Yu Qian knew that Chen Yi was interested, so she took the initiative to confess:

"Of course! There are quite a few items for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment among them. Since it's you, would you like me to take you along?"

She knew that Chen Yi's ball of white phosphorescent fire had been sold by Tianbaoge, and after deducting the handling fee, he himself received a piece.

Then Chen Yi kept drawing talismans for people to earn money while at school, and now he should have a net worth of around 100,000 yuan.

This Tianbao auction wasn't particularly grand; with around 100,000 yuan, they should be able to bid on some items suitable for cultivation...

"May I ask when the auction will be held?" Chen Yi asked cautiously.

If it exceeds his free time, he might have to reconsider, since he doesn't want to get electrocuted.

"It should have started by now, and it will end at 7:00 PM."

"That's good..." Chen Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Yu Qian looked at him suspiciously and whispered to Wu Lingyao, "Yao'er, is he really a time management master? He's inviting you now, and then he'll be inviting the next female guest later..."

Wu Lingyao recalled that Chen Yi had done the same thing last time.

"No way? He's probably just going back to cultivate..."

Her voice trailed off, as if even she herself was somewhat uncertain.

"Yao'er, why are you speaking up for him?" Yu Qian scolded playfully.

Wu Lingyao didn't continue the conversation, but changed the subject instead: "The auction has already started, let's hurry over!"

The main reason was that it felt a little awkward to have Chen Yi standing alone to the side watching them chatter.

Yu Qian nodded and stopped joking.

With a wave of her hand, a small flying boat appeared.

"Come on up!" she beckoned to the two of them.

Chen Yi was slightly taken aback.

He was prepared to use his agility to run there.

However, since there was a flying boat available, he was too lazy to run, and it would be good to save some time.

The three of them stood on the airship, and the space felt a little cramped.

Chen Yi smelled the fragrance filling the airship, then looked behind him where there was an array device.

A crystal-clear stone was placed inside the device; this was a mineral extracted from the spiritual vein, called a spirit stone.

Even today, spirit stones remain an important energy source, and some large transactions are settled directly in spirit stones.

"Whoosh!"

The flying boat was extremely fast, and it arrived at Tianbao Pavilion in just one minute.

That day, the waiter at Baoge seemed to recognize Yu Qian and greeted her politely.

The three were led into the auction hall on the fifth floor.

The venue was already full of people.

Because the auction was not large in scale, there was no VIP room set up, only a few rows of seats in the venue.

Some people were holding up their phones, looking down and talking to the person on the other end.

These are not the buyers themselves, but professional brokers who are calling to bid on behalf of others.

Of course, not just anyone can bid by phone. These brokers generally have sufficient judgment on the price of the item, know its market value, and then give their opinions in real time.

This was the first time Chen Yi had ever witnessed such a scene.

He suddenly realized that his 100,000 yuan was probably nothing in the eyes of these people...

"Chen Yi?"

To his surprise, he also ran into people from his class here.

"Squad Leader Zhao, Yu Wanbai?" Chen Yi asked in surprise.

Yes, it's Zhao Manjin and Yu Wanbai again.

Chen Yi wondered, "Are these two NPCs who regularly spawn at Tianbao Pavilion? How come I always run into them?"

Speaking of which, these two also did quite well in the five-school joint exam, ranking 20th and 21st respectively.

Zhao Manjin's family provided them with additional investment, which gave them the confidence to participate in the auction...

Of course, compared to Chen Yi, their achievements are somewhat embarrassing to mention.

When the two saw Chen Yi, they were not only surprised, but also embarrassed.

They hadn't forgotten how Chen Yi and Wu Lingyao had pulled out their black gold cards last time, making them feel like clowns...

Zhao Manjin gave an awkward greeting and then sat down in his seat without saying a word.

He originally thought that with his Qi Refining Level 9 cultivation, he would definitely become famous in the Five Schools Joint Examination.

To his surprise, he couldn't even make it into the top twenty, which really puzzled him.

I heard it wasn't this difficult last year?

Last year, there was one person at the ninth level of Qi Refining in the top five, but this year even those at the tenth level of Qi Refining can't guarantee a spot in the top ten.

The key issue is that the difficulty has increased, but how come Chen Yi went against the trend and became the number one genius despite the abnormality of the other four schools?

Before he could think too much, an item that the auctioneer started bidding on caught his attention.

"Pangeng Refined Gold, a foundation building material. As you can see, it has five gold lines on it, indicating excellent quality. The starting bid is 90,000, and each bid must be at least 1,000 per increment."

Zhao Manjin's eyes lit up: "Wanbai, I really have to get her."

The cultivation method he practices belongs to the metal element, and this plate of Gengjing Gold can help him condense the true spiritual energy of the large plate of Gengjing Gold.

"Um."

