55 - 60

The main hall was in havoc as soon as Zheng Hongzhi left.

"Zheng Hongzhi has control over most of our family's transportation channels, what are we going to do now…"

"Exactly, no other family will work with us."

"It's going to be a disaster if this happens! Wasn't that a reckless decision from Luo Feng…"

The higher management in Luo Family began discussing the family's fate.

Although nobody pointed it out directly, many of them thought that Luo Feng acted too rashly.

Finally, a white-haired elder stood up.

"Luo Tian, Zheng Hongzhi and the others went against you with the intention of taking over your power and tearing the family apart, it wasn't wrong to oust them from the family, but now isn't the right time.

"The current situation in Panlong City is already unfavorable to us. Without the channels that they have control over, I'm afraid that we won't be able to hold up for long. As the patriarch of this family, you must make a decision."

The others looked at Luo Tian too.

Luo Tian panicked. He would not have been threatened by Zheng Hongzhi if he had an idea of what to do, thus he looked at Luo Feng.

Luo Feng smiled as he walked toward Luo Xiong.

"Second Granduncle, you don't have to worry about the channels, Feng Family has agreed to work for us."

"Feng Family!"

The crowd was in an uproar upon hearing that. Indeed, they did not need to worry about the channels anymore if they gained help from Feng Family.

"But Feng Yutang's a very wise man who only cares about benefits. Is he really going to help us now?" Someone questioned.

Luo Xiong looked at Luo Feng seriously. "Luo Feng, this affects our family's fate directly, don't speak carelessly!"

He did not believe that Feng Family would cooperate with Luo Family during this crucial moment.

"How dare I speak carelessly about this? It's a serious matter!"

Luo Feng retrieved the agreement given by Feng Family as he responded.

"This is the cooperation agreement from Feng Family!"

"What! The cooperation agreement!" The crowd exclaimed.

There were no two ways about it if it was really the cooperation agreement.

Nevertheless, some of them were still doubtful as they found it strange that they did not hear about the cooperation between Feng Family and Luo Family.

"Second Granduncle, please take a look."

Luo Feng showed Luo Xiong the agreement but used his thumb to block the condition regarding Feng Lingyue.

Luo Xiong was relieved when he saw the agreement. He stroked his beard as he nodded with a smile. "Yes, yes! This cooperation agreement is real."

"If it's real, Luo Family will be safe!"

The other Luo Family members rejoiced.

"Feng'er, quick, show me!" Luo Tian approached Luo Feng impatiently.

"Father."

Luo Feng handed the agreement to Luo Tian.

When Luo Tian read the agreement, he paused for a while when he noticed the condition at the bottom, but he quickly folded it then laughed.

"Even God is helping us!"

Luo Xiong who was delighted praised Luo Feng to Luo Tian, "Luo Tian, you have a good son."

He could tell that Luo Tian had no idea about the agreement.

This meant that Luo Feng was the one who contributed to it!

Luo Tian was beaming with happiness as Luo Feng had been full of surprises!

"Everyone, don't leave in a hurry, let's celebrate! It's my treat!" He announced.

Not only was Zheng Hongzhi successfully eliminated through the family meeting, but Luo Feng's strength truly surprised Luo Tian. Luo Tian felt as lively as a youth.

"Congratulations, Patriarch!"

The other rose to congratulate Luo Tian before they dispersed.

A brief moment later, Luo Tian and Luo Feng were the only people left in the main hall.

"Feng'er, why did I not hear about this agreement at all?"

Luo Tian asked Luo Feng once the crowd left.

"Father…"

Luo Feng briefly mentioned his visit to Feng Family in the morning as he knew that he could not hide it from his father.

"I see, it was Lingyue the little girl."

Luo Tian nodded, then frowned again. "But Feng'er, wouldn't we have ruined Lingyue's life if Luo Family doesn't become the number one family in ten days?"

Luo Feng replied seriously, "Father, I wouldn't have accepted this cooperation agreement if I wasn't confident about defeating Li Family to become the number one family, not even if Feng Lingyue agreed to help me!"

"Oh?"

Luo Tian smiled when he saw that his son showed strong confidence. "After not meeting for two years, I see you've gotten better at keeping people guessing. A man's words carry weight, I hope you keep them!"

"Mm!" Luo Tian nodded.

Luo Feng returned to his courtyard after bidding his father farewell.

"Young Master, you're back!"

Zi Ling immediately greeted him with glimmering eyes.

"Young Master, you were very cool! Everyone's talking about your performance during the meeting, they say that you're a genius! You definitely taught Zheng Hongzhi and his son a good lesson."

"Really? Do you think so?" Luo Feng chuckled.

"Mm!"

Zi Ling nodded. Later, her shoulders trembled slightly as she began tearing.

"Silly girl, aren't you happy that I was so majestic earlier? Why are you crying?" Luo Feng stroked her hair.

Zi Ling looked up and pouted her lips. "I'm just too happy. People used to make vicious remarks about you! Let's see who dares to do that now! They're going to be envious that I'm able to serve you."

"Haha… Zi Ling, let them be. In the future, I'm going to make everyone in the Billow Dynasty, no, everyone in Zhenwu Continent be envious of you!" Luo Feng laughed out loud.

Zi Ling looked at him with her watery eyes.

She would have thought that one must have gone mad to say something like that, but somehow, he believed that Luo Feng could do it.

After comforting Zi Ling, Luo Feng retrieved his Tiger Essence Saber from his room to continue his cultivation.

"It's quite inconvenient that my weapon's not always with me, it'll be great if I have a Storage Soul Artifact."

Luo Feng thought about Bing Ruolan's Storage Bangle when he looked at his one-person-tall Tiger Essence Saber.

"I must make a Storage Soul Artifact one day."

He took a deep breath once he decided and began cultivating his blade technique.

Although he had seventy-percent confidence about defeating the Li Family brothers, it was not enough.

With the cooperation agreement at stake, Luo Feng must not fail during Hunting Meet in ten days!

He had to work harder!

…

At night.

Many delicious dishes were prepared for dinner that night.

"Is Xiao'er not done with his isolated cultivation? He didn't even show up when it's such an important day," Yang Qing expressed her dissatisfaction as she took some food for Luo Feng.

She had hoped for a nice dinner with everyone present since Luo Feng finally returned after two years. Besides, it was an important day.

"Mother, don't blame Big Brother, he must be working hard because he wants to contribute to the family during Hunting Meet." Luo Feng smiled.

Luo Feng could tell that his eldest brother was previously at a bottleneck in his cultivation, and was going to advance to the next boundary any time. His brother must be focusing on the advancement since he received the manuals of Flying on Grass and Crescent Moon Claw Technique, two Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts!

"Hahaha… Second Younger Brother, Mother's right, I can't be absent on this important day."

While they conversed, cheerful laughter was heard. Luo Xiao who appeared to be radiant strode in.

"Big Brother." Luo Feng smiled when he saw Luo Xiao.

"Xiao'er, you advanced!"

Luo Tian was surprised when he sensed richer vital energy from Luo Xiao.

"Mm, I just did." Luo Xiao nodded happily.

Swoosh!

Luo Tian stood beside Luo Xiao in the blink of an eye, then he pressed Luo Xiao's wrist.

"Your liver's full of vitality! Your eyes are spirited! Level Six Meridian Cycle Boundary, Heroic Boundary! Nice, nice, nice!" Luo Tian was elated.

He looked at Luo Xiao strangely once he returned to his seat. "This is odd. I initially thought that you'll advance to Heroic Boundary only after half a month, I can't believe that you did it so quickly…"

"It's because of Second Younger Brother…"

Just as Luo Xiao was about to explain, Luo Feng quickly coughed to signal him to stop.

"Feng'er?" What does Feng'er have to do with this?" Luo Tian was confused.

"Did I mention Second Younger Brother? I don't remember that…" Luo Feng acted dumb.

"Are you brothers hiding something from us?" Yang Qing squinted her eyes at them.

"No!"

Luo Feng and Luo Xiao answered at the same time.

Seeing that Yang Qing was not going to let this go, Luo Xiao quickly changed the topic. He asked Luo Feng, "Second Younger Brother, I heard that you were very outstanding during the family meeting, what exactly happened?"

Yang Qing immediately forgot about her question earlier. She replied, "Your second younger brother is our family's hero now."

