Ling Chen had personally told Yun Feng that he had to get the jade no matter what. So when Lord Fortune established the minimum selling price, Yun Feng immediately jumped up and shouted. So eager were his actions that it was as if he would rush the stage and steal it just to have it securely in his possession before the auction was even complete. Yun Feng realised that the room had fallen silent after his shout. He turned his head to see the gaze of every head in the room fixated on him, their incredulous expressions seemingly regarding him as an idiot. It appeared that he was the only one who was willing to bid.

“8000 gold coins, for a jade that is not even as powerful as an Elementary Strength Crystal? What are you thinking big brother?” Yun Meng Xin was puzzled. Maybe he needs it for a specific mission? She thought to herself.

Elementary Strength Crystals and Elementary Magic Crystals – the two must-have crystals for players. They themselves could only sell up to 200 gold coins, but this basic energy crystal was selling at 5000 gold coins a minimum? What a joke. The crystal itself only had the ability to give immunity to speed down debuffs, which was essentially useless at this stage. The only thing more ridiculous than this joke of a price was that there was someone actually willing to pay for it.

The silence in the auction hall grew more profound and Yun Feng, realising his gaffe, abruptly sat down, internally wishing that he hadn’t so loudly humiliated himself in public. “What do you need that jade for?” Xiao Qiu Feng whispered next to him, “It’s flashy but totally impractical.”

“It’ll be useful,” was all Yun Feng could say in reply, chuckling to himself as he did so.

Lord Fortune recovered from his shock to continue with the auction. “Well, my friend here has got great taste,” he began, “The price has risen to 8000 gold coins. Is there anyone who would like to beat it? Even though this jade is only a low-grade crystal, it does possess some rare and special abilities. If you miss this opportunity now, you might regret it later.”

“Eight thousand gold coins going once...”

“Eight thousand gold coins going twice...”

“Eight thousand gold coins going three times...” Lord Fortune paused dramatically to let this fact sink in before proclaiming, “Sold! This jade is now yours now my friend,” he nodded at Yun Feng.

With the jade safely in his hands, Yun Feng let out a sigh of relief. He had not let Ling Chen down. Yu Feng quickly sent a message to Ling Chen to inform him of his success. As he calmed down from his excitement, it started to occur to him that paying 8000 gold coins for a low-grade jade was maybe not the brightest idea. What does Ling Chen want it for?

In a hidden corner of the map, a man burst into laughter, “Hahahaha, ahahaha! How about now, huh? It was sold wasn’t it! And for 8000 gold coins! Hahahah! And you said that I was an idiot? Hahahaha!”

A man dressed in a white gown, somewhere in his twenties, had been monitoring the live auction closely. The man was dancing around in his excitement, laughing hysterically as if he was a lunatic who had just escaped from the restrictive clutches of a mental institution. Next to him stood a man who appeared to be older. He, in contrast, was clothed entirely in black. The man in black cast a swift glance at the man in white, “Idiot,” he spat, coldly.

“Tsk!” The man in white returned to him a look of scorn, his eyes blazing with arrogance, “What’ve you got to say now? Nothing! I told you it would sell for at least 5000 gold coins. And now look! Tsk, tsk! 8000 gold coins! More than enough for us... um... for me to get as many girls as I want. We shall put our money together after noon and with more than 10000 gold coins, we’ll be rich! Hahaha, by that time, all we need to do is throw out some gold, beckon with our hands, and with my handsome looks, all the girls will be throwing themselves at me,” The man in white was getting carried away in his fantasies, “Even the Frozen Hearted Maneater’s icy coldness would melt and I could win her heart with ease.”

The man in black cringed, unimpressed.

“Ah,” the man in white focused the screen on Yun Feng, “This little brother sure does have good taste. Just look at him! Handsome, charming, a good temperament; he’s got a bright future ahead of him! I wouldn’t mind befriending him if there’s a chance.”

The man in black couldn’t take it anymore. He shut down the screen, brought out his weapon – a black sword made out of God knows what – and started walking away, towards the place of monsters.

“Hey! Boss, where are you going? Aren’t you going to watch the live auction? The best parts are at the end, they’re going to sell a Guild Creation Token and I’m sure that’s gonna be exciting to watch!” The man in white saw him leaving, and quickly ran up to him.

“No.” The man in black refused without hesitation.

“You’re not watching it?! Why do you have to be such a party pooper! The auction is gonna be way more interesting than fighting around.”

