Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 408 408 Intense Bidding

The starting bid was 300,000 low-grade Spirit Stones, and Feng Yuan had just directly added another 200,000, making his determination to win them abundantly clear.

Ye Qingchen had already revealed to the crowd that the City Lord's son was seated in that private box. Besides, the recent bidding war between Feng Yuan and Ye Qingchen had made Feng Yuan's wealth and audacity clear. They knew that if they tried to compete without sufficient backing, Feng Yuan would just see it as a deliberate attempt to jack up the price.

Therefore, no one was willing to so brazenly offend Feng Yuan. After all, it would be difficult to lead a smooth life in Northern Barrier City after angering him.

Considering this, no one else spoke up to place a bid. Although the formation flags were precious, everyone could clearly weigh their importance against a peaceful future.

Feng Yuan looked on with satisfaction at the silent crowd. This was exactly the outcome he wanted. He even had Ye Qingchen to thank; if he hadn't helped reveal his identity and engaged in some competitive bidding, this effect wouldn't have been achieved.

The auctioneer felt a pang of bitterness. This set of formation flags was worth far more than 500,000 low-grade Spirit Stones. As the auction's final treasure, he had been expecting to earn a handsome commission from its sale. But now, it was obvious no one was willing to compete with Feng Yuan anymore, meaning the treasure would be acquired by him for a price far below its true value.

However, remembering the high price fetched by the Golden Lion King's corpse, the auctioneer felt slightly better. He picked up the gavel, ready to bring the auction to a close.

Feng Yuan was so pleased he nearly burst out laughing. If his father and Xia Chengkai weren't present, he might have already started celebrating. After all, acquiring a treasure he had longed for at such a low price was an incredible bargain.

But just at that moment, Ye Qingchen slowly raised his bidding paddle and announced, "600,000 low-grade Spirit Stones!"

"Bastard! Are you deliberately trying to pick a fight with me?" Hearing Ye Qingchen's bid, Feng Yuan cursed loudly. The treasure he thought was his was now going to cost him even more.

But cursing was useless. An auction wasn't a place where you could get what you wanted just by shouting insults. Feng Yuan had no choice but to raise the bid again.

"700,000 low-grade Spirit Stones!"

I've made up my mind, Feng Yuan thought viciously. As soon as this auction is over, I'm going to tear that troublemaking punk to pieces to vent this anger. It's just a matter of spending more Spirit Stones. I have plenty, so what's there to be afraid of?

It wasn't that Ye Qingchen was deliberately trying to antagonize Feng Yuan. With the Immortal Array Canon in his possession, he didn't particularly value treasures like formation flags. Given time, Ye Qingchen was confident he could create his own.

The reason Ye Qingchen had been so drawn to the formation flags upon entering the auction, and was now willing to pay such a high price for them, was that they were made from the exact same material as the set he had seen Qin Yue use in the Chaotic Labyrinth.

It was easy to imagine how important anything related to Qin Yue was in Ye Qingchen's heart.

Although he couldn't be certain that this set of formation flags belonged to Qin Yue, it was more than likely. Even if it was just the faintest clue, Ye Qingchen would never give up. He was willing to pay any price, even his own life, for information about her, let alone some Spirit Stones.

Ye Qingchen had even run through a likely scenario in his mind. The Saint Heir must have taken the formation flags from Qin Yue after capturing her. Since the Saint Heir probably had no use for them, he had casually put them up for auction here. Therefore, obtaining these flags might lead to a clue about the Saint Heir's whereabouts.

Thinking of this, Ye Qingchen called out his next bid without hesitation.

"800,000 low-grade Spirit Stones!"

"900,000 low-grade Spirit Stones!" Feng Yuan shot back, showing no weakness. He refused to believe that a country bumpkin like Ye Qingchen could have enough Spirit Stones to compete with him.

However, to Feng Yuan's surprise, Ye Qingchen immediately retorted, "1,000,000 low-grade Spirit Stones!"

Feng Yuan fell silent. He only had a total of one million low-grade Spirit Stones left, but he was absolutely unwilling to give up just like that. He turned to his father and Xia Chengkai. "Father, Uncle Xia, I'm running out of low-grade Spirit Stones. Could you two lend me some?"

Xia Chengkai smiled and shook his head, taking a storage ring from his finger. "I have two million low-grade Spirit Stones here. If you need them, take them."

Feng Yuan happily accepted the storage ring, thanking Xia Chengkai profusely.

"Brother Chengkai, you spoil him too much," Feng Yuan's father said with a laugh. "But since you've put up two million, I, as his father, certainly can't be outdone. Yuan'er, here are two million low-grade Spirit Stones from me as well. Take them."

Feng Yuan was overjoyed. Now I have five million low-grade Spirit Stones! What can a country bumpkin like you possibly use to compete with me?

The auctioneer didn't rush to drop the hammer. Normally, since several minutes had passed since Ye Qingchen's last bid, it was time to finalize the sale. But the bidder was the City Lord's son, and he was clearly preparing to compete further. Bringing the hammer down now would probably spell the end of the auctioneer's career.

Sure enough, after a moment, Feng Yuan's voice rang out again. "1,500,000 low-grade Spirit Stones!"

His voice was no longer as urgent as before; it now carried a hint of playfulness and mockery.

Ye Qingchen, of course, heard it. But so what? No matter the final price, he was determined to get those formation flags. Thus, he replied without the slightest hesitation, "2,000,000 low-grade Spirit Stones!"

The two continued in this manner, raising the price by 500,000 low-grade Spirit Stones with each bid.

The auctioneer was ecstatic. The current price had already set a new record for an auction at the First-Rate Pavilion. This wasn't just about the commission anymore; with a sale like this on his record, his status within the First-Rate Pavilion was bound to soar.

Neither Ye Qingchen nor Feng Yuan was willing to back down. Watching from the side, Liu Wan'er grew anxious. While she didn't know how precious the formation flags were, the current price was clearly outrageous. How could Young Master Ye, who is normally so calm, do something so reckless?

Liu Wan'er couldn't understand it, but seeing Ye Qingchen's solemn expression, she knew it was best not to interrupt.

Watching the price climb relentlessly, Feng Yuan also grew frantic. Finally, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "I bid five million low-grade Spirit Stones!"

This was every last low-grade Spirit Stone he had. He was going all-in, determined to win these formation flags