Top-tier Unruly Master

Chapter 1488 1525: Rich and Willful

After a brief pause, Lin Shu watched as everyone engaged in lively discussion before seizing the perfect moment to continue:

"Now, I announce the starting price of this Thunderbolt Ore to be five million Spirit Stones! Each bid increment must not be less than five hundred thousand Spirit Stones! The auction begins now!"

Long Ren finished speaking, and everyone was taken aback. They hadn't expected the Thunderbolt Ore to start at a staggering five million Spirit Stones; it was simply astronomical!

Clearly, the starting price of previous auction items had never been this high!

At that moment, when Ding Fan heard the price announced by Lin Shu, he was also startled. He hadn't anticipated such a high base price for the Thunderbolt Ore, and the fact that each increment couldn't be less than five hundred thousand Spirit Stones truly shocked him. It was unexpected for the Thunderbolt Ore to be so expensive!

Yet, it seemed somewhat reasonable. Evidently, this Thunderbolt Ore was no ordinary item; it was a rare treasure of nature, and its appearance at the auction was an extraordinary stroke of luck for those present. After all, such items were priceless and rare.

"This is rather too expensive! Although it's a good item, it clearly isn't something ordinary cultivators would use..."

"Indeed, the number of cultivators who need this kind of item isn't large, and with such high costs, it's likely that very few would actually purchase it..."

"Forget it, I definitely can't use it; no need to join the commotion. Remember, this is five million Spirit Stones!"

"..."

Everyone buzzed with conversation for a moment. Although they all recognized the Thunderbolt Ore as a valuable item, it was simply too costly, and most cultivators had no use for it. Despite containing immense Thunder Energy, utilizing its Power of Thunder was naturally beyond most cultivators' capabilities, especially since those with Thunder Attribute were even rarer!

After all, this was an extraordinarily powerful attribute in nature, and the majority of cultivators simply couldn't possess such an attribute.

Thus, when Lin Shu announced the start of the bidding, people only whispered amongst themselves without anyone making a bid. Though interested, it was evident that this item was only useful for cultivators with Thunder Attribute; for others, its usefulness was limited. As a result, many opted out of this auction.

"Five million five hundred thousand Spirit Stones!"

A portly middle-aged man seemed to spot a business opportunity. With the Thunderbolt Ore having no bidders, purchasing it might allow him to resell it later for a significant profit. Such a rare and precious item was especially valuable to Thunder Attribute cultivators.

"Ten million Spirit Stones!"

At this time, a woman boldly announced a bid of ten million Spirit Stones, causing everyone to pause in shock. They hadn't expected someone to leap straight to ten million Spirit Stones!

Unable to resist, everyone turned towards the voice. The bidder was a young girl, and they were astonished that such a young girl would boldly bid ten million Spirit Stones. It was simply unbelievable! However, some cultivators quickly recognized her as Linger, the adopted daughter of the Vice City Lord, and the heiress of the Wuji Sect!

"So it's the young lady! Of course, being the heiress of the Wuji Sect, ten million Spirit Stones is naturally nothing to her!"

"Her godfather is the Vice City Lord of Lan City; her identity is indeed prestigious!"

"What generosity, spending ten million Spirit Stones at the drop of a hat! For a common cultivator, even saving up for several centuries might not be enough to amass ten million Spirit Stones!"

"It seems she is determined to acquire this Thunderbolt Ore! With ten million Spirit Stones, barely anyone has the strength to compete..."

"Even if they had the wealth to compete, no one would dare go up against her. After all, she's the Vice City Lord's goddaughter and the Wuji Sect's heiress. Who would dare to contest with her?"

"Indeed! Unless they have a death wish!"

"Pretty much. Even if someone outbid her, they couldn't expect to leave Lan City alive. Her godfather, the Vice City Lord, would make sure of it..."

"Maybe that's why she isn't bidding from a private room. Clearly, she wants to show her identity, daring anyone to challenge her!"

"Exactly..."

For a moment, everyone was abuzz with discussion; nearly everyone knew the young girl's identity by now, and the crowd's gaze was filled with a reluctant fear directed at her.

The girl clearly felt the crowd's gaze and was not at all uncomfortable; instead, she was quite pleased, as if she had expected this. Her participation in the auction was precisely to reveal her identity, making it easier for her to win bids. After all, in Lan City, no one would dare oppose her godfather, Lan City's Vice City Lord!

