Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Just as Linglong was about to call for the third time, a lazy and effeminate voice drifted from VIP Room Number Seven...

Linglong, who was in the middle of calling the bid, furrowed her brow for a moment before it smoothed out. Having hosted auctions for over a decade, she had seen this kind of thing many times. It was most likely two bidders with a personal grudge, deliberately competing out of spite. When she encountered people like this, she was naturally delighted.

"Two million, five hundred and five thousand! VIP Room Number Seven bids two million, five hundred and five thousand! Are there any higher bids?"

Inside VIP Room Number Seven, Tang Yu had his arm around Yan’Er, his large hands roaming freely over her body. Yan’Er’s face was flushed, and alluring moans escaped her lips. With dazed eyes, she looked at Tang Yu and cooed, "Young Master Tang, you’re so naughty, raising the bid by only five thousand Purple Elemental Crystals at a time."

Tang Yu chuckled sinisterly, giving Yan’Er a squeeze. In his effeminate voice, he said, "I’m doing this to drive up the price on purpose. That brat Kong Ye Ming obviously wants this Black Obsidian Armor, and I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get it. I’ll just add a little bit each time. Then, once he’s bid a price far higher than what this chest armor is worth, I’ll suddenly back out. Wouldn’t that be much more fun?"

After being squeezed by Tang Yu’s large hand, Yan’Er laughed so hard her body trembled like a flower in the wind. "Young Master Tang, you really are terrible. But... that’s what Yan’Er likes about you~"

"Heh heh, you little vixen. I’ll deal with you properly after the auction is over." Tang Yu let out another strange laugh, and his hands began to wander over Yan’Er’s body again. Soon, the room was once more filled with moans.

Kong Ye Ming’s lips curved into a smirk. "I didn’t expect that freak to be here too."

"Freak?" Mu Chen asked, puzzled.

"Three million!" Kong Ye Ming placed his bid before explaining with a laugh, "It’s Tang Yu, the second son of the Right Minister, Tang Yuan. He’s called the second son, but that kid looks like a woman. He’s also lacked Yang Qi since he was young, which is why his voice sounds like what you just heard—like a eunuch."

"Furthermore, our two families are among the three major powers of the Xuanling Empire. His family belongs to the Civil Servants who control the Empire’s Cultivation and Battle Skill library. My family is among the Ministers of Medicine who control the Empire’s Elixir Medicine Vault. Then there’s the Ye Family of Military Generals, who control the military. These Three Great Families form a crucial part of the Xuanling Empire, creating a tripartite balance of power. However, since our two families are both high-ranking political figures and often have disagreements, we’ve naturally developed opinions about each other and have fought plenty of covert battles."

Mu Chen shook his head. "I don’t understand these political matters. But you should stop bidding for this Black Obsidian Armor. If the price goes any higher, it won’t be worth it. Besides, it’s the first item to be shown. It’s probably the lowest quality item of the entire auction."

’As an ordinary citizen of the Empire, the less I know about politics, the better,’ Mu Chen thought. ’Is there any nation that isn’t divided into factions? It’s conflict that keeps the ministers on their toes. Otherwise, who knows when your family might just disappear from the country. Only by being aware of minor threats can one be aware of major ones. If not for this, the Xuanling Empire would have long since faded from the stage of history.’

"That’s true," Kong Ye Ming said. "But that brat Tang Yu is obviously trying to drive up the price for me. Since that’s the case, I might as well play along and mess with him a little." As he spoke, a playful look flashed in his eyes.

"Three million! VIP Room Number Two bids three million! Are there any higher bids?!" Linglong’s face was slightly flushed. Although this Black Obsidian Chest Armor was good, its absolute highest value was only around two million. Now it had been pushed to three million, which gave her a sense of excitement. The final price of an item directly affected her reputation within the merchant association. The more the final price exceeded the item’s value, the more her reputation would grow.

"They’re insane!" a guest sitting below said with disdain.

"Heh, who but a madman would bid like that these days? It’s probably some young master throwing away a fortune to win a beauty’s smile," another guest laughed.

"I’m curious to see what kind of record this chest armor will set."

...

"Three million and five thousand," Tang Yu said casually.

"Three million, ten thousand," Kong Ye Ming called out.

"Three million, fifteen thousand."

"Three mil—"

The price climbed in small increments, but the frequency of their bids was incredibly high. The moment Kong Ye Ming called out a price, Tang Yu would instantly top it. The rapid pace of the bidding silenced the entire audience, leaving only two voices echoing through the auction hall.

"Four million, five hundred and ten thousand." After calmly calling out this price, Kong Ye Ming smiled at Mu Chen. "I’m about to make this guy cry."

"Four million, five hundred and fifteen thousand."

Sure enough, out of habit, Tang Yu quickly called out a price of four million, five hundred and fifteen thousand. At that exact moment, Kong Ye Ming suddenly grinned and shouted, "Nine million, five hundred and twenty thousand!"

Before anyone besides Mu Chen could even react, Tang Yu in Room Number Seven, without a second thought, instinctively shouted, "Nine million, five hundred and twenty-five thousand!"

Mu Chen gave VIP Room Number Seven a strange look and shook his head. ’Human instinct is a truly terrifying thing.’

Kong Ye Ming roared with laughter. "It only works on a fool like him."

