However, at the peak of his life, at his most triumphant moment...
"Creak—"
The door to VIP Room No. 1 slowly opened.
A tall figure, bathed in the lamplight, stepped out.
He didn't look at the frenzied Xiao Fan, nor did he even glance at the one-billion-dollar fire spirit jade.
His gaze, calm and profound, landed directly on Jiang Lian.
The entire venue was silent.
Lu Cheng slowly descended the steps; with each step he took, it felt as if he was treading on everyone's heartbeats.
He walked past Xiao Fan as if he were nothing more than insignificant air.
Finally, he stopped in front of Jiang Lian.
"Miss Jiang."
He smiled faintly, a smile that made the world lose its color.
Then, under the astonished gaze of everyone, especially Jiang Lian, he slowly opened his palm.
In his palm lay a blood-red crystal, only the size of a fingernail, yet it was crystal clear, as if a phoenix's silhouette swirled within it.
The aura emanating from the crystal was completely different from the violent nature of the fire spirit jade.
It was noble, pure, and filled with a sacred life force... the aura of the Divine Phoenix!
"fire spirit jade, by nature, is explosive; it can only serve as fuel, not as a root," Lu Cheng's voice was calm and clear, yet it carried an undeniable truth.
"But this item, divine phoenix blood amber, can forge a true foundation for your Nine Revolutions Divine Phoenix Body."
Jiang Lian's breathing completely stopped at this moment.
The instant the divine phoenix blood amber appeared, the blood within Jiang Lian's body seemed to no longer belong to her.
It was boiling, cheering, offering the most devout worship to a supreme monarch!
It was a longing from the deepest part of her bloodline, a resonance on a soul level!
If the fire spirit jade had brought her the intensity and ferocity of mortal fire, then the small crystal in Lu Cheng's palm at this moment brought her the majesty and profoundness of divine fire... the difference between a mundane object and a sacred one!
She stared blankly at Lu Cheng, her heart churning, experiencing a tempest even more intense than when her cultivation method's hidden danger was revealed, a hundred times stronger!
This man... he knew her inside and out!
It was as if he held the script of her life, laying bare all her secrets under the sun, scrutinizing them at will.
At this moment, Xiao Fan finally regained his senses.
He looked at the inconspicuous blood-red crystal in Lu Cheng's hand, then lowered his head to look at the stone in his own hand, which had cost him his entire fortune... No!
Impossible!
He refused to believe that the supreme treasure he had spent a billion to acquire would be inferior to a small stone casually pulled out by the other party!
This must be a trick!
The system had said, this is the one!
"You... what is that thing?"
Xiao Fan, feigning courage, pointed at Lu Cheng, his voice particularly sharp.
"A broken glass bead, and you dare compare it to my millennial fire spirit jade?"
"This jade of mine is worth a billion! It's Sotheby's certified grand finale treasure! How much is your trinket worth?!"
He tried to salvage his dignity with "price" and "certification."
However, Lu Cheng did not spare him even a fleeting glance from the corner of his eye from beginning to end.
He merely focused, gazing at Jiang Lian's phoenix eyes, which were filled with shock and struggle, a faint smile playing on his lips, his voice gentle, yet carrying a power that pierced the heart.
"The true value of a treasure is never in its mundane price."
"But in whether it is suitable."
Jiang Lian looked at Lu Cheng's deep eyes, then subconsciously glanced at Xiao Fan nearby, whose face was filled with vulgarity, possessiveness, and ignorance.
The contrast was so stark.
The contrast was so... cruel!
One was a true soulmate who understood her, even better than she understood herself.
The other was merely a self-important, clumsy clown, built up by money!
"Miss Jiang! Take it quickly! I spent a billion for you to get this!"
Seeing Jiang Lian's delayed reaction, Xiao Fan grew increasingly flustered; holding the scorching fire spirit jade, he took another step forward, attempting to force this "treasure" into Jiang Lian's hand.
He wanted to use this action to forcefully bind her relationship with him!
However, just as he was about to touch Jiang Lian...
Jiang Lian abruptly stepped back, a step that seemed to separate two worlds.
All the shock and complexity in her proud phoenix eyes instantly turned into coldness and disgust.
"Take it away."
Two words, devoid of any emotion, like a Siberian cold current, instantly froze all of Xiao Fan's movements and expressions.
He was struck by lightning, frozen in place; the fire spirit jade, worth a billion and still emanating a scorching heat, now offered him no warmth, only endless irony.
"Wh-why?"
Xiao Fan's voice was dry and hoarse; he couldn't understand, couldn't accept it.
The script shouldn't be like this!
Shouldn't she be moved to tears, then throw herself into his arms?
Why was it like this?
Jiang Lian looked at his face, which was full of "why," her eyes filled with unprecedented disgust and coldness.
She even felt that looking at him for another moment was an insult to herself.
"My things do not require gifts from others."
She paused, her gaze uncontrollably turning to Lu Cheng, a hint of unperceived complexity added to her cold tone.
"Moreover..."
She slowly turned her head back, her gaze like two sharpest ice blades, piercing fiercely into Xiao Fan.
"You are not worthy."
You.
Are.
Not. Worthy!
Three words, light as a feather, yet more terrifying than a thousand tons of dynamite exploding in Xiao Fan's mind!
His brain buzzed... all his pride, all his fantasies, were crushed to dust by these three words at this moment!
[Disdain +100!]
[Pity +50!]
[Mockery +200!]
In the crowd, countless gazes transformed into dazzling light orbs, exploding wildly, raining down on him!
And his system interface was directly covered by a blood-red warning!
[Warning! Warning! Designated Divine Maiden Jiang Lian's favorability has dropped to freezing point -100!]
[Mission judgment: Funds depleted, complete failure, host's status downgraded!]
In Lu Cheng's mind, a completely different, wonderful notification sound rang out.
[Ding! Detected sub-system host mission failure, triggering 100x return!]
[Congratulations to host for obtaining: Divine Maiden's Favor! Your attractiveness to females of specific physiques is permanently increased by 500%!]
Lu Cheng's gaze remained on Jiang Lian, his smile becoming more playful... Jiang Lian no longer paid attention to the completely petrified Xiao Fan.
She took a deep breath, suppressed all the turmoil in her heart, and walked in front of Lu Cheng.
Raising her head, her proud phoenix eyes, for the first time, seriously scrutinized the man before her with an almost equal posture.
Then, in the deathly silence of the entire venue, under countless shocked and incredulous gazes...
She slowly extended her jade hand and took the divine phoenix blood amber from Lu Cheng's palm.
The crystal felt warm and smooth in her hand; a pure and sacred aura instantly surged into her meridians... "I, Jiang Lian, will remember this favor."
Her voice regained a hint of its usual coolness, but with an unprecedented solemnity.
"But who... exactly are you?"
Lu Cheng smiled faintly, a mysterious and charming smile that made all the lights in the hall dim in comparison.
He didn't answer directly, but took a step forward and whispered in her ear, in a voice only they could hear.
"Someone... who understands you better than you understand yourself."
With that, he lingered no longer, taking Lu Ying by his side, turning around, and slowly departing under the awed gazes of everyone.