Bai Shu didn’t just bid two hundred fifty thousand.

He also shot Jiang Chen an extremely provocative glare.

He was just trying to cause trouble. From the very beginning, Jiang Chen had frustrated him time and time again, and Bai Shu refused to accept it. He couldn’t lose to Jiang Chen.

Absolutely not.

That was why he was making a move now, during Jiang Chen’s bid. Not only did he want to compete with Jiang Chen, but his ultimate goal was to attract Murong Xiangming’s attention.

As for Jiang Chen, he turned his head to glance at Bai Shu.

A playful smile touched his lips.

He said coolly, "So, you want to compete and see who has more money?"

He laughed. It didn’t matter what Bai Shu’s motives for causing trouble were.

Jiang Chen was completely unfazed.

He remained as composed as ever.

Besides, he was determined to get the White Phoenix Feather.

One should never underestimate an Alchemist’s determination.

Nor should one ever doubt an Alchemist’s wealth.

Jiang Chen might be low-key, but that didn’t mean he was short on cash.

The money from auctioning the Foundation Strengthening Pills was just a small fraction of his fortune.

The bulk of his wealth was stored in the Spatial Ring on his finger.

In the Martial Cultivation Realm, Spatial Rings were Spatial Magical Treasures used by Martial Cultivators for storage. At ten thousand a piece, they weren’t considered particularly expensive.

Basically, anyone with a bit of money had one.

They were quite common, so of course Jiang Chen had one as well.

A Spatial Ring’s capacity was, of course, much larger than that of a Qiankun Bag.

Bai Shu, however, paid no mind to Jiang Chen’s words.

He said arrogantly, "That’s right. I, Bai Shu, will never back down from you. Not now, not ever."

"What? Are you scared?"

At this, Jiang Chen finally sat up straight.

He chuckled. "You’ve pissed me off today. I, Jiang Chen, am going to use my money to beat you, Bai Shu, into the ground."

"Just you wait and see."

What?

Bai Shu almost thought he’d misheard.

Jiang Chen had actually threatened to beat him into the ground with money. It was the most ridiculous joke he’d ever heard.

As the son of the Patriarch of the Bai Family, one of the three great families of Hanwu City, Bai Shu had never feared anyone when it came to wealth.

Today, he was willing to vie with Jiang Chen to win a smile from the beauty.

Their conversation clearly reached the ears of Jiang Han, Patriarch of the Jiang Family, and Bai Xiong, Patriarch of the Bai Family.

At first, they both treated it as a joke, watching two young hotheads bicker.

But now, their words were clearly laced with animosity.

Jiang Han, however, knew the score. His son, Jiang Chen, had plenty of his own money. Besides, when his Foundation Strengthening Pills were auctioned off later, it would surely bring in a massive sum.

As for how much, it was hard to say for sure.

Bai Shu, on the other hand, would definitely have to use the Bai Family’s money.

This filled him with confidence.

He said to Jiang Chen, "Son, go for it. As long as you want it, I support you."

He said this because he knew that since no one else wanted the treasure, the price wouldn’t get too ridiculous.

If Jiang Chen and Bai Shu’s bidding reached a certain point, Patriarch Bai of the Bai Family, Bai Xiong, would surely be the first to get antsy.

He wouldn’t let his son squander the Bai Family’s fortune.

The Bai Family consisted of more than just Bai Xiong and his son Bai Shu; many other Bai Clan Members depended on its resources.

Bai Xiong had also been watching it for entertainment at first. A few hundred thousand wasn’t a significant amount for the Bai Family.

But now, hearing the exchange between Jiang Chen and his son, he had a bad feeling.

He had set aside that money to bid on the Foundation Strengthening Pills. If his son spent it on this feather that looked nothing like a treasure, it would be utterly absurd.

Of course, before he could dwell on it...

...Jiang Chen had already raised his paddle.

On the stage, Murong Xiangming was taken aback.

