Chapter 166: Burning Money? This Was an Art Form!

Lei Qianjue’s interrogation was like an invisible heavy hammer, smashing fiercely into Jian Wuxin’s Dao heart.

“Sword Dao orthodoxy”—these four words were a belief carved into his bones since childhood, the very foundation that had allowed the Myriad Sword Sect to stand unfallen in the Mortal Realm for tens of thousands of years.

For the sake of a vague and illusory “external path” technology, to bear the infamy of being “heretical,” and even possibly drag the entire sect into the abyss of an all-out war with the Lei Family…

Was it worth it?

That instant of daze caused violent ripples to surge through Jian Wuxin’s sword heart, which had long been as calm as an ancient well. The hand gripping his sword even loosened for a brief moment.

“Pa.”

A hand gently pressed down on his shoulder.

Jian Wuxin was startled. When he turned around, he saw Chu Feng’s face, wearing a warm and gentle smile.

“Sword Daoist friend, calm down.”

Chu Feng’s voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable stabilizing force.

“Remember the ‘Gambling Agreement’ we signed, Chapter Four, Article Seventeen: during the period of project cooperation, neither party’s ‘core decision-maker’ may, due to ‘non–force majeure factors’ (including but not limited to being verbally PUA’d by competitors, Dao heart instability, temporary stage fright, and so on), affect the progress of the project. Otherwise, it will be deemed unilateral breach of contract.”

“As for the penalty… it seems to be ten times your party’s ‘total investment amount’ this time.”

“……”

The ripples that had just arisen in Jian Wuxin’s Dao heart were instantly doused to the core by this basin of icy “liquidated damages.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. He took a deep breath, and that trace of wavering was immediately replaced by an even stronger, visceral pain.

He regripped the sword hilt, his gaze returning to the stillness of an ancient well, and toward Lei Qianjue’s direction, he coldly spat out two words:

“Annoying.”

Chu Feng nodded in satisfaction.

See? Dao heart, beliefs—before absolute “commercial rules” and “breach clauses,” all of them had to give way.

“An excellent ‘investor’ should never let emotions dictate their ‘investment decisions.’”

Chu Feng patted Jian Wuxin’s shoulder and instructed him earnestly,

“Lei Qianjue’s current behavior, in our business theory, is called ‘incompetent rage.’”

“The more he acts like this, the more it proves that our strategy has hit his sore spot.”

After speaking, he gestured “continue” toward Feng Zhiruo.

“Six million!”

Seeing his verbal attacks prove ineffective, Lei Qianjue flew into a complete rage and once again shouted out a price that gave every cultivator present collective myocardial infarction.

At this moment, spirit stones no longer seemed like money, but merely a string of cold numbers—a tool to crush an opponent’s dignity.

“Six million one hundred thousand.”

Feng Zhiruo’s voice remained as calm as an autumn pond, without the slightest ripple.

This frenzied bidding completely ignited the City That Never Sleeps.

The price galloped wildly like an unbridled horse.

“Seven million!”

“Seven million one hundred thousand.”

“Eight million!”

“Eight million one hundred thousand.”

……

All the cultivators in the venue were already numb. They felt that they had not come to attend an auction today, but to watch immortals fighting.

Each shouted bid was like a massive mountain piled from top-grade spirit stones, crashing down on their hearts, giving them a brand-new—and extremely painful—understanding of the word “wealth.”

The auctioneer’s old face had bloomed into a brilliant chrysanthemum. The hand holding the auction hammer trembled slightly from excessive excitement. This auction would surely be recorded in the annals of the City That Never Sleeps!

Inside the Lei Family’s private room, the atmosphere was suffocating to the extreme.

Even for a family as extravagantly wealthy as the Lei Family, once the price soared past nine million, Lei Qianjue’s breathing grew heavy. The expressions of the several family elders behind him were even more unsightly.

“Young Lord, this can’t go on!”

One elder could not help but urge,

“Nine million has already far exceeded our budget!”

“This is nearly one-third of the family’s liquid funds!”

“Shut up!”

Lei Qianjue’s eyes were bloodshot, like a gambler who had lost all reason.

