The Carved Dragon Jade-Porcelain Vase started at a base price of one million, with each bid increment set at a hundred thousand. Throughout the entire process, the host said not a single word of introduction—he simply placed the vase there for auction.
It didn’t take long before people started bidding one after another. In the end, it was sold for five million six hundred thousand.
“This Daoist has a sharp eye,” Henry Lin glanced at the Daoist and smiled.
“Of course!” The Daoist straightened his back proudly. He was the fastest to speak up, and didn’t mistake the vase for a magic artifact just because it looked impressive—which was already quite rare.
Beside them, Melissa Mu looked bored, while Leon Lin fished for conversation, trying to say a few more words to her. Victor Moore had already gone back to his cold, arrogant demeanor.
Sword Master Eric Cui, from beginning to end, barely said a word. Coming from the Southriver Sword Sect, he naturally carried a faint, icy aura that kept everyone at arm’s length.
Soon, the Carved Dragon Jade-Porcelain Vase was taken away.
The display platform quickly rose again. This time, what appeared was an Antique Zisha Teapot with a slightly archaic shape, a raised spout, and smooth, flowing lines.
Seeing the teapot, a few people immediately stepped forward to inspect it closely.
“Daoist friend, please.” Sword Master Eric Cui stood there with his hands behind his back and spoke coolly.
The Daoist took a few deliberate steps closer, examined the teapot for a moment, then finally spoke: "This teapot looks old, but at the end of the day, it's just a regular antique. There's nothing special about it—no carvings, no spiritual power, not a magic artifact. Even as an antique, it's not worth much."
After the Daoist finished, he glanced at Sword Master Eric Cui. Eric Cui looked at the teapot, pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly: "I know a thing or two about teapots. Judging by its shape, lines, and rustic style, this is probably an early Qing dynasty piece. But it's so old that it's just an art object now—if you tried to actually brew tea in it, it wouldn't ever get seasoned right."
Seasoning a teapot is a thing—zisha teapot fans all know it. You have to use premium teas like pre-Qingming Dragon Well to build up a proper tea patina, but with one this ancient, it's really only good as a collector's piece.
"Not a magic artifact."
Sword Master Eric Cui delivered his final conclusion.
Sam Su was grinning from ear to ear, and the Daoist straightened up proudly, wishing he could stand even taller.
Martin Mu, who'd been quiet until now, finally spoke up with a hint of admiration: "This teapot was actually bought off an old farmer in a village, and we had experts verify it—it's definitely early Qing dynasty. Sword Master Cui, your eye is truly sharp."
Henry Lin jumped in to flatter Eric Cui and even wanted to buy the teapot as a gift for him, but Eric made it clear he wasn't interested. Not wanting to force it, Henry backed off and kept hoping for a real magic artifact to show up.
The opening bid was set at one million, and someone immediately raised the price—the Antique Zisha Teapot was officially up for auction.
"How do you bid here?"
A cool, indifferent voice sounded from behind Sam Su.
Hearing the voice, Melissa Mu, Henry Lin, and Sam Su all turned their heads and saw a young man walking over from the side.
"You!" Victor Moore's face turned cold as he saw Evan Lin approaching.
Just moments ago, Evan Lin had stepped right over Victor in front of everyone—a total humiliation.
He couldn't believe this guy actually dared to show up again!
"Who are you talking to? People like you aren't worth knowing!" Leon Lin sneered when he saw Evan.
Before Leon could finish, Henry Lin chimed in with a sarcastic laugh: "Oh, isn't this the second appraiser Sam Su brought with him?"
"Showing up halfway through the fair—were you afraid of making a mistake and embarrassing Sam Su?"
Henry Lin chuckled, his tone full of ridicule.
Sword Master Eric Cui also gave Evan Lin a thoughtful look.
The Daoist saw Evan Lin and instantly disliked him, feeling Evan was here to steal his thunder. But after matching Sword Master Cui's opinion twice in a row, the Daoist felt he'd regained some face.
"You actually showed up? I thought you'd run off!" Victor Moore said coldly, glaring at Evan.
Sam Su looked at Evan, a bit embarrassed, and coughed: "The fair started too quickly—I forgot to call you over."
Sam Su was starting to regret bringing Evan along. Compared to the others here, Evan's age and experience were seriously lacking.
Still, since he'd brought Evan, he couldn't just leave him hanging.
When Evan asked about the auction, Sam explained: "Just call out your price. If you win, you pay afterward."
Everyone here has already been vetted, so there's no need to worry about assets. If you can bid, you can pay.
But Evan was different—he'd come as Sam Su's guest, and nobody knew his financial situation. Of course, Sam kept that part to himself to avoid embarrassing Evan.
"Got it." Evan nodded and turned his gaze to the teapot.
"Two million!"
Someone called out a bid.
Two million for an early Qing Zisha teapot was already a steep price.
Plus, this teapot was pretty small—in other auctions, it would go for maybe one and a half million tops. This price was already above its real value.
So after that bid, the whole crowd went quiet, waiting for the next item to come up.
"Five million."
Evan Lin glanced over and calmly announced his bid.
Five million!
As soon as Evan spoke, all the previously silent bosses gasped and turned to stare at him.
"Five million? Do you even have that kind of money?" Leon Lin was stunned, whipping his head around to look at Evan like he was an idiot.
"Which rich kid are you? Never seen you before. The Daoist and Sword Master Cui already confirmed it's just an early Qing antique, worth maybe one or two million at best. You just threw out five million like it's nothing! Talk about acting tough!" Victor Moore stared coldly at Evan.
Henry Lin turned to Sam Su, half-smiling: "Looks like the appraiser you brought is a bit too hot-headed. But if he bids five million, who's paying?"
Normally, if an appraiser makes a bid, the boss who brought him has to pay. Evan just threw out five million—if Sam Su doesn't back it up, it's a joke.
Sam Su froze, his face awkward and hesitant.
Five million wasn't a small sum. Sam Su cursed inwardly, already regretting bringing Evan Lin along.