Today's auction brought in quite a crowd.
The items up for auction were not only antiques but also various rare treasures.
Items like centuries-old medicinal herbs were practically standard setups for Xuanhuan novels.
As for the typical scenes of finding bargains at auctions and the villainous bids to drive up prices, those were also standard setups to allow the protagonist to show off and humiliate opponents, all while picking up valuable artifacts.
Thinking about how he was about to play the role of the price-raising villain today, Tang Yu felt a bit excited.
He peeled a pistachio and popped it into his mouth, sneaking a glance at Wenren Yage with his peripheral vision.
She was chatting with Lu Junzhuo, seemingly not paying any attention to his earlier words.
【Sigh, they're all such dim-witted teammates.】
【Still laughing with Lu Junzhuo like idiots.】
【I've been so obvious, yet they still don't get it. If this keeps up, maybe I'll have Old Master Jiang pay a visit to your father later.】
Tang Yu inwardly sighed.
Wenren Yage was seated less than three meters away from Tang Yu.
After hearing Tang Yu's thoughts, she was a bit curious.
Why could she hear Tang Yu's thoughts?
Could it be that they were spiritually connected?
But when she tried to speak inwardly, he didn't react at all.
After waiting for about half an hour, the guests had mostly arrived.
An old man in a white Tang suit took the stage and began to address the guests.
This old man was the regional manager of the Wanbao Auction House in Su Hang.
Wanbao Auction House was the largest auction house in Huaxia, and later on, it naturally became one of the Dragon Lord's staunchest allies, providing them with a lot of intelligence.
After his speech ended, the auction officially began.
The first item up for auction was Dong Qichang's "Snowy Mountain Scene."
"This is... by the Ming Dynasty painter Dong Qichang..."
The old man on the stage began to explain the origins of the painting in great detail, then set the starting bid at thirty million.
Soon, the bids came in one after another, and the painting was eventually sold for eighty million.
As a rich and handsome man, Tang Yu wasn't particularly interested.
Spending tens of millions on this kind of thing seemed utterly pointless.
【Art is something to be appreciated, not to be eaten. Why spend so much money on it?】
【Only art that can benefit humanity is truly good art.】
【Like the art films I have saved in my cloud drive.】
【Ahem, and they don't cost a penny, effectively harming the economy of the Land of the Rising Sun.】
As Tang Yu internally complained about art,
Wenren Yage couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed.
Was this guy doing a monologue in his mind?
Noticing Wenren Yage's sudden change in expression, Lu Junzhuo smirked and asked,
"What's wrong, Yage? Not feeling well?"
Seeing Lu Junzhuo's smile, Wenren Yage felt even more uncomfortable.
She shook her head and said, "It's nothing."
"Let me know if you're not feeling well, otherwise, seeing you in pain would make me hurt here,"
Lu Junzhuo pointed to his chest, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Wenren Yage felt a surge of acid in her stomach.
"Thanks."
Responding coldly, Wenren Yage stopped talking.
Lu Junzhuo didn't take it personally. Women who admired strength were born to be conquered by him!
Half an hour into the auction, the jade lion was finally brought to the auction stage.
Seeing this jade lion, many people cast curious glances.
Such an antique seemed to be the first of its kind.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next item to be auctioned is this white jade lion, an artwork. I'm afraid my knowledge is limited, and I couldn't identify the master who crafted it, but I believe its artistic value to be quite high."
"The starting bid is five million, so interested patrons might want to give it a try—perhaps you'll get a bargain."
After introducing the item, the old man on the stage chuckled.
The auction house had been operating for years, and there had never been a case of someone finding a bargain.
That was because they had the best antique appraisers in all of Huaxia.
They could identify any antique from any era, and very few fakes could fool them!
The guests all chuckled as well.
However, everyone at this auction was worth at least a billion.
For them, a few million was really not much.
So, bids quickly started coming in.
"Five million five hundred thousand."
"Then I'll go for six million."
Seeing these bids, Lu Junzhuo, who was eager, didn't rush to bid.
He either didn't bid at all or planned to decisively win the item.
Today, the jade lion was his!
Once he got the jade lion, he would immediately take out the pill and consume it!
This Nine Rotation Pill had excellent effects, and within three minutes of taking it, results would be visible!
Since reaching the peak of the Mystic Realm, the several beatings he had taken recently had given him a sense of being on the verge of a breakthrough.
With the help of this Nine Rotation Pill, breaking through the realm would be as natural as water flowing downhill!
After breaking through!
The first thing he would do was disguise himself and assassinate that Tang Yu!
When the price reached nine million, no one continued to bid.
The item was nice to look at, and they just wanted to take it home as a collectible.
But spending too much on a collectible wasn't necessary.
Rich people weren't brainless; they didn't throw money away for fun.
"Nine million for the first time, nine million for the second time..."
As the old man on the stage raised his small hammer to announce the final bid,
Lu Junzhuo finally spoke, "Nine million and one thousand!"
He had figured out that this price was the psychological limit for the others.
So he only added one thousand more, any more would be a waste.
His bid caught the attention of everyone in the hall.
"Sir, the minimum bid increase is ten thousand per time, please re-bid,"
The old man on the stage was a bit awkward.
Lu Junzhuo frowned, dissatisfied, and corrected his bid, "Then nine million one hundred thousand."
The person who had bid nine million rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, giving up on continuing to bid.
"Ten million."
At this moment, Tang Yu suddenly called out.
His sudden bid made Lu Junzhuo instantly glare at Tang Yu, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.
Was this guy born to clash with him?
Both times he had been embarrassed since returning to Huaxia, it had been because of Tang Yu.
And now, when he wanted to buy something, Tang Yu had to compete with him?
"Ten million for the first time."
The old man on the stage was also a bit surprised. He knew that this item had been sent over by Tang Yu.
Why was he bidding on his own item?
But he didn't mind; they got a percentage based on the transaction amount, so as long as they got the money, that was fine.
"Eleven million."
Forced to continue bidding, Lu Junzhuo absolutely couldn't let the jade lion fall into Tang Yu's hands.
His eyes were filled with apprehension.
Could it be that this guy had also discovered the secret inside the jade lion?
"Twenty million."
"Twenty-one million."
"Fifty million."
When Tang Yu called out the fifty million price, the entire hall was in an uproar.
Tang Yu, you're really willing to spend that much?
Spending so much money on an essentially useless jade lion?
Seeing Tang Yu bid so crazily, Lu Junzhuo was certain that Tang Yu had indeed discovered the secret inside the jade lion.
His eyes turned red with fury.
The opportunity he had his eye on, was this guy worthy of seizing it?

iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”