Grand Return System

A Battle of Wealth

She raised one hand to cover her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter.

Her long silver-white hair slipped over her shoulder, catching the warm glow of the private room’s lanterns.

After the cleansing of her body, her skin had become as smooth and pale as porcelain, while her fitted snow-white robe and pale-blue sash gave her an almost otherworldly elegance.

"Teacher, you’re too bad. How can you trick people like this?"

Rias spoke from the side.

Her long red hair flowed down her back, and her large red eyes were still filled with disbelief. She had genuinely thought Leon wanted the Crimson Mystic Sword. When he had casually thrown out a bid of one hundred million coins, even she had been startled.

One hundred million.

That was not a casual bid.

That was the kind of number that could make an entire household hesitate.

And yet Leon had simply walked away from it.

Rias shook her head slightly, still trying to understand him.

"Just now, I really thought you had taken a fancy to that sword and wanted to bid for it. The moment you opened your mouth, you called for one hundred million. Good heavens, you gave us both a fright. When did Teacher have so much money?"

Selena glanced toward Leon as well.

She did not ask anything.

She simply watched him with that quiet, knowing smile.

Leon remained completely composed.

He reached for the teacup resting beside him. The porcelain was warm against his fingers. He lifted it slowly, took a measured sip, and let the fragrance of the tea settle over his tongue.

Outwardly, he looked like a man who had merely made a harmless mistake.

Inside, however, he was struggling not to laugh.

That old man had actually handed him money and then happily convinced himself that he had won.

Leon almost couldn’t believe how perfectly everything had gone.

This was too funny.

If this happened again, he certainly wouldn’t mind.

He placed the teacup down with a soft click.

At that moment, the host’s voice once again came from the auction stage below.

"Now, let’s begin the auction of the second item."

The announcement rolled through the hall, and the crowd’s attention gradually shifted toward the stage.

Leon immediately suppressed the amusement in his eyes.

His expression changed.

He deliberately put on a displeased look, his brows tightening slightly as though he were genuinely irritated by the failure of the previous auction. His shoulders shifted, and for a moment, he looked like someone who had just lost something he desperately wanted.

It was an impressive performance.

Selena noticed it.

Rias noticed it.

Neither of them exposed him.

They simply watched.

Down below, however, James saw that expression from the Earth-class private room.

His beard trembled slightly.

Then a broad smile spread across his face.

The bitterness he had felt moments earlier seemed to disappear all at once.

This money was worth it.

At least the young man upstairs had been taught a lesson.

James stroked his beard and laughed.

"Haha, you’re still too inexperienced to fight me. Continue bidding if you have the guts. I’ll see what you can bid for today. What I don’t lack the most is money."

His voice carried a confidence that bordered on arrogance.

He leaned back comfortably in his chair, his old hand reaching over to touch the woman beside him.

His mood had completely recovered.

The frustration of spending one and a half billion coins had been replaced by the intoxicating satisfaction of believing that he had finally gotten the upper hand.

Age had done little to diminish his appetite for competition.

If anything, James seemed to enjoy this sort of confrontation more than ever.

The auction continued.

Servants carefully brought the second item onto the stage.

The atmosphere changed almost immediately.

The cloth covering the object was slowly removed.

A strange spiritual pressure spread through the auction hall.

It was not violent.

It was simply dense.

Pure.

Ancient.

The air itself seemed to grow heavier as the object was placed upon the table.

One by one, countless cultivators straightened in their seats.

Some narrowed their eyes.

Others leaned forward.

Then someone finally recognized the aura.

"Low-grade spirit artifact?"

The words were enough to ignite the entire hall.

Whispers erupted from every direction.

"That astonishing spiritual power..."

"It really is a spirit artifact!"

"How is that possible? This spirit artifact is an incomparably rare treasure. It’s difficult for ordinary families to find one. This Treasure Pavilion actually put it up for auction today?"

Excitement swept through the crowd like fire through dry grass.

To ordinary cultivators, a spirit artifact was almost legendary.

Even powerful households might possess only one.

Some cultivators could spend their entire lives searching for such a treasure and never touch one.

Yet tonight, the Treasure Pavilion had placed one directly before them.

The object resting on the table was a nine-section whip.

Its dark surface shimmered faintly beneath the lantern light. Each section was forged with exquisite precision, and subtle spiritual patterns crawled along its length like living veins. Even while lying motionless, it gave off an oppressive sense of power.

The crowd became increasingly excited.

James was no exception.

His eyes locked onto the whip.

The arrogance on his face disappeared for a moment, replaced by naked fascination.

A spirit artifact.

And a whip.

His fingers tightened against the armrest.

He wanted it.

The host smiled as he looked over the increasingly excited crowd.

"This whip is called the Chaotic Shadow Nine-section Whip. It’s a low-grade spirit artifact. I believe I don’t have to introduce it to everyone. Everyone is a cultivator and knows its power better than me. The bidding begins now. The starting price is one million."

The moment his voice fell, the entire auction hall seemed to hold its breath.

One million coins.

A relatively low starting price for such a treasure.

The host had barely finished speaking when the display belonging to the Heaven-class private room suddenly illuminated.

The enormous number appeared above the hall.

"One billion!"