Chapter 239: Who's Disgusting Who

"Zhang Keren, don't go too far!" Zhang Zide glared at Zhang Keren, angrily shouting.

Hearing Zhang Zide's words, Zhang Keren's expression remained calm, his face still adorned with a faint smile. "Zhang Zide, you're not the head of the clan yet, so is it really appropriate to call me by name?"

"Besides, the rules of this Treasure-Betting Event clearly allow bidding on items. Did I break any rules?"

Despite his anger, Zhang Zide knew he couldn't do anything about it. Zhang Keren, as the head of the Northern Branch Clan, held a high status within the Eight-Armed Sea Clan.

Among the Eight-Armed Sea Clan, the four branch clan leaders had authority second only to the main clan leader. Even the grand elder of the main clan ranked below them.

And since Zhang Keren was playing by the rules, there was nothing Zhang Zide could do to stop him.

This was precisely why Zhang Keren could use such tactics to annoy Lin Qian.

Seeing the frustration on Lin Qian's face brought great satisfaction to Zhang Keren. After all, back at the small world's gate, when Lin Qian helped Zhang Wensuan advance a minor realm, it had indirectly humiliated him.

For days, whenever he encountered Zhang Yiyi, he faced snide remarks and cold looks.

And all of this stemmed from this human youth. So making Lin Qian uncomfortable was a small but satisfying revenge.

Moreover, Lin Qian had even declared that he would kill Wu Chunshan, a member of his Northern Branch Clan's ally. Such statements were a slap to his face.

The more he thought about it, the angrier Zhang Keren became. So when Lin Qian raised the price to 2 million mid-grade soul crystals, Zhang Keren promptly countered.

"2.05 million mid-grade soul crystals!"

"3 million mid-grade soul crystals!"

"3.05 million mid-grade soul crystals!"

"5 million mid-grade soul crystals!"

"5.05 million mid-grade soul crystals!"

After his final bid, Zhang Keren shot a provoking glance at Lin Qian, whose eyes were nearly burning with fury, as if daring him to challenge him further.

Not just Lin Qian, but Ye Xin and the others were equally infuriated.

"I never imagined that a branch clan leader would stoop so low." Zhang Qi gritted his teeth, glancing at Lin Qian.

Clearly, Lin Qian had asked Zhang Zide and Li Yunfeng to seek out the Refining Body text for a reason—it was crucial to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so eager to find it.

"10 million top-grade soul crystals!" At that moment, Lin Qian's water-breathing apparatus hissed with furious bubbles, indicating his intense anger.

Ye Xin, startled, tugged at Lin Qian's arm. "Xiao Qian, isn't this a bit too much?"

However, Lin Qian didn't respond, simply glaring at Zhang Keren, his chest heaving as if he were filled with rage.

"Hmph, this Refining Body text must be incredibly important to him," Zhang Keren thought, maintaining his calm demeanor as he made his next bid, "10.05 million top-grade soul crystals!"

Zhang Keren calmly entered his bid, confident that Lin Qian would counter once more.

But then, Lin Qian's water-breathing apparatus suddenly stopped bubbling, and his previously agitated breathing evened out. With a playful gleam in his eyes, Lin Qian put away his token, cupped his hands in mock surrender, and said, "Clan Leader Zhang, you're clearly wealthier than I am. I'll let you have it."

Zhang Keren's face froze as he quickly turned to the display case, where the protective barrier was retracting, and the Refining Body text was being whisked away to the central collection area on the first floor.

This meant he had just purchased the Refining Body text for 10.05 million top-grade soul crystals.

Zhang Keren wasn't the only one stunned; even Ye Xin and the others were taken aback by Lin Qian's sudden change of heart.

Moments ago, Lin Qian had seemed consumed by rage, bidding recklessly. But now, he was all smiles, casually conceding to Zhang Keren, his eyes showing no trace of anger.

"You...you're giving up? But isn't this Refining Body text crucial to you?" Zhang Keren, realizing what had just happened, couldn't hide his panic.

Lin Qian chuckled coldly and said, "If I were in your shoes, I'd have sent a skilled refiner to compete with me—at least it would've seemed more believable. But alas, Clan Leader Zhang, it seems you're more intent on humiliating me than acquiring the text."

"Xiao Qian, what's going on?" Ye Xin asked curiously, glancing between Zhang Keren and Lin Qian, puzzled by the situation.

"The Refining Body text is fake. It's likely just a worthless book, perhaps containing basic third-stage techniques or some low-level soul skills, but definitely not the Refining Body text. It's just something that happened to be unearthed from an ancient ruin."

"The book's cover was altered using refining techniques, leaving subtle traces behind. So this Refining Body text is just a disguise."

"Moreover, since Zhang Zide's grandfather knew I was looking for this text, it's no secret among the branch clans and smaller clans. It's likely someone tried to use that knowledge to set me up."

With that, Lin Qian pointed towards the eastern side of the hall.

Following his gesture, Ye Xin and the others saw a group of people in blood-red robes walking away, disappearing from sight.

"Bloodthirsty Hall!" Li Yunfeng's eyes narrowed as he growled softly.

"This Refining Body text was probably forged by someone from Bloodthirsty Hall and placed here. Since they can't kill me but don't want to swallow their pride, they devised a plan to disgust me. But they couldn't directly provoke me since they're part of the human alliance."

"While the Sea Clan can't intervene in matters between humans, if I ask Zhou Yian for help, Bloodthirsty Hall will have a lot to worry about."

"So they sought out someone within the Sea Clan who disliked me. And who better than Clan Leader Zhang?" Lin Qian smiled at Zhang Keren, whose face had turned ashen. "You just happened to be nearby when I placed my bid? That's a bit too convenient."

"You assumed I was desperate for the text and would do anything to get it, so you kept raising the price. When I jumped to 10 million top-grade soul crystals and acted enraged, you probably thought I'd lost my mind and would keep bidding, so you kept going too."

Finally, Lin Qian removed his water-breathing apparatus, grinning as he bared two rows of gleaming white teeth at Zhang Keren. "Who's really disgusting whom, huh?"