Yu Wanbai nodded slightly, but her eyes seemed unfocused.

"The price will be increased once on the 9th."

"Number 12 bid 120,000..."

"......"

The auction price of Pan Geng's refined gold soared all the way up, eventually reaching 350,000.

"Congratulations, Young Master Zhao, on winning this piece of Pan Geng refined gold."

Chen Yi didn't have much of an opinion on this, after all, Zhao Manjin was indeed rich.

This Pan Geng refined gold is of no use to him now, so he naturally has no reason to bid for it.

Chen Yi wasn't interested in the next few items, but Yu Qian did bid on a pill formula and a magical artifact.

Chen Yi could tell that she had a particular fondness for alchemical formulas and magical artifacts...

Wu Lingyao also set her sights on a Xuanbing seed, which is a kind of foundation-building material and is close to the best quality.

Coincidentally, Yu Wanbai also took a liking to this item.

Chen Yi remembered that Yu Wanbai's cultivation technique was water-based.

She drew an "Ice Seal Talisman" during the talisman club competition.

Since ice is a branch of water, it's entirely possible that she bumped into Wu Lingyao.

Interestingly, both of them had a "sugar daddy" behind them.

Yu Wanbai gave Zhao Manjin a pitiful look, and he immediately stood up and made a "gunner" gesture.

This move surprised many buyers.

"Lighting sky lanterns?" Yu Qianqiao frowned slightly.

It's important to know that "lighting the sky lantern" is an ancient auction industry custom that signifies a determination to win.

Historically, some nobles would "light sky lanterns" and book out entire venues in order to pursue their desired items or please beautiful women.

"Gentlemen, my girlfriend has taken a liking to this Xuanbing variety. No matter the price, I'll go all in," Zhao Manjin said firmly.

At this moment, Yu Wanbai's eyes seemed to be somewhat moved.

Chen Yi was somewhat surprised, not expecting Zhao Manjin to go to such lengths for Yu Wanbai.

Even Chen Yi had to admit that this scene was indeed quite touching and impressive.

Unfortunately, Zhao Manjin encountered Yu Qian, whose wealth was unfathomable...

With the two people bidding more, the price of this Xuanbing jade soared to 500,000.

Chen Yi clicked his tongue in surprise. Was this person really the same age?

When the price exceeded 500,000, Zhao Manjin clearly began to lose his footing.

When Yu Qian raised the price to 580,000, he began to hesitate.

The family only gave him 1 million in funds.

I thought I could easily win her over, but I didn't expect to run into a tough nut like Yu Qian.

"How about we call it quits?" Yu Wanbai tugged at his sleeve and looked up at Zhao Manjin.

The latter, however, felt even more sorry for her and gritted his teeth: "600,000!"

This price exceeds the market price by 100,000.

Yu Qian remained calm: "680,000, for good luck."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Manjin froze on the spot.

He only had 1 million on him, and he had just spent 350,000 on buying a plate of Gengjing Gold. How could he possibly compete with Yu Qian?

"Wanbai, I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't have bought that piece of refined gold."

At this moment, Zhao Manjin just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Although Yu Wanbai was also embarrassed, she still comforted him, saying it was alright, "I made my brother feel awkward..."

A moment later, Zhao Manjin sat back down in his seat with a dejected look on his face, clearly having given up on the competition.

Laughter echoed around him from time to time, causing him to lower his head even further, like an ostrich.

Seeing this, Chen Yi couldn't help but shake his head. Zhao Manjin had been ensnared by Yu Wanbai.

The once incredibly confident Zhao Manjin seems to have died; now, standing before you is the sly Zhao Manjin...

Chen Yi silently mourned for Zhao Manjin for a few seconds.

A girl of Yu Wanbai's caliber is only worthy of Zhao Ban's affections. I suggest the two of them lock up and never come back to the market...

"Next up for auction is the 'Extremely Inauspicious Earth'."

The auctioneer introduced the auction with a serious expression.

"This item is taken from a piece of land that once nurtured a great evil creature. Its effect on foundation building is unparalleled."

The auctioneer's words stirred up the crowd.

But her next words were like a bucket of cold water poured over him:

"However, this soil is extremely dangerous. You must be extra careful during the refining process to completely neutralize its malevolent energy. Otherwise, you will be plagued by misfortune, and may even become tainted by that ferocious creature, potentially leading to the destruction of your Dao foundation, or even the complete severing of your immortal path. Please consider this carefully before raising your paddles to bid..."

After hearing this, many buyers gave up the idea.

The risk is too great; it's not worth it!

But the more Chen Yi listened, the more he felt that this thing was wonderful and should be used by him!

"Yin energy, I'm very familiar with that!"

Moreover, this thing is a top-tier earth-attribute foundation-building material, more than enough to condense earth-elemental true spiritual energy...

I just don't know the price.