Lin Shu on stage saw this scene and felt a bit helpless. Now that everyone knew the girl's identity, naturally, there would be no more competitors. But Lin Shu had nothing more to say, especially since she had bid ten million Spirit Stones, giving the auction its due respect. Lin Shu began the countdown as no one else raised the bid:

"Ten million Spirit Stones once!"

"Ten million Spirit Stones twice!"

...

"Ten million and fifty thousand Spirit Stones!"

Just as Lin Shu was about to announce the result, a new offer came from the VIP box on the second floor.

Lin Shu was momentarily stunned, not expecting someone to compete with the girl! But soon, a very excited smile appeared on Lin Shu's face. Clearly, having a competitor for the girl would raise the price of the Thunderbolt Ore, which was exactly what Lin Shu wanted. Although most Spirit Stones from the auction would go to the City Lord Mansion of Lan City,

the City Lord Mansion was the host of the auction, but Lin Qi could obviously take a commission from it. Knowing these auction items could sell for sky-high prices, even a small commission was a considerable amount, which was of great interest to Lin Shu.

Everyone was shocked, clearly not expecting anyone to compete with the girl. They were curious about who would dare challenge her. Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, but when looking towards the second-floor box, they saw nothing. Clearly, the formation of the box was not something an ordinary cultivator could see through.

In the box, Ding Fan wore a pained expression. After long hesitation, he gritted his teeth and made the offer. Over ten million Spirit Stones were definitely not a small number for Ding Fan. At this time, Long Ren looked at Ding Fan and, with a calm expression, curiously asked his big brother:

"Big Brother, you finally found something you like, congratulations!"

Ding Fan looked at the calm demeanor of the other, feeling somewhat bitter. The mentality of the rich and poor really is different. Over ten million Spirit Stones seemed trivial to his brother Long Ren, while it was a significant amount to Ding Fan. Hearing these words, Ding Fan forced a stiff smile and said nothing.

In the hall, the girl heard Ding Fan's bid and was momentarily taken aback. She didn't expect someone to dare compete with her, which was beyond her expectations. Her beautiful autumn-water-like eyes turned toward Ding Fan's VIP box. The girl frowned, surprised and angered. Everyone should know her identity by now.

Even if they didn't know at first, by now everyone had been discussing it for a while. Claiming ignorance of her identity was impossible. Knowing who she was, yet still daring to compete with her after she offered ten million Spirit Stones, how could she not be angry?

For Ding Fan, the goal was simply the Thunderbolt Ore; his Pure Thunder Pill required such an item. Despite the expense, Ding Fan decided to vie for the Thunderbolt Ore. Ding Fan obviously recognized the girl and knew her identity. He was surprised to meet again someone who had been close with Tong Xie earlier.

Ding Fan knew the girl was not simple. He had seen this at the inn, and he knew her godfather was Lan City's Vice City Lord. Additionally, he knew she was the daughter of the Wuji Sect. However, such things were irrelevant to Ding Fan—his aim was solely the Thunderbolt Ore. He wasn't afraid of her identity.

Even if her godfather was Lan City's Vice City Lord, she still had to be polite in front of him. Knowing he was the Vice City Lord of Dancheng, Ding Fan believed that if he was bullied in Lan City, his brother, Lin Qi, the City Lord of Dancheng, wouldn't spare them. Although Lan City's development was good, compared to Dancheng, it was lacking. The City Lord Mansion of Dancheng would command respect from the largest sect leaders, and his brother was certainly not an average person; as the Lake Master of the 36 Caverns, his status could rival few on the Donglai continent.

Thus, Ding Fan wasn't concerned with the girl's identity but felt a bit helpless about her. Were the wealthy really so capricious? They casually raised the bid by nearly five million Spirit Stones—utterly extortionate.

But soon, something happened that left Ding Fan speechless.

"Fifteen million Spirit Stones!"

Even before host Lin Shu could start the countdown, the girl bid again, increasing it by another five million Spirit Stones, totaling fifteen million!

The crowd was stunned, not expecting her to increase the bid by five million Spirit Stones instantly. Such a sum was not trivial, and they could tell the girl was angry and determined to get the Thunderbolt Ore.

The girl didn't know who was in the box, but she was absolutely determined to win the Thunderbolt Ore, not believing someone could still compete with her!