Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

He had wanted to craft the Qingyu Profound Armor into a more imposing design, but with so little Qingyu Mithril, he could only make it in a style suited for a woman.

Just as he was about to finalize the sale, another melodious voice suddenly rang out.

"Thirty-seven million."

It was Zhou Qingwei. She gazed at the Qingyu Profound Armor with a faint smile as she spoke.

"It’s Miss Zhou, Zhou Qingwei!"

A buzz of excitement instantly swept through the hall.

"Has Miss Zhou taken a fancy to the Qingyu Profound Armor as well?"

"I remember Miss Zhou Qingwei bought a fifth-grade Feathered Robe at the Imperial Capital’s auction last year. The quality of that robe didn’t seem any worse than this piece."

"Heh heh, you don’t get it. What girl ever thinks she has too many clothes?"

A clash between two women was undoubtedly more exciting than anything else. With Zhou Qingwei’s participation, the few young men who had been preparing to bid decided to back down.

’If I dared to bid against Miss Zhou and Miss Murong, I’d probably be incinerated by the fury of their admirers.’

Murong Yunxiao’s brow furrowed when she saw Zhou Qingwei place a bid. She said nothing, however, simply stating coolly, "Thirty-eight million."

"Sister Yunxiao, I’ve taken a real liking to this Qingyu Profound Armor. I’m afraid I can’t let you have it." Zhou Qingwei gave a light smile, but her bid showed no sign of yielding. "Forty million."

She had raised the price by two million in one go, clearly determined to win the Qingyu Profound Armor.

A flicker of anger crossed Murong Yunxiao’s face. ’Zhou Qingwei’s words were pleasant enough, claiming she liked the Qingyu Profound Armor, but as a woman herself, Murong Yunxiao knew the truth. The only reason she was bidding was because Murong Yunxiao had bid first. Why else would someone who already owned the Feathered Robe be interested in this Qingyu Profound Armor?’

She had always been mild-mannered, avoiding disputes and keeping to herself. Seeing Zhou Qingwei’s antics, she lost all interest in continuing the bidding.

"Since Sister Wei likes it so much, you can have the Qingyu Profound Armor," Murong Yunxiao said coolly, stepping aside.

’Miss Murong actually gave up?’

The surrounding crowd was stunned, clicking their tongues in amazement. But then they remembered Murong Yunxiao’s personality and it all made sense.

In the Imperial Capital, Murong Yunxiao was known for being non-confrontational.

The Artifact Refiner auctioning the Qingyu Profound Armor, however, was sorely disappointed. While forty million was an excellent price for the armor, who wouldn’t want their creation to fetch the highest price possible? If Murong Yunxiao had continued bidding, it might have reached an astronomical figure.

After all, a clash between the two great beauties of the Imperial Capital was a rare spectacle.

But the most disappointed of all was Zhou Qingwei. She hadn’t been bidding against Murong Yunxiao just for the sake of competition; she genuinely liked the Qingyu Profound Armor.

Her Feathered Robe was a piece of outer armor, meant to be worn on the outside, while the Qingyu Profound Armor was inner armor. Combining the two would absolutely result in a qualitative leap in her defenses.

But Murong Yunxiao’s nonchalant manner of conceding to her was infuriating. To outsiders, it looked as if Murong Yunxiao had graciously let her have the inner armor.

’Anything I, Zhou Qingwei, want, I fight for myself. Why would I ever need someone to just hand it to me?’

Seeing Murong Yunxiao drop out of the bidding, the Artifact Refiner, though disappointed, quickly put on a smile. "Since Miss Zhou Qingwei has bid forty million, then this Qingyu Profound Armor..."

"Wait. I’ll take that Qingyu Profound Armor. Forty-one million."

Just as the Qingyu Profound Armor was about to fall into Zhou Qingwei’s hands, Ye Xuan finally made his move.

It wasn’t that he liked the profound armor; he was just determined to obtain the material it was made from: Qingyu Mithril.

A calm voice echoed through the hall. Everyone stared in astonishment at Ye Xuan, who had suddenly placed a bid. Their faces were a picture of disbelief.

Zhou Qingwei glared at Ye Xuan, her face a mask of fury and her eyes filled with disgust. ’He’s only bidding now to get back at me for what I did earlier,’ she thought, her hatred for him deepening.

Ever since she was a child, every talented young man had catered to her every whim. Ye Xuan’s behavior was nauseating; the more she looked at him, the more she loathed him.

"What an ignorant fool. A mere outsider dares to bid against Miss Zhou. How laughable..." Qin Yu, who was standing to the side, sneered.

Ye Xuan shot Qin Yu a disdainful look. "The rule of the Artifact Refining Workshop is that the highest bidder wins," he said coldly. "Is there a problem with me placing a bid?"

"Judging by your words, you seem to quite admire this Zhou Qingwei, don’t you? Well, that’s perfect. If you have a problem with my bid, then just raise the price. Surely the great Young Master of the Qin family can afford a little more than this?"

"If you buy this Qingyu Profound Armor and gift it to Zhou Qingwei, maybe she’ll appreciate the gesture and invite you to be her... special guest tonight."

Ye Xuan was never one to turn the other cheek. Hearing Qin Yu’s disgusting remarks, he immediately shot back with a derisive sneer.

