After a while, Lotus finally said, "Young Master, I think it's better to take things slowly. You can't make yourself the target of everyone's attacks. Drawing too much attention is a big taboo—even if someone protects you, if you make too many enemies, your protectors will find it hard to keep you safe."
Evan Chu thought about it and felt Lotus had a point, so he said, "Then you handle it your way. I'll wait for the result. No matter how many Immortal Stones it takes, you must get me that Platinum Crystal."
"Don't worry, Young Master. Lotus will definitely get it done." Lotus smiled, then raised the bid to seventeen or eighteen million Immortal Stones.
"VIP Room 16 is bidding again! Looks like there's another good show coming!" someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed.
"It seems this Platinum Crystal will end up in that guy's hands again. What does he want with all these elemental crystals, anyway? Is he really planning to trade them with Treasureforge Sect for a top-tier magic treasure?"
"Something's off this time. Didn't you notice he's only raising the bid by one million Immortal Stones each time? He must be running low on stones."
Evan Chu paid no attention to the chatter coming through the screen. Right now, he was thinking that once he got the Waterglass Crystal, he could push his Watershift technique to the second layer. Maybe then he could cultivate another water-attribute Golden Body avatar.
The auction was still in full swing, and there were far more participants vying for the Platinum Crystal—at least thirty people were bidding now, and the price quickly soared to forty-three million Immortal Stones.
Lotus kept bidding calmly, making it hard for anyone to tell if she really still had Immortal Stones. This time, none of the Six Imperial Palaces joined in—the competition was too fierce, so it wasn't worth getting involved. They planned to wait until the final moment to place one last bid, avoiding unnecessary raises.
In VIP Room 4, Yvonne Xuan was deep in thought. After a while, she asked Xander Xuan, "Father, have there been any unusual events lately, or any outstanding young talents appearing?"
Xander Xuan looked at Yvonne Xuan in confusion and asked, "Yue'er, why do you ask that? Did you discover something?"
"Just answer me, Father. If you don't answer, how can I answer you?" Yvonne Xuan replied.
"Actually, something strange did happen recently. A few months ago, Coldriver City saw an 'annihilation'—the City Lord's Mansion was wiped out, and the culprit was a white-clothed youth. This young man was astonishing: at Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm, he slaughtered Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal experts."
I heard that a Second Elder from Pengzhou City rushed over to help but never returned. It's said that this guy's sword is a magic treasure that can fly freely in the air and packs quite a punch. Most terrifying of all, he can unleash lightning attacks in an instant—so powerful and unpredictable that no one can defend against them," Xander Xuan said.
Right now, Yvonne Xuan was overwhelmed with excitement. From all those details about the white-clothed youth, she was certain it was Evan Chu. She couldn't believe that in just a few short years, he'd broken through to Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm—it was truly shocking.
But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. He possessed the heaven-defying Timewheel Bracelet—one year inside equals a hundred years outside. Five years inside meant five hundred years. With his talent, it was entirely possible.
Seeing the excitement flash across Yvonne Xuan's face, Xander Xuan immediately asked, "Yue'er, do you know who that youth is? Or do you know him personally?"
The older generation really is shrewd. Seeing through Yvonne Xuan's thoughts at a glance, she had no choice but to say, "He's the one who saved my life. His name is Evan Chu, and he's also my chosen husband. We haven't held a formal wedding, but we've already pledged ourselves to each other. He's an unbelievably gifted genius. He only ascended to the Immortal Realm after I returned. Father, you should know what I'm hinting at."
"Absurd! How could you privately pledge yourself to a stranger? You're a princess of Solarion Palace—the goddess countless people dream of! Besides, you're already engaged to Logan Vaughn. How can you act so recklessly?" Xander Xuan said.
He didn't hear a word of what Yvonne Xuan said at the end. Right now, he was glaring at her in fury. If she couldn't marry Logan Vaughn, Solarion Palace would suffer a fatal blow. Not only would Coldshroud Imperial Palace make a move, but even Skyshade Hall wouldn't spare Solarion Palace.
"Father, I know what you're worried about, but I guarantee you—within a hundred years, no one in the Immortal Realm will be a match for Linfeng. By then, Solarion Palace's crisis will be completely resolved, so there's no need to ally with Skyshade Hall. Besides, I don't even like him."
This lifetime, I won't marry anyone but him. He's the one who restored my body—surely you understand what that means," Yvonne Xuan said seriously.
"No. I promised Hector Vaughn, and I must keep my word. Do you want your father to become a promise-breaking villain? Besides, you know how much Skyshade Hall has helped Solarion Palace. This isn't up to you," Xander Xuan said.
Yvonne Xuan was furious now. Her happiness was hers to fight for. "Father, I won't marry Logan Vaughn. He's missing—am I supposed to wait for him my whole life if he's never found? Apart from Linfeng, I won't marry anyone. If you really force me, I'd rather die."
"Outrageous! How dare you say such rebellious things? When this auction ends, I'll kill that brat and break your obsession. No one can threaten me!" Xander Xuan roared.
Tears welled up in Yvonne Xuan's eyes but didn't fall. "You can try and see if you can kill him." With that, she turned to leave the VIP room.
Her mother immediately stepped forward and pulled Yvonne Xuan back. "Yue'er, don't argue with your father. He's doing this for you and for Solarion Palace. You should understand his worries. We suffered a lot searching for you over the years. If you have something to say, save it for later."
"Mother, my mind is made up. If you force me to marry Logan Vaughn, you're pushing me to my death. Linfeng's greatness is beyond your understanding. If you really insist on this, you'll regret it," Yvonne Xuan choked out.
By now, the bidding price had reached over eighty million Immortal Stones, and many had dropped out. But Lotus in VIP Room 16 kept slowly raising the bid, each time just a million more than the last, leaving everyone puzzled about her intentions.
Evan Chu glanced at the numbers on the screen and asked, "How many competitors are left? Any strong contenders?"
"Young Master, there are six left, but they're all bidding cautiously. None of the Six Imperial Palaces are involved," Lotus replied.
But just then, Solarion Palace suddenly jumped the bid to 150 million Immortal Stones—an increase of 65 million at once, stunning everyone...
(Today's monthly votes were strong—thank you, everyone! But we didn't reach the goal, so Xiaoxiao can only update one chapter. Tomorrow, the standard will be lowered to 70, and there will be 4 chapters at 4 a.m.)