The entire venue fell silent.
Xuan Zi took a sudden, large gulp of wine to suppress the itch in his throat. His eyes stared gloomily at the adjacent wall, as if trying to see through the specially made glass to the loathsome old face on the other side.
He wasn't stupid; as soon as that voice spoke, he recognized it. It was definitely that old fogey Jing Hongchen!
"That bastard..."
Xuan Zi cursed under his breath, the wine gourd in his hand creaking under his grip.
He knew Jing Hongchen's intentions all too well.
As the top Ninth-Rank Soul Engineer on the entire continent, who would believe it if Jing Hongchen didn't have a few decent spirit tools in his possession?
This kind of Rank 4 junk—forget Jing Hongchen, even the Inner Court brats he brought along wouldn't spare it a second glance.
Now he suddenly jumped out to bid; what other reason could there be besides deliberately disgusting him?
"Elder Xuan, maybe we should just let it go..."
Beside him, Bei Bei was observant. Seeing Xuan Zi's poor expression, he whispered an advice, "The price is already a bit high, and... after all, those are people from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
"Let it go?"
Xuan Zi's stubborn streak flared up, his beard bristling. "Why should I let it go? I brought you guys out today to relax. If we let this old thing suppress us right at the start, where would my dignity go?"
"Besides, as a dignified Level 98 Super Douluo, would I be short of this bit of money?"
Xuan Zi snorted coldly and directly raised the bidding paddle in his hand, his voice booming like a bell:
"Five thousand gold coins!"
As soon as this price was announced, the auction hall immediately erupted into an uproar.
Bidding five thousand gold coins for three Rank 4 spirit tools was a serious overpayment. Many bidders who had originally hoped to snag a bargain shook their heads and chose to give up.
However, almost the instant Xuan Zi finished speaking, that lazy voice from next door rang out again, without even a change in tone:
"Six thousand."
Two light words, yet they felt like a resounding slap across Xuan Zi's face.
"You!"
Xuan Zi was so angry the veins on his forehead throbbed. This old thing just wouldn't stop, would he?
"Seven thousand!"
Xuan Zi practically ground his teeth as he shouted out this number.
"Eight thousand."
Jing Hongchen's voice remained calm and breezy, even carrying a hint of a playful smile, as if these eight thousand gold coins were nothing more than a few pieces of scrap metal in his eyes.
"Nine thousand!!!"
Xuan Zi's voice was already slightly distorted. A trace of the terrifying pressure belonging to a Super Douluo uncontrollably leaked out, causing the air within the entire booth to solidify slightly.
The Shrek group was as quiet as cicadas in winter, not even daring to breathe loudly.
"Elder Xuan, stay calm!"
Dai Yueheng was sweating profusely with anxiety, hurriedly trying to dissuade him from the side. "Buying these few items for nine thousand gold coins is a huge loss! This is clearly a trap. Let's just give it to him and let him be the sucker!"
"Yes, Elder Xuan, don't be impulsive," Ma Xiaotao also chimed in.
Hearing everyone's persuasion, the rage that had almost clouded Xuan Zi's mind subsided a little.
He took a deep breath, thinking they were right.
Since you, Jing Hongchen, want it, then you can have it! Spending eight thousand gold coins on this kind of trash—I'll laugh myself to death!
However.
Just as Xuan Zi was about to put down the bidding paddle and wait to see Jing Hongchen's joke.
The adjacent booth suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds...
Auctioneer's sweet voice rang out at the right time: "Nine thousand gold coins once! Are there any higher bids?"
Xuan Zi was stunned.
The Shrek group was also stunned.
What was going on?
Weren't they bidding quite enthusiastically just now? Why did they suddenly stop?
Inside the adjacent booth, Jing Hongchen leisurely took a sip of fragrant tea, winked at Liu Yuan, and smiled. "This old fellow's temper is still so impulsive. Since he loves being a sucker so much, let's just fulfill his wish."
Liu Yuan couldn't help but give a thumbs up. "The Hall Master is brilliant."
"Nine thousand gold coins twice!"
"Nine thousand gold coins thrice! Sold!"
As the auction hammer fell heavily, Xuan Zi's face instantly turned the color of pig liver.
He had been played again!
Nine thousand gold coins!
How could this junk be worth this price?
Even though he was a Super Douluo with a deep fortune, this money didn't just blow in with the wind!
"Cough, cough..."
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