"Oh?" Luo Xiao was even more interested.

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Afterward, Yang Qing briefly spoke about the incident.

"Second Younger Brother, you actually beat up Zheng Yuan, that's awesome! It's a pity that I wasn't there to witness the father and the son being embarrassed…" Luo Xiao responded.

"They're just two clowns, there wasn't much to see." Luo Feng shook his head.

"Feng Lingyue is such a righteous little girl! She actually sacrificed for you, you must thank her well," Luo Xiao commented.

"Mm." Luo Feng nodded. He was also very surprised that Feng Lingyue was willing to do so.

"How can you just thank her?"

Yang Qing looked at Luo Feng. "Feng'er, Lingyue's a very nice girl, and I'm very fond of her too. How about you just marry her?"

Luo Feng was so surprised that he almost dropped his chopsticks onto the table.

"Mother, are you joking? Feng Lingyue and I are best buds, nothing more. Plus, I'm only fifteen!"

"I'm serious."

Yang Qing narrowed her eyes and said, "Feng Lingyue is such an ideal woman. Even if you look around the entire Billow Dynasty, you'll be hard-pressed to find such a beautiful candidate. Plus, she's a genius at that. Sure, you might be fifteen, but what of it? Back at your age, your father was already…"

"Ahem!"

Luo Tian's face turned red and he coughed loudly.

Yang Qing smiled mischievously at Luo Tian and stated, "What's there to be ashamed of? After all, you started pursuing me at the age of fifteen in Full Peak Institution, no?"

A look of bliss appeared on Yang Qing's face as she reminisced the past.

Luo Feng could not help but smile upon noticing his father's shy expression.

Lin Xiaoxiao's face appeared in Luo Feng's mind, prompting him to immediately put his chopsticks down. He declared in a serious tone, "Mother, my goal is to enter the martial arts shrine. Anything else would come after that, including romance."

"The martial arts shrine…"

Yang Qing paused slightly before furrowing her brows at Luo Feng. "Do you know how tough the road ahead of you is? Hundreds upon thousands of people have tried, but only a few have succeeded. Moreover, it is also riddled with plenty of danger."

As a mother, Yang Qing had only hoped for Luo Feng to live a peaceful life.

On the other hand, Luo Tian was extremely pleased with Luo Feng's courage and he loudly declared, "My dear Qing, a true male has broad ambitions! Instead of putting down Luo Feng, we should support him instead!"

"I believe in lil bro too!" Luo Xiao agreed while nodding his head.

As Luo Xiao was about to reach eighteen soon, he had already lost his chance in entering the Golden Halls. As such, the martial arts shrine was a fantasy to him.

Nevertheless, if Luo Feng enters the martial arts shrine, Luo Xiao would be similarly proud as well.

"Fine, but make sure you come back often, then."

Once the idea of meeting Luo Feng less in the future had crossed her mind, her expression soured.

"Let's just put this matter to rest for now."

While looking solemnly at Luo Feng and Luo Xiao, Luo Tian changed topics in a clever manner, asking, "That girl Ling Yue has lent us so much aid, so you'd best return the favor in full by winning the Hunting Meet and take the number one family title! From this moment onwards, the family will use all of its resources to support both of you."

Luo Tian turned to look at Luo Feng and asked, "Feng'er, how long before you'll advance?"

He rubbed his nose and answered, "Within these few days, probably."

"You're that confident?"

Luo Tian flinched slightly, but soon after, he morphed into an expression of excitement. "Alright! With that, you two will be able to match the Li Brothers almost evenly! Just work a bit harder and you'll definitely obtain the opportunity to strike them down!"

'Almost evenly…'

A sly smile appeared on Luo Feng's face.

At his present state, his odds of success against the Li Brothers were at least 70%, and it might even be higher than that!"

"Also, this now belongs to you two." Luo Tian brought out a brocade sack and handed it over to Luo Feng.

"What's this?"

Luo Feng opened up the sack, and to his surprise, there was a whole wad of gold tickets within it. At a rough glance, there were at least two to three hundred thousand taels' worth of silver.

"Father, what's this?"

Luo Feng was slightly surprised.

Zheng Hongzhi had just left the family, and as such, the Luo Family needed silver more than ever. Handing over so much capital all of a sudden was not a rational decision.

"The Great Sun Merchant Alliance is holding an auction tomorrow. There's bound to be plenty of spirit medicine and martial arts there. I want both of you to nab some useful items so that you'll both become stronger."

"Relax, I'm not wasting any unnecessary funds. All of this is from my own pocket." Luo Tian chuckled as he assured the brothers.

Feeling touched by his father's actions, Luo Feng took the sack and tucked it properly.

The Great Sun Merchant Alliance was Panlong City's neighboring major city — the Great Sun City's largest merchant alliance. Every time they hosted an auction, plenty of interesting items were sold within it.

"I have some additional funds on me as well. Take them too, Feng'er."

Yang Qing handed Luo Feng a brocade sack of her own, and within it, a few dozen gold tickets were seen.

"Thank you, mother." Luo Feng offered a word of gratitude.

"What's there to thank me for? It's my personal wish to see both of you excel after all," Yang Qing said with a smile.

Luo Feng nodded his head slightly. Having parents like them was a huge blessing.

After finishing dinner, Luo Feng returned to his courtyard.

The moon's glow was as graceful as flowing water, and below it, Luo Feng could be seen practicing his fist techniques.

During this silent night, Luo Feng's fist winds were as oppressive as usual. Not only were they steady and powerful, but the slow-looking fists were also still able to stir up a strong gust within the courtyard, causing the surrounding trees to make a ruckus as they swayed back and forth.

During his cultivation of the Roaring Tiger Fist in the past two days, Luo Feng had felt a noticeable change in the technique.

Originally, the Roaring Tiger Fist was an aggressive form of martial arts, but when Luo Feng performed it, it had given a calming sensation.

From its appearance, Luo Feng's new Roaring Tiger Fist had looked much weaker than the original. However in truth, Luo Feng was able to utilize the hidden potential of the technique, and as a result, his attacks were several times stronger than the past!

After cultivating for a full four hours, a gleam appeared in Luo Feng's eyes. With his body arched forward, Luo Feng launched his fist in the direction of a thick tree in front of him.

Bam!

Despite being over several dozen feet away from Luo Feng, Luo Feng's rapid fist wind was still able to cause the thick and massive tree to constantly sway. It looked as if it would snap at any moment.

"The Complete State of the Roaring Tiger Fist!"

Luo Feng retracted his fist, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

Having achieved the Complete State of the Roaring Tiger Fist, in terms of strength, it had already surpassed Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts.

"I'm likely to be the only one who managed to cultivate a Yellow Rank Middle Class martial art to the Complete State."

As Luo Feng looked at the scattered leaves around him, he proudly muttered a few words to himself.

Every time a technique advanced in level, the difficulty in cultivating it would increase exponentially. Had it not been for Luo Feng's great sense of apprehension, cultivating the Roaring Tiger Fist to the Success State would have been an extremely challenging task, and the Complete State would be nearly unattainable for him.

Usually, students would only cultivate the Yellow Rank Middle Class martial arts to the Minor Success State and proceed to focus all their remaining strength on their cultivation.

However, for Luo Feng who possessed a terrifying sense of apprehension, he was allowed to lavishly spend his time cultivating his techniques to the highest possible state.

After taking a short break, Luo Feng sighed faintly and continued cultivating.

…

The second day, Luo Feng woke up by daybreak.

After meeting up with Luo Xiao, the two then left the Luo Residence and headed towards the Great Sun Merchant Alliance's auction.

On that day, the streets of Panlong City were extremely lively. It was filled with plenty of martial artists, and from the looks of it, it seemed that most martial artists had caught wind of the Great Sun Merchant Alliance's auction.

The force backing the Great Sun Merchant Alliance was the Great Sun City, and even within the whole of Flowing Cloud Ridge, they were still a powerful force to be reckoned with. Every time an auction was held, several spirit medicine and priceless artifacts would be on sale. As such, they were quite an attractive event for martial artists.

The auction was held at the center of Panlong City. Located there was a stone building towering over 100 feet tall. It had an imposing aura to it, and it looked steadily built. Indeed, this was the Great Sun Merchant Alliance's auction house.

