fruit covered in fine golden scales, gleaming temptingly.
"Six hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Seven hundred thousand!"
Bids rang out one after another downstairs.
Dragon Scale Fruit was excellent for strengthening a Soul Master's physique. It was especially valuable for children, as it could greatly strengthen their foundations.
"Ninety thousand from VIP Room One!"
At that point, Su Chen placed a bid.
The Dragon Scale Fruit was useless to him now, but it should be useful for Gu Yue.
And not just Gu Yue—there were also Ouyang Zixin and Mu Xi...
Although using spirit items to improve one's cultivation was an extravagant habit.
But as the saying went:
Since we're here...
Su Chen didn't mind splurging a little.
Spending money could lift a person's spirits. Trading money for a good mood was well worth it.
Su Chen's bid immediately topped the seventy thousand offered downstairs.
The hall fell quiet for a moment. Quite a few people looked up at the mysterious VIP Room One on the second floor, their expressions odd.
"Which rich fool is that?"
Someone muttered under their breath.
The Century Dragon Scale Fruit was certainly valuable, but it wasn't worth ninety thousand. That bid was a serious overpay.
"Ninety thousand, going twice! Any higher bids?"
The auctioneer surveyed the room. Seeing no further bids, he brought the hammer down decisively. "Ninety thousand, going three times! Congratulations to VIP Room One!"
Inside the room, Xie Xie and Tang Wulin both stared wide-eyed.
Ninety thousand Federal Coins...
Su Chen had spent it without even blinking, and he'd clearly overpaid...
Even though it wasn't their money, Xie Xie still felt his heart ache!
"Such a waste! Why couldn't I have been the rich one?" Xie Xie clutched his chest, looking heartbroken.
Tang Wulin felt his heart twitch too.
He'd scrimped and saved for three years of working, only managing to put aside three thousand Federal Coins. It would take him ninety years of work to make ninety thousand...
But that was only the beginning.
The items that came up next opened Tang Wulin and Xie Xie's eyes, while also leaving them increasingly numb.
"Item number 38: three Century Pecan Fruits! They nourish the mind and soothe the soul... Starting bid: two hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Item number 40: one Century Star Soul Grass..."
"Item number 41: one Century Ice Heart Lotus..."
The auctioneer's voice rang out again and again.
"Seventy-five thousand from VIP Room One!"
"Sixty-eight thousand from VIP Room One!"
"..."
Each time the hammer fell, it was accompanied by a "Congratulations to VIP Room One!"
Su Chen wasn't bidding blindly, though. He bought only uncommon natural treasures, mainly ones he hadn't tasted before. He didn't mind overpaying for them.
As for common ones, he could get them for less than market price through either the Spirit Pagoda or the Blacksmith Association. He was already sick of eating those.
Soon, the auction ended. Su Chen's total spending had easily topped ten million Federal Coins, and he'd bought more than a dozen spirit items.
The staff delivered every item to them at once.
"Gu Yue, this Star Soul Grass is for you. It'll help improve your spiritual power." After paying, Su Chen handed her the box containing the Star Soul Grass.
"Thanks! I won't stand on ceremony~" Gu Yue took the box and smiled brightly, clearly pleased. She accepted it without the slightest hesitation.
Then Su Chen turned to Tang Wulin. "Wulin, you're strong. This Dragon Scale Fruit will be good for you."
Tang Wulin was a talented young man.
Su Chen was willing to invest in him. In the future, whether he had Tang Wulin do some work or run errands, it would be more convenient if he was stronger.
Besides, no matter how strong Tang Wulin became, there was no way he could beat Su Chen.
Whether they fell out in the future or not, they were classmates for now. Tang Wulin was just a kid and posed no threat to Su Chen.
"Ah, this... No, no... Class monitor, this is far too valuable... I can't accept it..." Tang Wulin hurriedly waved his hands.
This spirit fruit was worth nine hundred thousand Federal Coins. How could he accept it?
"What's the big deal? You're a blacksmith. You'll make money easily in the future. Just consider it a loan from me, and pay me back little by little when you can~" Without giving him a chance to refuse, Su Chen shoved the jade box into Tang Wulin's arms.
"Class monitor, what about me, what about me..."
Xie Xie came over, looking at Su Chen with pleading eyes.
He might hate rich fools.
But if Su Chen gave him a natural treasure worth hundreds of thousands of Federal Coins for free...
That was a different story.
"Here, you can have these Pecan Fruits."
Su Chen wasn't one to play favorites, either. He casually handed the Pecan Fruits to Xie Xie.
A few hundred thousand meant nothing to him.
"Uh..."
Xie Xie's mouth twitched.
Although the Pecan Fruits were worth hundreds of thousands, they were clearly nowhere near as valuable as Gu Yue's Star Soul Grass or Tang Wulin's Dragon Scale Fruit.
"You don't like them? Fine, I'll eat them myself."
Seeing Xie Xie's expression, Su Chen pretended to be displeased and made to take them back.
"No, no, of course I like them... And besides, once you've given something away, how can you take it back..."
Xie Xie quickly hugged the Pecan Fruits to his chest and hurriedly replied.
Hundreds of thousands of Federal Coins was still money. He wasn't going to turn his nose up at them.
"All right, it's getting late. Let's head back for now."
Su Chen smiled and didn't make anything of it. He took the three of them back to the academy.
Xie Xie and Tang Wulin said their goodbyes and left.
Gu Yue said goodbye too and went back to absorb the Star Soul Grass.
"Bzz-bzz~"
Just then, Su Chen's Communication Soul Tool vibrated.
Su Chen picked it up and saw a message from Ouyang Zixin.
[Ouyang Zixin: Little Chen, are you free today? Could you go running with me tonight~]
[Su Chen: Of course! Wait for me, senior. I'll go change my clothes~ I'll be right there~]
Su Chen quickly replied.
It had been several days since Su Chen had gone running with Ouyang Zixin.
Besides, he'd bought so many things today, and he wanted to give Ouyang Zixin some of them.
And Ouyang Zixin had never been to Su Chen's villa...
Tonight...
Su Chen looked forward to it as he used Teleportation to return to his place and change clothes.
Before you continue