Bright Swan Right Arm Bone

Seeing Yang Fan acting so stingy, as if he were protecting some great treasure, Ning Rongrong burst into a giggle.

She leaned forward, her watery eyes fixed intently on him, and she deliberately adopted a sarcastic tone. "Oh my~ I'm afraid Pavilion Master Yang's pockets have already been emptied out, haven't they?"

With that, she extended a slender, porcelain-white finger and tapped disdainfully on the two pieces of metal sitting on the table.

"Just these two pieces of scrap metal? If you admit defeat now, I'll count this competition as a draw."

Watching her pretty face so close to his, Yang Fan found it both annoying and amusing. Was she really learning to be a tsundere at such a young age? And a sarcastic one at that.

He rolled his eyes helplessly and drawled in a perfunctory tone, "Ah, yes, yes, yes. The ten-thousand-year soul bone is the most amazing, Miss Ning Rongrong is the most amazing, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect is the most amazing!"

The limitations of the era, truly! Snagging Magic Silver for two hundred thousand was an absolute steal.

Besides, if she knew I had a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, would she fly into a frenzy?

However, Yang Fan certainly wouldn't say that.

A hundred-thousand-year soul bone could genuinely attract countless Title Douluo-level powerhouses to besiege him. He had a clear understanding of his own situation; until he had the means to deal with Title Douluo, he had to prioritize caution above all else.

"Calculating the time, this Mutated Blue Pregnancy Copper of mine should be considered the penultimate item, so as for the grand finale..."

As he spoke, Yang Fan used his body language to guide Ning Rongrong's attention toward the auction stage below.

At the same time, he quietly tucked the Magic Silver away.

Just as Yang Fan put away the top-grade Magic Silver, the atmosphere on the auction stage changed abruptly.

The previously soft lighting dimmed suddenly, and the entire hall fell into a brief silence.

Immediately following, a bright beam of light hit the stage. Four guards at the Soul King level, clad in heavy armor, slowly pushed a cart covered with gold-threaded velvet cushions onto the stage, carrying an item protected by a transparent crystal cover.

Inside the crystal cover, a section of bone emitting a faint, ghostly glow lay quietly.

Even through the crystal and the thick glass of the private box, the audience could clearly feel the aura belonging to a high-level soul beast.

"Distinguished guests, tonight's grand finale has only just begun!"

The auctioneer Yanran's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

She whipped off the velvet cloth, and her crisp, melodious voice instantly ignited the entire venue: "This is a right arm bone of over ten thousand years! Its specific age has been jointly confirmed by our chamber's three high-level appraisers: it is a Bright Swan Right Arm Bone of approximately thirteen thousand years!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall was in an uproar.

The Bright Swan was a rare holy-type soul beast, a variant of the Emerald Swan. It possessed no combat power itself but held the ability to purify and dispel evil.

"Five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

"Six hundred thousand!"

"Eight hundred thousand!"

Almost the instant Yanran's voice fell, the bidding paddles below were raised like a forest, and the price soared wildly in increments of one hundred thousand.

Xue Qinghe's coming-of-age ceremony was no secret to the nobles present. Even if they couldn't use this soul bone themselves, it would be highly effective for currying favor with the imperial family.

Therefore, faced with such a strategic resource, none of the major factions in Heaven Dou City were willing to easily back down.

"One million five hundred thousand!"

A hoarse and unquestionable voice came from a secluded box marked with the Spirit Hall emblem.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

One million five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins was already an astronomical price that would make the vast majority of people shrink back.

Ning Rongrong frowned slightly and turned to look at Yang Fan. "The price of this piece is getting close to the limit my father gave me."

"Since you've come, Miss, you can't return empty-handed."

Yang Fan smiled slightly and made a gesture of invitation.

"The reputation of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect is very useful; sometimes, it is also an invisible bargaining chip."

Ning Rongrong immediately understood. She took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the box's sound-amplifying Soul Guidance Device. Her crisp voice was filled with pride and dominance:

"Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, two million Gold Soul Coins!"

Boom!

Once this number was announced, the hall exploded.

Doubling the price directly—this unreasonable way of throwing money around was simply telling everyone: This soul bone, my Seven Treasures Glazed Sect is determined to have it!

The Spirit Hall box remained silent for a full ten seconds, and in the end, no further sound came from it.

After all, for a mere ten-thousand-year soul bone, two million was a bit counterproductive, and the funds of their Heaven Dou City branch were limited.

"Two... two million going once! Two million going twice! Two million going three times! Sold!"

As the sound of Yanran's gavel—which nearly cracked from her excitement—rang out, this thrilling auction finally came to a close.

When the waiter respectfully delivered the glowing right arm bone into the box, Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes were filled with unconcealable joy.

She carefully stroked the crystal cover, feeling the surging power within.

Ning Rongrong turned her head and winked at Yang Fan like a little fox that had successfully stolen a treat.

"Since you refuse to admit defeat, I've won again this time. Those lumps of iron of yours can't compare to my ten-thousand-year soul bone!"

Yang Fan looked at her delicate and pretty appearance, smiling as he shook his head.

"Young Miss, things that look unremarkable on the outside might hide something truly precious underneath."

"If I'm not mistaken, this spirit bone was also meant for Sect Master Ning to give away. Given the timing and the attributes of this spirit bone, it is clearly prepared for His Highness Xue Qinghe."

Yang Fan stood up and stretched his back.

"After all, as a teacher, Sect Master Ning must show some gesture for his student's coming-of-age. Why don't we make our wager depend on who can better please the Crown Prince at the Crown Prince Coming-of-Age Ceremony in a few months?"

Ning Rongrong pouted, clearly showing that Yang Fan had guessed correctly.

"Men who are too smart are very annoying! Fine, let's leave the final judgment to Brother Xue Qinghe. I doubt that even with a few months, you could make the value of those hunks of iron comparable to a ten-thousand-year spirit bone."

As she spoke, Ning Rongrong made a childish face at Yang Fan.

"Are your bodyguards reliable enough? The allure of a ten-thousand-year spirit bone is not weak; it could very well attract experts at the Spirit King or Spirit Emperor level."

Yang Fan now suffered from a bit of combat-power-deficiency anxiety.

"It should be fine, unless a Title Douluo makes a move."

Ning Rongrong was not worried; these two were among the strongest Spirit Douluo in the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect in terms of individual combat power.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects, after all, with connections spanning the entire nation; it was impossible for any major power to openly make a move against them.

Sending two Spirit Douluo was mostly for the sake of Ning Rongrong's safety; otherwise, for a spirit bone just over ten thousand years old, a Spirit Emperor would have been more than enough.

"I still think it's better to be careful. How about we leave via the Moon Pavilion?"

Having experienced the Evil Soul Master incident, Yang Fan had become increasingly cautious.

"Fine~"

Although Ning Rongrong felt there was no need to be so careful, there was certainly no harm in being cautious.

"But how do you know that the Moon Pavilion side is safer?"

Ning Rongrong was still somewhat puzzled and couldn't help but ask.

"The Princess has been going there frequently to study music and etiquette. Just think about it, could the security in such a place be lax?"

Yang Fan looked at her earnest little face and patiently analyzed, "Although those factions are green with envy over the spirit bone, they also know that once they make a move on imperial territory, it is equivalent to challenging the face of the entire nation."

He leaned in slightly and lowered his voice, "They know better than anyone how terrifying the state apparatus is when it starts running. Even if you gave them ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to court disaster at such a critical juncture."

If someone truly dared to make a move... then it could only be a situation involving someone with deep ties to the imperial family who was also hostile toward Xue Qinghe.