Merging with Demon Spirits-Chapter 495 - 360: The Taste of Provocation (Part 3)
Meeting Ya Ge again, aside from a bit of nostalgia, there really wasn’t any special feeling.
Lin Feng was somewhat surprised that Ya Ge had joined the Dawn Organization, but he didn’t think much of it.
Even though Ya Ge had signed with Ju Xing, now that Glory Alliance was in turmoil and all matches were indefinitely suspended, looking for another path was perfectly normal.
As for this inexplicable provocation, Lin Feng couldn’t be bothered to respond.
"That guy is Xu Tianyin’s grandson. I fought him before; his strength is not much weaker than mine."
Seeing that Lin Feng couldn’t be bothered, Yun Tianqi didn’t continue to poke fun, but instead offered a mild reminder.
Lin Feng closed his eyes to rest.
Whose grandson it was had nothing to do with him, as long as they didn’t come looking for trouble.
As the seats filled up, a voluptuous, qipao-clad beautiful woman appeared on the auction stage, giving the audience a gentle smile:
"Thank you all for coming to Wind Chime Auction House. Your presence makes Wind Chime shine even more tonight. We’ve gathered a hundred precious lots for this auction, so without further ado, let’s officially begin."
Facing the many experts below, after a short advertisement, the beautiful woman was concise and didn’t ramble. She gently pressed the stage, and a one-meter-tall cylinder slowly rose before her. On its top sat a fist-sized, deep red item with a somewhat uneven surface.
"The first auction item: The Nine Tier Swift Fire Lion’s Demon Core. It’s suitable for fire attribute Professionals, beneficial for both raising strength and Demon Spirit growth." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
The woman paused slightly, then continued, "Starting bid: 1 billion, with increments of 5 million each."
As soon as she finished, someone immediately raised their placard.
"One billion and fifty million."
"One billion, one hundred million."
"One billion, two hundred million."
Bids came one after another in quick succession.
"Everyone here is loaded."
Yue Mingming clicked his tongue in amazement. Other than Lin Feng, this auction really had nothing to do with them—they were just here for the spectacle.
"They’re certainly all wealthy," Yun Tianqi said with a smile.
The first item started above a billion; after this, it’ll probably be ten billion as the standard.
As one of the All-Stars, he wasn’t exactly poor, but compared to the major families and consortia, he was still just a pauper.
Very soon, the first item went for three billion.
The subsequent lots became increasingly rare. Among them, an Advanced Spiritual Artifact named ’Cloud Qilin Sword’ fetched a sky-high price of ten billion; keep in mind, this was only the ninth item.
This was truly an unprecedented auction.
As the items grew more and more precious, the prices soared higher as well. Ten billion soon became a normal figure, with some items even shooting up to fifteen billion, and the atmosphere in the room heated up dramatically.
With the merging of Space Gates, the various powers no longer valued money so much. Compared to previous years, some items’ prices directly doubled.
Lin Feng didn’t make a move; although these items were precious, they weren’t suitable for him.
However, when a particular item appeared, Lin Feng subtly adjusted his posture, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"The 23rd auction item. I’m sure many of you have already recognized what it is."
On the stage, the beautiful woman held a fist-sized, rainbow-colored fruit, and announced:
"Spirit Ascension Fruit, from the Divine Martial Continent. Eating it can raise your Lifebound Demon Spirit by one tier, and may also promote Demon Spirit evolution. But be warned: it’s only effective on Demon Spirits below Sixth Tier. It’s less potent for Sixth Tier, and has virtually no effect on Seventh Tier."
The unveiling of the Spirit Ascension Fruit startled quite a few people.
This kind of Spirit Ascension Fruit is indeed rare: allowing a Demon Spirit to skip a whole tier was equivalent to shortening its growth by one or two years.
It wasn’t much use for top experts, but for gifted talents, it was excellent.
"Spirit Ascension Fruit, starting price: ten billion, with increments of one billion," the woman said slowly.
Hardly had she spoken when someone raised their placard: "Eleven billion."
"Twelve billion."
Bids continued to fly, quickly sending the price up to fifteen billion.
"Sixteen billion," Lin Feng bid.
Many eyes turned to Lin Feng—this was his first bid tonight.
They weren’t really surprised that Lin Feng was bidding.
Compared to the others, this Spirit Ascension Fruit was much more important to Lin Feng.
The five Soul Skills Lin Feng is known to possess: Mirror Image, Phantom, Lock, Demon Flame, and Illusion.
Five Soul Skills, meaning Lin Feng’s Lifebound Demon Spirit had already reached the Five Tier—he was now a Five-Star Demon Spirit Master.
Some speculated Lin Feng was even a Six-Star Demon Spirit Master, and that he had another Soul Skill no one knew about—his first Soul Skill.
Among the five skills Lin Feng had absorbed, three were Purple Gold Soul Skills and two were Diamond Soul Skills.
The idea that Lin Feng’s first Soul Skill was a Purple Gold was almost unbelievable, so many suspected he actually had another, unknown skill.
Lin Feng had refined a One Tier Demon Spirit; evolving it further was exceedingly difficult—the higher the level, the tougher the process.
For most, a Spirit Ascension Fruit merely saved time in Demon Spirit growth; for Lin Feng, it might make evolution possible for his Lifebound Demon Spirit.
Perhaps because everyone knew how important this fruit was to Lin Feng, and since this was his first bid, after Lin Feng raised the price to twenty billion, no one else bid.
Lin Feng had made quite an impression in Jade Seal City, earning the admiration of many experts.
Plus, in two days, Lin Feng would be entering the Land of Chaos. If his Demon Spirit could advance by one tier and absorb another Soul Skill, he’d be much safer—and present a bigger threat to the alien races.
For most talents, spending twenty billion to save a year of Demon Spirit growth just wasn’t worthwhile; buying a Demon Spirit with a high-level Soul Skill would be a better investment.
Such a large sum, if spent on resources, could further accelerate a Demon Spirit’s growth.
And, since Lin Feng was determined to get this Spirit Ascension Fruit, there was no sense in making an enemy of him.
For all these reasons, no one else bid.
Lin Feng swept his gaze around and nodded slightly in thanks, feeling a faint sense of relief.
This Spirit Ascension Fruit was indeed extremely important to him.
The Dragon Fish’s evolution to Five Tier was painfully slow. Even with assistance from the ’Fish Dragon Transformation’ cultivation technique and a clear evolutionary path, it was still a tough ordeal.
Eating a single Spirit Ascension Fruit could save his Demon Spirit one or two years in growth time—definitely worth it.
Not only would it save time, but evolving the Dragon Fish required an extravagant amount of resources—without twenty or thirty billion, it might not even be enough.
A Demon Spirit Fruit might be expensive for others, but for Lin Feng it was a bargain—even a way to save money.
"Twenty billion, once!"
"Twenty billion, twice!" The beautiful woman called out per auction protocol; compared to before, her pace was slightly faster.
As an employee of the auction house, she knew the Space Ring that would serve as the grand finale was actually provided by Lin Feng.
This auction’s huge success had a lot to do with Lin Feng.
Lin Feng looked at the beautiful woman. Noticing his gaze, she smiled faintly, lifting the small hammer in her hand—about to bring it down, when she was interrupted by a voice: "Twenty-one billion!"
The entire hall turned to the source in astonishment. Near the front of the crowd, a young man slowly raised his placard. At his side, a stunning and alluring girl frowned ever so slightly at him.
The youth gave Ya Ge a small smile, then glanced toward Lin Feng. Meeting Lin Feng’s stare, he smiled even more—his expression carrying a clear tone of provocation.
