"Thirteen billion, deal!" Xiao Ding's face was beaming.
The provincial capital was indeed different; a permanent protective magical artifact could sell for over a billion.
Xiao Ding mused that Chen Jie's ability to generate wealth was incredible.
But upon reflection, it wasn't surprising at all.
With Chen Jie's immense capability and the miraculous nature of his creations, selling them for such prices was only fitting.
If a truly formidable individual appeared, bidding tens of billions wouldn't be out of the question.
"Kung fu? What is kung fu? As the saying goes, attack and defense with principle, that is true kung fu! We ordinary people possess neither defensive nor offensive capabilities. A protective artifact can fulfill your defensive needs, but not your offensive ones, hence it cannot be called kung fu!"
"We insiders call Shengtian Company the 'Kung Fu Maker'! Attack and defense with principle, only then is it perfection! Therefore, the next item on the auction block, also from Shengtian! This is an offensive magical artifact!"
Xiao Ding beckoned with a smile, and another jade pendant was brought onto the stage.
"This jade pendant, while appearing similar to the protective artifact, possesses vastly different capabilities!"
"This jade pendant contains the energy injected by Chen Jie of Shengtian Company. Upon activation, it can unleash a full-force strike equivalent to that of a Xiantian Grandmaster!"
"The bidding starts at ten million! Let the auction commence!"
As Xiao Ding's introduction concluded, the crowd erupted once more.
This was truly astonishing.
Individuals who were not martial arts experts could now unleash a full-power strike equivalent to a Xiantian Grandmaster!
Some thought to themselves, if this could be mass-produced, what need would there be for martial artists?
That was a Xiantian Grandmaster's full-force strike!
Unbelievable!
While the offensive power of this artifact wasn't as potent as the permanent protective artifact, it was far from insignificant.
Furthermore, the protective artifact could defend against the attacks of a Heaven-tier master, whereas the offensive artifact's power was equivalent to a Xiantian Grandmaster's full-force strike.
Though seemingly less impactful against Xiantian masters, it was a life-saving treasure for ordinary people in critical moments.
Especially for the buyer who had just acquired the protective artifact, they were now extremely excited and determined to obtain this item!
"I bid eleven million! Any objections?" Wen Qiang stepped forward again.
He had decided to leverage his status to suppress Chen Jie once more.
"Damn it! Are your money made of gold? If you don't have money, don't bid! I'm going to puke!"
The person who bought the protective artifact spat and immediately shouted, "Stop dawdling! I'll bid one billion directly!"
Wen Qiang frowned, "Are you determined to oppose me?"
"Bah! Outbid you and I'm opposing you? Get lost! Your greed is too blatant, I won't tolerate it!"
"You are seeking death!"
Wen Qiang, in his rage, intended to make a move.
However, the other party provocatively stated, "What? You want to fight me? Don't forget where you are! If you want to make a move, see if Heping Villa agrees first!"
The crowd realized something.
They had paid a hefty price to stay at Heping Villa.
Heping Villa naturally had an obligation to protect their safety.
At worst, they could simply extend their stay at Heping Villa afterward.
Would they be intimidated by Wen Qiang?
Wen Qiang's expression turned cold. He mentally noted down everyone who had bid.
He then subtly contacted his subordinates via mobile phone.
"I need a group of experts to lie in wait outside Heping Villa!"
...
Wen Qiang sneered, "You ignorant fools, just wait for your collective disappearance from the face of the earth! No one who offends Wen Qiang can live to tell the tale!"
Ultimately, the offensive artifact was sold for twelve billion, to the same buyer.
"The next item on the auction is rather interesting, let's have something to relax everyone!"
Xiao Ding said with a chuckle, "This is the mustache of Guo Xiaofeng, the dance queen from Shenshi Company. As everyone knows, there were rumors of Guo Xiaofeng's disfigurement recently. Pharmaceutical companies or individuals with peculiar preferences can bid for it."
A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd.
This was a common tactic in auctions: start with some valuable items to ignite passion, introduce some less significant items in the middle, and save the truly exceptional items for the end.
After all, an auction couldn't possibly feature items that everyone would desire.
Items like celebrity calligraphy and paintings were often mere gimmicks.
The attendees were primarily businessmen focused on profit; genuine wealth often wouldn't be swayed by superficial displays.
After five relatively ordinary auctions, Xiao Ding gave a subtle nod to Chen Jie in the audience.
"Next, we will be auctioning a rather rare gemstone, known as Obsidian!"
"Aside from its rarity, we auctioneers are not entirely certain of this stone's other uses!"
Xiao Ding deliberately described the item Chen Jie needed in an ordinary manner, hoping Chen Jie could acquire it at a low price.
This was a subtle compromise of the auction house's reputation to appease Chen Jie.
However, most people wouldn't notice.
"After careful consideration by our auction house, this rare item does not have a clearly defined value. Therefore, we will have free bidding! The starting bid is thirty million!"
"The auction begins!"
The crowd clearly showed little interest in this item.
But Chen Jie was delighted.
Obsidian was one of the materials needed to craft storage rings; he genuinely needed to acquire it.
However, Chen Jie did not rush to bid.
After about two minutes, only a few people had placed bids, and their increments were small.
Seeing that the time was right, Chen Jie raised his paddle, "Sixty million!"
If he could acquire it for sixty million, Chen Jie would consider it a huge bargain.
For those unaware of Obsidian's true purpose, this price already represented a risky transaction.
As Chen Jie shouted his bid, the auction hall fell silent.
Just as Chen Jie thought the deal was about to be sealed, a discordant voice echoed, "I bid one hundred million!"
Wen Qiang smirked with immense satisfaction.
Since he couldn't make items belonging to Chen Jie go unsold, he would ensure Chen Jie couldn't acquire anything at the auction.
Competing with money? The Wen family, as an ancient lineage, possessed mountains of accumulated wealth in cash alone.
Their patriarch's instruction was for each member to spend at least two hundred million per month!
This was because their money was piling up with nowhere to go!
As for the balances in their bank accounts, the denominations were such that ordinary people couldn't even pronounce them.
And Wen Qiang, as a young master of the Wen family, naturally had unparalleled authority over financial resources.
Chen Jie's brow furrowed.
Fortunately, he had anticipated this scenario and was not overly surprised.
He then bid again, "One hundred and ten million!"
Everyone knew Chen Jie's identity, and upon hearing his bid, they silently thought, "As expected of the owner of Heping Villa Hotel. Such a generous and bold bid."
"Two hundred million!"
Wen Qiang bid again.
Money meant little to him; face was paramount. Today, he was determined to regain face in front of Chen Jie.
Chen Jie's brow furrowed once more.
But he still called out, "Three hundred million!"