Fierce Competition

Following Bai Shu's voice, the previous murmurs fell silent, as if the bidders were weighing whether it was worth spending their funds on this spirit bone, given that it was not the primary objective of their trip.

Inside the very box that had just been bidding, a spirited, white-haired old man furrowed his brows, his sharp gaze fixed upon the middle-aged man kneeling before him.

Cold sweat had already soaked through the middle-aged man's outer robe, yet he remained in his kneeling posture, not daring to move a muscle.

"You should know that the funds Dai Tianheng prepared may not be enough to secure the Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma. It would be better to seize this spirit bone; with the augmentation of this thirty-thousand-year spirit bone, it is not impossible for him to step into the realm of a Title Douluo within his lifetime."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's body trembled even more violently. He kowtowed, his voice choked with tears: "Old Ancestor, securing the Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma at all costs is the Emperor's death order! This subordinate... this subordinate dare not disobey!"

The old man looked deeply at the middle-aged man; how could he fail to see through this man's intentions?

By giving up on the spirit bone, even if they ultimately failed to win the Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma, he would still be faithfully executing the Emperor's command. The Emperor would at most reprimand him, but would not truly do anything to him.

However, if he were to use a large sum of money to buy the spirit bone, causing the bid for the Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma to fail, and the final transaction price happened to be lower than the total amount of gold spirit coins they carried... then his return would surely lead to a dead end! Such is the nature of imperial power.

"Hmph." The old man let out a soft snort, said no more, and slowly closed his eyes to rest his mind.

Since his retirement, he had not wanted to participate in any court affairs. If not for the Emperor persuading him with the grand cause of "increasing the foundation of the imperial family," he would never have stepped out of his place of seclusion. These murky worldly affairs truly became more irritating the more one looked at them.

Meanwhile, in another box, Ning Fengzhi slowly set down his warm teacup. Listening to that young yet steady voice, he hesitated slightly before deciding to abandon further bidding.

Although he had only heard that voice once, it had left a deep impression on him.

Furthermore, he had a favor to ask of someone on this trip; it was just a spirit bone, so letting it go was no great loss.

Seeing that no one had raised the bid for a long time, the auctioneer's excitement was beyond words. He struck the wooden gavel with all his might!

"Thud!"

"Twenty-five million gold spirit coins! Congratulations to this distinguished guest for successfully winning this 'Wind-Chasing Left Leg Bone of Extreme Speed'!"

As the spirit bone auction concluded, the tense atmosphere in the venue eased slightly, but everyone's nerves remained taut, for they knew the real show was about to begin.

Soon, the spirit bone was personally delivered to Bai Shu's box by a supervisor.

The supervisor remained hunched over throughout, his posture exceptionally respectful. After presenting the spirit bone with both hands, he merely mentioned that "the cost will be deducted from your subsequent auction proceeds" before quickly retreating.

Bai Shu picked up the warm, jade-like left leg bone. A pure and surging energy flowed through his palm, as if endless wind elements were cheering and leaping within it.

Dugu Bo, standing to the side, stared with wide eyes and muttered: "Twenty-five million... a thirty-thousand-year spirit bone... is this the benefit of being wealthy..."

Bai Shu put the spirit bone away and looked at Dugu Bo with a smile: "It's just a special situation. Once money reaches a certain amount, it is merely a string of cold numbers. Truly top-tier treasures can never be measured by money."

Dugu Bo nodded as if he understood, but his gaze toward Bai Shu became increasingly reverent. The Young Master was not only unfathomable in strength, but even this state of mind, viewing money as mere dirt, was far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Distinguished guests!" The auctioneer's voice rang out once more. This time, he roared with almost every ounce of his strength, letting the sound reach every corner of the venue.

"Next is the final, grand finale treasure of this auction! I believe most of the distinguished guests present are here for this very item! I shall not keep you in suspense any longer!"

He abruptly whipped away the red cloth from the tray held by the attendant beside him!

"The next item is a heaven-defying divine medicine that can allow a Spirit Douluo-level powerhouse to break through their bottleneck and has a high probability of advancing to a Title Douluo—the Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma! The starting bid is thirty million gold spirit coins! Each increment must be no less than one million!"

"Now, please begin your bidding!"

The moment his voice fell, the entire venue plunged into a deathly silence, followed immediately by a tsunami-like sound of gasping!

"Hiss—the starting bid is thirty million?!"

"Heavens! This is even more expensive than that thirty-thousand-year spirit bone from just now!"

The Spirit Sages and Spirit Douluos who had traveled thousands of miles for the Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma felt the blood drain from their faces.

They had considered themselves wealthy enough to come here and take a gamble, but who could have imagined that they wouldn't even have the qualifications to participate in the bidding!

Greed and killing intent ignited in the eyes of some; clearly, since they couldn't afford it, they could only harbor thoughts of killing to seize the treasure.

Unfortunately, the killing intent permeating the air was quickly suppressed by a domineering voice!

"Forty million! This Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma, my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect will have it!"

Regrettably, just as that voice faded, another gentle voice followed closely behind.

"Hehe, why is Sect Master Yu in such a hurry? Treasures go to the highest bidder; it is yet to be seen who will claim it. My Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect bids fifty million."

"Fifty-five million! This kind of precious medicine, this old man is also determined to win!" The old man from the Star Luo Empire's box spoke again.

"Sixty million." An effeminate voice sounded from another direction. Bai Shu's lips curled slightly, and he exchanged a knowing look with Dugu Bo.

Who else could this voice belong to but Moonlight, the Chrysanthemum Douluo of Spirit Hall?

In an instant, the atmosphere in the venue was completely ignited! The people in the ordinary seats below, after a brief moment of frustration, could only helplessly become spectators, listening to those astronomical figures coming from the VIP boxes above and feeling the collision of wealth between top-tier forces.

"Sixty-five million! Sect Master Ning, this Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma is of vital importance to my younger brother, Yu Luomian. I hope you can show some respect!"

Yu Yuanzhen's voice carried a hint of anger. At the same time, a violent dragon might belonging to a Title Douluo surged through the box, roaring as it crushed down upon the entire venue! It terrified countless Spirit Masters below, leaving them pale and nearly forced to their knees!

"Hmph!"

The next moment, a cold, peerless sword intent soared into the sky from Ning Fengzhi's box. A streak of extremely condensed, chilling sword light tore through the air in an instant, shattering that dragon might into pieces!

The people in the venue felt their bodies lighten, and as they looked toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's box, their eyes were filled with endless awe.

Following that, Ning Fengzhi's gentle voice sounded again, though this time it carried a hint of coldness: "Seventy million. Sect Master Yu, since you are at an auction house, it is better to follow the rules of the auction. Don't forget who the seller of this Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma is."

Once these words were spoken, Yu Yuanzhen fell silent. He was indeed used to being arrogant and had momentarily forgotten about that mysterious Super Douluo.

Yet, he still stubbornly raised the bid: "Hmph, seventy-five million! Although your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is rich, buying such a treasure for breaking through bottlenecks is a pure waste; it would be better to yield it to others!"

"Hehe... Sect Master Yu need not worry about that. Moreover, the one thing my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is never short of is money."

"Eighty million."

Ning Fengzhi let out a soft chuckle. The laughter was filled with composure and confidence. His tone remained calm, yet the words he spoke caused the entire venue to fall into silence.