"Why wouldn't we raise the bid? Are you telling me Solarion Palace is inferior to some person in a second-class VIP room? That would be the joke of the century! Father cannot lose face here. If it were another imperial palace, maybe we could let it go, but if it's a second-class power, we absolutely can't back down." Yvonne Xuan said.
Of course, she had her own selfish reasons. For Evan Lin, she was willing to pay any price. Now that she was riding the tiger, she couldn't back down and had to grit her teeth and keep going.
Immediately, Xander Xuan raised the bid by another ten million Immortal Stones. The number on the screen jumped to sixty million at once. The crowd below seemed numb to these skyrocketing bids; each person just hoped the owner of Room 16 would show a new number.
"Young master, VIP Room 4 has already bid sixty million Immortal Stones. Do you want to keep up?" Lotus Lian asked at this moment.
"Of course we're keeping up. No matter the cost, we have to follow. But let's keep it low-key this time and just add five hundred thousand." Evan Lin said.
Just as Lotus was about to raise the bid, the number on the screen suddenly changed again—the top bid was no longer from VIP Room 4, but from VIP Room 3, which directly added another five hundred thousand Immortal Stones, bringing the total to sixty-five million.
Evan Lin frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the Waterglass Crystal to attract so much attention—it was honestly a bit strange. "Lotus, hold off on bidding for now. I want to see how many more people will join the competition for this Waterglass Crystal."
Xander Xuan was startled by the new number on the screen. He glanced at Yvonne Xuan and said, "Yvonne, it's unusual for Dream Spirit Sanctuary to suddenly step in. Their overall strength isn't the highest, but their connections are terrifying. What exactly are they trying to do by getting involved like this?"
"Father, let's raise the price one more time and see how they respond. If they keep bidding, we'll back off—we can't afford to offend any faction. Solarion Palace is on the verge of collapse right now; we can't withstand any more turmoil," Yvonne Xuan said.
Meanwhile, in VIP Room 1, a middle-aged man was half-squinting at the numbers on the screen. He said, "So both Solarion Palace and Dream Spirit Sanctuary are involved now. That's a bit unusual. And Room 16 is also acting strange—could this be related to that kid?"
"Domain Lord, this is odd. According to our spies, Blazefire Immortal Lord isn't sharing a room with that kid—Blazefire went to a regular room, while the kid seems to be in a VIP room. Also, Dream Spirit Sanctuary's Second Domain Lord is staying in the same inn as him. Do you think there's some connection between them?" said the black-robed elder.
"So, Grand Elder, you're saying Dream Spirit Sanctuary is also interested in recruiting that kid, and this move is just a way to do him a favor?" the middle-aged man said.
"I think you're right. He's an extremely rare genius. If he joins Martial Spirit Dominion, I believe his talent will eventually unify the entire Immortal Realm. Since Domain Lord, you'll ascend to the God Realm sooner or later, the vast Martial Spirit Dominion will need a worthy successor, and this kid is undoubtedly the best candidate," said the black-robed elder.
"Exactly. That's why I had Blazefire bring him back to Martial Spirit Dominion. Looks like you and I are thinking the same thing, Grand Elder. In that case, we need to make sure Dream Spirit Sanctuary knows we're determined to win him too," said the middle-aged man.
"Wise decision, Domain Lord. So how should we bid? We haven't bought anything yet," said the black-robed elder.
"Just raise the bid by ten million and see how they react. If we're going to make a scene, let's make it a big one. As long as we can bring that kid back to Martial Spirit Dominion, it'll be the biggest win of this auction. As for the Immortal Emperor's treasure key, we'll talk about that later," said the middle-aged man.
The black-robed elder immediately said to the young woman beside him, "Bid seventy-five million Immortal Stones."
Soon, that terrifying number appeared on the screen. This time, everyone was truly shocked. The bid came from VIP Room 1, which everyone knew was Martial Spirit Dominion. Now they had joined the auction too—this was highly unusual.
Immediately, chatter erupted again in the auction hall. The other VIP rooms started to get suspicious. For just one Waterglass Crystal, three imperial palaces were bidding—this had never happened in any previous auction.
In VIP Room 2, a middle-aged man radiating icy cold said, "Things are lively this time. I don't know what the Waterglass Crystal is really for, but if it can get the attention of three imperial palaces, it must be extraordinary. I'll join the fun and raise the bid by ten million Immortal Stones."
Soon, the screen showed the terrifying number of eighty-five million Immortal Stones. Everyone was nothing but shocked, wondering why the major imperial palaces cared so much about this Waterglass Crystal. Could it be hiding some earth-shattering secret?
Evan Lin smiled and said, "They're really giving me face—so many people fighting for it all at once. Looks like I'll hold back for now and let them fight it out. When the time comes, I'll hit them with a number no one can accept, just to show them that anyone who tries to compete with me is just asking for humiliation."
Lotus Lian looked worried. "Young master, now Solarion Palace, Dream Spirit Sanctuary, Coldshroud Imperial Palace, and Martial Spirit Dominion have all joined in. This is no ordinary situation. You need to think carefully—offending any one of them is a dead end."
"I've got this under control, so don't worry. Let's just watch how things play out," Evan Lin said with a smile.
A dramatic turn quickly followed. Maybe because the four imperial domains started fighting over the Waterglass Crystal, other VIP rooms decided it must be hiding a huge secret, so three more joined the bidding, instantly pushing the price up to ninety-five million Immortal Stones.
It was a new climax after the small peak during the first sword auction item—the bidding had entered a truly feverish stage.
Xander Xuan looked at Yvonne Xuan in confusion and asked, "Yvonne, why do you want to bid on this Waterglass Crystal? Is there some shocking secret inside?"
"Father, there's no secret. I just really like it. Now that so many people are fighting for it, let's give up," Yvonne Xuan said.
"It's not that simple. If three other imperial palaces are fighting for it, it can't be ordinary. Solarion Palace can't give up either. Raise the bid by ten million—if I can't get it, I'll at least drive the price up to show them the consequences of competing with me," Xander Xuan said.
So the number on the screen quickly became one hundred million and five hundred thousand Immortal Stones. Such a shocking number had never appeared in the auction before the finale items…