Priority to the Highest Bidder

When the younger generation explores Qinmeng, they tend to stick together in groups of five to twelve people.

Only a very small number of people possess the ability to hunt independently or in groups of five or fewer.

"Zuo Teng said you just came back from outside half a month ago, how come you're going on another long journey so soon?"

Zhu Kuang applied to enter the North Rehe Research Institute and was able to queue up to use the Beast Belt as he wished.

Two months ago, people flocked to queue up, and those who paid less had to wait their turn. But when it was Zhu Kuang's turn, he queued up very smoothly.

Song Sijia, who was ahead of him, was using the money despite being in debt. When Zhu Kuang offered to pay, Song Sijia readily conceded.

After injecting the new blood serum into his body, Zhu Kuang continuously relied on the ferocious beast belt to accelerate the absorption of the serum. He was also curious about Zhang Xuezhou and the others. Upon learning that Zhang Xuezhou and the others had gone to Qin Meng again, Zhu Kuang felt that Zhang Xuezhou was going out too frequently.

"My brother was bored at the research institute, so he thought about going out for a walk, which is why he came back quickly and went on long trips too!"

Zhang Manqian had no choice but to respond.

She looked at her fists and ultimately decided it wasn't appropriate to bully Luo Gaogao's little brother.

Zhu Kuang is among the top talents of the younger generation, but his position among them is rather mediocre, far inferior to Luo Gaogao, Zhou Tianhao, and others.

However, one advantage Zhu Kuang has is that the other party's Lineage is heavily involved in the entertainment industry, including film, books, and cultural and entertainment projects.

The Zhu family's various industries are related to the Zhang Household's online live streaming industry, which is why Zhang Manqian needs to maintain good relationships with these young people.

"Didn't you go with them?" Zhu Kuang asked while gesturing with his body.

"Isn't that obvious? If Manqian had gone with her, would you still be able to see her here?" Song Sijia complained.

"I'm feeling weak and need to rest for a while!"

Zhang Manqian responded with an awkward laugh.

The journey back to Western Capital City from the Thousand Islands Alliance was arduous.

Zhang Manqian and her companions, who had boarded the black ship, not only encountered the coast guard but also suffered from a raging storm that capsized the ship.

If everyone were healthy, it wouldn't be a problem. The key issue is that Zhang Xuezhou lost consciousness during that time and kept sinking after being submerged in the seawater, requiring others to pull him to safety.

Human strength is insignificant in the face of natural disasters, and the people suffered greatly in this maritime disaster.

They successfully landed two days later, and the group had deviated significantly from their normal route, drifting to an uninhabited bay more than 600 miles away from Shuangliu Airport.

The group was not only physically weak and injured, but also lost most of their belongings, including money and communication devices, and even lost contact with others.

By the time everyone returned to Western Capital City, the journey home had taken almost a week.

Let alone Zhang Manqian, even Wang Haoran from the Fifth Sequence couldn't handle this kind of torment.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't ask about these things, and Zhang Manqian didn't mention the arduous journey either, but Zhang Manqian and the others did need physical and mental rest and adjustment, making it difficult for them to travel to Qinmeng with Zhang Xuezhou and the others again.

As for Zhang Xuezhou, he seemed completely unaffected after regaining consciousness, while Ren Anran's symptoms were much milder than Zhang Manqian's. These differences likely stemmed from their respective contributions during the trip.

"I don't think you're weak either," Zhu Kuangyi said.

"It's all empty, so very empty!"

Zhang Manqian emphasized this point.

She rested for about half a month, and now she's fine playing sports.

However, Zhang Manqian felt that her condition was not perfect, and her body had undergone an unusual expansion after the Zhang Manqian. This near-death experience was far more beneficial than sparring in the training room. She was currently preparing to quickly reach the Third Sequence of genetic states, striving to push her strength to a decent bottleneck level.

"I..."

Zhu Kuang felt that Zhang Manqian was not weak, but Zhang Manqian mentioned that she was very weak, which made Zhu Kuang try it out a little.

