The comment from VIP Box 108 left everyone astonished. He actually stopped bidding and even urged the auctioneer to announce the sale.
Though it wasn't Mo Qingkuang speaking directly, the words from the maidservant carried a tone of schadenfreude that was hard to miss.
Lin Yang stood frozen for a long moment. The other side's hesitation to bid had made him extremely anxious. His entire fortune was barely around 350,000 low-grade spirit stones.
To trap this VIP 108, Lin Yang had already bid up to his limit.
However, the opponent chose this moment to give up! If Lin Yang really won this low-tier Earth-grade martial technique, he would be left with almost no money, losing the ability to bid on any subsequent items.
Lin Yang's face turned red and white. If he didn't realize by now that the person upstairs had seen through his tricks and countered him, he would truly be a fool.
At this moment, he could only hope for a wealthy patron to outbid him on this martial technique he had almost won.
But at this price, the martial technique had already been significantly overvalued. None of the guests in the auction hall had bid since the price hit 220,000. Who would step in now?
"320,000 low-grade spirit stones for the third time! Congratulations to VIP 857 on winning the bid!" Despite her surprise, the auctioneer maintained her professional demeanor.
The martial technique was taken backstage and would be delivered to Lin Yang personally by the auction house manager for the transaction.
Upstairs, Mo Qingkuang was laughing so hard he cried! From his vantage point, he could clearly see Lin Yang's expression.
The mix of shock, bewilderment, reluctance, helplessness, and anger on Lin Yang's face made Mo Qingkuang extremely satisfied.
"Ancestor, did you see that? Lin Yang looked like he just swallowed a huge mouthful of dung!" Mo Qingkuang excitedly said to Mo Fan.
He couldn't help but admire the wisdom of the elder. If Mo Fan hadn't seen through Lin Yang's trick, he would have continued bidding and wasted even more money.
Now, though he had been tricked out of 320,000 low-grade spirit stones, Lin Yang's entire fortune was likely gone. From now on, no matter how good the items were, Lin Yang wouldn't have the funds to compete.
Mo Qingkuang had never felt so elated. Even when he defeated Lin Yang on the martial arts stage, he wasn't this happy.
"Yes, from now on, Lin Yang probably won't have much competition power. But be careful; he might try to ambush you after the auction ends," Mo Fan, though satisfied, remained cautious and offered a reminder.
In his writings, Lin Yang was depicted with such a character. If he couldn't get something at the auction, he would find a way to obtain it by other means.
In the original plot, there were instances where Lin Yang couldn't afford items and later ambushed others outside Chiyan City, taking advantage of the situation.
With a soul force unmatched in the entire Tianhan continent, Saint Alchemist could easily detect any auction house disguises.
Mo Qingkuang sneered, "I hope he does come! I'd love another fight with him!"
"Alright, let's keep watching. There's one more item we need. No point in bidding on anything else," Mo Fan understood Mo Qingkuang's feelings and didn't say much more.
Mo Qingkuang nodded. If there wasn't anything they needed, it would be enjoyable to watch Lin Yang's misery. His suffering was truly delightful.
Downstairs, it was still Huo Qun, accompanied by two assistants, who brought the martial technique on a tray to Lin Yang.
"Esteemed VIP 857, here is the low-tier Earth-grade martial technique 'Crane Step' that you successfully bid on," Huo Qun handed the manual to Lin Yang.
Looking at the manual in Huo Qun's hands, Lin Yang felt an urge to tear it apart right then and there.
But on second thought, since he had bought it with real money, he decided against it.
Just as he was about to take it, he heard Huo Qun whisper, "Sir, I can see that you were tricked by VIP 108. If you don't have enough spirit stones left to bid on the upcoming items, I might have a solution for you."
"Hmm? What solution?" Lin Yang was taken aback. This seemingly kind middle-aged man seemed to be proposing some sort of private deal.
Was he offering a high-interest loan?
Huo Qun smiled and said, "Sir, it seems you don't particularly need this martial technique. Why not let our auction house buy it back from you? That way, you can still have some spirit stones to bid on the upcoming items."
Having worked in the auction house for most of his life, Huo Qun had climbed to his current position due to his exceptional skills.
With his experience, it was obvious that VIP 857 had been deliberately tricked by the person upstairs.
Although VIP 857 had also tricked the other party into spending more spirit stones earlier, it was a minor loss for them.
Comparatively, VIP 857 had suffered more.
Judging by the fact that he stopped bidding after the price exceeded around three hundred thousand, it was clear that he didn't have many spirit stones, certainly no more than forty or fifty thousand.
It was evident that he didn't need this 'Crane Step' manual but ended up spending 320,000 low-grade spirit stones on it. He would lose his competitive edge in the subsequent bids.
This was why Huo Qun offered his suggestion.
Hearing Huo Qun's proposal, Lin Yang narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe for a moment that this middle-aged manager was being altruistic.
There's no such thing as a free lunch, and businessmen are always profit-driven. They wouldn't help unless there was something in it for them.
Lin Yang didn't show excitement; instead, he asked calmly, "What's the deal?"
"Sir, this low-tier Earth-grade martial technique's market price is roughly between 200,000 to 250,000 low-grade spirit stones. How about our auction house buy it back for 250,000? What do you think?" Huo Qun said with a fawning smile.
Hearing this, Lin Yang almost laughed out loud. He bought it for 320,000, and now they wanted to buy it back for 250,000, acting like they were doing him a favor. What a great deal for them!
Even though 250,000 was already the market peak, the auction house could still make a profit. Even if they couldn't sell it for 250,000 next time, the 70,000 difference would still be a decent profit.
Moreover, if Lin Yang had the money, he'd continue bidding, which meant more money for the auction house.
No matter how you looked at it, the auction house wouldn't lose out.
But Lin Yang wasn't a fool. Even if he sold the manual for 250,000, he still might not afford the upcoming items.
At auctions, the items get more valuable towards the end.
Waving his hand, Lin Yang coldly refused, "No need."
Huo Qun tried to persuade him further, but a cold glare from Lin Yang made him step back and leave.