Seeing Yang Fan guarding his treasures like a miser, Ning Rongrong burst out laughing.
She leaned forward, her clear, sparkling eyes fixed straight on him. Putting on an exaggeratedly sarcastic tone, she teased, "Oh my~ The great Pavilion Master Yang must have emptied his pockets by now, huh?"
As she spoke, she extended a slender, pale finger and tapped the two pieces of metal on the table with disdain.
"These two chunks of scrap metal? If you admit defeat now, I'll let you call this a draw."
Yang Fan looked at her pretty face, so close to his own, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was so young and already acting all haughty and tsundere? And laying on the sarcasm, too.
He rolled his eyes helplessly and drawled in a perfunctory tone, "Oh, sure, sure, sure. Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones are the best, Miss Ning Rongrong is the best, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is the best!"
The limits of the times, huh! He'd snagged the Magic Silver for two hundred thousand. What a steal.
And if you found out I had a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, wouldn't you be even more full of yourself?
But Yang Fan definitely wasn't going to tell her.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone could really attract countless Titled Douluo-level fighters to descend on you. He knew his own limits; until he had a way to deal with Titled Douluo, he absolutely had to play it safe.
"By my reckoning, this Mutated Blue Pregnancy Copper should be the highlight of the auction. And the grand finale..."
As he spoke, Yang Fan used his body language to direct Ning Rongrong's attention toward the auction stage below.
At the same time, he quietly put away the Magic Silver.
Just as Yang Fan tucked away the exquisite piece of Magic Silver, the atmosphere on the auction stage changed abruptly.
The soft lighting suddenly dimmed, and the entire hall fell into a brief silence.
A moment later, a bright spotlight shone down on the stage. Four Soul King-level guards clad in heavy armor slowly pushed up an object protected beneath a transparent crystal dome, on a cart lined with golden silk cushions.
Inside the crystal dome, a bone radiating a faint, eerie glow lay still.
Even through the crystal and the thick glass of the private boxes, the audience could clearly feel the aura of a high-level Soul Beast.
"Distinguished guests, tonight's grand finale is only just beginning!"
Auctioneer Yanran's voice trembled slightly with excitement.
She suddenly whipped away the velvet cloth. Her clear, melodious voice instantly set the whole room alight: "This is a right arm bone from a Soul Beast over ten thousand years old! Three senior appraisers from our auction house have jointly confirmed its age: approximately thirteen thousand years. It's a Bright Swan Right Arm Bone!"
Her words sent a wave of commotion through the hall.
The Bright Swan was a rare holy-type Soul Beast, a variant of the Emerald Swan. It had no combat ability of its own, but could purify and ward off evil.
"Five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!"
"Six hundred thousand!"
"Eight hundred thousand!"
Almost the instant Yanran finished speaking, bid signs rose like a forest below, and the price soared wildly in increments of a hundred thousand.
Xue Qinghe's coming-of-age ceremony was no secret to the nobles present. Even if this Soul Bone wasn't suited to you, it would make a fine gift for currying favor with the imperial family.
Faced with such a strategic resource, none of the major forces in Heaven Dou City were willing to back down easily.
"One million five hundred thousand!"
A hoarse, unyielding voice came from a secluded private box marked with the insignia of Spirit Hall.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
One million five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins was already a sky-high price, enough to make the vast majority of people give up.
Ning Rongrong's brows drew together slightly as she turned to Yang Fan. "The price is getting close to the amount Father quoted."
"Since the young lady came all this way, she can't leave empty-handed."
Yang Fan smiled faintly and made a gesture inviting her to proceed.
"The name of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect carries a lot of weight. Sometimes, that alone is a bargaining chip."
Ning Rongrong immediately understood. She took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to the Amplifying Soul Tool in the private box. Her clear voice rang out with pride and authority:
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect bids two million Gold Soul Coins!"
Boom!
The moment that figure was announced, the hall erupted.
She had doubled the price outright. That unreasonable way of throwing money around was practically telling everyone: The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will have this Soul Bone!
Spirit Hall's private box remained silent for a full ten seconds, and in the end, no further bid came.
After all, two million was a steep price for a mere Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, hardly worth the expense. Their Heaven Dou City branch also had limited funds.
"Two... two million, once! Two million, twice! Two million, three times! Sold!"
With the auctioneer Yanran's excited gavel strike, her voice nearly breaking, this thrilling bidding war finally came to an end.
When an attendant respectfully brought the faintly glowing right arm bone into the private box, Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes brimmed with undisguised delight.
She carefully stroked the crystal dome, feeling the surging power within.
Ning Rongrong turned to Yang Fan and gave him a wink, like a little fox that had just gotten away with stealing a treat.
"Since you refuse to admit defeat, I've won again! Those lumps of metal of yours can't compare with my Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone!"
Yang Fan looked at her adorable expression and shook his head with a smile.
"Miss, things that don't look like much may turn out to be the real treasures."
"If I'm not mistaken, Sect Master Ning also intends to give this Soul Bone to someone. Given the timing and its properties, it's clearly meant for His Highness Qinghe."
Yang Fan stood up and stretched.
"After all, as his teacher, Sect Master Ning will surely have to give his student a gift for coming of age. How about we settle our bet at the Crown Prince Coming-of-Age Ceremony a few months from now? We'll see which of us wins the Crown Prince's favor."
Ning Rongrong pouted. Yang Fan had clearly guessed right.
"Men who are too clever are annoying! Then let Brother Qinghe make the final judgment. I doubt you can make those lumps of metal worth as much as a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone in just a few months."
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong pulled a childish face at Yang Fan.
"Are your bodyguards strong enough? A Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone is quite tempting, too. It could attract experts at the Soul King or Spirit Emperor level."
Yang Fan was starting to develop a serious fear of not having enough strength to fight back.
"It should be fine, unless the other side sends a Titled Douluo."
Ning Rongrong wasn't worried. Those two were among the strongest Soul Douluo in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect when it came to individual combat strength.
Their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects, after all, with connections throughout the country. The major powers wouldn't dare openly move against them.
The two Soul Douluo had been assigned mainly to protect Ning Rongrong's life. Otherwise, a Soul Emperor would have been more than enough for a Soul Bone only just over ten thousand years old.
"I still think we should be careful. We should leave through Moonlight Pavilion instead."
After his encounter with the Evil Soul Masters, Yang Fan had become even more cautious.
"Fine~"~_~
Ning Rongrong didn't think they needed to be so careful, but there was certainly no harm in taking precautions.
"But how do you know it'll be safer to leave through Moonlight Pavilion?"
Ning Rongrong was still puzzled and couldn't help asking.
"The princess has been going there lately to study singing and etiquette. Think about it: could security at a place like that really be lax?"
Yang Fan looked at her earnest little face and patiently explained, "Those forces may covet the Soul Bone, but they also know that if they make a move on imperial territory, they'll be challenging the dignity of the entire nation."
He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "They know better than anyone how terrifying it is when the machinery of state starts turning. Even if you gave them ten times the nerve, they wouldn't dare court trouble at a moment like this."
If anyone really dared make a move... then it could only be someone closely connected to the imperial family and hostile to Xue Qinghe.