"Wait!"
Just as Elder Ge's wooden hammer was about to fall for the third time, deciding the ownership of the Soul-Nurturing Tree at the very last moment, a crisp female voice, filled with clear defiance and doubt, rang out from Box Earth Number Three, forcibly interrupting the final procedure!
It was Yu Xiaotang again!
Even Elder Ge, who'd hosted countless auctions over the years, furrowed his brow just slightly, a hint of impatience rising in his heart. Being interrupted at the last critical moment twice in a row, this Young Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect really didn't know when to keep quiet.
Still, he maintained his professional composure and looked toward Box Earth Number Three:
"Honored guest of Box Earth Number Three, may I ask what objection you have?" His voice was slightly colder than before.
Yu Xiaotang forced down the surge of shock, anger, and a trace of panic. She knew this move was risky, maybe even insulting to the auction, but she had no choice.
Letting that black-robed woman snatch the Soul-Nurturing Tree was far worse than suffering a heavy loss herself. Besides, she didn't actually believe the other party could produce so many Spirit Stones. She took a deep breath, trying to make her tone sound cautious and fair:
"Elder Ge, forgive me, I don't mean to cause trouble." She paused briefly, "It's just… two hundred forty-one thousand superior Spirit Stones is an astronomical sum. This Daoyou's identity is mysterious, and they've never shown such wealth before.
So I dare to ask Elder Ge to verify, according to the rules, whether the honored guest of Box Heaven Number Three can actually pay the amount! Otherwise, if someone maliciously drives up the price but can't pay, wouldn't it ruin the auction?
Not only would it waste everyone's time, but it would damage the auction house's reputation and cause genuine bidders to miss the opportunity."
Her words sounded righteous, but the subtext was clear: I'm doing this for the auction, for everyone's good! Verify the funds! Check Box Heaven Number Three's assets!
If they don't have enough, they're just maliciously bidding!
The Soul-Nurturing Tree rightfully belongs to the mysterious senior in Box Heaven Number One!
In Yu Xiaotang's mind, even if the tree ended up in the hands of the unknown guest in Box Heaven Number One, it was still better than falling to that despicable woman.
The audience immediately erupted into whispers.
"That makes sense… two hundred forty thousand superior Spirit Stones isn't small change."
"This person's being so secretive… are they really bidding blindly?"
"But Box Heaven Number Three has been straightforward in past auctions, right?"
"That still doesn't compare to two hundred plus thousand, does it?"
Before Elder Ge could respond, Xie Zhaolin's voice cut in, tinged with light mockery.
"Verify the funds? Fine."
The straightforward answer made Yu Xiaotang's heart skip a beat, a sense of foreboding creeping in.
She heard Xie Zhaolin continue: "However… according to auction rules, if one party requests fund verification, it must be done for both parties simultaneously, to ensure fairness. Since Box Earth Number Three questions my payment ability, let Elder Ge send someone to check the financial status of both Box Heaven Number Three and Box Earth Number Three."
Boom
Her words hit Yu Xiaotang like a bolt from the blue.
Simultaneous verification! She'd walked right into a trap!
The joint bid she'd just suggested with Yu Mingxi was only a verbal agreement.
According to the auction house rules, fund verification checks individual bidders, meaning separate accounts. Even though she and Yu Mingxi shared a box, their funds couldn't be combined for verification.
That meant the auction house would check Yu Xiaotang and Yu Mingxi's assets individually, and neither of them could produce two hundred forty thousand premium Spirit Stones. Not even half!
The ones who'd be caught short wouldn't be Box Heaven Number Three, it would be her and Yu Mingxi!
They'd be labeled as maliciously driving up the price and disrupting order, becoming the laughingstock of the entire auction. She'd also risk offending the Tianxing Auction House and possibly endangering her sect.
It was a vicious trap, cornering her completely.
"You… you…" Yu Xiaotang trembled with fury, pointing toward Box Heaven Number Three, lips quivering, unable to form a full sentence.
Yu Mingxi beside her was grim-faced as well. He instantly grasped the situation, his eyes full of anger and regret as he looked at Yu Xiaotang.
"No… no need to verify!" Yu Xiaotang forced down the surge of blood and anger, gritting out a few words through her dry throat: "It's my… fault! I acted rashly and spoke without thinking! Please, Elder Ge and the Daoyou in Box Heaven Number Three, forgive me!"
She had no choice but to back down. She couldn't afford to lose face.
The Hehuan Sect couldn't afford to lose face either.
Elder Ge cast a long glance at Box Earth Number Three, clearly understanding the situation.
He didn't speak further and said loudly: "Since the honored guest of Box Earth Number Three withdraws their objection, then…"
"Two hundred forty-one thousand premium Spirit Stones, third call!"
The hammer fell!
"Sold! Congratulations to the honored guest of Box Heaven Number Three for winning the Soul-Nurturing Tree sapling!"
The dust settled.
In Box Earth Number Three, Yu Xiaotang slumped in her chair. She not only lost the Soul-Nurturing Tree, but she'd also lost face in front of Yu Mingxi and all the cultivators present. Her humiliation and resentment burned deep in her gut.
Meanwhile, Xie Zhaolin calmly accepted the jade box holding the Soul-Nurturing Tree, carefully opened it, and felt the pure soul energy pulsating within. She nodded in satisfaction.
Two hundred forty-one thousand premium Spirit Stones… the price was higher than expected, maybe a little inflated, but from the start, Zi Ying had been confident it could cultivate the sapling successfully.
Besides, the Spirit Stones used for the auction came from You You's past-life treasury, so spending them didn't sting.
The transfer was quickly completed.
She didn't linger, slipping silently through the box's private exit, leaving the auction house without a trace.
Deep within the auction house's private chamber.
Elder Ge respectfully reported to Jiu Jiu: "Young Master, the Soul-Nurturing Tree has been won by the female guest of Box Heaven Number Three, and the transfer is complete. However… though she left discreetly, I fear many interested parties may have taken notice."
Jiu Jiu didn't look worried. Instead, a thrill lit up her face: "Good! Let them watch! If she could just win it quietly, it'd be boring! These two hundred thousand plus Spirit Stones are nothing compared to the fun she brings me!"
Meanwhile, a hundred miles away in Tianxing City, in a desolate valley.
Xie Zhaolin had long changed out of her signature black robe, even disguising her aura and form.
But the feeling of being watched, like thorns on her back, didn't dissipate, and there was more than one watcher.
She smirked coldly, knowing they wouldn't give up easily.
She deliberately slowed down, winding through the terrain, drawing the trackers into this uninhabited area. If they couldn't be shaken off, she'd deal with them here.
Leaving them alive would only cause future trouble.
The moment she stopped in a relatively open area—
Whoosh!
A fierce attack shot from the shadows behind her, aiming straight for her back.
Xie Zhaolin seemed ready. Just before the strike reached her, she twisted her body strangely and slammed a palm out with her other hand, meeting the attack head-on.
Clang!
The force of the collision sent a dull roar through the air. A violent energy wave spread from the impact, tossing up stones and dust.
When the smoke cleared, Xie Zhaolin's robes fluttered, but she stood unshaken. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the figure becoming clearer ahead, a trace of understanding in her voice.
"It's you?"