"Ten million gold coins, once."
"Ten million gold coins, twice."
"Ten million gold coins, thrice! Sold!"
As the auction gavel in Xu Jiujiu's hand fell heavily, this frantic bidding war, enough to be recorded in the annals of the Starlight Auction House, finally reached its conclusion.
The tyrant tiger soul refining blade eventually fell into Jing Hongchen's pocket at a jaw-droppingly astronomical price.
Inside the Shrek box, the atmosphere was suppressed to the extreme.
Xuan Zi sat on the sofa with a dark face, his chest still heaving violently.
He never expected that his first shot would not only fail to fire but almost end up blowing himself up.
"Elder Xuan... calm down."
Dai Yueheng cautiously handed over a cup of tea from the side, "Although we didn't get the tyrant tiger soul refining blade, our money is still here. The auction has just begun; there will surely be good things later."
Xuan Zi took the teacup and downed a large gulp, barely suppressing the fire in his heart.
"Hmph! That old fellow Jing Hongchen doesn't know who he is anymore just because he has some stinking money!"
Xuan Zi said through gritted teeth, "I want to see how much more money he has to squander!"
...
Meanwhile, on the auction stage, after Xu Jiujiu calmed her excited emotions, she quickly began the next round of the auction.
"The next auction item is also a rare top-quality piece."
Xu Jiujiu smiled as she lifted the red cloth, revealing the item on the tray.
It was an ancient-looking shield, entirely deep dark green, with a faint wave of wind-attribute spirit power flowing over its surface.
"Level seven defensive spirit tool, Wind Spirit Guardian Shield!"
"This shield not only has amazing defensive power but also comes with the Wings of Wind skill, which can significantly increase the holder's movement speed. Moreover, it is very compact, making it a Sharp Weapon for agility-attack system Spirit Masters or those who need flexible positioning!"
Hearing this introduction, Xuan Zi's eyes lit up again.
Wind attribute! Defense plus speed!
Isn't this perfect for Chen Zifeng?
He has no defensive capability at all; giving him a shield is just right.
"One million!"
Xuan Zi bid again.
However, Jing Hongchen quickly acted again, snatching the prey directly from the tiger's mouth.
He eventually won this spirit tool at a price of five million.
Soon, new auction items appeared.
But the next few items were somewhat strange.
"Level seven spirit tool spear, White Tiger Responding Dragon Spear! Starting price one million!" — Jing Hongchen took it for four million.
"Level seven enhancement spirit tool, Power Bracer! Starting price one million!" — Jing Hongchen took it for 3.8 million.
...
As Jing Hongchen won one auction item after another, Liu Yuan's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
"Something's not right."
Liu Yuan suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the box.
"What's wrong, Brother Liu Yuan?" Xiao Hongchen, who was eating fruit, asked with some confusion, "Everything was bought by Grandpa; is there a problem?"
Liu Yuan shook his head, his fingers lightly tapping the table, and said in a deep voice:
"Haven't you noticed? Starting from that tyrant tiger soul refining blade just now, every subsequent item has been a high-level spirit tool of level seven or even level eight."
"And the most crucial part is..."
Liu Yuan's gaze became sharp, "These spirit tools are all non-fire attribute. There are wind-attribute shields, ice-attribute ray guns, earth-attribute shells... there are even pure strength-enhancing bracers."
"It's almost as if... they were specifically prepared for that group from Shrek to bypass my Fire Immunity ability."
Hearing Liu Yuan say this, everyone in the box was stunned.
Ma Rulong thought back carefully, and his expression changed too: "It seems... that's really the case! These spirit tools have very diverse attributes, but fire attribute is the only one missing!"
"Moreover, these spirit tools are highly functional, almost perfectly covering all of the Shrek Team's current weaknesses."
Liu Yuan sneered, his gaze passing through the one-way glass toward a hidden corner at the highest point of the auction house:
"If I'm not mistaken, today's top-tier auction is simply that old fox Xu Jiawei setting up a special favor specifically for Shrek Academy."
"As the Emperor of Star Luo, he naturally sees Shrek's current predicament. But he certainly doesn't want to see us win the championship."
"So, he wants to use this seemingly fair auction, which is actually a backroom deal, to legitimately deliver these weapons targeting us into Xuan Zi's hands."
"This not only does Shrek a favor but also disgusts us. It's truly a plan that kills two birds with one stone."
After hearing Liu Yuan's analysis, Xiao Hongchen suddenly realized, followed by great anger:
"This Xu Jiawei is too insidious! As a monarch, he actually resorts to such underhanded tactics!"
