Evan Chu had heard this kind of talk far too many times. After this auction, there would be plenty of people scrambling to curry favor with him—and even more wanting to kill him. The folks in VIP Room 3 were no exception.
"Young Master, you really are a genius at predicting things! That guy from earlier must be wishing he were dead right now. Eighty million Violet Cloud Crystals—that’s a colossal sum. I bet that’s his entire fortune. I’m certain he never planned to buy the Phoenix-Feather Divine Robe, but changed his mind because of you, and ended up falling right into your trap." Kimmie’s face was full of admiration as she spoke to Evan Chu.
"It’s nothing special," Evan laughed. "The main thing is, he hates me so much that he didn’t even notice the huge trap. He thought it was the perfect moment to get revenge, but ended up getting played. I think the rest of the auction will be a lot easier now."
The guy from Second-Class VIP Room 3 instantly became the center of everyone’s gossip. Once again, the crowd witnessed the ruthless tactics of VIP Room 28. Dealing with someone like that was just too much of a headache.
"Everyone, just now the Phoenix-Feather Divine Robe hit a historic high, sold to our friend in Second-Class VIP Room 3 for a sky-high eighty million Violet Cloud Crystals. Next up is the third and final showcase item—I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for this!" the female elder announced loudly, her voice instantly drowning out the buzz in the auction hall.
The auction hall quickly fell silent. Everyone was waiting for the third item to appear, eyes glued to the screen as the image slowly emerged. Evan’s heart tensed up with it—because what appeared was an elemental crystal, and not just any kind, but an ultra-rare first-grade elemental crystal.
"This is a darkness elemental crystal, one of the rarest among the nine major attributes. It contains powerful darkness energy, and if you can absorb it, your offensive power will multiply. As everyone knows, darkness element comes with corrosion and devouring properties—attributes that are highly coveted by cultivators."
There are quite a few people in the God Realm who’ve mastered the darkness attribute. First-grade elemental crystals are extremely rare, so having one appear at today’s auction is a stroke of luck for everyone here. No need for more words—let’s get right to the bidding!" the female elder declared.
The starting price for this darkness elemental crystal is fifteen million Violet Cloud Crystals, with each bid increment no less than one million. VIP Room 28 has never hesitated when it comes to elemental crystals—will they go for it this time? Let’s wait and see!" the female elder said.
"I never expected the elemental crystal to be a darkness elemental crystal—this is ultra-rare, and it’s even first-grade. If I can get my hands on it, my Darkshift might break through to the third, maybe even the fourth layer." Evan Chu muttered to himself.
"Young Master, there’s a good chance this darkness elemental crystal will end up in the hands of someone from the Shadow Divine Palace. Their Palace Lord is a God-Venerable who’s mastered the darkness element—if he absorbs this crystal, his strength will definitely rise. So it might be tough for you to get it," Kimmie said.
"I get it, but don’t worry. The rest I can let go, but this darkness elemental crystal is non-negotiable. It’s the whole reason I came to this auction," Evan Chu replied coolly, then poured himself a glass of wine and sipped it slowly—after all, Rainbow Court’s wine was a rare treat.
First-grade elemental crystals are rare enough, but a rare-attribute crystal like this is even scarcer. Even those who haven’t mastered the darkness element want to snatch up such a priceless treasure, so the bidding was fierce—over fifty people joined in for this item.
With so many bidders, the price shot up fast. In just half a stick of incense, it had reached forty-three million Violet Cloud Crystals, with only about twenty dropping out—over thirty were still in the race. Yet the dark horse in Room 28 hadn’t made a move, leaving everyone puzzled.
Evan knew that if he let them keep bidding, the price for the darkness elemental crystal would only climb higher, costing him more Violet Cloud Crystals. He couldn’t allow that, so he told Kimmie, "It’s time for us to make a move!"
Kimmie glanced at Evan Chu and asked, "How much do you want to raise the bid, Young Master?"
"The screen shows forty-three million right now, so let’s raise it by seven million and see who’s still willing to fight me. We’ll play it by ear after that," Evan said.
Kimmie immediately walked up to the screen and wrote down the number: fifty million. A seven-million jump wasn’t totally insane, but it was still pretty wild—especially coming from Room 28, who’d just screwed over Room 3. Was he planning to pull another stunt, or was he actually aiming to buy this time?
The auction hall instantly erupted—all because of Room 28. In an ordinary room, Lena Zhong stared at the screen in confusion, her brows furrowing as she muttered:
"That Room 28 is way too flashy. Who would do something so reckless? Maybe the real drama will start after the auction ends—I’m honestly looking forward to seeing what happens to the owner next."
Room 28’s latest bid knocked a bunch of people out of the running. No one wanted to get played like Room 3, so more than ten dropped out at once. Now only five bidders remained, all raising the price slowly—including someone from the Shadow Divine Palace.
When the price hit fifty-five million Violet Cloud Crystals, it paused for a moment. "Add another five million. I doubt anyone else will follow—maybe sixty million will be our winning price for the darkness elemental crystal," Evan said.
Sure enough, when Evan Chu raised the bid to sixty million, everyone else backed off. Room 3 was already a cautionary tale—no one wanted to be the next laughingstock. Blue-Shade God-Venerable from the Shadow Divine Palace wanted the darkness elemental crystal badly, but realized that competing with Room 28 would just push the price up for no reason. He wasn’t about to waste crystals.
Besides, his main goal at this auction was the Ethereal Divine Shuttle. Doing someone a favor in passing wasn’t a bad idea either—he figured that if Room 28 took the darkness elemental crystal, they’d be too drained to compete for the shuttle later.
The Shadow Divine Palace’s withdrawal disappointed plenty of people. Room 28 landing a first-grade elemental crystal for sixty million Violet Cloud Crystals was seen as a miracle—most called it luck, but a sharp few saw through Evan Chu’s tactics and found his methods downright baffling…