"What?"
"Teacher met an interesting young man, so he won't be coming over for now?"
In the red VIP area, Xue Qinghe was momentarily stunned when he received the message.
"Yes. The Sect Master is currently in the Black VIP Area. He may come over later," the attendant replied respectfully.
"I see."
A perfectly timed, helpless smile appeared on Xue Qinghe's face.
Inside, however, he was wondering what Ning Fengzhi was up to.
Just as he was about to stand and scan the hall for Ning Fengzhi's location, the lights throughout the auction hall suddenly dimmed.
A beam of light descended onto the stage as a young, beautiful hostess appeared.
"Welcome, honored guests, to the Heaven Dou Auction House!"
"The annual grand auction is about to begin. Treasures gathered from all across the continent will be presented one by one."
"We have precious artworks, equipment, spirit tools, various 'servants'… and even the Spirit Bone everyone has been waiting for!"
"I hope every guest here will obtain the treasures they desire."
"The grand auction begins now!"
From the introduction alone, it was obvious that this auction far surpassed the everyday auctions Tang San had once stumbled upon in the original story.
"The first item is a hundred-year Snow Lotus from the Far North. It can purge toxins, nourish the meridians, and enhance beauty. It is a rare nourishing, saint-grade item. The starting price is two thousand gold coins!"
As the hostess spoke, a beautiful Snow Lotus sealed in a special glass container appeared before everyone.
"Three thousand!"
"Four thousand!"
"Five thousand!"
Bidding started immediately.
In the blink of an eye, the price surpassed ten thousand, though the pace of bidding clearly slowed.
"A hundred-year Snow Lotus only grows in extreme cold regions. It's indeed rare," Ning Fengzhi commented with a smile. "It's a pity it hasn't reached a thousand or ten thousand years—otherwise, the price might rise tenfold or even a hundredfold."
As he spoke, he casually pressed the ten-thousand button.
"Twenty-eight thousand! A Black Area VIP has bid twenty-eight thousand gold coins. Any higher bids?"
As soon as the hostess spoke, the hall fell briefly silent.
In the eyes of most people, it simply wasn't worth that price.
"Uncle, you really have good taste," Bai Mu said in agreement. "I also like playing around with flowers and plants."
"Oh? You mean—uh???"
Ning Fengzhi turned to speak with Bai Mu, but froze when he saw Bai Mu enthusiastically "playing" with the person beside him.
"The 'flowers and plants' you like… you mean this?"
"Yeah. What else?" Bai Mu replied oddly, then casually slapped the bid button again.
"A hundred-year Snow Lotus—who wouldn't like that?"
"…Indeed."
For a moment, Ning Fengzhi wasn't sure if he was overthinking things.
"A guest has bid thirty-eight thousand! Any higher bids?"
"Thirty-eight thousand, once! Thirty-eight thousand, twice! Sold!"
"Congratulations to the Black Area guest for successfully bidding the hundred-year Snow Lotus!"
Afterward, Ning Fengzhi asked, "Do you actually need this pair of hundred-year Snow Lotuses?"
"Not really. I just bought them because they look nice. Why think so much?" Bai Mu replied naturally. "A thousand gold coins can't buy happiness—remember that, Uncle."
The money came easily anyway. Spending it freely felt right.
Rare flowers and exotic plants were never a bad purchase. Grab them first, think later.
Once he took over the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, one could become two, two could become three.
When there were more—and they were older—using them to brew some sweet soup wouldn't be bad at all.
"Little brother is truly an interesting person," Ning Fengzhi said sincerely, his gaze deep.
"The second item is a piece of Astral Iron. When forged into a weapon or spirit tool, it can automatically absorb the essence of the sun and moon to enhance Spirit Abilities. Starting price: three thousand gold coins!"
"A Black Area guest bids fifty thousand! Any higher?"
"Once! Twice! Sold! Congratulations!"
Ning Fengzhi asked, "Do you study forging as well?"
"Not really," Bai Mu replied. "It sounds powerful, so I'll keep it. Might be useful someday."
The third item—a rare ore.
"Interesting. I like it. I'll take it."
Bought.
The fourth item—a temperature-regulating spirit tool.
"Air conditioning? Interesting~"
With a thought, Bai Mu bought it outright.
His utterly inhuman spending quickly drew attention.
Even the divine artifact that had caused a scramble in the original story—the Eight Treasures Ruyi Soft Armor—had only sold for just over a million.
Yet Bai Mu had already spent five hundred thousand in less than half an hour.
Every bid came without hesitation, as if he were dealing with numbers, not money.
"The twentieth item—Dragon Blood Crystal. A special crystal formed after being nourished by the blood of pure-blooded dragon-type Spirit Beasts. According to appraisal, it can enhance dragon-type Spirits. Starting price: fifty thousand!"
"Interesting, interesting!"
Bai Mu's eyes lit up, and he hit the hundred-thousand button without thinking.
"Black Area Guest 13 bids one hundred and fifty thousand! Any higher?"
The hostess sounded excited.
The entire hall went silent.
Despite the intimidating name, most people felt it wasn't worth the price.
"This kid… why does he want everything? Is he really that rich?"
Yu Yuanzhen, the clan head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, frowned slightly.
He had just become interested and wanted to test the waters—but before he could react, Bai Mu had already raised the price by a hundred thousand.
Yu Yuanzhen hesitated and added ten thousand.
Then—
Bai Mu added another hundred thousand without blinking.
"Impressive."
Yu Yuanzhen only wanted to ask—doesn't it hurt to spend money like this?
Bai Mu felt absolutely no pain at all.
His behavior instantly made him the focus of attention.
"Who is that? Wearing such a strange mask…"
"Never seen him, but his financial power is terrifying. Probably a descendant of some hidden family."
"He even dares to snatch items Sect Master Yu is interested in—and he's sitting next to School Master Ning. Definitely one of them!"
"Look at what he's buying—niche items. Maybe he doesn't understand the market?"
Whispers spread throughout the hall.
"Don't know the market? You're the ones who don't know me."
Bai Mu leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, laughing inwardly.
Spirit tools were bought out of curiosity.
Flowers and plants were for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Ores and metals were because he had the Time Hunter's fangs—and maybe, someday, he could forge a divine artifact just for fun.
"So that's where Teacher is sitting."
After receiving confirmation, Xue Qinghe looked over curiously.
Not very old—no more than fifteen. Wearing a Spirit Beast mask he'd never seen before. A woman by his side. Clearly lustful…
"Could he really be the heir of some hidden family?" Xue Qinghe wondered.
"Hm?"
As if sensing something, Bai Mu looked up.
He saw a luxuriously dressed youth whose appearance somewhat resembled Xue Beng looking his way.
Their eyes met. The youth smiled gently, exuding a perfectly refined, approachable demeanor.
And then—
Bai Mu's eyes lit up as if he'd recognized him.
Holy crap! Xue!
Bai Mu instantly knew who he was.
Xue Qinghe—no, more accurately, Qian Renxue.
The future Angel God.
Ranked among the top three on the Douluo Continent's must-eat Vanilla List.
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