For Jiang Xuan, giving Nangong Xin Wan the 5 billion top-quality spirit stones he had snagged for free was already quite a big concession.
He never imagined she would push her luck further and set her sights on the spirit stones he had worked so hard to earn.
Did she really think of him as a soft persimmon to squeeze?!
Those stones were not just any stones; they were his ticket to getting stronger! No way was Jiang Xuan handing them over.
And searching him? Nope, not even a chance!
After snapping back to reality, Jiang Xuan slowly said, “Xin Wan, ever since you got the Martial Saint inheritance, you’ve been a bit… floaty, haven’t you? Don’t forget my status! You want to search me? Have you asked Liu Yun about that?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Nangong Xin Wan’s expression turned into a storm cloud.
“Brother Xuan, you really know how to ruin the mood! You don’t actually think I wouldn’t dare touch you, do you?”
Jiang Xuan was like, “……”
“This isn’t about daring! Some things might seem fun in the moment, but the consequences are serious. Be careful, Xin Wan; don’t stray off the path!”
“Eh? I haven’t even searched you yet, and you’re already starting to lecture me on how to work? Alright then, let me show you just how fierce I can be!”
Jiang Xuan was like, “？？？？？？”
Before he could process it, Nangong Xin Wan swooped in and pinned him against the corner with a clang.
“Don’t want to waste spirit stones on calamities? Then I guess I just have to sacrifice a bit of charm to soothe me. After all, I have principles: either I rob you for money, or rob you of your good looks!”
With that, she wasted no time diving in. She pinned Jiang Xuan’s hands down while completely ignoring his protests, starting to leave her mark around his neck.
Feeling the gap in their powers, Jiang Xuan hurriedly pleaded, “Xin Wan, calm down a bit! We’re in an auction house—can we please not…”
Hearing his slightly submissive tone, Nangong Xin Wan finally let him go.
“So now you’re scared? Just a second ago, you were all tough and brave! You even dared to lecture me! Totally unaware of your own situation.”
Jiang Xuan was like, “？？？？？”
Inside, he was screaming, Who’s really unaware of their situation? Acting recklessly in a place like this? What if there’s an ambush? She’s really floated too high after gaining some strength, not even considering the consequences! Even with her newly improved powers, she’s still a total noob! Carrying a noob on your back is exhausting! Ah, if only I still had that teleportation talisman; things would be much simpler!
To prevent Nangong Xin Wan from going completely off the rails, Jiang Xuan reluctantly tried to placate her. “You’re right, Xin Wan, I shouldn’t have been flippant. I’ll shut up now—just don’t hurt me…”
“Oh? So Brother Xuan is really being obedient now? Then I guess it’s time for the search, and you won’t object, right? Trust me, if I don’t find any spirit stones, that just means you were honest, and I might let you off the hook—for now.”
Jiang Xuan: “…….”
Seeing how obsessed Nangong Xin Wan was with searching him, Jiang Xuan felt a headache coming on.
“Uh, Xin Wan… could we maybe wait until we’re out of the auction house to discuss the whole body search thing?”
“Okay, since you generously gave me 5 billion top-quality spirit stones, I’ll make an exception. But remember, you can’t escape my grasp. I’ll slowly settle the score with you and claim everything you have as mine.”
Just as Jiang Xuan was starting to breathe a bit easier, the auction finally kicked off.
On the massive auction stage below their private box, a delicate-looking young man announced the official start of the auction.
Seating was packed full, with many big shots from the Cold Light Dynasty present, even some of the noble officials Jiang Xuan had seen before.
Of course, there were also quite a few strong warriors who came seeking out the auction.
Others, who preferred to stay out of the limelight, were tucked away in private boxes up above.
There were a total of seven boxes, and only guests recognized by the Divine Martial Auction House as extremely noble could enter.
Jiang Xuan’s box—number one—was under intense scrutiny.
