FVN Chapter 623 Give this prince a break! No way!
Chapter 623 Give this prince a break! No way!
The bidding continues, but the number of competitors has dwindled from the initial dozen or so to just three!
Two of them came from the VIP boxes on the third floor, and one came from the box next to Chen Fan's.
The price has been pushed up to 350,000 mid-grade spirit stones, a price that exceeds the entire wealth of an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. The bidders in the two private rooms on the third floor have successively withdrawn in silence.
Only the person in the next private room was still arguing with Chen Fan.
Just then, a voice that Chen Fan recognized came from the next private room: "This prince offers 380,000. Fellow Daoists, this prince is determined to have this fragment. I hope you will give me face and not ruin the harmony."
Upon hearing this, the audience fell silent for a moment.
Zhao Yu. The Fourth Prince, Zhao Yu.
The independent cultivators in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment, and several bidders who were still hesitating put away their bidding paddles.
In the capital of Zhao, who doesn't know the name of the Fourth Prince?
He was the king's most favored prince, wielding immense power in the court. Offending him was tantamount to ruining one's future in the Zhao state.
While the fragment was valuable, it wasn't worth risking offending the Fourth Prince for it.
Liu San Niang's smile faltered slightly, clearly disapproving of this public display of her status to intimidate others.
But her status didn't allow her to say much, so she forced a professional smile and said, "His Highness the Fourth Prince has offered 380,000. Is there anyone offering higher? 380,000 is the first offer..."
Chen Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slowly raised his bidding paddle. "Four hundred thousand."
He withdrew some of the spiritual power he had added to his voice, revealing his original voice, which was calm and clear in the quiet hall.
All eyes in the room instantly turned to the private room where Chen Fan was.
The crystal walls of the private room blocked everyone's spiritual sense from probing, so no one could see who was sitting inside.
The next private room remained silent for a full three breaths.
Three breaths later, Zhao Yu's voice rang out again, the arrogance in his tone largely gone, replaced by an barely suppressed gloom: "Who is that fellow Daoist next door? I am Prince Zhao Yu. This fragment was first set in my sights. Do you intend to compete with me for it?"
Chen Fan did not answer.
He didn't even put down his teacup, but simply raised the number plate again: "420,000."
An uncontrollable uproar erupted from the audience.
There were people in the Zhao Kingdom's capital who dared to challenge the Fourth Prince, but those people were either from the First Prince's side or from the other princes of the fiefdoms.
Zhao Yu had obviously thought of this as well.
His voice deepened, and he sneered, "Four hundred and fifty thousand. Since you have such wealth, why don't you come next door and have a chat with me in person? That way, I can see who you really are."
"Four hundred and eighty thousand." Chen Fan still didn't answer, but slowly raised the price, as if Zhao Yu's existence wasn't worth him wasting a single word.
This utter disregard is more humiliating than any verbal provocation.
Zhao Yu finally couldn't sit still any longer.
A golden light shone on the spirit crystal wall of the next private room, and Zhao Yu's figure appeared on the semi-open-air viewing platform outside the private room.
Today he was dressed in a bright yellow python robe, with a jade pendant hanging at his waist and a folding fan in his hand. His face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.
His gaze was fixed on Chen Fan's private room, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Five hundred thousand. Fellow Daoist, I'm making this clear today: I am determined to have this fragment. If you know what's good for you, then back off now, and I'll let it slide because you're ungrateful. But if you dare to raise the price again, you'll be making an enemy of me, and I'll make you regret it."
Liu San Niang on the stage still wore a smile, her hand already holding the auction gavel: "Fifty thousand for the first time..."
Chen Fan put down his teacup and raised the bidding paddle for the third time: "Five hundred and fifty thousand."
This time, the next private room remained silent for a full ten breaths.
The lobby was completely silent, everyone holding their breath as they watched the silent confrontation between Chen Fan's private room and Zhao Yu.
Ten breaths later, a crisp cracking sound came from Zhao Yu's private room—the sound of a folding fan being snapped in two.
"Six hundred thousand." Zhao Yu's voice was as cold as ice, and his spiritual power leaked out slightly due to anger, causing the spiritual crystal walls of the private room to vibrate.
Six hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones is more than the entire fortune of an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul demon cultivator. Even for the Fourth Prince, this amount of spirit stones would be extremely difficult to obtain.
Although he had received many rewards from the king over the years and had also received many tributes in the temple, 600,000 mid-grade spirit stones was still a number that made his heart ache.
Chen Fan downed the slightly cool tea in one gulp and set the cup down. "Six hundred and fifty thousand."
The lobby was deathly silent.
The Nascent Soul stage monsters in the front row exchanged glances, all seeing undisguised horror in each other's eyes.
What does 650,000 mid-grade spirit stones mean?
That would be enough to support the entire expenses of a small sect for several years, enough to buy a three-courtyard mansion in the most prosperous area of the imperial city, and enough to hire a Nascent Soul stage cultivator for a whole year.
The mysterious bidder in the private room didn't even change his tone from beginning to end!
This wasn't aggressive or bluffing; he simply raised his paddle and increased the price calmly, as if the number was nothing more than a string of characters in an account book to him.
Zhao Yu stood on the stands, his face no longer ashen, but deathly pale.
His lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to raise the price, but he gripped the broken folding fan tighter and tighter in his palm, the fan ribs leaving several red marks on his palm.
It's not that he doesn't want to add more, it's that he can't add any more!
The figure of 700,000 already exceeded all the spirit stone reserves he could mobilize; going any higher would require using the most precious resources in his treasury.
Liu San Niang picked up the auction gavel, her voice still gentle yet rhythmic: "Six hundred and fifty thousand for the first time, six hundred and fifty thousand for the second time, six hundred and fifty thousand for the third time... Sold!"
With a dull thud, the auction gavel struck the rosewood table, and the dust settled.
Without a word, Zhao Yu turned and went back to the private room. The golden light on the spirit crystal wall suddenly went out, hiding his gloomy and distorted face back into the darkness.
A suppressed anger could be felt emanating from the Jubao Tower along the entire Zhuque Avenue.
When the maid brought the deep blue fragment into the private room, Chen Fan did not rush to take it.
He first counted out the 650,000 mid-grade spirit stones in front of her, put them into a storage bag and handed it to the maid, before taking the translucent spirit jade box.
The box was icy to the touch, and the fifth-order sealing runes on its surface trembled slightly under his fingertips. A faint spatial fluctuation seeped into his skin through the box walls.
After the maidservants had left and the door to the private room had been closed again, Chen Fan placed the jade box on the table and opened the lid.
The deep blue fragments lay quietly in the box.
It was about the size of a palm, with jagged edges, as if it had been forcibly torn off from a complete object by some terrifying force.
The surface of the fragments had faint dark golden patterns flowing around it. These patterns did not seem to be array patterns that were carved on later, but rather some kind of Dao traces that were generated by heaven and earth.