The bidding, fiercely contested by multiple factions, quickly surged past the seven hundred thousand mark!
But at this level, the pace of the bids noticeably slowed.
"Seven hundred and twenty thousand."
"Seven hundred and forty thousand."
The raises became cautious. Every offer was followed by a short silence, and each increment shrank.
It was clear that this price had touched the psychological limit for some factions. They started calculating carefully, no longer throwing coins around as they had at the start.
Then—
"Seven hundred thousand." A cold, clear voice rang out from the Box Earth Number Three.
It was Yu Mingxi. He made a move immediately, raising the price by forty thousand and pushing the total to a clean, new number.
The entire auction hall froze at the bid.
Box Heaven Number Five fell silent for a moment before bidding again, "Seven hundred and twenty thousand."
"Seven hundred and forty thousand!" Box Heaven Number Seven followed, just as fierce.
"Seven hundred and sixty thousand." Yu Mingxi's voice stayed calm as he added another twenty thousand.
Inside Box Earth Number Three,
Yu Xiaotang watched Yu Mingxi's bidding quietly, her expression unshaken. It wasn't her turn yet, so she didn't mind playing the part of a reasonable observer for now. What unsettled her, though, was that the woman in the black robe still hadn't moved.
Was she really not interested in the Soul Nurturing Wood? Or… was she waiting for the perfect moment to strike a decisive blow?
Several other boxes—Heaven-number Two, Heaven-number Four—remained silent as well.
Those factions were clearly observing, waiting for the right moment to act.
The price crept up slowly but steadily, nearing eight hundred thousand. "Seven hundred and eighty thousand," Box Heaven Number Seven called.
"Eight hundred thousand." Yu Mingxi raised the bid again to a clean number, his tone steady, but Yu Xiaotang could sense a subtle tightening in his aura.
This wasn't a small sum for the Tianyin Sect. It was already a staggering amount that could drain many mid-sized sects of centuries of savings.
Down below, the hall was silent. Even breathing seemed measured, and all eyes anxiously flicked between the few boxes still bidding.
Several boxes that had been active fell into longer silences and didn't speak again. Clearly, this price had exceeded their psychological limits or the scope of their authorization. But everyone knew the real threat came from the top-tier factions. At this point, the number was still far from their expected ceiling, not to mention the unpredictable Box Heaven Number Three
Inside Box Earth Number Three,
Yu Mingxi kept his composure, but his fingers twitched slightly under the sleeve. Eight hundred thousand had already drawn on a considerable portion of the Tianyin Sect's liquid reserves. If this item weren't so crucial to the sect's future, he wouldn't be risking everything. His eyes involuntarily scanned the silent boxes, his pressure spiking.
Yu Xiaotang noticed every subtle reaction, inwardly smirking while keeping her expression calm.
Inside Box Earth Number Five,
The Iron Elder of the Beast-Taming Sect had sweat beading on his forehead, his face pale.
Eight hundred thousand!
The maximum the sect could mobilize at the moment was around nine hundred thousand. He had thought that would just barely secure the Soul Nurturing Wood, but so many factions had shown up this time, and the real heavy hitters hadn't even moved. He clenched his fists, torn between despair and daring.
Give up? The sect's hopes were right in front of him!
Press on? If the other boxes intervened, the price would shoot to unimaginable heights, and the sect couldn't possibly bear it.
He had to gamble! He had to!
A flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes. Rather than be slowly drained, it was better to reveal his hand all at once. Decision made, he inhaled sharply and shouted with all his might, his voice slightly trembling yet remarkably loud:
"Nine hundred thousand!"
He directly raised ten thousand, pushing the total to the nine hundred thousand mark.
Boom
The hall erupted
Nine hundred thousand! He'd just revealed his bottom line!
Yu Mingxi's expression stiffened. The opponent's desperate bid completely disrupted his rhythm.
Nine hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones weren't impossible for the Tianyin Sect, but it already approached the maximum funds he could mobilize. Every additional thousand now carried immense responsibility and pressure.
He instinctively glanced at Yu Xiaotang, but she remained calm, watching quietly, showing no intent to interfere.
Yu Xiaotang looked at his taut profile and sweating brow, unmoved, even slightly amused. So impatient, letting the sect's pressure show on his face. How could he accomplish anything like this? Sending him to bid for the Soul Nurturing Wood might've been a mistake for the Tianyin Sect.
Yu Mingxi's mind wrestled with his conscience, recalling his master's words:
"Mingxi, this item concerns the future inheritance of our Tianyin Sect. Even if it costs extra, it's worth it!"
And it was a task his master had fought hard to secure for him.
He couldn't hesitate.
"Nine hundred and fifty thousand!"
Boom
The hall erupted again.
The Iron Elder's face drained of color, his body swaying, almost collapsing in his chair. Nine hundred and fifty thousand—this was beyond the sect's maximum mobilizable limit. But thinking of the Soul Nurturing Wood's importance, he gritted his teeth and shouted almost in a roar:
"Nine hundred and sixty thousand!"
He'd thrown in all his personal savings!
Combined with the sect's mobilized funds, it barely reached this number. This was the absolute limit, a true all-in.
Yu Mingxi's brow furrowed. That extra ten thousand came from a desperate hand. He couldn't give them room to breathe.
"Nine hundred and seventy thousand!" Yu Mingxi responded without hesitation.
The Iron Elder's vision went dark. He panted, digging his nails deep into his palms, drawing blood without noticing.
Nine hundred and seventy thousand… Nine hundred and seventy thousand!
Where would he get more spirit stones? Borrow? Steal? There wasn't time!
No matter. He had to secure it first, no matter what!
"One million!"
He raised thirty thousand directly, pushing the price to a million.
Boom
The auction hall seemed to explode. Everyone was stunned. One million high-grade spirit stones!
A legendary sum, enough to establish a considerable sect, all for a single sapling!
Yu Mingxi's face went pale as paper. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
This price was beyond his authority and even beyond what the Tianyin Sect could comfortably bear. Any further bidding would require mobilizing the sect's strategic reserves, with unthinkable consequences.
Just when everyone thought one million high-grade spirit stones was the final price, and even the Iron Elder was nearly collapsing, hopeless yet slightly relieved—
The boxes representing the true top-tier factions finally acted.
"One million one hundred thousand."