You Made Me Spend More, So I'll Bankrupt You

The honored guests in the red section at the front turned to look at the black section behind them.

They wanted to know who would dare raise the bid after Fan Haige had spoken. Wasn't he afraid of offending Spirit Hall?

Of course, they couldn't tell exactly who it was. Bids were made with buttons rather than shouted out, and everyone was wearing a mask besides.

Fan Haige's expression wasn't very pleasant either. He glanced at Salas, who nodded in understanding.

"An honored guest in black has raised the bid to 810,000 Gold Soul Coins."

"An honored guest in black has raised the bid to 850,000 Gold Soul Coins."

Salas raised the bid by another 10,000 Gold Soul Coins. This time, Fan Haige stood up and surveyed the entire room, wanting to see who was bidding against him.

The unknown honored guest in black didn't disappoint, immediately raising the bid.

"The honored guest in black bids 900,000 Gold Soul Coins. Are there any higher bids?"

The auctioneer spoke with fear and trepidation. In his line of work, clashes between bidders were what he feared most.

The Grand Auction House naturally had no fear of ordinary people, since it had a powerful backing of its own. Compared with the Martial Soul Sacred Temple, however, it fell far short.

"You!"

As expected, Fan Haige found the honored guest in black who had made the bid. There were two men and one woman, all wearing masks that concealed their identities.

They seemed to realize that Fan Haige had spotted them. One of them said, "At an auction, the highest bidder wins. What, is His Excellency the Bishop going to break the rules?"

"Hmph, naturally, I won't break the rules," Fan Haige said coldly, sweeping his sleeve as he sat down.

"Raise the bid."

"Yes." Salas nodded and reached out to press the bid button.

The three raised the bid in turn, and Jun Yan glanced at them.

"Wait!" Having turned away, Jun Yan suddenly looked back.

Jun Yan thought in surprise, Such abundant life energy! It's no less potent than the Jade of Life on the auction stage.

The life energy that had startled even Jun Yan was contained within the only woman among the three.

Jun Yan opened and closed his eyes, using his Rinnegan to take a look at her.

Through the Rinnegan, what sat there was no longer a woman, but a stalk of Blue Silver Grass.

Unlike the Blue Silver Grass commonly found by the roadside, however, its leaves were as brilliant and transparent as sapphires. A golden vein ran through the center of that crystalline blue, extending from the root of each stalk of Blue Silver Grass all the way to the tip of its leaves.

"Blue Silver Emperor?" Jun Yan murmured softly.

Fan Haige, who was beside him, hadn't heard him clearly and asked, "What did you just say?"

"Nothing." Jun Yan shook his head, then reached out and grabbed Salas by the arm.

Salas looked up, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Those three look determined to win it. I'm afraid they won't give up easily, so I won't let you spend any more on it, Uncle."

With that, he reached out and pressed the bid button.

The auctioneer called out, "An honored guest in black bids one million Gold Soul Coins! Are there any higher bids?"

Everyone below the stage shook their heads. They didn't even know what it was good for, so why bid?

Jun Yan looked toward the three of them. Although their masks hid their faces, he could still guess their identities: the brothers Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, along with Ah Yin, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor in human form.

"Although we brought a lot of money this time, if we spend it on this, we might not be able to get the Soul Bone at the end," Tang Xiao, who sat in the middle, said gravely.

The Clear Sky Sect had received word that a Soul Bone would be auctioned at the Heaven Dou City Grand Auction House this time, so the sect elders had entrusted the brothers with a large sum of money to bid on it.

But when the Jade of Life appeared earlier, Ah Yin had become very excited and said she needed the jade badly.

Both Tang Xiao and Tang Hao admired Ah Yin. They had joined the bidding with hardly a second thought, only to find that a Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall had also taken a fancy to it.

The price had continued to climb and was now approaching a million.

But Tang Xiao had calmed down. The money they had was the sect's funds for purchasing the Soul Bone. If they missed out on the Soul Bone because of a piece of jade whose use they didn't even know, they would have made a grave mistake.

Tang Hao, however, hadn't thought that far. He said carelessly, "It's only a Soul Bone a little over twenty thousand years old. At most, it'll cost five million Gold Soul Coins, and the elders gave us seven million."

"Fool!" Tang Xiao scolded angrily. "What if there's a Soul Master here whose attribute matches the Soul Bone? Do you think he'd consider seven million Gold Soul Coins a lot?"

His brother's scolding immediately took the wind out of Tang Hao's sails, but he still protested, "But Ah Yin really wants that jade!"

Seeing the brothers arguing, Ah Yin hurried to dissuade them. "Brother Tang, Second Brother Tang, your sect's assignment is more important. You mustn't let my personal affairs interfere with official business!"