Following Liu Yuan's line of thought, his expression became even uglier:
"In other words, if we continue to compete with Xuan Zi, no matter how much we buy, Xu Jiawei will surely keep bringing out new spirit tools? Since the entire auction house is his, he can take as much from the inventory as he wants?"
"Highly likely." Liu Yuan nodded, "As long as Xuan Zi still has money, this auction won't stop. Not until Shrek is armed to the teeth."
"Outrageous!"
Jing Hongchen suddenly slapped the armrest, cold light flashing in his eyes, "Since that's the case, then this old man will hold out against him until the end! If he brings out one, I'll buy one! I want to see how much inventory Xu Jiawei has to fill the appetite of my Mingde Hall!"
Saying this, Jing Hongchen was about to press the bidding device.
"Hall Master, you mustn't!"
Liu Yuan was quick and pressed down on Jing Hongchen's hand.
Jing Hongchen was startled and looked at him with confusion: "Xiao Yuan, what do you mean by this? Are we supposed to just watch those people from Shrek buy this equipment and use it against us tomorrow?"
Ma Rulong, Xiao Hongchen, and the others were also full of confusion.
Liu Yuan shook his head and analyzed calmly:
"Hall Master, please calm down. If you really do that, you'll be playing right into Xu Jiawei's hands."
"This is a complete Overt Plot. Even if we see through it, they aren't afraid."
"If we choose to buy everything, we're just giving Xu Jiawei money. Although Mingde Hall is wealthy, there's no need to fill Xu Jiawei's bottomless pit for these level seven or eight spirit tools."
"Even if we eventually buy everything out, the funds spent would be an astronomical figure. By then, Xu Jiawei will be the one making a fortune, while we'll be left with nothing. This deal is just not worth it."
Hearing this, Jing Hongchen's movements stopped, his brow tightly furrowed: "But... if Shrek buys them, tomorrow's match will indeed have more variables. After all, Shrek's strength is still very formidable."
Liu Yuan smiled slightly, a smile that radiated powerful confidence and composure:
"Hall Master, you must believe in us."
He stood up, his gaze sweeping over his teammates behind him, his eyes seemingly burning:
"What if Shrek Academy buys these spirit tools?"
"Even simple spirit tools aren't that easy to master, especially for students like those from Shrek who usually look down on spirit tools and rarely use them."
"It's hard to say if a good spirit tool can even exert seventy percent of its power in their hands."
"So, let them buy. As long as we do our best, we can win tomorrow's match."
"Furthermore, if Xu Jiawei is truly determined to help Shrek, he could just set some aside and secretly give them to the Shrek Team members; what could we do then? Unless they're caught red-handed, there's really nothing we can do."
"After all, this is the Star Luo Empire's home turf."
Hearing these words, Jing Hongchen took a deep look at Liu Yuan.
It had to be said that this time, Liu Yuan was even more rational than him, the Hall Master.
For a moment just now, Jing Hongchen had indeed almost lost his head.
So at this moment, Jing Hongchen smiled with some shame.
"I must say, Xiao Yuan, you're right."
"I was indeed being a bit impulsive just now."
Jing Hongchen patted Liu Yuan's shoulder again and said:
"Good!"
"Since you've all said so, this old man won't be the sucker."
"Just let them buy! This old man wants to see if they can make any waves tomorrow with these scraps!"
...
Meanwhile, in an extremely hidden royal box at the highest point of the auction house.
A handsome and majestic middle-aged man dressed in a bright yellow robe stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the auction house through the floor-to-ceiling window.
This person was the Emperor of Star Luo, Xu Jiawei.
Watching the bidding situation below, a faint cold smile curled at the corners of Xu Jiawei's mouth.
"Heh, has that old fox Jing Hongchen finally stopped?"
He gently swirled the red wine glass in his hand, his eyes deep, "It seems someone has seen through my intentions. But so what if they have? This is my Overt Plot."
"Either spend a fortune being a sucker, or just watch helplessly as Shrek grows stronger."
Xu Jiawei turned to the attendant beside him and gave a faint order: "Pass down the command to bring up those spirit tools prepared for later as well. Since Jing Hongchen isn't buying anymore, sell them to Shrek as cheaply as possible."
"This can be considered the last glimmer of hope I've secured for Shrek Academy..."
Xu Jiawei tilted his head back and drained the red wine in his glass, looking into the distance as if he could already see the scene of tomorrow's match.
"Shrek, oh Shrek, this is all I can do to help you."
"I hope you won't let me down tomorrow. After all, I don't want to see those people from the Sun Moon Empire flaunting their power at my doorstep..."
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