Numerous martial artists formed a queue that extended all the way towards the auction house. They were all chattering excitedly with the contents of the auction as the main topic of their conversations.

"The Great Sun Merchant Alliance is really good at doing business, huh. To think that they would choose such an opportune moment to host an auction. The Hunting Meet is coming up and those who are competing definitely wouldn't hesitate to bankrupt themselves in this auction just to get an upper hand during the meet."

"Indeed. I heard multiple neat items are being sold in the auction this time, containing spirit medicine and martial art manuals. From what I heard, they're even selling Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts!"

"Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts!" The surrounding martial artists gasped in shock upon hearing those words.

"Those Yellow Rank Upper Class techniques cost nearly a million taels for a single manual. We should just forget it, the techniques would definitely be a contested item for the Four Great Families, after all. On that note, my Molten Iron Sword Technique is a Yellow Rank Lower Class technique. So, this time, I'm hoping to nab a Yellow Rank Middle Class technique." A martial artist heaved an envious sigh.

"It's just a Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art. Who cares about that? Don't you know what the most valuable item that's being sold in this auction is?" A young martial artist in brocade robes exclaimed proudly.

"What's the item?" A look of excitement began to creep up the martial artists' faces.

Every time the Great Sun Merchant Alliance held an auction, they had always included grand merchandise within the auctions. These grand merchandise had ranged from spirit medicine, weapons, and even to martial arts, and without fail, these items were always extremely valuable!

After hyping up the martial artists, the brocade-robe teen revealed the item with a delighted grin. "I heard it's a Storage Ring!"

Woah!

The martial artists gasped in surprise.

Since the Storage Ring was a soul artifact, its value needed no explanation. No one would have imagined having such a grand item to be placed on the auction this time around!

'A Storage Ring…'

Originally, Luo Feng did not hold much interest in the auction. His opinion, however, had changed upon hearing the discussion.

'It seems that I've made the right choice in attending this auction. I'll definitely take the Storage Ring for myself!'

Luo Feng instantly made the decision.

"Woah, so there's a storage soul artifact this time, huh. The Great Sun Merchant Alliance really pulled out all the stops this time, huh."

Luo Xiao was also slightly surprised at the news, but soon after, he chuckled bitterly. "Alas, with the state our family is in right now, we're lacking the necessary capital. Otherwise, we might've been able to put up a fight for it."

Luo Feng shrugged off his brother's words with a chuckle.

After killing Su Laohu and obtaining over a million taels of silver, combined with his parents' money, Luo Feng was in possession of over 1.6 million taels of silver!

Since the Storage Ring's price was only placed at around a million tales of silver, Luo Feng was not without a fighting chance.

The two proceeded to the entrance of the auction house, and upon noticing the peculiar attire of the siblings, the female attendant at the front door immediately headed out to greet them.

"May I know who both of you are?"

Luo Xiao stood out and handed over his name plaque. "I'm Luo Xiao of the Luo Family, and this is my brother, Luo Feng."

"Oh, the two young masters from the Luo Family, huh…"

The female attendant widened her eyes upon noticing Luo Feng. Sensing that Luo Feng was no ordinary person, she mentally noted to herself, 'So he's Luo Feng. I heard that he was assessed to have a poor talent for cultivation in the past and was regarded as trash as a result. However, this aura he's emanating, it's almost the same as those heaven-defying geniuses. Heck, even the young masters from the Li Family don't even come close to him.'

As an attendant of the Great Sun Merchant Alliance, she had met countless people before. Among them, plenty had been young and budding teenagers, and as such, she was able to tell a person's strength based on the aura they exuded alone.

"Young masters, please follow me."

The attendant's tone became even more courteous. With a welcoming smile, she pointed ahead and led the two siblings into the auction area.

The auction area was extremely spacious and at its center, a massive stone pillar was erected. Gold and various precious jewels had decorated the surrounding walls of the auction area, generating a mystical radiance, and making the auction look majestic and grandiose.

"Big brother, I must get my hands on a Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art this time around. With that, my abilities will definitely soar!"

Upon entering the auction area, two figures appeared from the lane beside the Luo duo. They were none other than Li Tianyang and Li Tianyao.

The four people locked gazes which then turned chilly as a fight threatened to break out.

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"It's you, Luo Feng!"

Li Tianyang glared coldly at Luo Feng.

Back when they were in the Feng Residence, Li Tianyang had taken a massive hit due to Luo Feng.

Luo Feng cupped his ears as he turned to Luo Xiao. He then asked, "Brother, things are pretty strange as of late. I keep hearing dog barks."

Luo Xiao resisted his strong urge to laugh as he answered, "Well, what can you do? There are too many strays lately."

"How dare both of you!"

Li Tianyang was close to exploding. He glared viciously at Luo Feng with veins bulging on his forehead."Hehe, to think that things have already heated up so much during my absence."

Just as the tense atmosphere had reached its boiling point, a burst of cheerful laughter rang out from beside them.

Standing there was a teen dressed in blue brocade robes. While fanning his fair-skinned face, the teen snickered as he made his way over.

"Han Ji…"

Upon realizing who the newcomer was, Luo Feng's gaze froze.

The fair-skinned teen was Han Yulong's son, Han Ji, and back in the early days, he had his fair share of bullying Luo Feng as well.

"Han Ji, you've come to join the fun as well, I assume?" Li Tianyang greeted Han Ji with a broad smile.

"Of course, how could I miss out on such a grand event?"

Han Ji laughed out loud and approached Li Tianyang with his servants at his side. Upon noticing Luo Feng, a flicker of surprise appeared within his eyes.

'He really IS in the middle phase of the Iron Bone Boundary. The rumors were true after all…'

Han Ji's heart froze, but without revealing his true thoughts, he continued with a smile, "What are you guys still standing here for? The auction's about to begin. I heard that the Great Sun Merchant Alliance has put plenty of amazing items on display this time. It would be a waste to miss out on them. Plus, there are also rumors that the auctioneer is a well-known beauty from the Great Sun City."

Han Ji's words were accompanied by a courteous smile and it made him look like a gentleman. Should one be unfamiliar with him, it was likely that they would be deceived by his smile.

Han Ji's display was downright disgusting to Luo Feng.

After all, Han Ji was also known by a secret nickname called the Smiling Fox.

Where Han Ji failed in his ability, he made it up with his deplorable methods. He might be able to casually joke around with one person upfront, but the moment the person turned their back around, Han Ji would immediately stab him in the back! He was the very definition of despicable!

"I see you're still as smooth a talker since we've last met," Luo Feng stated in a sarcastic manner.

Sensing the insult in Luo Feng's words, Han Ji's eyes twitched. Nevertheless, he maintained an amicable appearance and laughed it off. He joked, "You flatter me. However, compared to your growth over these two years, I'm barely even worth mentioning."

"I'm glad that you're aware too."

Luo Feng rubbed his nose and looked down on Han Ji as if he was a pile of hot sh*t.

Despite Han Ji's great patience, Luo Feng's words had turned Han Ji's expression ice cold. "Luo Feng, I'd advise you to stay humble. Otherwise, you might lose your life at any time."

"The mayor's son need not put so much effort to exterminate me. If I had somehow offended the young master's pride with my words earlier, I apologize. Being direct is in my nature." Luo Feng shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

Pshh…

The female attendant could not contain her laughter. However, upon noting Han Ji's position, she immediately recovered the smile on her face.

Han Ji's eyes twitched and with a loud snort, he harrumphed. "I'm heading in!"

With that, Han Ji made his way towards the auction area.

Upon seeing Han Ji being pushed away by Luo Feng's words, it was instantly clear to Li Tianyang that he would be placed in a difficult position should he stay any longer. As such, he began to leave.

However, after taking two steps, he turned back and smiled at Luo Feng as if he had just recalled something.

"Luo Feng, I bet Luo Family is in dire straits now that Zheng Hongzhi has been banished from your family. If you truly need some money, bow down to me and I might feel generous enough to lend some to you, hahaha…"

"The fact that Li Tianyang is aware of our family's internal matters proves that Li Family is responsible for our current predicament!" As Luo Xiao observed Li Tianyang's receding figure, he shouted on in rage.

