"A Fire Elemental Pearl? I doubt one will show up. If it did, it might actually sell for the price you mentioned!" Ye Tian said. He was in dire need of a Fire Elemental Pearl, which was the very reason he'd bought the Fire Crystal earlier.
The Fire Element is extremely volatile. Recklessly absorbing a Fire Elemental Pearl carried the risk of being burned to ashes. One could only absorb it after first absorbing the Energy from a Fire Crystal to introduce the Fire Element into one's body, or by mastering a method to communicate with the Fire Element.
"Rest assured, Sir, there will be a Fire Elemental Pearl at this auction! Most Martial Artists have a high affinity for the Fire Element. For those who can absorb the Fire Elemental Pearl, the boost to their strength is terrifying! The competition for this Fire Elemental Pearl should be fierce!" Xu Chun couldn't help but interject.
"Excellent! Then this Fire Elemental Pearl belongs to us!" Ye Tian said with a smile, his worries now put to rest.
Just as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man hosting the auction announced, "The final price for the Water Elemental Pearl wasn't entirely satisfactory, but I believe everyone will be much more interested in what's next! Let's get straight to the starting bid.
The starting bid for the Fire Elemental Pearl is five million Spirit Stones, and each raise must be no less than one million Spirit Stones! To all our friends hoping to acquire the Fire Elemental Pearl, get ready! The auction starts now!"
Just as Xu Chun had said, a great many people wanted the Fire Elemental Pearl. Dozens of bids were placed in an instant. Within a few breaths, the giant screen flashed with a golden lightâa signal that the price had reached ten million.
Several of the VIP rooms joined in, and it looked like even fifty million Spirit Stones might not be enough to win it.
"Ye Tian, let's just end this bidding war. I don't want to keep fighting with these people! Just raise the price directly!" Zhang Xinlan said.
"Xu Chun, raise the bid to thirty million! Let everyone know that VIP Room 3 has its sights set on this Fire Elemental Pearl!" Ye Tian said after nodding to Zhang Xinlan.
And so, the number on the screen immediately jumped to thirty million. VIP Room 3 had made another massive jump in the bidding, completely ignoring the standard incremental process and leaving many who wanted the Fire Elemental Pearl speechless.
They had already spent tens of millions on the Fire Crystal, and now that a Fire Elemental Pearl had appeared, there was no doubt VIP Room 3 might win this as well. The financial power of VIP Room 3 was truly terrifying! This thought was likely on everyone's mind.
"VIP Room 3 is going too far! They want to get their hands on everything, and they're so brazen about it. I can't stand to watch!" said Young Master Ouyang from VIP Room 7.
"Rest assured, Young Master! The occupant of VIP Room 3 has already offended the Eldest Prince. No matter how many items they win, they'll all end up in the Eldest Prince's hands. For now, we're just letting him have his moment of madness! No one who offends the Eldest Prince comes to a good end!" the old man said to Young Master Ouyang.
"Indeed! The real show begins after the auction. I'd love to see just how miserable a death this arrogant bastard meets. I wonder if he'll get on his knees and beg for mercy!" Young Master Ouyang chuckled. In his mind, he could already picture the scene of Ye Tian kneeling on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Our friend in VIP Room 3 seems determined to win this Fire Elemental Pearl! A jump of more than ten million in a single bid! Are there any other friends who want this Fire Elemental Pearl? If so, please place your bids. If not, then this Fire Elemental Pearl will belong to VIP Room 3!" the middle-aged man said.
"We can't let that brat get it so cheap! Even if we can't win the Fire Elemental Pearl ourselves, we have to make him pay a high price for it!" someone in the main hall suddenly shouted. Clearly, the speaker was also someone who wanted the pearl but was simply unable to compete with VIP Room 3's aggressive bidding.
These words instantly stoked hostility toward VIP Room 3 in the hearts of many, especially those in the other VIP rooms. As for the Eldest Prince and Young Master Ouyang, they were already at the point where they wanted to flay him alive and drink his blood.
Soon, thirty-one million and then thirty-two million appeared on the screen! These bids came from the other VIP rooms, their goal being to stop Ye Tian from getting it easily. Who told him to be so arrogant in the first place?
"Heh, trying to drive up the price? I love it! But these one-million raises are just not satisfying. Xu Chun, add another thirty million. Let them know that we in VIP Room 3 may have nothing else, but we have Spirit Stones!" Ye Tian said to Xu Chun.
And so, the colossal number of sixty-five million soon appeared on the screen. This figure made the occupants of the other VIP rooms unwilling to bid any further. If they raised the price and the person in VIP Room 3 suddenly backed out, they would suffer a massive loss.
Although the Fire Elemental Pearl was rare, it wasn't worth this price. Moreover, absorbing it was extremely dangerous; if things went wrong, the Element's volatile nature could easily claim your life.
VIP Room 3's madness stopped everyone from bidding further, and so, the Fire Elemental Pearl naturally fell into Ye Tian's hands.
Many people now worried for the occupant of VIP Room 3. Once the auction ended, he would likely lose both his life and his treasures. There was always a price to pay for being in the spotlight for too long.
Ye Tian had no interest in the next few items. Another Elemental Pearlâa Gold Elemental Pearlâcame up, but it was of no use to him. He had already learned Gold Slash, so absorbing a Gold Elemental Pearl would have little effect.
With Ye Tian not participating, the occupants of the other VIP rooms were able to win the items they needed. Everyone was now wary of VIP Room 3ânot of its power, but of its seemingly bottomless financial resources.
Time passed quickly. By afternoon, the auction was gradually drawing to a close. After five long days, only the final item remained.
At that moment, the middle-aged man hosting the auction addressed the crowd. "After five days, we have finally reached our last and most valuable item! This is the single finest item we have ever auctioned, and I believe every single person here will want it.
Thanks to the immense financial power of VIP Room 3, this auction has been an unprecedented success! Will this final item also be won by VIP Room 3? I'm sure that's the question on everyone's mind.
This is a Short Sword, a legendary Short Sword at that. Its ability to cut through iron like mud goes without saying. I believe that wielding this Short Sword will at least double your Attack Power. For Martial Artists of the same level, defeating an opponent would become incredibly easy.
After all that talk, I'm sure you're all eager to know what this final grand prize is. Well, I'll tell you now. The name of this Short Sword is the Exquisite Short Sword! Some of you have likely heard of it! That's right, you heard me correctly. This is the legendary Exquisite Short Sword.
Its fame comes not just from its incredible sharpness, but because it is said to contain a Celestial Tier Martial Skill! I'm sure you all understand what it would mean for your power if you were to undertake the Cultivation of such a skill!"
The middle-aged man paused here intentionally, because the auction hall had already erupted in excitement. No one had expected the final grand prize to be the legendary Exquisite Short Sword. It was truly beyond everyone's wildest expectationsâŠ