# Chapter 295: Vast Wealth
"In just a short while, the price of the storage bracelet has already risen to one hundred thousand spirit crystals."
Huang Yanchen found it unbelievable. Zhang Ruochen was about to make a huge fortune.
After all, as the princess of a superior commandery, the spirit crystals she could control amounted to only fifty thousand. For other Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists, that was already a considerable fortune.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "When something is rare, it becomes precious. Senior Sister Huang, why are you so surprised?"
Even though Zhang Ruochen said this, he was also shocked by the value of the space jade bracelet.
When he had sold that space ring to Liu Chuanshen back then, it had only fetched one hundred thousand silver coins.
Part of the reason was that the inner space of that space ring was only one cubic meter, extremely small and of little value. But an even more important reason was that no one had competed with Liu Chuanshen at the time.
The higher the status of the bidders, the higher the value of the space ring would naturally be.
This was precisely why Lei Jing had personally written letters to invite these important figures. The purpose was to maximize the auction value of the space rings and space jade bracelets.
Every major figure present was a top-tier character of Demon Ridge. One hundred thousand spirit crystals was not considered expensive to them.
"One hundred fifty thousand spirit crystals!"
Sima Mingde, the sect leader of the Blood God Sect, stood up and cupped his hands toward the leaders of the other major powers in the other VIP bidding rooms. "This space jade bracelet is something the Blood God Sect is determined to obtain. I hope my old friends will yield it to me. I will not compete for the remaining space treasures."
"Sima, you old fool, just because you say yield, we should yield? I, this king, am also determined to obtain the space jade bracelet. Why don't you yield to me first, and then compete for the remaining space treasures?"
As he spoke, Min Shu Commandery Prince had already raised the bid again: "One hundred sixty thousand spirit crystals!"
Space treasures were rare and hard to come by. There were only five in total. Once one was taken, there would be one less. Who knew if the competition for the remaining ones would be even fiercer?
"I heard that some people from the Black Market have infiltrated the auction house, planning to bid high for a space treasure and then sell it at an even higher price in the Black Market."
"Is that so?"
"I've only heard rumors, but space treasures are indeed rare artifacts. They might not fetch their true value here in Demon Ridge. If they were taken to those superior commanderies, or even to the Eastern Domain Sacred Land for auction, the price would probably be even higher."
...
The news that the Black Market was going to join the bidding for space treasures gradually spread, naturally making the leaders of various powers even more nervous. They all joined the bidding for the space jade bracelet.
Yan Yunhuan also began to bid. With just his first raise of the paddle, he pushed the price of the space jade bracelet to: "Two hundred thousand spirit crystals."
"Two hundred ten thousand spirit crystals!"
"Two hundred twenty thousand spirit crystals!"
...
Yan Yunhuan raised his paddle again and called out: "Three hundred thousand spirit crystals."
Yan Yunhuan had his own plans. The value of the space jade bracelet was more precious than battle diagrams and formation flags, because the Yan Clan lacked neither of those two.
However, the Yan Clan did not have a single space treasure.
He decided to bid for a space ring and take it back to give to his great-grandfather as a congratulatory gift for his one hundred fiftieth birthday.
Yan Yunhuan's great-grandfather was a Half-Saint of the Yan Clan.
If he could gain his great-grandfather's support, then no one would be able to snatch away the position of Yan Clan heir.
As long as his great-grandfather was pleased, even if he spent a large amount of spirit crystals, he would not be punished.
If he could bid for all the space treasures, that would be even better.
Three hundred thousand spirit crystals was already a very high price, scaring off many people.
Those still bidding were only Yan Yunhuan, Han Li the sect master of Cloud Terrace Sect Manor, Min Shu Commandery Prince, and Ye Huiyi the palace master of Taiqing Palace.
"The Yan Clan truly lives up to being a Half-Saint clan. Even a young junior of the Yan Clan can mobilize three hundred thousand spirit crystals. One can't help but admire them."
Ye Huiyi was the first to give up. She decided to wait and see for now, since there were still four space treasures left.
Han Li also chose to give up and stopped raising the price, harboring the same thoughts as Ye Huiyi.
However, Min Shu Commandery Prince quite liked the storage jade bracelet and continued to raise the price, competing fiercely with Yan Yunhuan.
In the end, Yan Yunhuan won the first space treasure at a high price of three hundred eighty-seven thousand spirit crystals.
"Three hundred eighty-seven thousand spirit crystals, first call."
"Three hundred eighty-seven thousand spirit crystals, second call."
"Three hundred eighty-seven thousand spirit crystals, third call. Sold! The storage jade bracelet goes to guest number seven hundred ninety-three."
Having won the storage jade bracelet, Yan Yunhuan finally felt proud. Even his eyebrows seemed to lift. When he looked at Chen Xier, there was even more arrogance in his eyes, as if he were saying, "See? What is Zhang Ruochen? I, this young master, have overpowered the major figures of Demon Ridge with my financial strength. This is true ability!"
Little did Yan Yunhuan know that while he had stolen the spotlight, he had also offended the leaders of the various major powers in Demon Ridge.
Moreover, the space jade bracelet he had spent a huge amount of spirit crystals to buy was worthless in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. Most importantly, all those spirit crystals would end up in Zhang Ruochen's pocket.
