Chapter 423: The Bid That Broke Him

The Bid That Broke Him

Then, with his eyes burning with stubbornness, he continued to shout,

"1.5 billion."

The moment the words left James’s mouth, the bidding display belonging to the Earth-class private room blazed to life.

The enormous figure appeared above the auction hall, bright enough that even those sitting in the furthest corners could see it clearly.

1.5 billion.

For several heartbeats, the entire venue fell silent.

Then—

Everyone gasped.

"1.5 billion?"

The whisper spread through the crowd like a spark landing in dry grass.

"This has already gone far beyond the value of the treasure itself..."

"Is he crazy?"

"A supreme treasure is precious, but 1.5 billion coins? That’s absurd!"

"Those two private rooms must have some kind of grudge."

The auction hall erupted into discussion.

Some cultivators stared toward the Earth-class private room with disbelief. Others turned toward the Heaven-class private room, waiting to see whether Leon would respond.

Even the host standing on the stage was struggling to maintain his composure.

His hand remained suspended beside the auction table.

He had expected a fierce auction.

He had expected the Crimson Mystic Sword to fetch a considerable price.

But he had never expected the bidding to climb this high after only a few exchanges.

The treasure itself was valuable.

But 1.5 billion coins?

That was no longer simply an auction.

That was a battle of pride.

And everyone in the hall understood it.

How could James not understand this logic?

He knew perfectly well that he was already paying far beyond the reasonable value of the Crimson Mystic Sword.

He knew that if this continued, he could easily lose a fortune over a single moment of anger.

But knowing that and being able to stop were two completely different things.

His pride had already been dragged into the mud.

He had been laughed at.

Mocked.

And, worst of all, Leon had done it without even raising his voice.

James had to vent his anger.

After shouting, he looked at Leon provocatively, as if he was saying, Kid, if you have the guts, shout again.

His eyes were sharp.

There was a challenge hidden inside them.

Come on.

Raise it.

James had already made his decision.

He knew that if Leon dared to shout again, he would definitely not shout again and make Leon suffer a huge loss.

That was his plan.

If Leon continued raising the price, James would simply stop.

Let Leon pay.

Let him take the Crimson Mystic Sword for an absurd amount of money.

At least then James could recover some of his dignity.

He had already prepared himself for that possibility.

In his mind, the young man above had been arrogant from the beginning.

Surely he would not be willing to back down now.

The entire auction hall waited.

The air seemed to become heavier.

Even the cultivators who had been whispering moments ago gradually fell silent.

One after another, heads turned upward.

The next bid was coming.

Everyone was certain of it.

Yet—

Nothing happened.

Leon only looked at James playfully.

There was no anger in his purple eyes.

No impatience.

No desire to prove himself.

Only a faint amusement.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly.

Then he slowly retreated from the window.

His midnight robes shifted gently as he turned, the thin amethyst embroidery catching the light for an instant before disappearing into the shadows of the private room.

He did not raise the bid.

He did not even say another word.

He simply disappeared from the window.

What?

James’s expression froze.

For a moment, his mind seemed to stop functioning.

"What!"

Seeing this scene, James was instantly dumbfounded.

He stared at the empty window.

His mouth opened slightly.

He stopped bidding?

The realization struck him like a hammer.

Damn it, are you kidding me?

His fingers tightened around the bidding token.

The laughter from the surrounding private rooms and auction seats seemed to echo again in his mind.

He had been waiting for Leon to respond.

He had raised the price to 1.5 billion specifically to force Leon into another bid.

Yet Leon had simply walked away.

Not only had he refused to respond—

He had left James standing alone in the middle of the battlefield.

James’s face slowly turned pale.

Then red.

Then pale again.

He had suddenly realized something far more painful than losing the auction.

He had been tricked.

Leon had never intended to buy the Crimson Mystic Sword.

From the beginning, he had merely been testing how far James was willing to go.

And James had obediently followed him all the way up.

The thought made his teeth ache.

Meanwhile, the host finally recovered from his own shock.

He looked toward the Heaven-class private room.

There was no response.

His gaze shifted toward the Earth-class room.

The bidding token remained raised.

There was nowhere else to go.

The rules of the Treasure Pavilion were absolute.

Once a bid was made and no higher bid appeared within the required period, the item belonged to the highest bidder.

The host took a slow breath.

His voice rang through the hall.

"1.5 billion going once."

The sound spread through the enormous venue.

James’s expression became increasingly stiff.

Surely Leon would still bid.

Perhaps he was waiting until the final moment.

That thought was the only thing keeping James from completely losing his composure.

He stared toward the Heaven-class room.

Nothing.

The window remained empty.

The curtains did not move.

No bidding light appeared.

The host waited briefly before continuing.

"1.5 billion going twice."

Still nothing.

A few people in the crowd exchanged knowing looks.

Some had already begun suppressing their laughter.

James’s heart sank.

He finally understood.

There would be no third bid from Leon.

The young man had never intended to continue.

James had walked into the trap himself.

The host raised his hand.

"1.5 billion going thrice..."

His voice carried through the entire auction hall.

The final strike of the hammer fell.

"Congratulations to this distinguished guest in the Earth-class room for successfully bidding for this supreme-grade sword."