The crowd in the auction house looked toward Ye Xuan’s private box, completely speechless. Anyone could see that Xuan Ye of the Luo family had been tricked by Young Master Zhou Qingyu of the Zhou family.

"Young Master Ye, you spent one thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones on the Soul Crystal of a Breathing Vine?" Luo Cheng asked in a daze, his face slack with disbelief.

"One thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones. It wasn’t a loss."

Ye Xuan smiled faintly. To him, as long as something could be bought with money, it couldn’t be considered a loss.

He had only bid one thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones to scare off Zhou Qingyu.

Luo Cheng rolled his eyes, unable to comprehend Ye Xuan’s logic.

The auction continued.

After the earlier clash between Ye Xuan and Zhou Qingyu, the whole auction seemed to grow even more feverish. The bidding became more intense, with even some of the VIP private boxes starting to join in.

"Alright, the next item we will be auctioning is a treasure once forged by the Sky Empire’s foremost Artifact Refining Master, Master Lu Li!"

The green-robed auctioneer waved his hand, and a jade platter was immediately brought out from backstage.

"A treasure forged by Master Lu Li?"

"What on earth could it be?"

"Master Lu Li rarely forges artifacts anymore. Even one of his early pieces would be worth a fortune."

The auction hall buzzed with discussion.

"I am sure this treasure will be a favorite among many Martial Artists, as it can vastly improve your chances of survival! That’s right—it is a piece of profound armor known as the Cyan Steel Armor!"

With a loud cry, the old man abruptly ripped the silk cloth off the jade platter. A piece of inner armor that shimmered with a cyan luster appeared before everyone, gleaming brightly under the lights.

"This Cyan Steel Armor was forged with Cyan Profound Steel as the primary material, blended with Golden Lotus Silk, Jade Steel Stone, and many other components. It can significantly reduce the damage a Martial Artist takes and enhance one’s own Defense Power. It is a top-quality item among Tier Five profound armors and an absolute bargain. Any Martial Artists in need should not miss this opportunity!"

"Furthermore, this Cyan Steel Armor was personally forged by Master Lu Li himself, making its value all the more extraordinary."

"The starting bid for this Cyan Steel Armor is ten million Profound Coins, and each subsequent bid must be at least one hundred thousand Profound Coins higher! The auction begins now!"

With a great shout, the green-robed old man instantly started the bidding.

’Cyan Steel Armor.’ Ye Xuan gazed at the inner armor on the auction stage, examining it carefully with his Profound Sense.

Defensive inner armor was always the most expensive and rarest treasure of its tier, and a good piece could be coveted by every Martial Artist. Ye Xuan could tell at a glance that this Cyan Steel Armor was considered Upper Grade among Tier Five profound armors. It was likely crafted by Lu Li when he was a Tier Six Artifact Refiner.

If not for its relatively low tier—failing to reach Tier Six—a treasure of this caliber would have undoubtedly been saved for the grand finale.

While Ye Xuan was lost in thought, the auction erupted into a frenzy. Defensive profound armors were already extremely rare, and finding a good one was even harder. The appearance of this piece naturally sparked a furious bidding war.

"Twenty million."

"Twenty-five million."

"Thirty million."

"Thirty-five million."

"Thirty-eight million..."

The price of the Cyan Steel Armor skyrocketed, quickly reaching forty million and still climbing.

"Forty-five million."

A voice called out from one of the Celestial Level boxes. It was Qin Yu.

"Forty-six million."

Another voice rang out—this time, it was Zhou Qingyu.

"Forty-eight million."

A clear voice came from another private box, evidently belonging to another young scion.

Witnessing such fierce competition, many of the ordinary Martial Artists in the auction hall gave bitter smiles and stopped bidding.

Tier Five was precisely the level of the most dazzling young masters in the Imperial Capital. And when it came to Artifact Refining in the entire Sky Empire, if Master Lu Li claimed to be second, absolutely no one would dare claim to be first.

Therefore, for a top-quality Tier Five profound armor, as long as it bore Lu Li’s name, it was unequivocally the most legendary of its kind in the empire. Bar none.

As such, it naturally drew countless young masters into a bidding war against one another.

Owning a piece of profound armor forged by Master Lu Li was not just a guarantee for one’s life, but also a symbol of prestige.

No one was willing to give up easily, and they all bid frantically.

"Sixty million."

An indifferent voice came from Zhou Qingyu’s box, raising the bid by ten million in one go.

The hall fell silent for a moment. Many people turned to look toward Zhou Qingyu’s private box.

"It’s Young Master Zhou Qingyu of the Zhou family. It seems he’s determined to get that Cyan Steel Armor."

"Zhou Qingyu is a genius from Gale Light Academy. I hear the competition there is intense. If Young Master Zhou Qingyu can win this Cyan Steel Armor, it will be like giving a tiger wings at the academy."

Zhou Qingyu’s determined posture made many of the geniuses who had wanted to compete weigh their options and ultimately give up.

The Zhou family was immensely powerful in the Imperial Capital. As one of the four great families, they were a renowned power in the Sky Empire.

Zhou Qingyu was also the Zhou family’s most outstanding genius, and ordinary people were unwilling to offend such a colossal power.

Besides, how could the financial resources of an ordinary noble family possibly compare to those of the Zhou family?

"Sixty-one million."

"Sixty-two million."

But there was no shortage of people who coveted the Cyan Steel Armor, especially young masters from prominent families like Qin Yu. Although they were quite respectful toward Zhou Qingyu, they were absolutely unwilling to yield so easily when faced with such a treasure.

