The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Yunxing struck while the iron was hot. "This umbrella has eighteen ribs, each tipped with a small bell—a truly unique and beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It's a rare Divine Artifact, perfect for both offense and defense. There is no starting bid, and each increment must be at least ten million. Let the bidding begin!"

Inwardly, Yunxing was still apprehensive. This Divine Artifact had no discernible features besides its incredible durability. Circulating True Qi through it was extremely difficult; otherwise, they wouldn't be auctioning it off as the second item. The umbrella's original owner had studied it for a long time but couldn't make heads or tails of it. After acquiring it, the Yun Family also spent over a month on research. Yet, aside from being indestructible, it was less practical than any Magical Artifact or Talisman Sword. Even the bells didn't ring, as if they were purely decorative.

But Yunxing certainly wouldn't mention any of that. She was still hoping the Divine Artifact would fetch a high price and build up the excitement in the room.

The moment she finished speaking, a pleasant female voice drifted down from a VIP room above: "One hundred million!"

The location of this VIP room was rather poor, situated behind the stage. You had to stand up to get a clear view of the items on display; lying on the sofa, you could only watch the projection on the side wall.

But no matter how poor the view, it was still a VIP room—a symbol of status. Not a single person in the main hall would dare to underestimate its occupants.

"VIP number seventy-two bids one hundred million!" Yunxing announced.

After a moment of shock, the crowd erupted into a flurry of new bids.

"One hundred and fifty million!"

"Two hundred million!"

"Two hundred and thirty million!"

"Two hundred and fifty million!"

Inside VIP room seventy-two, Li Huiran spoke into the bidding device once more: "One billion!"

Murong Qing and Xiaoyu turned to look at her. They had assumed her initial bid was just for fun, but this one-billion offer made it clear she was serious—she really wanted the item.

Qian Ruo's voice had been ringing incessantly in Li Huiran's mind ever since the Floating Cloud Umbrella was brought on stage.

'The nerve, calling the magnificent Immortal Cloud Soul Refining Umbrella the "Floating Cloud Umbrella"! Huiran, you must buy it! This is an Immortal Artifact! An Immortal Artifact! If you want to live, this is far more reliable than that Black Feather!'

The bidding on the floor didn't stop at Li Huiran's "one billion"; the price continued to climb relentlessly.

"One billion, three hundred million!"

"One billion, three hundred fifty million!"

"One billion, four hundred million..."

Even though Li Huiran didn't understand what an Immortal Artifact was, she couldn't possibly give up after hearing it was more useful to her than Black Feather. She placed another bid.

"Two billion!"

A hush fell over the room. Li Huiran's bidding style was incredibly aggressive, raising the price by a huge margin each time—a billion at a time.

However, two billion was apparently not enough. Someone else in the room placed a new bid.

"Two billion, fifty million!"

"Two billion, eighty million!"

Li Huiran mentally calculated the funds she had available and made her next bid.

"Five billion!"

A collective gasp echoed through the auction hall, which instantly fell silent. People began to wonder in frustration just who was in VIP room seventy-two.

On stage, Yunxing's brow furrowed slightly. She brought her gavel down hard and announced in a clear voice, "VIP number seventy-two bids five billion!"

The room remained quiet, forcing her to repeat the call: "Five billion from VIP number seventy-two, going once!"

Just then, a leisurely voice from VIP room eight finally spoke: "Five billion, five hundred million!"

That bid made Li Huiran's heart sink. Without jeopardizing the Li Family's foundation or the progress of the "Qingtian Project," she only had 8.3 billion in available funds. Her five-billion bid had just been a gambit to scare off the competition.

Her gambit having failed, Li Huiran said to Xiaoyu, "Look up the most recent sales records for Divine Artifacts!"

She had originally only planned to bid on Black Feather, so she hadn't paid any attention to the market for other Divine Artifacts.

Xiaoyu quickly replied, "President Li, auction records for Divine Artifacts are few and far between. The lowest recorded sale was 10.3 billion for a Qilin Staff, and the highest was 23 billion for an ancient sword!"

Li Huiran bit her lip. Her current funds weren't even enough to match the lowest recorded price.

The bidding had already surpassed 6.5 billion. The people in the main hall had been reduced to mere spectators; the battle was now solely between the VIP rooms.

An elderly voice from VIP room two called out a bid: "Six billion, eight hundred million!"

From VIP room forty-three, an authoritative middle-aged man's voice immediately countered: "Seven billion!"

Someone in VIP room five let out a soft snort. "Seven billion, one hundred million!"

"Seven billion, two hundred million!"

"Seven billion, three hundred million!"

The price was rapidly approaching Li Huiran's limit, and it was far too late to raise more funds. Li Huiran prepared to make one final attempt. If she failed to win the auction, she would just have to find out who the buyer was and look for an opportunity to purchase it from them later.

The bidders still in the running were the Qianzhou Cai Family in room eight and the local powers of Yunyazhou in rooms two through six.

Having made up her mind, Li Huiran was about to speak when Qian Ruo's voice suddenly cut in. 'These people clearly haven't discovered the true purpose of the Immortal Cloud Soul Refining Umbrella, or they would never be auctioning it off. Without its powers awakened, the Immortal Cloud Soul Refining Umbrella is just a useless piece of trash. If you announce that, they'll surely stop bidding. But you must also be careful. Someone might guess from your words that you know its secrets, and they could move against you later! The choice is yours. We can either wait until this is over and try to buy or steal it, or you can speak up right now!'

The bidding in the hall continued.

"Seven billion, eight hundred million!"

"Seven billion, nine hundred million!"

Li Huiran grabbed the bidding device and, gritting her teeth, shouted, "Eight billion!"

On stage, Yunxing was thrilled. This was exactly the effect she wanted. If the final price broke the ten-billion mark, it would be a massive windfall for her. She shouted, "VIP number seventy-two bids eight billion! Are there any higher bids?"

The crowd in the main hall looked on with satisfaction at the unfolding spectacle. It was another Divine Artifact auction, and they were proud just to be a part of it.

Just then, a crisp, clear female voice called out, "Wait!"

The call brought the entire auction house to a hush, everyone turning to listen to what she had to say.