Only Mu Chen looked at Kong Ye Ming with secret admiration. ’This wasn’t just about tricking a fool like Tang Yu. In that instant, Kong Ye Ming exploited two cognitive illusions. First, the illusion of momentum—the expectation that the opponent would continue bidding in small increments. Second, the illusion of auditory ambiguity. Why didn’t Kong Ye Ming shout ten million? Because the sound is too distinct. Instead, he shouted "nine million, five hundred and twenty thousand," a number in the nine millions that, when spoken quickly, could be misheard as a number in the four millions. The combination of these two factors was the reason for Tang Yu’s defeat!’

With that, Kong Ye Ming shouted loudly, "Congratulations to VIP Room Number Seven! I admit that I am not as wealthy and extravagant as you. I forfeit!"

Only when Kong Ye Ming’s declaration of "I forfeit!" rang out did everyone in the auction hall finally snap back to reality.

One person asked dazedly, "What did the bidding just skyrocket to?"

Someone answered, "I think it was four million, five hundred and twenty thousand, right?"

"No, I thought I heard nine million, five hundred and twenty thousand."

"It was four million, five hundred and twenty thousand, wasn’t it?"

"This..."

At this point, Linglong also came to her senses. With some disbelief, she announced, "VIP Room Number Seven has bid nine million, five hundred and twenty-five thousand Purple Elemental Crystals."

"Nine million, five hundred and twenty-five thousand Purple Elemental Crystals! Heavens, with that much, you could probably buy an Earth Rank Lower Grade Technique and Battle Skill!" a guest exclaimed.

"Nine million, five hundred and twenty-five thousand Purple Elemental Crystals! I believe no one will go higher than this price! Congratulations to the esteemed guest in VIP Room Number Seven, the Black Obsidian Armor, worth nine million, five hundred and twenty-five thousand Purple Elemental Crystals, is now yours!"

Although Linglong’s expression was calm as she said this, the excitement glittering in her eyes was hard to conceal. One had to understand that even when people deliberately drove up the price, an item would rarely sell for more than twice its maximum value. Human reason had its limits; no matter how much someone wanted something, they would never willingly suffer such a huge loss. While the Black Obsidian Armor was a rare item, its rarity was limited to a region like the Xuanling Empire, a Low-class Empire.

If taken to a High-class Empire or even a Middle and Upper Class Empire, it would be worthless junk. Forget nine million, you’d be lucky if someone bought it for ninety thousand. With this, her reputation would rise by at least a full level! Because now everyone knew that under her hammer, a Black Obsidian Chest Armor had been born with a value of nine and a half million!

Linglong was in a fantastic mood. With a wave of her delicate hand, she said, "To show our gratitude for the support from the guest in VIP Room Number Seven for the Shanjin Auction, I have personally decided to round down the price. The total will be just nine million, five hundred thousand." With that, Linglong took a step back and performed a noble’s curtsey towards VIP Room Number Seven.

Linglong’s words made the guests in the hall burst into laughter. The reason was simple: anyone could see that the occupant of VIP Room Number Seven was a huge sucker who had fallen for VIP Room Number Two’s trap. However, when they thought about it, they had to admit that if they had been the ones bidding against Room Two, they might have also unhesitatingly shouted "nine million and five thousand Purple Elemental Crystals" right after the other party shouted "nine million." Such is the power of habitual thinking.

In VIP Room Number Seven, Tang Yu was completely stunned. Yan’Er, no longer moaning, looked at him, because she could clearly feel his hand trembling.

"BASTARD! Kong Ye Ming, you fucking dare to play dirty with me!"

Tang Yu shrieked inside the VIP room, but VIP Room Number Two, which had been so aggressive just moments ago, was now silent, as if it were empty.

Hearing Tang Yu’s roar of fury, Linglong frowned. "I must ask this esteemed guest to be mindful of the occasion. The auction is still in progress. While we are grateful for your generosity, we will not grant you special privileges just because you purchased an item at a high price. This is a verbal warning. If it happens again, your bidding rights will be revoked."

Linglong’s voice was soft, but a faint yet powerful pressure emanated from her, making everyone in the hall feel suppressed.

"That was just a small interruption. Please pay it no mind. The Black Obsidian Armor was merely the most ordinary item in this auction. Far more exciting items are yet to come. So, without further ado, Linglong invites our second item to the stage."

With a wave of her delicate hand, a graceful young woman in a short red skirt walked up from the side of the stage. In her hands was a transparent Jade Box. The Jade Box was currently emitting an intense blue light, and a wave of cold air instantly lowered the temperature of the entire auction hall.

"What is that thing?"

A guest pointed at the Jade Box on the stage and asked. Linglong gave a bewitching smile. "I imagine everyone is quite curious about this item. To be honest, when I first saw it, Linglong had the same question as all of you, because this thing is just that rare. So rare that even Linglong has never seen one in person before."

"That’s..." A flash of insight struck Mu Chen. He vaguely remembered seeing something similar in the Demon Beast Forest. His Master had told him at the time that this was a type of Pill Body produced after a Magical Beast mutates, and that its effects were immense.

"Linglong won’t keep you in suspense any longer; I’ll tell you all about it. This item is called an Ice Soul Essence Pill! It is a product born after a Magical Beast mutates under specific circumstances. Of course, the probability of this mutation is incredibly small—so small it’s almost negligible. And that’s not all. Of those infinitesimally rare mutations, ninety-nine percent are failures. And failure means death! Only a Magical Beast that successfully mutates has a slim chance of producing this Primordial Pill. As for its effect..."

"It can increase the speed at which a user advances through the Martial Artist Realm..."