Mysterious Crystal and Map

"Three thousand..."

The host had barely announced the opening bid when—

"Five thousand..." The next bid followed immediately after.

"..."

"Thirteen thousand!"

The bids rose one after another, the amounts surging ever higher. Before long, someone had called out a respectable price.

Ouyang Ling lounged against the back of his chair, watching the lively atmosphere in the hall without any rush. He was simply waiting for the scramble to end. Their goals were different, so naturally their acceptable prices were different as well.

Even a hundred thousand would still have been within their range.

For that reason, Qian Renxue had even closed her eyes to rest, leaving only Ouyang Ling watching with some interest.

The bidding continued for a while longer before the voices from the other three sections gradually weakened. It was then that the host spoke again. "Twenty thousand! The red VIP bids twenty thousand!"

As soon as the bid was announced, the auction house fell silent.

It was not that they feared the red VIP, but was it truly worth spending over twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins, or even more, just to buy three pieces of Whale Glue with stronger effects?

"The bidding stopped?"

As the host began the countdown, Qian Renxue suddenly opened her eyes.

"It stopped."

Ouyang Ling fiddled with the buttons beside his seat. With a beep, he pressed the one labeled "ten thousand" and turned to Qian Renxue.

"I think we need to 'steal' it from that red VIP twice."

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen."

Listening to the host call out "thirty thousand," Qian Renxue watched as the entire auction house fell silent. Most people seemed stunned by that sudden high bid.

"People have to save a little face in matters like this."

The moment she finished speaking, the host announced, "Forty thousand, the red VIP bids—"

Ouyang Ling heard it and grinned slightly.

"Keep going?"

"...Keep going."

"Beep—"

The next second, a brand-new figure appeared.

"Fifty thousand! The black VIP bids fifty thousand!"

The host's eyes widened in disbelief.

At that moment, he felt that his decades of experience meant nothing before these "people from above." He was like a raw recruit.

No matter how valuable three pieces of Whale Glue were, they were not worth fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins! And they had raised the bid by ten thousand each time. The price had been inflated far too absurdly!

"Would any VIP like to raise the bid further?"

Though the host said that, the corner of his eye kept drifting toward the red VIP who had just spitefully bid forty thousand. Fortunately, his glances were subtle and concealed by the lighting, making them difficult to notice.

Meanwhile, the red VIP being watched—

"Twice. That seat has done it twice now..." The old man beneath the mask withdrew his gaze, his eyes icy.

When he pressed the "ten thousand" button once more, a faint beep sounded from behind him almost immediately afterward. This time, however, aside from the host announcing the bid, the old man's voice rang out as well.

"Little girl, why would a girl want to bid on Whale Glue?"

The question itself sounded perfectly normal.

Of course, that was if one ignored the mocking tone.

"That's none of your concern."

Qian Renxue replied in a disguised voice. "My father is in poor health and happens to need these things to nourish himself."

Hmph—

The old man snorted inwardly but said nothing more as he raised the bid.

Three pieces of Whale Glue were not worth it.

Seeing that no one responded, the host wisely stopped while he was ahead. He lightly tapped the small hammer against the table. "Since no one is raising the bid, these three pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue are sold to the black VIP for seventy thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

Meanwhile, in the black VIP section—

"Today's been quite fruitful."

Ouyang Ling calculated the gains, his heart brimming with delight.

It was just a pity that he could not fire back at that man earlier. Xue'er had said he could not disguise his voice and was afraid his identity might be exposed later.

But that small displeasure was quickly buried beneath his good mood.

If others learned of Whale Glue's true use, the price of these three pieces would probably have at least doubled.

"Today has ended perfectly."

Fully satisfied, Ouyang Ling patted himself and prepared to leave.

Qian Renxue turned to ask, "You're not going to keep watching?"

"It's not like we need to leave in such a hurry." Thinking that Qian Renxue was interested in watching further, Ouyang Ling sat back down after only half rising.

"Why did you sit back down?"

Qian Renxue was immediately amused by his reaction.

"I was just asking. If it's time to go, then go. Auctions are pretty boring. If we don't plan on bidding, we might as well keep browsing."

Ouyang Ling's eyes lit up. "Then let's go?"