“Once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back! If I retreat today, I, Lei Qianjue, and my Lei Family will become the laughingstock of the entire Mortal Realm!”

He stared fixedly at the Ascension Group’s private room, wanting to hear even the slightest hint of hesitation or reluctance in their bids.

However, there was none.

Their bids were always so casual, always so precise and infuriating—only adding one hundred thousand.

The feeling was like a burly man throwing a punch with all his might, only to smash it into a bottomless mass of cotton—his strength had nowhere to go, stifling him to the extreme.

What he did not know was that inside the Ascension Group’s private room, Zhao Wuji was passionately delivering “live commentary.”

“Did you see that, family members! This is the chairman’s self-created ‘suffocating bidding method’!”

“By making fixed, small incremental bids, we continuously apply psychological pressure to the opponent, preventing him from figuring out our ‘funding bottom line,’ while at the same time maximally stretching the ‘bidding front’ to wear down the opponent’s will!”

“Every increase is a precise act of ‘cost control’!”

“Every moment of calm is a ‘spiritual suppression’ of the opponent!”

“What we’re burning isn’t money—it’s art! It’s war!”

Jian Wuxin’s eyelids twitched violently as he listened. He was now seriously suspecting that he had boarded a pirate ship.

“Ten million!”

Finally, Lei Qianjue, as if exhausting all his strength, roared out a number that would move even a Deification Ancestor.

The entire venue fell completely silent.

Ten million top-grade spirit stones!

This sum was enough to launch a war of national annihilation!

After calling out this price, Lei Qianjue seemed to have all strength drained from his body. He slumped into his chair, gasping for breath.

This was his trump card, and also the absolute limit the Lei Family could endure.

He stared at the opposite side, roaring madly in his heart: Follow it! If you’ve got the guts, follow it again!

All eyes focused on the Ascension Group’s private room.

This time, Feng Zhiruo did not immediately bid.

Time passed, second by second.

The venue was so quiet that one could hear everyone’s heartbeat.

A glimmer of hopeful light finally appeared in Lei Qianjue’s eyes.

They… had reached their limit!

Just as the auctioneer raised the hammer, about to strike and seal the deal—

Chu Feng’s voice, for the first time, personally rang out from the private room, still carrying that lazy tone.

“Ten million one hundred thousand.”

“Pu!”

Lei Qianjue nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

However, Chu Feng was not finished speaking.

“Sigh, I originally wanted to play with Young Lord Lei a bit longer, but the game should end now.”

His tone shifted abruptly, his voice becoming clear and resonant as it spread through the entire venue.

“Pavilion Master Yao Yue, I, Chu Feng, am willing to use 10% of my Ascension Group’s future net profits over the next hundred years as ‘asset collateral’ to your Thousand Illusions Pavilion, borrowing… twenty million top-grade spirit stones!”

“This set of remains—I am taking it today.”

As soon as these words fell, the entire venue fell into dead silence!

Everyone was utterly shaken out of their wits by Chu Feng’s wild, unheard-of, insane operation!

Using future profits from the next hundred years as collateral?

What kind of insane move was this?!

Cultivation could be played like this?!

Just as everyone thought Yao Yue would reject such an absurd request—

Yao Yue’s enchanting, soul-toppling laughter echoed down from the top of the venue, filled with appreciation and delight.

“Approved!”

“Chairman Chu’s face—my Thousand Illusions Pavilion will give it!”

As her voice fell, another figure who had remained silent all along, cold as ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, finally moved.

Murong Tian slowly stood up. He neither looked at Chu Feng nor at the remains, but instead fixed his gaze on Lei Qianjue.

In a tone devoid of any emotion, as if merely stating a fact, he calmly said:

“Brother Lei, my Heavenheart Holy Land is willing to use three Heaven-tier magic treasures from the sacred land’s treasury as collateral, to help you secure this item.”

Boom!

If Chu Feng’s move was madness, then Murong Tian’s intervention was a world-shaking tsunami!

This was no longer a competition between two forces!

This was an ultimate showdown—staking everything—between the “emerging capital” led by Chu Feng, and the “traditional aristocratic powers” represented by the Lei Family and Heavenheart Holy Land!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep