Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

Bai Qian'er was left speechless by Xu Ke's answer.

Meanwhile, Xu Ke fell into deep thought.

The notion of having a Dragon Vein inside one's body was, of course, absurd, but he had a vague hunch. Master Jintong's reaction is very likely connected to my Dragon Essence. Could it be that Master Jintong knows about Dragon Essence?

Xu Ke stroked the armrest of his chair and took a deep breath. If this is true, it's fantastic news for me.

As Xu Ke contemplated, An Zhidong on the stage finally got the auction back on its proper track. One after another, the auction items were brought up.

There were suits of Inner Armor similar to the Fish Scale Inner Armor Xu Ke had obtained from Wong Qifu, as well as swords and Hidden Weapons. The majority were weapons—specifically, cold weapons. A semi-public auction like this would never feature firearms... If An Zhidong brought out a Gatling gun for auction, the police would storm in the very next second.

Besides weapons and armor, there were also houses, cars, high-value debts that were difficult to recoup, seven days of guidance from a renowned martial artist of the Xie Family, and so on. All sorts of strange items were available.

These were the common items one would expect to see at an auction. However, today, even though the items were ordinary, the atmosphere was not. Everyone was observing Xu Ke's every move.

To their surprise, after buying the Bronze Wine Chalice, Xu Ke did not bid on anything else. This left many wondering why Xu Ke had come to the auction if not to buy anything. Is he here just to try his luck?

Only three people had a clear understanding of why Xu Ke kept refusing to bid.

"He must be out of money."

"Not necessarily out of money, but buying a Jade Mountain Lotus would definitely be a stretch for him," Shi Hongda and the Yin-Yang elders said, raising their eyebrows.

Of course, they knew why Xu Ke was keeping silent. He must be holding out for the grand finale, the Jade Mountain Lotus.

Xu Ke, who sat in the front row, was staring at An Zhidong, but his thoughts differed from everyone else's. He was not thinking about the Jade Mountain Lotus. He knew the Jade Mountain Lotus could be a great help, but the item was extremely expensive because it had a ninety-percent chance of creating an Innate Initial Stage Martial Artist.

Although Innate Initial Stage Martial Artists had been appearing with high frequency around Xu Ke lately—outnumbering even Postnatal Initial Stage Martial Artists—they had become a dime a dozen. However, an ordinary Innate Initial Stage Martial Artist wasn't much. But if a genius obtained the Jade Mountain Lotus and advanced to the Innate Initial Stage, its value would be self-evident!

Therefore, Xu Ke had no intention of competing for it. If the bidding war drove the price to a hundred million, it would be a huge loss. At this moment, he was pondering how to leave Sui City safely. After obtaining the Bronze Wine Chalice he wanted, his safety became the primary concern. He had to ensure he would not be ambushed by several Innate Great Perfection Martial Artists like on his way there. Now, without Li Lang acting as an "inside mole," he had to be extra cautious and careful.

"Next, we come to the grand finale of this auction: the Jade Mountain Lotus. I believe many of you have come especially for it." An Zhidong's voice was getting hoarse, so he cut to the chase. "Let's start the bidding. The starting price is ten million."

Nobody had an issue with that price, especially not the middle-aged martial artists like Song Zhong and Yuk Ming, who were Innate Great Perfection Martial Artists. They weren't short of money; what they lacked was the Jade Mountain Lotus, which could help them break through to the Innate Realm.

"Twenty million."

"Thirty million."

"Sixty million."

"Sixty-six million."

As soon as An Zhidong announced the starting bid, the entire hall was almost instantly filled by a cacophony of overlapping bids.

Seeing this, An Zhidong was highly pleased. Every Deyun Hotel auction featured a precious item as its grand finale, but it had to be said that only items like the Jade Mountain Lotus or the Blood Jade Monarch could truly ignite the crowd.

Xu Ke, who was frowning in thought, heard the bidding price soar to eighty million and was somewhat astonished. "So many people want to buy it?"

"Of course!" Bai Qian'er nodded, her expression full of longing. "If Lord Dragon King hadn't said that I'd be stronger by breaking through without external aids, I would want to buy it, too. After all, an extra medicinal herb is an extra guarantee."

Xu Ke was slightly surprised. This was the first time he realized that these herbs were so fiercely sought after.

He was mistaken. He thought that offering the Jade Mountain Lotus to a genius would be most valuable, but for the seller, the real money was in selling it to those of mediocre talent who could never break through to the Innate Realm in their lifetime. Because the glimmer of hope that appears when all else seems lost is what's truly priceless. He couldn't imagine just how desperately those martial artists of mediocre talent yearned for that tiny bit of "glimmer."

Thus, it could be said that his own genius limited his imagination.

"Senior, are you planning to buy it?" Master Jintong asked with a smile on his dark face after Bai Qian'er finished speaking.

Without looking away from the stage, Xie Jiancheng secretly pricked up his ears. He also wanted to know if Xu Ke would buy it.

"Er, I'm not buying..." Xu Ke, seeing several pairs of eyes on him, hesitated and then said with a smile, "They're fighting over it tooth and nail. I'm not quite suited to get involved."

By now, Xu Ke could hear a bidding war of attrition starting around the ninety-million mark. After ninety-one million, the bids were increasing by only one hundred thousand at a time. Clearly, this was a cash-burning war he couldn't afford to join. Moreover, he didn't need the Jade Mountain Lotus to aid his cultivation.

However, Xu Ke figured that saying he didn't need the Jade Mountain Lotus would make them think he was boasting, so he chose to deflect with a joke.

Who would have known that after hearing this, Master Jintong frowned in deep thought, then his eyes lit up. "I get it!"

Xu Ke was immediately taken aback. Get what? What do you understand? What could you possibly have gotten? Tell me what you mean!

Xu Ke had a strange premonition. "Master..." he began, but before he could continue...

In the next moment, Master Jintong sat up straight and abruptly raised his hand. "I bid one hundred million."

The entire venue went silent at once.

"Huh?"

"Master Jintong, why are you joining the competition?"

"Does a personage like you need to compete with us?"

The active bidders stopped, looking at each other in dismay. This is going too far... For someone as renowned throughout the country as you, Master Jintong, shouldn't it be far easier to acquire a Jade Mountain Lotus than it is for families like ours, confined to a corner of Sui City?

Shi Hongda's face turned an ashen hue. He had been holding back, waiting for a chance to snipe at Xu Ke. But instead of Xu Ke, he was met with a head-on blow from the dark-faced old man.

"Senior, I know you might be a little tight on cash. Don't worry, I'll help you," Master Jintong said in a low voice, turning to Xu Ke after making his bid. "I have at least a billion in my bank card here at the auction."

In his understanding, when Xu Ke said he was "not quite suited to get involved," it must have meant he didn't have enough money. After all, how could an Innate Great Perfection martial artist possibly not need a Jade Mountain Lotus? So, he understood immediately. Senior Xu Ke needs my help!

Xu Ke opened his mouth. "I, I didn't mean..."

"No worries, I get it!" Master Jintong said with a smile, giving him a thumbs-up.

Caught between them, Bai Qian'er was dumbfounded. She had never known Master Jintong to be so proactive.

After Master Jintong's bid, the auction hall fell into a brief silence. Everyone began whispering to one another, obviously considering whether or not to compete against him. But many were already preparing to bid again. When it came to the Jade Mountain Lotus, one wouldn't even yield to their own father, let alone a Master Jintong with whom they had no prior relationship.

But just then, a new voice drew everyone's attention. "I bid one hundred and twenty million!"

Xu Ke was startled. That voice sounds close... He whipped his head around and saw Xie Jiancheng raising his hand, a slight smile on his face.