On the other hand, since Luo Feng had already learned of this news from Feng Lingyue, he was not surprised. However, there was still an icy chill to Luo Feng's gaze.

"Li Tianyang, just you wait! I'll make you bleed, and we'll see who has the last laugh!"

The two then followed the female attendant to a room beside the auction stage.

The room was not big and it had a simple design to it. Nevertheless, it had provided Luo Feng with a wide field of vision, enabling him to easily observe the situation unfolding on stage.

"Young masters, I'll be right outside. Should any of you need anything, just give me the word." The attendant gave a broad smile as she eyed Luo Feng curiously.

After all, Luo Feng's ability to send Han Ji packing in just a few words had left a deep impression on the attendant.

"Alright." Luo Feng nodded.

With that, the attendant left the room and shut the door behind her. Subsequently, Luo Xiao went ahead and sat on the bench before him and asked Luo Feng, "Brother, the Han Family is still the number one family at this moment, so why did you purposely provoke Han Ji?"

Luo Feng sat beside his brother and chuckled. "You noticed my sarcasm, brother?"

After plucking out a grape from the stone table, Luo Feng narrowed his eyes and continued, "Fine, it was because I found it weird. Brother, you've been staying in Panlong City all this time, so what do you know about Han Ji's relationship with his father?"

"Isn't it obvious? As the only son of Han Yulong, I bet Han Yulong's dying to hand everything over to Han Ji. Why'd you ask, though?"

Luo Feng knocked on the table and narrowed his eyes. "Don't you find Han Ji to be suspiciously calm after his father's death?"

"Hmm, now that you mentioned it, it does seem to be the case."

Luo Xiao nodded and chuckled. "It seems that Han Yulong has raised an unfilial child."

Luo Feng smiled in return, but the mist of doubt within his eyes had yet to dissipate. He truly felt that there was something amiss about the situation.

…

"Damn! That Luo Feng acted too pompously!"

A deep howl was heard in the room opposite Luo Feng's.

Li Tianyang sat on top of his bench with clenched fists and an icy cold gaze. There was a terrifying aura surrounding him as if he were a sharp blade slicing through space itself.

"Little brother, you're way too impulsive. Don't forget, our goal is to become the number one family. As such, don't waste any unnecessary energy in petty skirmishes. Otherwise, you might bring about our downfall," Li Tianyao said in a calm and steady tone.

"Big brother, what do you mean by this?"

Li Tianyang took a quick glance at the opposite room and coldly snorted. "Do you really think those pieces of trash in the Iron Bone Boundary are capable of threatening us? I'm sure you could handle them alone just fine."

His expression turned serious. "One's cultivation base isn't the only thing that decides the results of Hunting Meet. Plus, didn't you notice it earlier? Luo Xiao is already in the Heroic Boundary."

"He's advanced?!"

Li Tianyang was greatly surprised by the revelation. He turned around to look at Li Tianyao, and in an uncertain tone, he asked, "Even then, he still isn't your match, right?"

"Why of course!"

Li Tianyao's gaze turned chilly as he calmly stated, "Out of the entire Panlong City, the only ones who are worthy of being my opponents are Han Lie and Feng Lingyue. Luo Xiao might've advanced, but since he's enrolled in an average institution, the best technique he has is probably only Yellow Rank Middle Class. Moreover, he has only just advanced, and even if his cultivation base was above mine, I'm sure I'll be able to beat him easily!"

At this point, he suddenly paused, and commented with furrowed brows, "What I'm worried about, rather, is that Luo Feng."

"Luo Feng? What's there to worry about? I bet I can beat that piece of trash with a single punch!" Li Tianyang had a smug look on his face.

Li Tianyao shook his head.

"Lil brother, tread carefully. From what I heard, Luo Feng defeated Zheng Yuan yesterday! Just like you, Zheng Yuan is in the later phase of the Iron Bone Boundary, but even then, all it took was a single hit from Luo Feng to send him flying."

"What? A single hit?!"

Li Tianyang was shocked.

He knew who Zheng Yuan was. While Zheng Yuan's abilities did not surpass his own, Zheng Yuan was not that far off either. As such, he found it hard to believe that Zheng Yuan was downed in a single hit.

Li Tianyao nodded as if he was in deep thought.

"I feel like I've heard of Luo Feng recently. I think it was something pretty huge…"

"Brother, you think too much." Li Tianyang chuckled while waving his hands.

"Luo Feng must've cultivated some kind of weird technique. It was by dumb luck that he was able to defeat Zheng Yuan in a single hit. However, once I get my hands on a Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art, I'll definitely have the upper hand. By then, he'll be nothing but an insignificant speck of dust."

"Indeed, your abilities will be raised to a whole new level with a Yellow Rank Upper Class technique in hand. However, with so many influential people present this time, I worry that we might miss out on it," Li Tianyao voiced his concerns.

Li Tianyang smirked and patted his puffed-out chest.

"Father has mobilized all of our family's flexible capital for this auction. There are two million taels of silver in total. As such, I not only want the Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art, I want that Storage Ring as well! I'll break the bones of anyone who dares cross my path!"

He licked his lips, and there was a savage glint in his eyes.

…

"Big brother, do you need anything?"

Seeing as the auction was about to begin, Luo Feng turned around to ask Luo Xiao.

"Me?"

Luo Xiao shook his head. "The two Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts you've given me is more than enough. You have the 500 thousand taels of silver for yourself. I'd recommend picking up a Body-toughening Pill so that you could advance faster."

Luo Feng nodded silently.

In that instant, the whole auction area went silent. A beautiful woman in a red dress walked out from behind the stone stage.

She had a delicate pair of eyes and brows and was of a tall and slender build. Her fiery red dress had charmed the hearts of men, and everyone's attention in the area was immediately drawn to her upon her appearance.

"The Great Sun Merchant Alliance is pretty impressive, huh. To think that they would invite such a vixen to be their auctioneer. With her here, I bet the crowd would spend their silver excessively even on a hunk of scrap metal."

As Luo Feng observed the red-dressed lady, he shook his head.

The red-dressed lady was skillful in manipulating the atmosphere of the auction. With only a few simple words, she had already riled up the crowd, turning the atmosphere in the auction area heated and lively.

Naturally, this was largely due to the red-dressed lady's soothing voice. That, coupled with her seductive smile.

With her presence, the men around her had all lost all sense of reason. As an auctioneer, her most favorite part was seeing people lose their minds.

'The moment people lose their minds, they'll do all sorts of things…'

"Alright, so without further ado, let the auction commence! Please bring our first item onto the stage."

The moment the red-dressed lady went silent, an attendant brought out a jade tray, and on top of the tray, a red manual could be seen.

"The first item to be auctioned off is a manual for a fist technique. The name of the technique is called the Explosive Rock Fist. It's a Yellow Rank Middle Class skill. Once one cultivates it to the Success State, their fist winds would crackle like flames, and it would take only a single fist to smash rocks to dust. It is an extremely powerful fist technique and its power is top-notch as well. To those who wish to make a name for themselves, you'd best not miss out on this fist technique…"

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"Explosive Rock Fist's starting bid will be at 150 thousand taels of silver. Each time you place a new bid, you must increase your bid by at least 5 thousand taels."

Her scarlet lips parted slightly and her alluring voice began to reverberate across the hall.

"The first item's a Yellow Rank Middle Class technique!"

Upon hearing the red-dressed lady's introduction, the auction area was enveloped in a buzz.

To those who had come from average institutions, getting their hands on a Yellow Rank Middle Class technique was already valuable enough.

After all, most martial artists had only cultivated Yellow Rank Lower Class techniques, and there were some who had cultivated only Fundamental Class techniques. As such, their power was extremely limited.

However, should they get a hold of Yellow Rank Middle Class martial arts, their abilities would surely improve!

"This Explosive Rock Fist is now mine! 160 thousand taels!"

The martial artists gave frenzied looks at the manual located on top of the jade tray, and they had begun to place their bids/

"165 thousand taels!"

"170 thousand!"

…

Upon placing the first bid, the entire auction area had immediately clamored with excitement. Bids followed one after another and the scene had descended into chaos. Before long, the bids had already reached a price of 200 thousand taels.

"I can't believe people are going crazy over a single Yellow Rank Middle Class manual."

Luo Feng was slightly baffled by the ongoing madness outside.

