Chapter 496: Chapter 361: Rivalry and Jealousy

After the young man’s words fell, the whole venue grew slightly quiet, then whispers began to emerge.

Everyone thought the bidding for this item was already settled, but no one expected someone to suddenly increase the bid.

Even the beautiful woman paused ever so slightly, her hand gripping the gavel stopping for a moment, looking toward where the young man sat, surprise in her gaze.

Since it’s an auction, raising the bid is the most normal thing; however, usually, if someone truly wants the item, they don’t keep their paddle down until the gavel is about to fall—they don’t suddenly raise their paddle at the last moment.

This way of bidding carried an unmistakable air of provocation.

Of course, the young man didn’t bother to hide the provocation in his eyes.

Looking at Ya Ge beside him, people quickly caught on, a trace of amusement on their lips.

Is this a jealousy spat?

“Haha, isn’t that kid Xu Tianyin’s grandson?”

“Yeah, his name’s Xu Luofeng, twenty six years old, also a genius. He refined a Ninth Tier Flying Centipede. He’s already a Seven-Star Demon Spirit Master; the Spirit Ascending Fruit is useless to him. Clearly, he’s just stirring up trouble.”

“Why bother, though? Offending Lin Feng isn’t going to do him any good.”

“Young people fighting out of jealousy is understandable, but there’s really no need.”

“He’s just a scion, a loser who doesn’t even dare enter the Land of Chaos, yet he’s got the nerve to bid against Lin Feng.”

The crowd muttered among themselves, each with their own opinion on the matter.

“2.1 billion, first call.”

Although surprised, the beautiful woman quickly recovered and called out.

“2.2 billion.”

Lin Feng looked at Xu Luofeng, his expression turning slightly cold as he spoke.

“2.3 billion.”

Without hesitation, Xu Luofeng raised the bid again, his voice lazy, giving off an air of utter carelessness.

The people from the Dawn Organization watched Xu Luofeng raise his paddle, some frowning slightly, but most seemed indifferent.

As the Dawn Organization, they feared no force except for the Pure Land.

Besides, Lin Feng was just one person, without any backing.

So what if he was a demon fiend when it came to talent?

Talent does not equal strength.

The Dawn Organization had three Emperors among their ranks—that was the backbone of their confidence.

Outside of Pure Land, which faction could count so many Emperors among their number?

As for Lin Feng being an Apostle candidate, they knew about it, but didn’t care.

Apostle candidates aren’t actual Apostles; even among the 24 Apostles, none of them are Celestial Kings—so what if they offend one?

Ya Ge’s lovely brows furrowed. She looked at Xu Luofeng beside her, her tone hinting at displeasure: “That Spirit Ascending Fruit is useless to you. You don’t need to compete against him for it!”

“It’s not about competing. I’m buying it specifically for you.”

Xu Luofeng smiled at Ya Ge, his voice gentle.

The girl had only joined Dawn a few days ago, but Xu Luofeng was already infatuated with her, hence his hostility toward Lin Feng.

“I don’t want it.”

Ya Ge shook her head slightly. If she’d known this would happen, she wouldn’t have come to the auction.

Ya Ge looked at Xu Tianyin, hoping he would tell Xu Luofeng to back off, but Xu Tianyin only glanced at him silently, giving no opinion at all, as if it was none of his business.

“2.4 billion.”

Lin Feng raised his paddle.

“2.5 billion.”

“2.6 billion.”

“2.7 billion.”

Amid the interested looks from the bystanders, the bid for this Spirit Ascending Fruit soared all the way to 3 billion, far surpassing the fruit’s actual value.

Although the Spirit Ascending Fruit had a special effect, it only worked on Demon Spirits below the Sixth Tier. For Sixth Tier, the effect wasn’t significant. It could save time for a Demon Spirit’s advancement, but it was nowhere near worth three billion.

Three billion could buy several Demon Spirits with Diamond Soul Skills, or a huge pile of Treasures of Heaven and Earth to boost the Demon Spirit’s growth. Why rush for a few extra months, or even half a year? Only Lin Feng, who had refined low-level Demon Spirits, truly needed it; other geniuses with resources and support watched their Demon Spirits grow quickly.

With the Land of Chaos about to open, Xu Luofeng seemed sure that Lin Feng wouldn’t back down, so he upped the bids decisively, without a care in the world. Soon, he started raising the price by two billion at a time. In just over a minute, the bidding had shot up to 4 billion.

Lin Feng’s expression stayed calm throughout—no sign of anger or regret—only a trace of coldness in his eyes.

Yun Kai and the others at his side looked grim; even Yu Qiao didn’t dare open his mouth at this moment.

Even though he liked to mess around, Yu Qiao knew when to pick his moments. As part of the Avengers Alliance, if Lin Feng was being targeted, of course he’d side with him.

“4.1 billion!”

Lin Feng raised his paddle. The next second, Xu Luofeng did the same: “4.3 billion.”

After calling out the price, he glanced at Lin Feng, but Lin Feng couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge him at all.

“Pretty cocky.” Xu Luofeng sneered inwardly—this was his first lesson for Lin Feng.

He knew Lin Feng was loaded and stubborn enough not to give up, so there was no risk of the Spirit Ascending Fruit falling into his own hands.

“4.4 billion.”

Lin Feng raised his paddle again.

This bidding war—two men fighting over a woman—had the crowd of experts watching in amusement.

4.4 billion was already a monstrous amount, enough to buy several precious Ninth Tier Demon Spirits.

Now, quite a few people began to frown slightly, their eyes full of dissatisfaction at Xu Luofeng.

