When Meng Hongchen mentioned their grandfather's reward, Xiao Hongchen's none-too-bright head cooled a little.
But he still couldn't accept it.
Virtue Hall was clearly the richest. Why should anyone outbid them?
As the teacher leading the team, Elder Ma knew there was no talking Xiao Hongchen out of it now.
His head throbbed. He finally understood how hard it was to look after a superior's grandson.
He couldn't hit or scold the boy, and if the boy caused trouble, Elder Ma would have to take the blame.
He certainly didn't believe a greenhorn like Xiao Hongchen could shoulder any responsibility.
Even if the boy took all the blame, Elder Ma would still be faulted for failing to manage him.
Fortunately, Meng Hongchen had enough sense not to let Xiao Hongchen carry on making trouble.
If they secured the Soul Beast Embryo, everything would be fine.
But if they failed, Elder Ma feared he was finished when he got back.
Whatever happened now, he had to make his position clear first.
"One hundred and seventy million!"
Elder Ma's voice was grim and hard. "That's the absolute limit. Not one coin more. And the Sword of Judgment is not up for negotiation."
Xiao Hongchen could no longer demand much. He didn't care how they scraped together the last ten million, so long as he got what he wanted.
Elder Ma then ordered the remaining twelve team members to pool their money.
None of them were particularly close to Xiao Hongchen, but they had no choice but to hand over whatever they had. Some even put up the money they had saved for marriage.
Xiao Hongchen could only stare at the screen and pray the other bidder would recognize the difficulty and back down.
But the very thing he feared came to pass.