The sudden bid from VIP Room 3 left everyone in disbelief. It was as if they had all forgotten it existed, and now it had raised the price to twenty-five million Spirit Stones—an outcome no one had anticipated.
"VIP Room 3 is truly elusive. To show up now... And with such a bid! Isn't that an absurd amount of Spirit Stones? They've spent nearly seventy million in total. Just who are they?" the Eldest Prince in VIP Room 1 said to the old man beside him.
"They clearly came prepared. Still, it's astonishing that they possess so many Spirit Stones. I wonder which family is brazen enough to show such complete disregard for the other VIP rooms. I believe this person is no simple character. We shouldn't make an enemy of them lightly.
VIP Room 3 has certainly offended many people this time. We won't be the only ones looking to settle the score. This could be an opportunity. If they run into real danger, we could offer assistance. Perhaps the master of VIP Room 3 could even be recruited to our cause.
Of course, if they turn out to be a reckless sort who doesn't know their place, we can simply join the others and eliminate them. Even if VIP Room 3 has a powerful backer, we have nothing to fear. After all, with so many people gunning for them, they likely lack the ability to fend off everyone at once," the old man said, his expression grim.
"You're always so thorough. For now, let's just watch and see how things unfold. But when the next item appears, we can't hold back. We came to this auction specifically for it," the Eldest Prince said.
Just then, the middle-aged auctioneer announced loudly, "Our friend in VIP Room 3 has raised the bid to twenty-five million! Are there any other bids? If not, then this Hurricane Strike will belong to our friend in VIP Room 3!"
After waiting for a few moments, no one else placed a bid. Who would be willing to pay such a high price? While the Martial Skill was good, it wasn't worth bidding any higher. Everyone decided to back down.
And so, the Hurricane Strike Martial Arts Manual was won by Ye Tian. Now, another item appeared in the auctioneer's hands: a Soul Medicine.
"Soul Medicine. Many of you are familiar with it, but obtaining one is exceedingly difficult. This is mainly because Soul Medicines are incredibly rare, and the conditions for their growth are extremely harsh. They typically only appear in places with a very dense aura of death.
And the one I hold in my hand is a Top-Grade Soul Medicine! As you all know, injuries to the soul are the most difficult to heal. Some of you may have experienced a decline in strength after your soul was damaged. Others may have suffered soul depletion from qi deviation during cultivation. All of these conditions require Soul Medicine to be restored.
With all that said, I'm sure everyone understands the value of a Soul Medicine. In fact, many of you came to this auction specifically for it. The starting price is three million Spirit Stones, and each increment must be no less than five hundred thousand. Prepare yourselves! The bidding begins now!" the middle-aged man declared.
The bidding for the Soul Medicine wasn't as intense as it had been for the Martial Arts Manual. Only a dozen or so people were competing. However, all the major VIP rooms—with the exception of Ye Tian's—were placing bids, albeit slowly.
For Ye Tian, the Soul Medicine was something he absolutely had to obtain. He could pass on the Elemental Pearl, but not this. It would be immensely helpful to the War Dragon Remnant Soul.
"Xinlan, we have to get this Soul Medicine. I have a very important use for it. Let them bid amongst themselves for a bit. Then, we'll just make a decisive bid and win it," Ye Tian said.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it will be ours. Is your soul injured?" Zhang Xinlan asked, looking at Ye Tian with a puzzled expression.
"No, but it's very important to me. You'll understand in the future. Today's auction is bound to offend even more people. You need to be prepared. Conserve your strength and wait for the inevitable danger," Ye Tian said gravely.
Although the bidding for the Soul Medicine wasn't particularly intense, the number of participants hadn't dwindled. The price had already soared to ten million, and a golden light flashed on the screen.
"Eldest Prince, the Soul Medicine has finally appeared. We must obtain it this time, or we won't be able to enlist that expert's help. From what I know, his soul is injured. If we can help him heal it, he will certainly come out of seclusion to support you," the old man said to the Eldest Prince.
"I'm well aware of that. How many Spirit Stones do we have available for bidding?" the Eldest Prince asked the old man.
"We have over fifty million Spirit Stones. If we include the items we can exchange for their equivalent value, we can get another thirty million. In total, we have eighty million Spirit Stones. No one should be able to outbid us for this Soul Medicine!" the old man said.
"Excellent. Eighty million Spirit Stones. I doubt anyone would carry that many on their person. And VIP Room 3 has already spent nearly seventy million; they must be a spent force by now. They are no threat to us," the Eldest Prince said.
Meanwhile, in VIP Room 2, the middle-aged man said to the youth, "Young Master, the Soul Medicine is here. The Eldest Prince will certainly do everything in his power to obtain it. If he succeeds, it will spell trouble for us. We have to stop him, or we won't be able to help the Second Prince."
"What makes you so certain the Eldest Prince needs this Soul Medicine?" the youth asked.
"You are well aware of the current political situation in the Imperial City. If the Eldest Prince gets the Soul Medicine, he could persuade that reclusive expert to take action. When that happens, he might just march his army to the city gates. That expert once swore that he would help whoever could restore his Soul Power conquer the realm," the middle-aged man explained.
"I see. But we don't have enough Spirit Stones to compete with the Eldest Prince," the youth said with a hint of resignation.
"The Eldest Prince isn't the only one who needs this Soul Medicine. The Third Prince and Fourth Prince certainly need it as well. And who knows, the other VIP rooms might be occupied by their people. None of them will simply let this happen. All we need to do is fan the flames.
We'll drive up the price of the Soul Medicine to put the Eldest Prince under immense pressure. Once the bidding surpasses what we can afford, it won't be too late to withdraw," the middle-aged man said.
By now, the price of the Soul Medicine had risen to fifteen million. A few bidders began to drop out, leaving only the occupants of the eight other VIP rooms still in the running.
"Heh, how interesting! All the VIP rooms are fighting over this Soul Medicine, and only my Room 3 has stayed out of it. Let's place a bid. That'll make things a little more exciting!" Ye Tian chuckled.
"Sir, how much are you planning to bid?" Xu Chun asked. She assumed Ye Tian would once again jump the price to twenty million Spirit Stones, or perhaps even more.
But Ye Tian's reply took her by surprise. "Just add five hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Let's play with them for a bit and see how they react."
And so, the number 15,500,000 appeared on the screen. VIP Room 3 had once again entered the fray, but this time, the paltry size of their bid was just as baffling to everyone.