Ah Yin's thoughtfulness softened Tang Xiao's heart, and his tone eased. "Although the sect's business is important, I can't simply ignore what you want, Ah Yin. How about this? I'll make the decision to spend one million of the seven million Gold Soul Coins. Six million should still be enough to buy the Soul Bone. I also have twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins in savings that I can add, so we can bid up to 1.2 million Gold Soul Coins."

Ah Yin thanked him profusely in excitement. "Thank you, Brother Tang!"

Sitting beside them, Tang Hao saw how close Ah Yin was to his elder brother, and resentment immediately rose in his heart. He spoke up, "Big Brother, I have a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins too."

"Thank you, Second Brother Tang!" Ah Yin hurriedly thanked Tang Hao as well.

In truth, direct descendants of the Upper Three Sects like the Tang brothers shouldn't have had so little in savings. But Tang Xiao was an indiscriminate do-gooder in the sect and spent money quickly, while Tang Hao was a blacksmith who spent all his money on precious ores.

The two barely managed to scrape together 1.3 million Gold Soul Coins, and Tang Xiao hurriedly pressed the bid button.

From his seat, Jun Yan heard every word of their conversation through the keen perception he gained by activating his Rinnegan.

"A Soul Bone? Interesting! 1.3 million Gold Soul Coins? Looks like I'll have to part with some money."

With that, he tapped the bid button.

The price of the Jade of Life climbed higher and higher: one million, 1.05 million, 1.1 million, 1.11 million...

The higher the price went, the more slowly Tang Xiao raised his bids. The steep price also put him under tremendous pressure.

Suddenly, the auctioneer shouted, "The honored guest in black bids 1.3 million Gold Soul Coins. Are there any higher bids?"

On hearing the price, Tang Xiao's taut heart relaxed instead. It meant he didn't have to keep bidding.

Correspondingly, he had a better chance of securing the Soul Bone.

Tang Xiao glanced at Ah Yin. Through the eyeholes of her mask, he saw the disappointment in her eyes.

All he could do was apologize to her in his heart.

Seeing that Jun Yan had bought the Jade of Life after all, Fan Haige said regretfully, "Ah, little Jun Yan, what use is spending so much money on this jade?"

Jun Yan smiled. "Perhaps I'm the one who can make use of it. Besides, it's only a million Gold Soul Coins."

As the two talked, the auctioneer brought out another item. Jun Yan recognized it at once as the Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King he had previously entrusted to the auction house, and immediately lost interest.

The auctioneer introduced the Ginseng King, and the bidding began.

A supreme-grade Ginseng King like this was extremely rare. Although it couldn't bring the dead back to life, it could sustain and prolong life. It was truly a vital medicine for any household.

The price shot up in an instant, breaking past the one-million-Gold-Soul-Coin mark in the blink of an eye. After that, the bids came in much more slowly, and the auctioneer slowed his speech, giving the honored guests plenty of time to think.

Several more people bid in succession, raising the price of the Ginseng King to 1.2 million Gold Soul Coins, at which point an honored guest in black won it.

"Congratulations to this honored guest in black on winning the treasure of your choice!" the auctioneer said, offering his customary congratulations.

A young woman pushed a small cart to the very front of the auction stage. On the cart was a brocade box covered with a sheet of bright red silk.

"Next is the final item in today's auction, and also its most precious treasure. I believe some of our honored guests have already heard the news. That's right, this item is a Soul Bone."

The auctioneer abruptly whipped away the red silk, revealing a miniature right arm bone. It was red all over, its rich red radiance held within, but its powerful, turbulent energy fluctuations were startling.

"Fire attribute?"

Dugu Bo's disappointed voice sounded beside Jun Yan's ear. No wonder he had been silent all this time. He had been waiting for this Soul Bone.

"Brother Dugu, did you know the last item was a Soul Bone?" Jun Yan asked.

"That's right."

"Before the auction even began, the auction house put the news out. They only said it was a twenty-thousand-year Soul Bone, though, and revealed nothing else. Otherwise, it wouldn't be this lively today."

It wasn't Dugu Bo who said this, but Fan Haige.

"No wonder!" Jun Yan nodded. No wonder the Clear Sky Sect had known and sent people with a large sum of money. The auction house had released the news in advance.

"Thank you, Uncle." Jun Yan cupped his hands in thanks.

There was no doubt how precious a Soul Bone was. The bids soon soared from the starting price of one million to three million, without slowing in the slightest.

A twenty-thousand-year Soul Bone sold for around five million on average, though it also depended on the bidders. If its attribute matched theirs, it wouldn't be unusual for the price to rise to six million.