Lin Feng was about to head into the Land of Chaos to fight for his nation, while Xu Luofeng wasn’t even planning to enter. Knowing how important this Spirit Ascending Fruit was to Lin Feng and still doing this on purpose—he’d already pissed off a lot of people.

“4.5 billion.”

Just as Lin Feng was about to raise his paddle, Yang Ningbing raised hers first, and as she did, she turned slightly, her gaze settling on Xu Luofeng.

Yang Ningbing’s sudden entry took many by surprise, and some found it odd that she was joining this price war out of nowhere.

Every seat came with a paddle, allowing everyone to participate in the auction.

To attend this auction, whether by special invitation or by buying a ticket, required an extraordinary status; no one would just blurt out random bids, so no one needed to verify their assets on the spot.

If anyone were to shout crazy numbers, staff would check if they really had the means.

If not, the end would be quite miserable—they could even land in jail. So no one dared to mess around.

As a super-genius and a child of the Yang Family, Yang Ningbing was well known. Even if she didn’t have that much money personally, the Yang Family did, so when she raised her paddle no one doubted her.

“Is she standing up for Lin Feng?”

With Yang Ningbing’s paddle raised, her gaze sharp, filled with warning, Xu Luofeng frowned, but didn’t care much. He quickly raised his paddle again: “4.7 billion.”

“4.8 billion!”

Yang Ningbing put down her paddle, and this time Zhan Tianyu called out, looking at Xu Luofeng with icy eyes.

“5.5 billion.”

Feeling Zhan Tianyu’s gaze, Xu Luofeng’s heart sank a bit, but he managed a cold smile and raised his paddle still.

This time, he raised the price by a whopping 700 million in one go.

When the bid hit 5.5 billion, the atmosphere grew a little tense.

Although this seemed like just a quarrel between a few juniors, these kids represented so much more than themselves.

Now, even Xu Tianyin frowned slightly, his gaze silently sweeping toward Yang Qingtian.

The participation of Yang Ningbing and Zhan Tianyu—did that mean the two great Shangjing families were both in play?

Lin Feng he didn’t care about, but it wasn’t worth offending both big families at once.

It wasn’t a question of fear, but of value.

“5.6 billion.”

Huang Tianze raised his paddle and called out.

The three representatives of the Glory Race’s young generation—three super-geniuses who had refined Earth Chart Demon Spirits—Yang Ningbing’s group joining in made things even more tense.

Although the three couldn’t fully represent their families, as the most outstanding geniuses, they would surely play important roles in the future.

Their joining this struggle meant more than any other contestant did—their preeminent talent already gave them a voice, and the family would heed their opinions.

Now, with the three major family representatives taking Lin Feng’s side, Xu Luofeng’s face paled a little.

He hadn’t expected Yang Ningbing’s group to stand up for Lin Feng.

“5.7 billion!”

Before Xu Luofeng could react, it was Yun Kai’s turn to call out, eyeing Xu Luofeng, his gaze full of wildness.

“5.8 billion.”

This time, it was Ye Qiu who shouted the bid.

The Yun Race had fallen on hard times, but as a former Extraordinary Race, their foundation was still solid, and Yun Kai even possessed Ancestral Demonization. As long as he didn’t die, his odds of becoming extraordinary were high.

As for Ye Qiu, he was every bit as talented, with powerful family backing—neither of these two were easy to mess with.

Facing the stares of Ye Qiu and the other four, now it wasn’t just Xu Luofeng, even Xu Tianyin’s expression shifted slightly.

These five supergeniuses had all refined Earth Chart Demon Spirits and each stood with a power behind them. Young as they were, they represented the future.

Once they grew up, not just Xu Tianyin, even the Dawn Organization would have to think twice before making a move.

“Haha.”

Someone couldn’t help but laugh aloud. Xu Luofeng was riding a tiger and couldn’t get off; the Dawn Organization was strong, but none of these five geniuses lacked support.

Yun Tianqi smiled faintly: “Let me join the fun, too. 5.9 billion!”

Seeing Yun Tianqi raise the bid, Xu Luofeng’s face went slightly pale.

Although Yun Tianqi didn’t have a faction backing him, powerhouses like him would be courted by many influential forces; even the Dawn Organization wanted him.

If Yun Tianqi wished to pledge himself somewhere, no force would turn him down—not even the Pure Land.

“6.0 billion.”

Ye Xing raised his paddle, speaking flatly.

With Yun Tianqi and Ye Xing joining, the mood finally ignited into a fervor.

If it made sense that all of Ye Qiu’s group joined—since they had fought alongside Lin Feng in Jade Seal City and survived together—what was up with Yun Tianqi and Ye Xing’s support?

Though still young, Yun Tianqi and Ye Xing cultivated both soul and martial arts, their strength only a notch beneath the Kings. Barring any mishaps, within five years, they’d both become Kings.

Given their talent, once Kings, they’d be formidable in their own right.

No one expected a simple jealousy-driven auction to escalate into something this wild and interesting.

Beyond amusing, what shocked people most was Lin Feng’s charisma.

Clearly, all seven were standing up for Lin Feng.

They might not be top powerhouses yet, but each had the potential to become a King.

Give them less than ten years; if they stuck together, any faction would be forced to take them seriously.

“6.1 billion!”

Lin Feng raised his paddle, and this time he looked at Xu Luofeng, the corners of his lips holding a faint sneer. Xu Luofeng’s expression changed again and again, his hand with the paddle trembling ever so slightly, but he still didn’t dare raise it.

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