"You...!" Qin Yu trembled with rage, wishing he could strike Ye Xuan down right then and there.

But the moment he remembered he was in the Artifact Refining Workshop, his fury vanished, replaced by an even more intense killing intent toward Ye Xuan.

His eyes narrowed as he said icily, "Forty-two million."

"Only raising it by one million? I guess the Young Master of the Qin family isn’t all that impressive after all. Forty-five million."

Ye Xuan continued his taunts, casually adding three million in one go, his expression showing he thought nothing of it.

Qin Yu was so furious he almost coughed up blood. He could only glare at Ye Xuan with hatred. He had already realized he was no match for Ye Xuan when it came to a battle of words.

He wanted to raise the bid by several million at once like Ye Xuan, but he had already spent nearly all his funds on the Li Huo Sword and other items. It was questionable if he could even come up with forty million.

The Artifact Refining Workshop had strict rules. If he won the bid for the Qingyu Profound Armor but couldn’t produce the Profound Coins, he would face serious consequences, even as a member of the Qin family.

Moreover, if his family learned that he was causing a scene at the Artifact Refining Workshop merely out of competitiveness or to win a woman’s favor, their opinion of him would plummet, damaging his standing within the family.

At this thought, Qin Yu sneered. "I, Qin Yu, am not the sort of person to recklessly squander wealth just to please a girl. I imagine you’re bidding on this Qingyu Profound Armor for Miss Murong Yunxiao. Since you’re so eager to kiss up to her, I won’t stand in your way. I’m sure ladies like Miss Murong and Miss Zhou are above being swayed by someone simply buying them an outfit."

Hearing Qin Yu’s words, the crowd turned to look at Ye Xuan, a wave of understanding dawning on them.

’So that’s it! He’s bidding on the Qingyu Profound Armor to win Miss Murong’s favor! It makes sense when you think about it. Didn’t you see? He didn’t make a move at first, but the moment Miss Murong dropped out, he jumped right in.’

’Tsk tsk, this guy really knows how to woo women.’

Many people looked at Ye Xuan with envy. If they could, they too would have thrown away a fortune for Miss Murong. Unfortunately, they lacked the financial means, and their hearts burned with envy, jealousy, and resentment...

Murong Yunxiao also looked at Ye Xuan in surprise, her thoughts unreadable.

Qin Yu wanted to make a graceful exit, but Ye Xuan wasn’t about to give him the chance. "If you’re out of money, just say so," he sneered. "A broke pauper making excuses for himself."

"You...!" Qin Yu gritted his teeth, speechless for a long moment.

"Forty-six million." There was no way Zhou Qingwei would let Ye Xuan win the Qingyu Profound Armor. Seeing that Qin Yu wasn’t bidding, she immediately called out her price, glaring at Ye Xuan furiously.

The words had barely left her mouth when Ye Xuan placed another bid. "Forty-seven million."

"You...!" Zhou Qingwei stared daggers at Ye Xuan. The Qingyu Profound Armor’s actual value should have topped out around thirty-something million. She was now certain he was doing this deliberately just to spite her.

Ye Xuan remained expressionless, not even glancing at Zhou Qingwei. His eyes were fixed on the Qingyu Profound Armor.

"Fine! So you have plenty of Profound Coins, is that it?" Zhou Qingwei said angrily. "Master, I bid four thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones!" Her personality was such that, on a level playing field, she absolutely could not stand to lose to anyone.

Whether Ye Xuan was bidding on the Qingyu Profound Armor to spite her or to curry favor with Murong Yunxiao, Zhou Qingwei could not allow herself to lose to him.

At this point, the price of the Qingyu Profound Armor was approaching fifty million Profound Coins, which was already far beyond the armor’s intrinsic value.

She had bid four thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones not only because she was running low on Profound Coins, but also to crush Ye Xuan with a currency he couldn’t possibly compete with, leaving him no way to retaliate.

Bidding with Profound Coins was simple; it was normal for merchant guilds to have tens of millions on hand. Profound Stones, however, were a different matter. The production of Profound Stones in the Dream Realm Plain was limited. Even for Lower Grade ones, it was difficult for ordinary families and guilds to produce so many at once. They certainly wouldn’t trade several thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones for a piece of profound armor valued at just over thirty million.

She had a keen eye. A single glance at Ye Xuan’s clothes told her he wasn’t from any noble family. He might have a fair amount of money, but he certainly wouldn’t have many Profound Stones.

She was confident that after she made this bid, even if Ye Xuan raised the price to fifty or sixty million Profound Coins, the Artifact Refining Master would still choose her Lower Grade Profound Stones.

So, as she announced her bid, she placed the four thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones directly on the counter. Four chests were set down neatly, their lids thrown open to reveal glittering white Lower Grade Profound Stones. A dense aura of Profound Power immediately wafted out.

She gave Ye Xuan a cold look, a disdainful smirk playing on her lips. She wanted to show him that there was no point in even bringing out his paltry Profound Coins to embarrass himself.

The bid went from over forty million Profound Coins directly to four thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones. While the nominal value seemed similar, Ye Xuan instantly understood Zhou Qingwei’s ploy.