Hearing all this, Zhuo Yifan's grief and indignation were beyond words.Watching Wang Baole refining spirit stones on the spot, he felt he was about to explode from sheer frustration.
"This isn't fair!""How can the academy just ignore something that completely breaks the balance like this? At this rate, won't the auction houses basically exist just for the Armament Department?!"
Zhuo Yifan was shaking all over, fury and suffocation burning in his chest with nowhere to vent.
But as soon as he finished shouting, a nearby senior student chuckled.
"You're too naïve.""Their whole department is literally about printing money. Why should the Dao Academy管 that? But you did say one thing right—the auction house is basically for the Armament Department. Didn't you notice that once he started bidding, almost everyone else went quiet? You're still new here. You don't get it yet…"
The senior student sighed, and around him many other upperclassmen nodded, their voices full of complicated emotion.
"As long as someone from the Armament Department shows up, they get first pick. Only after they're done choosing do the rest of us get to scramble for leftovers. What can we do? We earn spirit stones—if we're lucky, we snatch some. But they make money.""Exactly. They can make as much as they want. How is anyone supposed to compete with that?"
The old students' heartfelt laments made Zhuo Yifan crack again.He suddenly felt like he'd become a pauper overnight.
He especially caught onto that phrase snatching money, and couldn't help asking:
"You can… snatch money in the academy?"
The senior didn't answer. He just smiled without saying a word.
Seeing even the seniors refusing to explain, Zhuo Yifan felt his face burn with embarrassment. He glared viciously at Wang Baole, still refusing to accept it.
He felt that even if Wang Baole could "print money," it still took time, so he should be slower. There was no way he could outbid someone who had come in already rich.
So, as the auctioneer confirmed the bid twice and was about to confirm it a third time, Zhuo Yifan suddenly shouted:
"I bid one thousand seven hundred spirit stones!"
Wang Baole turned his head and glared back at him.The more he looked at this guy, the more annoying he found him.So he simply decided to go all in.
"I bid two thousand spirit stones!"
The instant he finished speaking, Wang Baole had already finished refining one spirit stone and begun on a second.
He had already made up his mind: worst case, he'd stay here in the auction house for a while. After winning the pill, he'd just sit and refine until he'd covered everything he owed. Even if he got fat again, he had to win this Cleansing Pill—both for the sake of his cultivation and to vent this rage.
"You—!!"
Zhuo Yifan's eyes went red. He drew in breath to bid again—but right at that moment…
Just as Wang Baole pulled out a second blank stone to refine, the auctioneer up on stage let out a wry smile.
He had already noticed from Wang Baole's jade token that he was a specially recruited student of the Armament Department. He also felt the price for this Cleansing Pill had already gone high enough, and he had no wish to offend people from that department.
So he hurriedly spoke up:
"This student from the Armament Department, there's no need to rush. As long as you're from the Armament Department, you can write out an IOU here at Cloudhawk, and we'll treat it as actual spirit stones. You just need to pay it off within the specified time later, so there's no need to push yourself right now."
At those words, the audience around them didn't react much…but all the new students collectively drew in a sharp breath.
Quite a few of them suddenly regretted their life choices.They really regretted choosing the wrong department.
"Huh? You can do that too?"
Wang Baole was stunned. His eyes went wide in disbelief.
When he saw the auctioneer nod firmly, a surge of excitement shot through him.It felt like something suddenly clicked in his mind. For the first time, he truly realized…
The Armament Department was insanely strong!
Compared to Wang Baole's exhilaration, Zhuo Yifan was completely dumbfounded.
If what the seniors had said earlier was a heavy blow, then what the auctioneer had just said was like a bayonet stabbing straight into his fragile little heart.
His vision darkened. He staggered on his feet, feeling an overwhelming sense of defeat and helplessness flood through his body.
He looked at Wang Baole's smug face and thought of the running track, of the weightlifting yard, of how he'd been crushed again and again. Then he noticed the strange looks from the people around him.
His eyes went bloodshot, and he roared:
"Wang Baole, I challenge you!"
As he spoke, he formally threw down a gauntlet at Wang Baole.
The auction hall instantly erupted into an uproar again.Wang Baole frowned slightly.
Seeing Wang Baole hesitate, Zhuo Yifan actually felt a little better. He had been driven half mad by rage. He felt that even if he couldn't beat the other in wealth, he definitely had the advantage in strength. This was a breath he had to get out.
He had already decided: even if Wang Baole refused, he would still force a fight and give him a beating.