Everyone knew that box one in the Cold Light Dynasty’s Divine Martial Auction House had always been empty.
To get inside, not only did one need to be of extremely high status, but it was said that their cultivation had to at least be at the Half-step Martial Master level to gain access.
Now that box one had an occupant, interest in who was inside spiked significantly.
Naturally, there were some who were drawn to the auctioneer on stage.
“Hey, this auctioneer looks like a pretty boy! With someone of this caliber, they must be auctioning off some really great stuff.”
“Ugh, ever since I saw the Emperor in the main hall, my standards have gone up. This pretty boy? Meh.”
“Ah… speaking of which, why isn’t the Emperor’s appearance being revealed since his disappearance? I’m dying to see what that legendary Emperor looks like.”
“On one hand, the Empress doesn’t want too many people to know about the Emperor’s looks; it could cause upheaval in the Cold Light Dynasty. On the other hand, the artists just can’t capture the Emperor’s celestial vibe…”
…
As the powerful guests below chattered away, the auctioneer began speaking.
“Esteemed guests, this auction is officially underway! First up is a treasure robe that can withstand three attacks from a Martial King, starting price 100 million top-quality spirit stones, with subsequent bids increasing by no less than 50 million top-quality spirit stones!”
“300 million top-quality spirit stones!”
“500 million top-quality spirit stones!”
…
In the box, Jiang Xuan watched as the strong contenders tossed around bids starting in the billions like it was pocket change.
That’s when it hit him—he had been living like a frog in a well.
In the Great Jiang Dynasty, he was used to starting bids in the millions. He could never compete with this kind of extravagance.
It seemed the Great Jiang Dynasty really was the poorest of them all.
No wonder Leng Wu Shuang offered him a wedding gift of 10 billion top-quality spirit stones without breaking a sweat.
At that moment, Jiang Xuan’s eyes were filled with nothing but spirit stones.
He even had this ridiculous thought: If I could just rob all these powerful warriors of their spirit stones, I’d have enough resources to become a Martial King or even reach Martial Emperor!
But he quickly dismissed that idea. With his current strength, it would be a miracle if anyone didn’t try to rob him instead!
While Jiang Xuan was drowning in his thoughts, beside him, Nangong Xin Wan casually wrapped her arms around him and whispered in his ear, “Brother Xuan, is there anything you want? I can buy it for you, as long as you’re nice to me.”
“Um, Xin Wan, that 5 billion top-quality spirit stones you have? It’s still mine, remember? You can’t buy anything great with just that.”
“Brother Xuan, don’t underestimate me! After my trip back to the Nangong family, I came back with a ton of spirit stones. Speaking of which, I have a few hundred million supreme-quality spirit stones on me, which is equivalent to several billion top-quality spirit stones.”
Jiang Xuan: “？？？？？？”
He thought there was something wrong with his ears and quickly asked, “Several billion top-quality spirit stones? I can’t be hearing you right!”
“Yep! At my Nangong family, we deal in supreme-quality spirit stones meant for cultivation. One supreme-quality stone is equivalent to a thousand top-quality stones. I may not have brought too many this time, but buying out everything in this auction would be no problem for me!”
Although Jiang Xuan had learned through the system that the Nangong family was a big shot in the Divine Martial Dynasty, and that their family head was even comparable to the Empress, he never imagined that this goofy partner of his had wealth that was downright outrageous!
Snapping back to reality, Jiang Xuan immediately confronted her, “Whoa, Xin Wan! With that kind of wealth, how dare you try to rob my spirit stones? Hurry up and return my spirit stones! Oh, and don’t forget the spirit stones you took from the Holy-level secret realm; those better come back too!”
Seeing Jiang Xuan’s reaction, Nangong Xin Wan wore a half-smile and said, “I don’t mind having more of these. Besides, what right do you have to make me return them since I took them with my own strength? But don’t worry, if you make me happy, I might just award you some spirit stones.”
Jiang Xuan: “？？？？？”