Within his institution, even those from the Outer Institution were allowed to pick up Yellow Rank Middle Class techniques. Once they became Inner Institution students, they were then allowed to pick up Yellow Rank Middle Class techniques. As such, Luo Feng did not think much of the Explosive Rock Fist being auctioned.

Luo Xiao chuckled. "Lil brother, you can't compare normal institutions to the four great institutions. Just take mine for example, in order to cultivate a Yellow Rank Middle Class technique, we'd need to become an Inner Institution student first. Those people in front of you have only cultivated Fundamental Class martial arts, so compared to the Explosive Rock Fist, their current techniques are no different than garbage."

Luo Feng nodded. Compared to the students from the four great institutions, these martial artists had indeed lived a tough life.

In that instant, the auction had suddenly reached a turning point, as the bids soared to 250 thousand taels!

"Crap! I'll bid 300 thousand taels!"

A burly martial artist stood up and howled.

300 thousand taels. Upon announcing this bid, many of the surrounding martial artists went silent instantly.

"Hahaha! This Explosive Rock Fist is now mine!" The burly martial artist laughed out loud.

"Hold it!"

Before the burly martial artist's laugh had even subsided, a young martial artist stood up and shouted, "300 thousand taels? So what? I'll bid 310 thousand taels!"

The burly martial artist glared viciously at the young martial artist and through clenched teeth, he cried out, "350 thousand taels!"

The corner of the young martial artist's mouth twitched and sat back down with a solemn expression after a moment of silence. From the looks of it, it seemed that he was lacking capital.

In the end, the Explosive Rock Fist was finally sold to the burly martial artist at the price of 350 thousand taels.

"They've truly gone mad."

Luo Feng stared with a baffled expression.

Originally, he had only expected the Yellow Rank Middle Class manual to be sold at 250 thousand taels at most. However, reality had proved him wrong as it was sold at the exorbitant price of 350 thousand taels!

Had Luo Feng not obtained some money from Su Laohu, the 500 thousand taels on him were barely worth mentioning.

"The second auction will be held for two cartons of Body Strengthening Spirit Liquid. Each carton contains ten bottles of said liquid."

The lady in red brought out a ceramic bottle from the jade tray and began introducing the item. "This is a Grade One Spirit Medicine. It's only effective on martial artists who are under the Iron Bone Boundary. By immersing oneself in this spirit liquid while cultivating, the martial artist's body will be significantly toughened up, and their cultivation process would be greatly accelerated."

"That's the Body Strengthening Spirit Liquid for ya. So, each carton would be sold for 100 thousand taels, and each bid must be at least 5 thousand taels more than the previous bid."

After putting down the ceramic bottle, the lady in red swept her beautiful gaze across the crowd.

"I'm speaking the truth when I say that martial artists are able to cultivate faster with this spirit liquid! I was stuck in the Fourth Meridian Cycle Boundary for a long time! However, with the help of this Body Strengthening Spirit Liquid, it won't be long before I advance!"

"Ten bottles of the Body Strengthening Spirit Liquid will last me all the way to the Iron Bone Boundary!"

"These bottles of spirit liquid will definitely increase the number of Iron Bone Boundary martial artists within the family! I must get a hold of them!"

Within the auction area, many of the martial artists with low cultivation bases were starting to enter a frenzy.

Spirit medicine that was able to accelerate one's cultivation was extremely rare. As such, those who were interested in the spirit liquid were eyeing them like bulls in a rut. Their eyes were practically glowing!

"110 thousand taels!"

"120 thousand taels!"

"150 thousand taels!"

Prices for the first batch of Body Strengthening Spirit Liquid had instantly soared, and many of the minor families within Panlong City had participated in the bids.

After all, the fact that the spirit liquid was able to increase the number of powerhouses in their family had made it an extremely lucrative investment.

As she observed the rowdy crowd below her, the lady in red smiled even more broadly. Seeing as the first batch of the spirit liquid was already selling at such aggressive prices, she reckoned that the prices for the second batch will be through the roof!

Soon after, the first batch of Body Strengthening Spirit Liquid had been nabbed by a young martial artist with good looks at the price of 180 thousand taels.

Before long, the auction for the second batch had begun as well.

Since the second batch was the final batch, there would be no second chances after losing out on it. As such, the moment the auction began, the bids were instantly turned up a notch.

Those who had previously lost in the earlier auction had recklessly placed their bids which caused it to skyrocket! In a blink of an eye, the bids had already surpassed the ending price of the first batch.

"The world has truly gone mad."

Within the comfort of his room, Luo Feng was yet again baffled by the frenzied atmosphere of the crowd.

Sure, the effects of the spirit liquid were indeed impressive, but in the end, they were just Grade One spirit medicine. He had originally estimated the medicine to be sold at 150 thousand taels, but before he knew it, it had already reached a price of 200 thousand taels!

"Lil brother, what are you thinking about?" Seeing the weird expression on Luo Feng's face, Luo Xiao was prompted to ask the question.

"Big brother, do you have any more silver on you?" Luo Feng asked.

Luo Xiao shook his head. "I've already given all I have to you. Why? Are you planning to buy something?"

"Forget it then." Luo Feng shook his head with a hint of frustration.

He initially thought that with the 1.6 million taels of silver on him, purchasing the Storage Ring would not prove to be a problem. However, upon seeing the madness that unfolded before him, Luo Feng started to have second thoughts.

"220 thousand taels going once! 220 thousand taels going twice! 220 thousand taels going thrice! It's a deal! Congratulations to this martial artist who managed to obtain it!"

Not long after the auction for the second batch of the Body Strengthening Spirit Medicine had ended, the next auction began.

As expected of the number one merchant alliance of Great Sun City, all the auctioned items of the Great Sun Merchant Alliance were extremely rare. As a result, their prices were exorbitant as well.

As the auctioned items were auctioned off one after another, Luo Feng's inaction was starting to get on Luo Xiao's nerves.

"Lil brother, the Grade Two Fire Spirit Pill being sold earlier would allow Iron Bone Boundary martial artists to strengthen their vitality. It's exactly what you need, so why didn't you place a bid?"

Naturally, Luo Feng did not expose the secret of his concealed cultivation base. Instead, he smiled and answered, "The medicine I've consumed is still being cultivated within my body, and as such, the Fire Spirit Pill would not suit me."

"I see." Luo Xiao nodded.

Suddenly, the auction area went silent as an attendant brought out a silver tray onto the platform.

With a wave of the lady in red's slender hands, she pulled off the red cloth covering the silver tray, revealing the antique-looking blue manual underneath it.

"The next item is one of our grand merchandise in this auction. It's the Yellow Rank Upper Class Palm Technique! The Stacking Wave Palm!"

Upon hearing the words 'Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts,' the whole crowd went silent.

Although the previous items were indeed precious, none of them had even come close to the allure of the Stacking Wave Palm.

After all, the Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts were already precious items even in the four great institutions. Only Inner Institution students were allowed to cultivate those techniques, so, what had it said about the common world?

After a brief moment of surprise, the crowd soon reverted to their former frenzy. Their eyes glowed with a burning interest for the blue manual in the lady in red's hands, to the extent that they had even forgotten the presence of the lady in red.

"The base price of the Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art, the Stacking Wave Palm is 500 thousand taels. Each time you place a new bid, it must be at least 10 thousand taels higher than the previous bid." Only after everyone's attention was glued to the manual did the lady in red finally start off the auction.

"800 thousand taels!"

The moment the lady in red went silent. An excited voice could instantly be heard.

Upon hearing the bid, the crowd instantly gasped in shock.

While the Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art was indeed precious, the way its prices had risen by 300 thousand from the get-go had meant that the bidder was a person of great wealth.

"Oh, it's the second young master of the Li Family huh. The Hunting Meet will be held within the next ten days, so it seems that he truly wishes to obtain the Stacking Wave Palm." Someone had immediately identified the bidder's identity.

As he sat within his room, Li Tianyang had a smug grin on his face as he observed the looks of surprise on the crowd below.

Just like Luo Feng, Li Tianyang had been remaining inactive earlier as well. There were only two objectives for his participation in the auction, the first was to obtain a Yellow Rank Upper Class technique, and the second, to obtain the Storage Ring. These were the two things he refused to budge on.