He made a surprise attack and tried to grab Zhang Manqian, but was immediately knocked down by Zhang Manqian's elbow.

In the past, Zhu Kuang could hold his own against Zhang Manqian, exchanging dozens of blows before a victor emerged. But now, he was completely overwhelmed, even by Zhang Manqian's weakened state.

Zhu Kuang lay sprawled on the training field floor, his body trembling with pain, and his heart aching even more.

"Zhang Manqian, how's your win rate against Gao Gao?" Zhu Kuang asked with difficulty.

"Gao Gao is amazing, I can't beat him at all!"

Where is Zhou Tianhao?

"Tianhao is already in the Third Sequence, there's no way to beat him!"

Where is Zuo Teng?

"Zuo Teng is the absolute king of the First Sequence. Once he steps into the Second Sequence, I'm definitely no match for him. Even if you step into the Second Sequence, I'll still be under a lot of pressure!"

Zhu Kuang asked several times, and as he listened to Zhang Manqian's sincere and reasonable answers, he felt somewhat better.

"Then wait until I reach the Second Sequence," Zhu Kuang said painfully. "I'll practice more then, and then I'll challenge you again!"

"I've also been thinking about aiming for the Third Sequence lately, what about you...?"

Zhang Manqian!

Is Zhang Xuezhou there?

Zhang Manqian was about to politely decline Zhu Kuang's offer to avoid embarrassing him when she heard a voice calling out from the microphone in the training room.

Who is it?

Those who can enter the North Rehe Research Institute all have good connections, and the security guards couldn't stop them even if they wanted to. Zhang Manqian left behind her client Zhu Kuang, who had already paid, and then answered the phone.

"Zhang Manqian, I am Zuo Denggao. I would like to borrow your belt. I will offer a high-grade blood serum from the Swift Leopard in exchange for ten days of use!"

"Is Zhang Xuezhou not here? This is Zuo Teng. I want to borrow the belt to break through to the Third Sequence. I'll offer one dose of Sword Tiger's mid-range blood potion and three doses of Crane Bird's high-end blood potion!"

The voices of Zuo Teng and Zuo Denggao came through the microphone.

Zhang Manqian could understand Zuo Teng's arrival, but Zhang Manqian couldn't understand Zuo Denggao.

Let alone Zuo Denggao getting one dose of the high-grade blood serum from the Swift Leopard, even if it were two doses, Zhang Manqian felt she might not be willing.

"Zhang Manqian, I, Zuo Denggao, am willing to offer three doses of Swift Leopard high-grade blood serum in exchange for making my blood serum absorption difficult to promote!"

When Zuo Denggao increased his stakes through the intermediary, Zhang Manqian suddenly felt that the past grudges seemed to have lessened considerably.

"Teng," Zhang Manqian said, "Why don't you move aside first!"

"I'll add a mid-range Saber Tiger Blood Potion," Zuo Teng said. "This is a blood potion I managed to obtain for my own use, and it's also a type of blood potion you desperately need. It should be more valuable than the Swift Leopard one!"

"Five doses. I'll offer five doses of the Swift Leopard's high-grade blood potion. My father says it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. I've offended you in the past, and I now apologize. I hope you'll uphold fairness and let the highest bidder have priority!"

"I'll add another beast artifact; this is my prize for participating in the First Sequence Competition."

The constant price increases coming from the intercom left Song Sijia speechless, and even Zhu Kuang felt that the price he had paid was a bit too low.

Zhang Xuezhou's beast belt does indeed have a rule that whoever bids the highest gets priority. This rule is designed to avoid offending anyone, and everyone prioritizes the highest bidder.

But the prices of Zuo Teng and Zoden are outrageously high.

Even a steady person like Zuo Teng has started to take the nouveau riche route. Zhu Kuang felt that something big must have happened to the Zuo Household, or something big had happened in the world, forcing people to rely on resources to race against time.