Tang Xiao began to feel anxious. At this rate, it was entirely possible for the price to exceed five or even six million.

"Five million Gold Soul Coins!" Tang Xiao stood up, removed his mask, and shouted.

Everyone's attention was drawn by his voice, and they cried out in surprise, "That's Tang Xiao of the Clear Sky Sect, one of the Clear Sky Twin Stars!"

A person seated in the red honored guest section said, "Since someone from the Clear Sky Sect wants it, I won't bid. In any case, this Soul Bone doesn't match my attribute."

Tang Xiao was delighted to hear it. This was precisely why he had revealed his identity, just as Fan Haige had done earlier.

He cupped his fists toward the person in front of him and said, "Thank you for yielding, sir. I'm deeply grateful."

With someone taking the lead, others followed suit. Most of them weren't wearing masks, and they too wanted to leave a good impression on the Clear Sky Sect.

Unfortunately, Tang Xiao had forgotten what he had done earlier. He wanted to trade on his reputation and have others give him face, but it wouldn't be that simple.

Fan Haige sneered. "So it's the young sect master of the Clear Sky Sect. No wonder you refused to give this old man face just now and insisted on making my nephew spend several hundred thousand more Gold Soul Coins."

"I bid 5.1 million Gold Soul Coins."

Fan Haige first addressed the auctioneer, then turned to look at Tang Xiao. "It's fair bidding! Surely the Clear Sky Sect won't break the rules?"

"Naturally not," Tang Xiao replied coldly. "5.2 million."

"5.3 million!" Fan Haige said mildly.

"5.5 million." Tang Xiao's expression darkened.

"Six million." Fan Haige refused to let up.

After a pause, however, he added, "That's all the money I have with me. As long as you can bid higher, the Soul Bone is yours."

Only then did Tang Xiao relax a little. Six million Gold Soul Coins was still within his means, and he was glad he hadn't bought the Jade of Life for Ah Yin earlier. Otherwise, he might not have had enough money.

"6.1 million Gold Soul Coins."

As Fan Haige sat back down, silence fell over the room.

"Are there any higher bids?" the auctioneer asked as usual.

No one answered. Just when everyone thought the Soul Bone was about to fall into the Clear Sky Sect's hands, a voice suddenly rang out.

"6.2 million."

The bidder was none other than Jun Yan.

Tang Xiao and the others had made him spend several hundred thousand more earlier, so how could he let them obtain the Soul Bone without trouble now?

Jun Yan thought to himself, You can have the Soul Bone, but you'll have to spend every last coin.

"Uncle, what you said just now still stands, doesn't it?"

Jun Yan turned to Fan Haige. "As you know, Uncle, my father is a fire-attribute Soul Master. This Soul Bone is just right for him. But I don't have much money on me. Could you lend me some?"

Fan Haige laughed. "Of course. Come to think of it, I haven't congratulated that old fellow since his breakthrough. I'll cover whatever you're short, as a thank-you gift for him."

"Thank you, Uncle." Jun Yan inclined his head slightly in respect.

Tang Xiao's face had turned ashen. He hadn't expected that after getting rid of Fan Haige, an unknown young man would pop up.

"6.5 million," Tang Xiao called out.

"Seven million!" Jun Yan bid without a moment's thought.

Tang Xiao was now caught between a rock and a hard place. If he bid again, he could still add another 300,000, but that would exceed the funds the elders had given him, and he would have to cover the difference himself.

But if he gave up bidding, he would inevitably disappoint the sect elders.

Seeing that Tang Xiao remained silent, Jun Yan deliberately provoked him. "What's wrong, Young Sect Master Tang? Didn't bring enough money? Then I'll be taking this Soul Bone."

With that, he was about to stand.

Just then, a gentle male voice rang out. "Brother Tang, if you haven't brought enough money, I can lend you some."

Tang Xiao hurriedly looked toward the man offering help in his hour of need. A refined-looking young man dressed in white was smiling and nodding at him.

The young man said, "I'm Ning Fengzhi, a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If Brother Tang is willing, I can lend you one million Gold Soul Coins, without interest."

Tang Xiao cupped his hands toward Ning Fengzhi. "Thank you, Brother Ning! I'm deeply grateful."

Then he said to the auctioneer, "I bid 7.3 million Gold Soul Coins."

His words stunned everyone!

No one had expected Tang Xiao to raise the bid by 1.3 million Gold Soul Coins in one go. Even Jun Yan was shocked into gape-mouthed silence.

Jun Yan cupped his fists toward Tang Xiao. "You're impressive. I'm no match for you. The Soul Bone is yours."

But since you snatched my Soul Bone today, you'll have to pay me back with a better one someday.