"To think that he would raise the bids by 300 thousand taels in one go. That Li Tianyang is truly boasting his wealth. Had it not been for our family's situation, I would've liked to face off with him!" Luo Xiao snorted while looking at the opposite room.

Luo Feng smiled without saying anything. All he did was smirk as he stared at the opposite room.

'Li Tianyang, I'll let you reign freely for now. The show has only just begun…'

The auction area was quiet. Li Tianyang's display of wealth and his determination had intimidated those who wished to obtain the manual as well.

After all, once the four great families participated in the auction, the others would need to carefully inspect their pockets before going against them.

The lady in the red dress frowned slightly. Her original plan was for the Stacking Wave Palm to be sold over a million taels. However, Li Tianyang's sudden outburst was beyond what she had planned.

With a sweet smile on her face, the lady in red batted her eyelids as she swept her sights across the crowd.

"8000 taels of silver! Anyone else willing to place a bid? The Stacking Wave Palm is a technique that was conceived when a master martial artist crossed fists with a master Waterfolk. Once the technique is cultivated to the Success State, the user can stack their energy like huge waves, totaling up a whole eighteen stacks at max. In terms of power, it is considered to be top tier even amongst all Yellow Rank Upper Class techniques!"

Not willing to let the auction end so early, the lady in red attempted to hype up the crowd.

Despite that, the auction hall remained silent.

Originally, there had been plenty of martial artists who had been eyeing the Stacking Wave Palm. However, upon noting Li Tianyang's determined expression, many had pulled back.

In terms of wealth, no ordinary family would be able to put up a fight against the four great families. As such, if they were to place bids now, not only would they miss out on obtaining the manual, they might even get on the wrong side of Li Family.

Just as many had already considered the Stacking Wave Palm to be in Li Tianyang's bag, Luo Feng suddenly placed his bid.

"810 taels!"

Surprised, the lady in red turned to look at Luo Feng's room in an excited manner.

"Alright! 810 taels! It seems that this young man has a good eye for valuable things!"

Li Tianyang, who had originally thought that his bid was cemented, instantly flinched. Upon sensing that it was Luo Feng's voice, he glared viciously toward Luo Feng's room. With furrowed brows, he waved his hand and announced, "A million taels!"

"Woah! A million taels of silver!" A wave of gasps could be heard from the crowd.

"To think that he raised the bid to a million taels! Isn't Li Tianyang going overboard with this?" The martial artists within the hall were surprised by Li Tianyang's determination.

As Li Tianyang stared at the opposing room, he mentally snickered.

Li Tianyang did not raise the bid to a million taels on a whim. He had truly given it some thought beforehand.

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After all, from his estimates, the Stacking Wave Palm's worth was around that value.

Moreover, at the condition Luo Family was in, it was clear that they were in dire financial straits. Even if they had some savings on them, there was no way that they would have more than a million taels!

As such, Li Tianyang swiftly placed the bid with the goal of crushing Luo Feng's spirit.

"Hmph! Luo Feng, it's much too early for you to compete against me!"

Li Tianyang swirled his wine cup with a nonchalant expression. He was confident that Luo Feng would not dare to raise the bid any further.

In that instant, a lazy voice rang out from the opposite room.

"1.01 million taels…"

1.01 million taels of silver!

All of the martial artist's gazes were immediately drawn towards the source of the voice. Li Tianyang's sudden raise to a million taels was already a surprise for them, so they had not expected someone else to go even further.

"Who's the person inside the room? The fact that they can pull out a million taels would mean that they were no ordinary person," a martial artist curiously asked.

"Earlier, I think I saw the two Luo Family young masters entering the room. From what I can tell, the voice would probably belong to the second young master, Luo Feng."

"Luo Feng! No wonder! Since we're in Panlong City, the only ones capable of putting up a fight against Li Family would be Luo Family. I bet that Luo Family doesn't want the Stacking Wave Palm to fall into Li Tianyang's hands. We're in for a good show, guys."

The crowd began to chatter among themselves.

"Dammit!"

Li Tianyang slammed his palm onto the purple jade table, shattering it. The veins on his forehead throbbed and there was a misty blood veil over his eyes, making him seem like a wild lion. He had originally thought that once he raised the bid to a million taels, the Stacked Wave Palm would be his, but Luo Feng had gone and raised his bid as well.

"Hmph! I doubt that the brat would possess so much silver due to his family's situation!"

Through gritted teeth, Li Tianyang stood back up and charged out of his room. He then shouted towards the lady in red and said, "From what I know, Zheng Hongzhi who was previously from Luo Family has just been banished. As such, Luo Family is in dire financial straits right now, so I doubt they can bring out a million taels of silver! Please carry out an investigation on them, now!"

Gasp!

The crowd gasped as no one had expected to hear such controversial news from Li Tianyang.

"An investigation…"

The lady in the red dress scrunched her brows. Usually, investigations were conducted during auctions when a party had doubted another party possessing the claimed capital.

However, as an auctioneer, the one thing she dreaded the most was to carry out an investigation. After all, by doing so, she was bound to upset one party or another.

The atmosphere within the auction hall was tense, and at that moment, Luo Xiao was as worried as ants on hot metal 1.

"Lil brother, what do we do now? Li Tianyang wants to carry out an investigation on us, but we don't really possess that much silver!"

Luo Xiao was in an extremely panicked state.

He did not expect Luo Feng to fight over the Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts, and by the time he had come to his senses, Luo Feng had already bid 1.01 million taels of silver!

In Luo Xiao's mind, the only money they had brought over was the 500 thousand taels given by their parents!

"Okay, how about I leave you here while I return to our residence. I'm sure father will have a plan," Luo Xiao suggested while rushing towards the exit.

Should the investigation verify that they were lacking in silver, the consequences would not just be simple chaos. Rather, they would get on the wrong side of the huge organization, the Great Sun Merchant Alliance, and Luo Family's name would be severely tarnished!

Luo Feng brought his hand forward and stopped Luo Xiao. He stated with a smile, "Brother, remain calm. It'll be fine."

"Why would it? We don't have a million taels of silver on us!" Luo Xiao's face was extremely worried.

Luo Feng pushed Luo Xiao back onto his seat and calmly said, "Big brother, you don't believe me? Fine then, just sit here and watch."

With that, Luo Feng opened the door and walked out of the room.

After leaving his room, Luo Feng looked towards Li Tianyang and pointed his finger at him. He took a jab, saying, "Li Tianyang, is that the extent of your tolerance? Hah, just a million taels of silver and you're already this hard-pressed."

'Just a million taels?!'

Li Tianyang was so mad that his head was about to explode. He pointed at Luo Feng and coldly answered, "You shut your trap, Luo Feng! Just you wait, once I rip off that act of yours, I'll send you packing from here!"

While continuing to point at Luo Feng, Li Tianyang turned towards the lady in red and demanded, "I want you to carry out an investigation on him!"

His barks were starting to get on the lady in red's nerves, but as she was a professional, she did not show her emotions. In a questioning tone, she asked, "Are you sure you want to conduct an investigation on him? Once an investigation has been conducted and it is confirmed that the opposition possesses the said capital, you will need to pay him 10% of the winning bid, regardless of whoever that wins the auction."

"Why of course! He definitely doesn't own a million taels of silver!" Li Tianyang crossed his arms and glared coldly at Luo Feng.

The lady in red took a look and Luo Feng, and while she considered the words to use, Luo Feng waved his hand and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not like this punk with a single brain cell here. If he wishes to carry out an investigation, I'll gladly comply."

The lady in red smiled in gratitude. She was initially worried that Luo Feng would react negatively. After all, no one liked being doubted.

"Young master, this way please." The female attendant walked to Luo Feng's side and led Luo Feng to a special path.

"Say, do you think that Luo Feng has a million taels on him?" The moment Luo Feng left, the whole auction hall entered a buzz. No one expected such an interesting turn of events, and they were visibly excited over it.

"Luo Family is one of the four great families. I'm pretty sure they're able to bring out a million taels," a martial artist hesitantly replied.

"Didn't you hear earlier? Zheng Hongzhi has been banished by the family. Something as huge as this would definitely impact Luo Family's finances. I bet that Li Tianyang knows a thing or two about it, which prompted him to request an investigation. I doubt that Luo Feng would be able to bring out a million taels of silver."

