Chapter 422: One Billion and Ten Thousand

One Billion and Ten Thousand

So when Leon bid one hundred million, James had immediately raised the price to one billion.

He wanted to crush him with money.

He wanted everyone in this auction hall to know that he, James, was not someone who could be casually provoked.

The thought made his chest rise slightly.

Come on.

Bid again.

James’s eyes remained fixed on the private room above.

But the response he received was not what he expected.

Feeling James’s provocative gaze, Leon’s expression became indifferent.

There was no anger on his face.

No hesitation.

Not even the slightest trace of being intimidated by the enormous figure James had just announced.

Instead, Leon smiled.

It was a small, almost playful smile.

He stood beside the window of the Heaven-class private room, his long, shoulder-length black hair falling naturally over his shoulders. The dim light of the auction hall brushed across his face, catching the faint purple of his eyes.

His midnight robes were simple but elegant, decorated with thin amethyst embroideries that shimmered whenever he moved.

He looked down at James as though he had just noticed something mildly entertaining.

Then he calmly said, "One billion... ten thousand."

The words were neither loud nor dramatic.

They did not need to be.

As soon as he finished speaking, the price lit up on the Heaven-class private room.

One billion.

Ten thousand.

The number appeared clearly above the auction hall.

For a heartbeat, nobody reacted.

The silence was almost comical.

Then—

James’s face darkened as he looked at the humiliating number.

His expression slowly twisted.

"This kid humiliated me?"

The question escaped through clenched teeth.

His fist tightened against the armrest.

If Leon had raised the bid by another hundred million, perhaps James could have accepted it.

If Leon had directly shouted two billion, James could have regarded it as a genuine contest of wealth.

But this?

One billion and ten thousand.

Only ten thousand more.

It was obvious what Leon was doing.

He was not even taking the bidding war seriously.

He was playing with him.

James’s chest rose and fell heavily.

That tiny addition to the price felt far more humiliating than a massive increase ever could.

It was as if Leon were telling him:

You have money?

Fine.

I’ll raise you by the smallest amount possible.

Let’s see how much longer you can keep pretending this is a contest.

Everyone present was amused by this price.

The tension that had filled the auction hall suddenly broke apart.

Laughter erupted from several tables.

Some cultivators covered their mouths, while others openly leaned toward their companions, whispering and snickering.

"Haha, this guy is clearly being shameless."

The speaker could barely suppress his laughter.

Another cultivator shook his head with a helpless smile.

"Sigh, I have money, but I just don’t bid. I just bid a little more than you. I just want to play. Are you angry?"

That sentence completely broke whatever restraint remained in the crowd.

Everyone burst into laughter.

The sound echoed throughout the auction hall.

Even those who had previously been sitting straight-backed and solemn could not help showing amused expressions.

There was something almost ridiculous about the situation.

A billion coins had been thrown onto the table.

And instead of answering with another enormous sum, Leon had casually added ten thousand.

It was petty.

It was shameless.

And somehow, it was hilarious.

Several people began looking toward James with sympathetic expressions.

Others were openly enjoying his misfortune.

After all, watching two wealthy young masters fight was much more entertaining than watching the treasure itself.

Even the woman in red in the private room covered her mouth and laughed.

Her eyes curved slightly as she tried to hide her amusement behind her slender fingers.

"This person is really interesting. I wonder which family’s young master he is from?"

Her gaze drifted upward.

From her position, she could see the figure standing beside the window of the Heaven-class private room.

Although the distance prevented her from seeing every detail clearly, the man’s bearing was impossible to overlook.

She looked at the Black dress figure standing by the window above her. Although he was wearing a mask and his appearance could not be seen clearly, it was not difficult to determine that the other party was very young. He was dressed in white and had an extraordinary bearing. He gave off a carefree feeling.

There was something strange about that carefree posture.

The young man had just provoked someone into a bidding war involving more than a billion coins, yet he stood there as calmly as someone admiring the scenery outside a window.

The woman in red narrowed her eyes slightly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

She had spent many years dealing with powerful people, and she had learned that a person’s temperament often revealed more than their clothes or cultivation.

A person who could remain this relaxed while spending such an enormous amount of money was either an idiot with a mountain of wealth behind him—

or someone who had absolutely no reason to fear the consequences.

She quietly studied the figure above.

Meanwhile, the laughter throughout the auction hall continued.

For James, however, every laugh sounded like a slap.

His face became increasingly ugly.

The veins on his hand were faintly visible as his fingers curled around the bidding token.

"Damn it..."

James slammed the table angrily.

The heavy impact echoed through the private room.

The servants standing nearby immediately lowered their heads.

Nobody dared to speak.

James’s breathing was rough.

He had already spent one billion.

One billion coins.

And instead of making Leon retreat, he had become the joke of the entire auction hall.

He looked toward the Heaven-class private room again.

That calm silhouette still stood there.

Not hurried.

Not nervous.

Not even particularly interested.

The sight made James’s anger burn hotter.

He could not retreat now.

If he backed down after being mocked like this, what face would he have left?

His pride would not allow it.

His fingers tightened around the token.

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

"1.5 billion."