She had thought no one would bid on it, but now two frantic bidders had suddenly appeared.

She announced Jiang Chen’s bid in confusion.

"Number 561 bids five hundred thousand."

What?

Everyone was stunned to hear Jiang Chen had just doubled the price.

One after another, they turned to stare at Jiang Chen as if they’d seen a ghost.

"What a spendthrift."

"A textbook spoiled scion. I think that’s Jiang Chen, son of the Patriarch of the Jiang Family, one of Hanwu City’s three great families."

"He’s got more money than sense."

But Jiang Chen paid them no mind. He casually held up his paddle and gestured toward Bai Shu.

Bai Shu’s face turned livid. He hadn’t expected Jiang Chen to be so ruthless with his bid. He glanced back at his father, Bai Xiong.

The truth was, the Bai Family’s fortune was not yet his to command.

He had only acted on a whim, wanting to put Jiang Chen in his place.

’It seems I was wrong. Jiang Chen is an even bigger and more unreasonable bastard than I am.’

Seeing that his father said nothing...

...Bai Shu gritted his teeth and raised his paddle to make another bid.

"Number 800 bids five hundred fifty thousand."

He had added fifty thousand, not daring to be too aggressive.

He wasn’t Jiang Chen; he had to be more careful.

"Is that all you’ve got?"

Jiang Chen looked at Bai Shu with disdain. Only fifty thousand.

A powerful Alchemist like him viewed money as nothing more than dirt.

He had said he would beat Bai Shu into the ground with money, and he was a man of his word.

The moment Murong Xiangming announced the bid, Jiang Chen raised his paddle again.

GASP...

Murong Xiangming gasped on stage. Despite her normally cool demeanor, even she couldn’t help but be shocked.

In the crowd, many people had already turned to look at Jiang Chen, also gasping in shock.

’For a single feather? Is it really necessary to go this hard?’

On the stage, Murong Xiangming quickly suppressed her inner turmoil and announced in a faint voice.

"Number 561 bids one million."

That’s right. Jiang Chen had directly bid one million. Just like that—willful and without a shred of hesitation.

If a problem could be solved with money, Jiang Chen never bothered wasting his breath on it.

Bai Shu whipped his head around, his eyes locking onto Jiang Chen with a deathly stare.

His expression was ghastly.

He seemed to have miscalculated. Jiang Chen was far more ferocious than he’d imagined.

’Damn it, this guy is too vicious.’

’Jumping the price so high in one go.’

He’d been expecting Jiang Chen to raise by fifty thousand, allowing him to spite Jiang Chen with another small raise.

But he couldn’t keep up with Jiang Chen’s style of bidding.

But Jiang Chen’s gaze met his, and he gestured for Bai Shu to make a bid.

"Go on, don’t hesitate."

Bai Shu was furious. Being looked down upon by Jiang Chen was intolerable.

In a fit of rage, he slammed his paddle up.

"Number 800 bids one million and fifty thousand."

Once again, Bai Shu only added fifty thousand, not daring to bid any higher.

When Bai Xiong heard this number, his heart clenched.

In his eyes, the feather was nowhere near worth this price. Spending over a million on it was a terrible loss.

He wanted to tell his son to give up.

After a moment’s hesitation, he tugged on his son’s arm.

Bai Shu glanced back and saw his father shaking his head.

The meaning was clear: he was to give up.

This felt like another slap in the face to Bai Shu. His own father wasn’t backing him up.

’How am I supposed to compete with Jiang Chen now?’

"Number 561 bids three million."

Jiang Chen calmly raised his paddle, announcing the sky-high price of three million without batting an eye.

He was just that composed, that unfathomably calm.

As an Alchemist, he possessed an utter fearlessness when it came to challenges of wealth.

He wasn’t Ling Xuan; he wouldn’t be swayed by money.

In his hands, money was just a tool. It was as simple as that.