"That's true." A martial artist nodded in agreement.

Li Tianyang, on the other hand, stood on one end with his arms crossed. He had a calm look on his face and mentally chuckled upon imagining Luo Feng being kicked out of the auction due to his lack of funds.

A moment later, Luo Feng returned along with his female attendant.

The lady in red glanced at the attendant and spotted that the latter had nodded her head. With that, the lady in red heaved a sigh of relief.

"The results are out. He does indeed possess the funds to make the bid. Per our agreement, you'll need to pay Luo Feng 10% of the winning bid regardless of whoever wins this auction," the lady in red calmly stated.

"Impossible!"

Li Tianyang's eyeballs had almost dropped out as he pointed angrily at Luo Feng. "There's no way that he has that much silver on him! You guys must've made a mistake!"

The lady in red turned ice cold. "Are you doubting the Great Sun Merchant Alliance?"

He was at a loss of words, but without even her realizing it, Li Tianyao had appeared beside her and was already stroking her arm. With a smile, he said, "My little brother has a hot temper, so please forgive him if he offends you in any way. We're willing to pay Luo Feng 10% of the winning bid as payment for requesting the investigation on him.

Even ten Li Families were nothing in the face of the Great Sun Merchant Alliance. This was a fact that even a numbskull was aware of.

The lady in red calmly nodded and continued, "Alright, we'll now resume the auction. 1.01 taels of silver, anyone else?"

Li Tianyang glared at Luo Feng and through his gritted teeth, he shouted, "1.1 million!"

"1.11 million." Luo Feng sniggered.

"He's adding 10 thousand taels again! Is he doing it on purpose?"

"He's probably doing it to irk Li Tianyang."

"I wonder who'll end up with the Stacking Wave Palm…"

Now that the surrounding martial artists had understood the situation, they were beginning to discuss amongst themselves regarding the family that would end up with the Stacking Wave Palm.

Upon the stage, the lady in red smiled mesmerizingly as she observed the two families fighting amongst one another.

Li Tianyang glared viciously at Luo Feng and his belly burned with a deep sense of hatred. Had it not been for Luo Feng, he would have been able to take the Stacking Wave Palm for only 800 thousand taels, but now, he needed to pay so much more.

"Let's just see how much silver you have!"

An idea occurred to Li Tianyang and he had decided to fight Luo Feng to the bitter end. Through gritted teeth, he shouted out, "1.2 million taels!"

"1.4 million taels." Luo Feng placed his bid without batting his eyes. The sudden increase in his bid had shocked many. After all, he had risen the bid by a whole 200 thousand taels in a single bid!

"1.5 million taels!" Li Tianyang's eyes were bloodshot. He did not wish to raise the bid any further.

"1.5 million taels for a Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art. The Li Family certainly is rich. Li Tianyang, you win!" Contrary to most expectations, Luo Feng had chuckled upon hearing the bid and had put on a look as if Li Tianyang had been played.

Upon realizing this, Li Tianyang's expression morphed to that of shock. As he continued to stare at Luo Feng, his expression turned cloudy, so much so that it appeared as if rain was about to pour from his face.

After all, he had finally realized that he had been played!

At most, the Stacking Wave Palm was only worth 1.2 million taels, however, what Li Tianyang had spent was a staggering 1.5 million taels!

"Dammit! Damn you, the day I let you live is the day I, Li Tianyang have no other purpose in life!" Li Tianyang glared angrily at Luo Feng. His veins were popping from his forehead, and a deep beast-like rumble resonated from within his throat.

The lady in red stared at Luo Feng in surprise. Within her beautiful eyes, a glint of surprise could be seen. On the other hand, when her gaze landed on Li Tianyang, she looked deprecatingly at him instead, containing hits of pity and ridicule. However, soon after, her gentle voice had reverberated through the auction hall once again.

"1.5 million taels going once! Going twice… Going thrice! Sold! Congratulations!"

Luo Feng who was standing at the side had also clasped his fists and offered his congratulations. "Congrats, Li Tianyang. To purchase a Yellow Rank Upper Class Technique for 1.5 million taels of silver, I bet you're the first and last person to do so. Oh yeah, hand me my 150 thousand taels now, hahaha…"

After chuckling loudly, Luo Feng returned to his room.

Subsequently, the crowd laughed out loud as well.

Li Tianyang's face was a steely green, and if it was possible, he would very much like to kill Luo Feng on the spot!

"My Lady, Luo Feng is such a meanie…" Within another room, Ling Que pouted.

Beside her was Feng Lingyue, and with a smile, she made fun of Ling Que and asked, "If you didn't like him In the first place, why were you so worried when Li Tianyang requested an investigation on Luo Feng?"

"I… I just felt that he was slightly better than Li Tianyang is all. I repeat, just slightly better!" Ling Que rubbed her palms while answering.

Feng Lingyue smiled while shaking her head and returned her gaze to Luo Feng's room soon after.

She was well aware of the situation within Luo Feng's family. As such, she was actually sweating buckets when Li Tianyang requested an investigation to be conducted on Luo Feng. Nevertheless, the results were totally different from her expectations.

"It's getting harder to understand you…"

Feng Lingyue sighed.

"Brother, what happened? How did you pass the investigation? Upon his return to the room, Luo Xiao immediately greeted Luo Feng.

Luo Feng gave a plain smile and explained, "Big brother, don't you remember what I said? I killed a few powerhouses to obtain the two manuals I've given you, along with nearly a million taels' worth of gold tickets."

"Oh, so that's how. Why didn't you tell me earlier? I was so worried about you." Luo Xiao heaved a sigh of relief.

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In that instant, the lady in red's voice rang out once again.

"We've now come to our final item. This is the true grand merchandise of today's auction. It's a Grade One Storage Ring!"

"The Storage Ring has finally appeared."

The lady in red's voice subsided, and within his room, Luo Feng's attention was wholly focused on the jade tray beside the lady.

The entire auction hall was eerily silent as most had their eyes excitedly trained on the auction stage.

This was the real grand merchandise!

"The Storage Ring is one of the soul artifacts of legend! This will be the first time I've ever laid eyes on it. I wonder what it looks like." A martial artist licked his lips excitedly.

"So what if you'll get a look at it? The Storage Ring's price is bound to be higher than the Stacking Wave Palm's. There's no chance of us obtaining it."

A martial artist standing beside the prior one shook his head.

"I'm aware that there's no chance for me, but still, it's worth taking a look at. After all, most people have never even seen a soul artifact in their entire lives."

"True. The auction this time will most likely be even more competitive than the Stacking Wave Palm. Who knows who'll be the one to end up with the Storage Ring…"

"It'll definitely be someone from the four great families. After all, who in the right mind would relinquish such a valuable item that easily? From the way Li Tianyang had acted earlier, I'm sure he's come prepared, so my bet's on Li Family."

"Li Tianyang had just been toyed with by Luo Feng. Not only did he purchase the Stacking Wave Palm at the expensive price of 1.5 million taels, but he was also forced to compensate 150 thousand taels to Luo Feng. I doubt he has much silver left on him. On the other hand, I feel like Luo Family stands a decent chance at getting the ring. After all, Luo Feng's performance earlier was amazing."

"Quick, look! The auction's about to begin!"

Upon the stage, the lady in red personally held out a purplish-gold jade tray forward. In one swift motion, she removed the red veil covering the tray and revealed an antique-looking ring underneath it.

"This is the Golem Ring. It is a Grade One spirit artifact, and it has a dimensional storage 7 feet in width. You can freely extract items from it, and as such, it is a must-have for aspiring martial artists."

With that, the lady in red then placed the ring onto the snow-white index finger of her right hand.

Woosh!

She pulled out the sword at her attendant's waist, and with a stroke of her fingers, the three-feet-long sword vanished without a trace. It was as if it had never existed!

"So this is a Soul Artifact?! Isn't it too convenient?"

As the masses observed the ring on the lady's finger, a wave of gulping noises could be heard.

Upon seeing the surprised expressions of the martial artists as they stared at the ring, the lady in red could not help but grin in satisfaction.

"The starting price for the Storage Ring is 800 thousand taels! Each bid must be at least 50 thousand more than the previous one!"

"900 thousand taels!"

An old, skinny martial artist cried out.