Now that the challenge was issued, he was just about to turn and storm out of the auction hall to wait outside when—
Wang Baole snorted.
He honestly had zero interest in this kind of challenge. He didn't have the time or the mood to bother with it. His goal was to become head student, not to waste energy on these meaningless fights.
Thinking of what the auctioneer had just said, he drew inferences from it, grabbed a brush, scribbled down an IOU for a hundred spirit stones, and held it high in the air inside the auction hall.
"Whoever helps me beat him up, these hundred spirit stones are theirs!"
The second the words left his mouth, everyone around them sucked in a breath again.
This completely unexpected move left Zhuo Yifan stunned in place. Before he could react, that senior who had just been chatting with him a moment ago lunged forward, snatched the IOU from Wang Baole's hand, and charged straight at Zhuo Yifan.
"I'll do it!"
The other seniors were also instantly riled up.They howled as they rushed over.
"He's mine, don't steal from me!""You guys are too fast—damn it, an opportunity like this doesn't come every day!"
In an instant, at least several dozen upperclassmen had surrounded Zhuo Yifan, completely burying him under a storm of fists and feet.
"Seniors—!" Zhuo Yifan trembled and tried to escape, but it was far too late. He was swallowed by the encirclement, and a booming commotion filled the auction hall as his miserable screams rang out:
"I'm… I'm a specially recruited student, you—"
"Exactly, we want to hit a special recruit. We've wanted to beat up a special recruit for a long time!"
Especially that senior who had been sitting beside him earlier—he threw punches while laughing and even took the time to explain:
"Just now you asked me what 'snatching money' meant… this is snatching money!"
The auction hall descended into chaos.Some people even pulled out recording artifacts and started live-streaming.
Zhuo Yifan's aggrieved shrieks were heartbreaking to hear.
Fortunately, this was an auction house. Before long, a large number of guards rushed in and dragged everyone apart.
If it had been anyone else brawling here, Cloudhawk would have dealt with it harshly.But both sides were students from Misty Dao Academy.
No matter how powerful Cloudhawk's background was, they still didn't dare offend the academy, which was famous for protecting its own.
They could only try to mediate and separate them, then kick the whole lot out to calm things down. Only then did the matter come to a reluctant end.
As for Wang Baole? He had long since left.
Under the curious and slightly flirty guidance of a beautiful attendant, he wrote out his IOU, took the Cleansing Pill, and was escorted out of the venue with very considerate service. Just before he left, the attendant deliberately leaned in close and asked for his contact details.
This made Wang Baole feel even more that he was amazing.Full of satisfaction, he returned to the Armament Department.
Sitting inside his cave residence, his desire to become head student burned even brighter.
"So the Armament Department is this powerful. If I become head student, that's basically my official first step onto the road to the peak of life!"
Wang Baole hummed happily to himself and was just about to take out the Cleansing Pill when he suddenly slapped his forehead.
"I can't get carried away like this. I've got to remember the many cautionary tales in those 'high official autobiographies'—today I was too impulsive, way too high-profile. I should be low-key."
Feeling this was absolutely reasonable, he reflected on himself for a bit, calmed his excitement, and only then carefully took out the pill he'd won—Cleansing Pill.
He examined it closely, sniffed it once, then tossed it straight into his mouth.
As soon as the pill entered, it instantly melted. A surge of warm current erupted from his abdomen and swept through his entire body like a rushing torrent.
This was Wang Baole's first time taking a proper pill.Cleansing Pill contained many precious medicinal ingredients, and its medicinal power was strong. His entire body shook violently.
His breathing grew rapid. Sweat began to pour from all over his body.He hurriedly stripped off his clothes and sat there bare-chested, watching in astonishment as black, sludge-like impurities oozed out from every pore.
"This is way too fierce!"
As the filth was expelled, he could clearly feel his body becoming lighter and clearer.Even his blood and qi became noticeably more vigorous.
Wang Baole was overjoyed.The purge lasted for a full three days before the medicinal power completely faded.
After thoroughly cleaning himself off, he looked at his round figure and smooth, delicate skin and burst into loud laughter.
"What a great pill!"
After admiring what he firmly believed to be his perfect physique, he put his clothes back on, took a big gulp of Ice Spirit Water, and ate some snacks.
Only then did he sit down with anticipation in his eyes and start refining spirit stones again.
This time, he wanted to see if he could finally break through that seventy-five percent purity bottleneck!