Moreover, their families were not afraid of Zhou Qingyu.

"Seventy million." From his Celestial Level box, Zhou Qingyu immediately raised the price by nearly ten million again. At the same time, his detached voice carried out, "Fellow young masters, grant me, Zhou Qingyu, some face."

The auction hall once again fell silent.

At this point, even the biggest fool could understand that Zhou Qingyu was determined to obtain this treasure.

Those who had wanted to compete, including Qin Yu and the others, mostly hesitated now.

Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Zhou Qingyu’s face.

The competition at Gale Light Academy was fierce. Geniuses from all over the Dream Realm Plain gathered there to compete, and duels frequently broke out.

Among them, Zhou Qingyu’s strength had always been middling.

Now that the Cyan Steel Armor had appeared, he was instantly thrilled.

The profound armor he currently wore was also a Tier Five piece, but it had been crafted by one of Master Lu Li’s disciples.

Although it was decent, it was far inferior to one forged by Master Lu Li himself.

If he could win this Cyan Steel Armor, his ranking at the academy would definitely rise significantly. To him, that was worth more than anything.

Tier Five profound armor was a middling-level item. Senior experts at Tier Six and above looked down on it, while ordinary Tier Five Martial Sects couldn’t afford the price. Thus, the ones currently competing were all young masters from the noble families of the Imperial Capital.

Zhou Qingyu was confident that after his declaration, there would be few who wouldn’t grant him face.

Besides, a price of seventy million had already reached the upper limit for a top-quality Tier Five profound armor. Bidding any higher would be somewhat absurd.

But just then...

"Seventy million, one hundred thousand."

A playful voice rang out from a private box not far away, followed by a tone of faint mockery. "Bidding at an auction depends on financial strength. Since when can ’face’ be used as currency? Young Master Zhou Qingyu, you can’t be serious, can you?"

Everyone turned their heads. Who would dare to openly offend the eldest young master of the Zhou family?

But as they turned, they were stunned, and strange expressions appeared on their faces.

"It’s box number twenty-one."

"I hear that’s the Luo family’s box."

"A little while ago, right after the auction started, Zhou Qingyu was competing with that same box. Looks like it’s payback time."

The expressions on everyone’s faces were utterly strange.

Because they all knew the one who had just bid was Xuan Ye.

But the one who was even more enraged was Zhou Qingyu.

’That brat.’ He gritted his teeth, just about to call out a new price...

"Seventy-two million." Another voice spoke up calmly, coming from the box right next to the Zhou family’s.

"Huh? That voice... it’s Young Master Yuan An of the Yuan family."

"Isn’t Young Master Yuan An also training diligently at Gale Light Academy? Why is he back as well?"

The Yuan family was also one of the four great families of the Sky Empire. Yuan An’s reputation was no less than Zhou Qingyu’s, and he was also a student at Gale Light Academy.

Hearing this voice, Zhou Qingyu’s expression instantly changed, looking even uglier than when he had heard Ye Xuan’s bid.

"Eighty million."

Zhou Qingyu once again raised the price by nearly ten million, his gaze chillingly cold.

"Eighty-one million." Yuan An followed close behind. His tone was flat and unreadable, but his attitude made it clear he was also determined to get the Cyan Steel Armor.

Seeing someone else join the bidding, Ye Xuan just smiled, shook his head, and did not continue to participate.

"Ninety million!"

Zhou Qingyu roared furiously.

"Ninety-five million."

"Damn it! One hundred million!"

Zhou Qingyu roared in fury, his eyes turning red.

Yuan An’s ranking at Gale Light Academy was already higher than his. If Yuan An got the Cyan Steel Armor, wouldn’t he climb even higher?

But if he himself were to obtain the Cyan Steel Armor, he might even be able to surpass him.

The moment this price was called, the entire venue fell silent.

One hundred million Profound Coins.

That was for a mere Tier Five profound armor. Even for a piece by Master Lu Li, a price of fifty or sixty million would have been its peak. No one expected it to reach one hundred million.

And sure enough, after the one-hundred-million bid, even Yuan An stopped competing. It seemed this price had exceeded his budget.

’This Cyan Steel Armor is finally mine.’

Seeing that Yuan An was no longer bidding, Zhou Qingyu instantly breathed a sigh of relief, his heart filled with wild joy.

In box number twenty-one, Ye Xuan shook his head. "I heard this Yuan An is also one of the young masters from the four great families. He has no backbone at all. Quitting at a mere one hundred million Profound Coins. In the end, it’s still my turn to take the stage."

Luo Cheng and Luo Min exclaimed in horror, "Young Master Ye, you’re not planning to bid again, are you?"

But before they could finish speaking, Ye Xuan’s voice had already called out again: "One hundred million, one hundred thousand!"

When this price was announced, the already quiet auction hall was left completely dumbfounded.

That kid still wasn’t giving up? He still wanted to compete?

"Xuan Ye, what is the meaning of this? Must you insist on opposing my Zhou family?"

Zhou Qingyu could no longer bear it and erupted in a furious rage.

Ye Xuan chuckled. "Zhou Qingyu, there’s no point in saying that. Is this auction only for you to bid in, and not me? Tsk, tsk. This is a top-quality Tier Five profound armor made with Cyan Profound Steel as its main material, perfect for those with yin-cold attribute Profound Power. Plus, it’s a work by Master Lu Li himself. With this on, even a Tier Five Peak Martial Sect could nearly double their Defense Power in an instant. Such a great item for only one hundred million Profound Coins? It’s practically a steal!"