Luo Feng knew who the person was. He was one of the famed weapon sellers within Panlong City, and although he did not have as much influence as the four great families, he was still considered one of Panlong City's top few personalities.

"950 thousand taels!" Not long after the old man shouted, another young martial artist stood up and placed a bid as well.

"A million taels!" The shriveled old man glared viciously at the young martial artist before raising his bid again.

Nevertheless, the bids were not as competitive as expected. Compared to the previous auctions, the auction this time was relatively quiet, and only those with influence within Panlong City were participating in it.

After all, the price of a million taels itself had already stopped plenty of people in their tracks.

Once the bids exceeded the price of 1.1 million taels, the auction became noticeably slower. Even the first few people that placed their bids had become hesitant. From the looks of it, they were reaching their limit soon.

Nevertheless, the crowd seemed unfazed by the bids. All of them had understood that the initial bids were only the appetizer, and the true show lied in the later half. After all, no one from the four great families had uttered a single word yet.

"1.3 million taels!"

Suddenly, a cheerful tone rang out from within a room. The person had raised the bid by 200 thousand taels!

"It's Han Ji from Han Family! The four great families are finally showing their hand!"

Upon hearing the price offered, the crowd regained their attention.

The moment Han Ji placed his bid, the few bidders earlier had immediately gone silent. With dissatisfied looks on their faces, they returned to their seats.

"1.4 million taels!"

From another room, fluttered out a melodious voice of Feng Lingyue.

"1.5 million taels!" Li Tianyang shouted his bid with a solemn expression.

After being played by Luo Feng earlier, Li Tianyang was playing it safe. He dared not raise his prices whimsically.

"Woah! Three out of the four great families have joined the fray! The soul artifact is that attractive, huh? I wonder, would Luo Family participate as well?"

The crowd stared at Luo Feng's room with great anticipation, but not a single voice could be heard coming from it.

"It seems that 1.3 million taels is the highest Luo Family can go."

Seeing that Luo Feng remained silent, many people were feeling let down. Luo Feng's rematch with Li Tianyang was much anticipated.

"Young master, we didn't bring much silver with us this time. Do you still wish to increase your bid?" Within a room, a servant with a white beard asked Han Ji.

Han Ji's gaze turned cold, and with a snap, he folded back his fan and shook his head. "There will be no need for that."

His sharp gaze was directed to the other rooms, and the corner of Han Ji's mouth had twisted into an ominous smile.

"Hehe, the four great families, huh… You'll all soon become the property of the Han Family. I'll just leave my Storage Ring in your care for a few days, then!"

"I can't believe the Han Family has given up this early…"

The fact that the Han Family had given up before placing a second bid had shocked many.

After all, as the current number one family, be it in terms of wealth or influence, they were capable of squashing all opposition.

It was now the Feng Family's turn to bid.

"My Lady, do you still wish to bid?" The twin-tailed Ling Que looked towards Feng Lingyue and asked.

After giving it some thought, Feng Lingyue gently shook her head. "That won't be necessary."

While the Storage Ring was a valuable item, it did not interest Feng Lingyue much.

Compared to the other three great institutions, having the Storage Ring was not a big deal as a student of the Sky Mist Institution.

After all, as an Inner Institution student of the Sky Mist Institution, all she needed to do was gain more power, and with it, the path to more Storage Rings would be opened up for her.

Several whispers began to spread throughout the auction hall.

Many had thought that the auction would develop into a full-fledged bloodbath, but they did not expect for it to end so abruptly.

"Hahaha… The Storage Ring is mine!"

Li Tianyang had been expecting a vicious battle, but contrary to his expectations, it was as easy as cake. He leaped with joy and turned towards the lady in red, declaring, "Since there's no one else making a bid, I'd think it best to end the auction now."

"Who says that there's no one else? You speak too soon Li Tianyang."

Li Tianyang's voice had just subsided when it was immediately followed by another's voice/

Luo Feng walked out of his room and narrowed his eyes at Li Tianyang while declaring, "1.6 million taels!"

"It's Luo Feng again!"

Upon realizing that it was Luo Feng who placed the bid, the whole crowd went wild, as this was an unexpected turn of events.

Even Li Tianyang had not expected Luo Feng to place such a huge bid. Like a furious lion, Li Tianyang glowered at Luo Feng and asked, "Are you purposely making me mad today, Luo Feng?"

Ignoring Li Tianyang's glare, Luo Feng rubbed his nose and nonchalantly answered, "Li Tianyang, this is an auction. Do you think that no one else is allowed to make a bid once you've placed one yourself? Please, stop being so childish, alright?"

The crowd burst with snickers.

Li Tianyang felt as if his head was about to explode upon sensing the scornful gazes directed at him. He then pointed at Luo Feng and shouted, "Fine, you forced my hand. Let's just see how much silver you have on you! 1.7 million taels!"

"1.8 million taels."

Luo Feng's tone was just like before. There was not an ounce of agitation to it.

However back in their room, Luo Xiao was sweating buckets over Luo Feng. He was actually quite impressed by how relaxed Luo Feng was.

Coupled with the compensation given by Li Tianyang, Luo Feng had possessed around 1.8 million taels of silver on him at that time.

In other words, the 1.8 million taels he bid was the absolute maximum he could go!

Despite that, Luo Feng was able to calmly place his bid without revealing his limits.

Had it been himself, Luo Xiao would never be able to do such a thing.

"Dammit!"

Li Tianyang glared at Luo Feng once again with clenched fists and bloodshot eyes.

As Li Tianyang had only brought around 3.7 million taels of silver, he was now left with only around 1.9 million taels.

However, upon noticing Luo Feng's calm expression, Li Tianyang was made to believe that Luo Feng's limit was over 1.9 million taels.

Luo Feng picked up the dejection within Li Tianyang's expression and mentally celebrated.

'Thank god this punk has reached his limit as well. Otherwise, I'll definitely lose if he places another bid.'

The atmosphere within the room froze, and upon realizing how hesitant Li Tianyang looked, she readied the jade hammer beside her.

"1.8 million taels going once! Is there anyone else who wishes to place a bid?"

Li Tianyang's expression contorted as he turned to look at Li Tianyao and asked, "Big brother, do you have any silver on you?"

Li Tianyao shook his head.

"1.8 million taels going twice…"

The lady in red took another glance at Li Tianyang. While shaking her head, she lifted the jade hammer.

"Hold it!"

Li Tianyang gritted his teeth and thrust out his hand to halt the lady in red. He then took out a glowing jade rock.

"This is a scorching jade. Just by carrying it, the holder's physique would drastically improve! Its effects are akin to a Grade Two spirit medicine, and it's worth at least 800 thousand taels! Combined with the 1.9 million taels I have on hand, I bid both my money and this item together for a grand total of 2.7 million taels!"

After sweeping his gaze at Luo Feng, Li Tianyang maliciously declared, "Luo Feng, if you're able to bid any higher than this, I'll leave here immediately!"

"Li Tianyang's gone mad! This isn't an auction! It feels more like they're battling one another!"

The surrounding martial artists noticed the mad look in Li Tianyang's eyes and yelled out in shock.

"Hehe, a man values his dignity. After taking such a huge loss due to Luo Feng, I bet he's trying to take revenge on Luo Feng by taking away this Storage Ring Luo Feng seems to be keen on."

"2.7 million taels. That's a rich kid for you. He didn't even bat his eyes when he placed his bid. I believe this is as far as Luo Feng can go…"

"No matter how it ends, I'm glad that I attended today's auction. To think that I could bear witness to such an interesting rivalry."

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The surrounding martial artists began gossiping again, and they were all waiting with much anticipation for the next turn of events.

The lady in red took a glance at the red jade in Li Tianyang's hands, and with a nod of her lower chin, her attendant walked forward to retrieve the jade.

"Not bad, this really is an Upper Class Scorching Jade."

The lady in red carefully inspected the jade in her hand. A moment later, she nodded her head with an excited look in her eyes.

This was not her first time auctioning a Storage Ring, but throughout her history of auctioning it, her highest bid was only 2.7 million taels. As such, she was beyond excited to know whether she'll finally break her personal record.

The lady in red gave a pleading look to Luo Feng, and once again, her alluring voice rang out within the auction area.

"2.7 million taels! Is there a higher bid?"