He was still thinking about the Ruyi Hundred-Treasure Pouch and the three pieces of Whale Glue.

"All right."

Just as Qian Renxue agreed and was about to stand, the host on stage swept out a hand. The lights above the platform dimmed, and with another slight gesture, someone brought up another tray.

When the red cloth was lifted, a crystal radiating a chill and a brand-new scroll appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Everyone, the next item is the finale of this auction! This crystal..."

In the middle of the introduction, Ouyang Ling, who had already turned away, abruptly spun back around. His gaze locked tightly onto the crystal on the tray.

There was something wrong with that crystal!

As a Soul Master whose martial soul possessed an ice attribute, Ouyang Ling dared to guarantee that the intensity of the ice attribute contained within that crystal was definitely stronger than his own.

Of course, it was not much stronger, nor had it reached the ultimate level.

But it might have been only half a step away from that ultimate level.

What truly drew Ouyang Ling's attention, however, was the host's statement: "This crystal has been appraised as a special metal... This region lies in the northern part of the empire and has a seventy percent chance of containing an entire mineral vein."

Noticing his unusual reaction, Qian Renxue looked over.

"Little Ling, are you interested in this?"

"Yes."

Ouyang Ling froze for a moment, his expression beneath the double-layered mask utterly serious.

"We have to get it!"

"...All right."

To be honest, Qian Renxue did not think it was worth much.

Didn't the Heaven Dou Auction House merely classify this item as the finale, rather than the grand finale? Though the odds had been assessed at seventy percent, who knew whether it would ultimately fall into that remaining thirty percent?

That was why everyone had been so restrained from beginning to end. Bidding on this item was more like making an investment.

Except for...

"One hundred fifty thousand! The red VIP bids one hundred fifty thousand!"

It was that old man again, throwing money around again.

Just when he thought no one could spend more recklessly than him this time—

Before the old man could feel pleased for even a second—

"Two hundred thousand! The black VIP bids two hundred thousand!"

It was the same familiar rhythm.

This time, the old man finally snapped!

Again and again...

You're fucking targeting me, aren't you?!

As his anger surged, he directly raised the bid by another hundred thousand!

Then he shot to his feet. "I'd like to see who you really are!" The old man seated in the foremost red VIP section had already turned around, sweeping his gaze toward the black area behind him. His eyes locked onto Qian Renxue and Ouyang Ling's direction, his gaze savage.

They had really run into someone trying to suppress others with his status.

Hearing the old man's words and seeing his imposing manner, Ouyang Ling could not help feeling emotional.

But on second thought, it was normal for him to be angry. Anyone would be enraged after being cut off for the third time.

Still, anger was one thing, and trying to pressure them was another...

They still had to get what they wanted!

"Sis?"

"Keep going."

Qian Renxue remained unconcerned.

"And I was wondering who it was. So it's him..."

The instant their gazes met, Qian Renxue recognized him immediately, even though the upper half of the old man's face was concealed by a mask.

"Who is he?"

Ouyang Ling raised the bid by another hundred thousand as he asked.

"Prince Xue Xing."

After that, no matter how much Prince Xue Xing flaunted his authority or even threatened them, Ouyang Ling and Qian Renxue remained unmoved. They kept raising the price as they pleased and ignored him completely.

Their identities were fake anyway. Once the auction ended, they only needed to take their things and leave. Even if Prince Xue Xing wanted to settle the score, he would not be able to find them.

As for whether he would make a move inside the Heaven Dou Auction House...

Some rules had to be followed.

Especially by someone like Prince Xue Xing.

Otherwise, who would want to do business with you in the future?

Treating Prince Xue Xing's threats as barking and the man himself as a stray by the roadside, Ouyang Ling continued raising the bid with Qian Renxue's tacit approval, forcing everyone else to withdraw from the competition.

Prince Xue Xing still cared somewhat about his reputation. Seeing that they ignored him while displaying complete confidence, he could not gauge their background. In the end, reason prevailed, and he did not resort to maliciously inflating the price.

In the end, the ice-attribute crystal and map, along with the Ruyi Hundred-Treasure Pouch and the three pieces of Whale Glue, all fell into Ouyang Ling's hands as he had wished.