Yan Yunhuan, with the posture of a victor, looked at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Zhang Ruochen, weren't you going to buy a space treasure for Princess Yanchen? Why didn't you bid? Could it be that you have no more spirit crystals?"
Zhang Ruochen had not deliberately driven up the price, which was already being very considerate to him.
But he never expected that Yan Yunhuan would actually come to provoke him, forcing Zhang Ruochen to fleece him.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Aren't there still four space treasures left? For the next space treasure, I will definitely bid with all my strength. I hope Young Master Yan will not compete with me."
"How can that be? I bought the first space jade bracelet to give to my great-grandfather. Naturally, I will also bid for the second space treasure to give to Sister Xier." Yan Yunhuan said with righteous indignation.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Young Master Yan, do we have to fight until both sides are wounded?"
"There's no helping it. This is an auction house. Whoever has more money gets the treasure. Sister Xier, don't you agree?" Yan Yunhuan said.
Chen Xier showed a surprised expression and said, "Young Master Yan, are you really going to bid for the next space treasure for me? But... the price is so expensive."
"A few hundred thousand spirit crystals is nothing in my, Yan Yunhuan's, eyes." Yan Yunhuan said with full confidence.
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head. He had never seen such an idiot, daring to say such things before the bidding even started. When the second space treasure began bidding, let's see how he would get out of this.
Zhang Ruochen did not have to wait long. As soon as the first space treasure was auctioned off, the second space treasure was brought to the auction stage.
It was an emerald green ring, carved with phoenix patterns, exquisitely crafted, exceptionally beautiful, and perfectly suited for a woman to wear.
Bai Xuling said, "This is a space storage ring. Its use and function are similar to that storage jade bracelet. However, the inner space of this space ring is twice as vast as that storage jade bracelet, a full twenty-four cubic meters. To be honest, even I really like this storage ring. If someone were to bid for it and propose to me, I might just agree immediately."
Hearing this, Si Xingkong, who was sitting below, had his eyes light up.
But soon, his eyes dimmed again. There was no helping it. Space treasures were too expensive, and he simply couldn't afford them. The previous storage jade bracelet had already sold for four hundred eighty-seven thousand spirit crystals. The price of this storage ring would definitely be even higher.
"Excellent! If I can bid for this storage ring and give it to Sister Xier, she will probably be moved enough to marry me."
Yan Yunhuan became excited, and his gaze grew even more determined.
Min Shu Commandery Prince glanced toward Ye Huiyi's VIP bidding room in the distance, a confident look appearing in his eyes. He thought to himself, "Senior Sister should also like this space ring. I must bid for it and give it to her."
Min Shu Commandery Prince and Ye Huiyi had both been disciples of Taiqing Palace in the past. Their relationship was very close, and they had almost become lovers.
Unfortunately, some misunderstandings later occurred, and the two ultimately did not end up together.
This old news had always been a topic of lively discussion among the martial artists of Demon Ridge. Some said that when Min Shu Commandery Prince was young, he was too promiscuous and had many romantic interests, which angered Ye Huiyi, causing her to reject him.
Others said that it was because Ye Huiyi's master wanted her to take over Taiqing Palace, so she deliberately broke up the couple.
There were many versions circulating in the martial arts world. No one knew exactly what had happened back then. But one thing was certain: Min Shu Commandery Prince still loved Ye Huiyi to this day. Whenever Taiqing Palace encountered any danger, Min Shu Commandery Prince would immediately dispatch his army to rescue them.
Min Shu Commandery Prince was determined to win that space ring, no matter what.
Bai Xuling said, "Space storage ring, starting bid, one hundred thousand spirit crystals. Each bid must increase by no less than one thousand spirit crystals."
"One hundred ten thousand spirit crystals."
"One hundred twenty thousand spirit crystals."
"One hundred fifty thousand spirit crystals."
...
In just an instant, the price of the space ring was driven up to three hundred thousand spirit crystals.
Zhang Ruochen also called out two prices symbolically, but seeing how fierce the bidding was, he temporarily stopped and no longer called out.
Huang Yanchen had long been shocked by the value of the storage items. She secretly transmitted a message to Zhang Ruochen, saying, "You've made a huge profit this time. Shouldn't you treat us to a meal?"
"No problem. At tonight's auction, if Senior Sister sees anything she likes, feel free to pick it." Zhang Ruochen said very generously.
"You said it yourself. I won't be polite."
Huang Yanchen raised her snow-white, sharp chin, her slender jade neck forming a beautiful curve. Her face was cold and delicate, but a barely perceptible smile appeared in her eyes.
As they spoke, the price of the space ring had already climbed to six hundred thousand spirit crystals.
In the end, only Yan Yunhuan and Min Shu Commandery Prince were still bidding. Although space rings were precious, their value was ultimately limited. Everyone present was a major figure who had lived for nearly a hundred years and would not bid irrationally.
(A bug was fixed. "Min Shu Commandery Kingdom" was changed to the second most powerful commandery kingdom in Demon Ridge, because Xiaoyu mentioned earlier that "Da Qian Commandery Kingdom" was the number one commandery kingdom in Demon Ridge in terms of comprehensive national strength. Sigh~! In a long novel, errors are easy to occur. I hope everyone will point them out.)