“I am not going to watch it.”

“Ah, I understand now. My jade was sold for 8000 gold coins and that probably made you feel a bit embarrassed. Hehehe, don’t be like this heh? We’re no strangers, what’s mine is yours also.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay okay, whatever, we won’t watch it. Where are you going anyways?”

“Level up.”

“I knew it. Can’t you find some other aspiration in life?”

“No.”

“Aiya, how many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you understand? There are so many things this world could offer, so many things better than trying to level up. Like for instance... beautiful girls... Beautiful girls... Wow! Beautiful girl!”

A charming-looking female player had appeared. Players have not been known to enter this map considering the level of danger for them at this current stage. It was probably her curiosity that brought her here. Staring at the newly appeared female player, the man in white began drooling. He quickly caught himself and wiped away the drool, pulling the man in black back as he did so. He leered at the girl and lowered his voice so only the man in black could hear, “I was just talking about beautiful girls and look! This must be fate! Boss, be good and stay here. I’ll show you how to take down that beautiful girl. You mustn’t blink! Watch and learn okay? If you don’t look carefully you won’t be able to find a wife. Here I go!”

The man in white composed himself and strolled gracefully towards the girl.

“Hey there beautiful, how come you’re here all by yourself? It’s rather dangerous here. Are you, perhaps, lost?”

Standing in front of the girl, the man in white stood confidently, put on a gentle smile and softened the fiery look in his eyes. The man in white seemed like a man of great temperament. Someone who was easily likeable. The trick was disguising his lust. If he just masked any telltale expressions that could reveal his pedophilic thoughts, his smile would be lethal to any young girl.

Of course, to win over a beautiful girl, you needed more than just the right face and a few pick up lines. So as he talked, the man in white changed into his combat outfit, a standard archer’s ensemble. He then took out a silver longbow – a Silver grade weapon – and held it in his hand. At this stage, to be able to own a Silver grade weapon meant that either you were either incredibly strong, or just incredibly lucky. Either way, when equipped with a Silver grade weapon, your assets double. At the same time, the man in white’s name lit up — Winter Of That Year.

‘Winter Of That Year’ – currently ranked seventh out of all players in the whole entire China, placed first out of all the Archers!

It was already nerve-racking to enter a completely unfamiliar area. To then have a complete stranger randomly coming up to her, it was understandable that the girl felt even more anxious now. She replied carefully “I... came here on accident.”

Her anxiety, however, was lost on the man in white, who felt perplexed that the girl hadn’t so much as blinked let alone swooned at his displayed status.

What?! Did she not see my name? I placed 7th in the whole entire ranking chart! Why didn’t she react as expected? Winter Of That Year frowned inside while simultaneously forcing more warmth into his smile, “Oh, is that so. But here is a dangerous place. It’s easy to get in, but very hard to make it out. However, don’t worry about it. You will be safe under my protection. I will bring you out. And by the way, my name is Winter Of That Year. You can call me Big Brother Winter. What’s your name pretty? Where are you from?”

“I’m... from Si Chuan (Southern Region).” The girl replied tentatively as she didn’t quite trust the man in white’s smile. She had decided to keep her guard up.

“Si Chuan? What a coincidence! I’m from the North-East region as well! Is this fate or what! Don’t worry, you will be safe, I’m here to protect you. I am the strongest archer in China. Oh yeah, do you see that stone-faced man in black over there? He’s dangerous, someone not to be messed around with. Make sure you don’t go near him okay? Well then, beautiful girl, would you like me to escort you out? Or to accompany you to level up? Oh right, can we add each other first?”

“Uh...I’m...I’m...I should... I can... I can get out by myself,” the girl was taken back by Winter Of That Year. She instantly categorised him as a ‘dangerous figure’. The girl slowly backed away from him and prepared to run away as fast as possible. She looked nervously towards the stone-faced man that the man in white had previously pointed out. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

“Hundred... Miles...Of Ice... Oh my God!!” Seeing the name hanging above the man’s head, the girl screamed before reflexively covering her mouth. Her eyes soon filled with tears. She dashed towards the man in black, ignoring the man in white. Clasping her hands in front of her chest, the girl looked at the man in black admiringly. “The name, the eyes, the temperament. Wow! This is real! It’s the stone-hearted swordsman, Hundred Miles Of Ice, ranked sixth on the Heaven Rankings! I got to see the stone-hearted swordsman in person...wow! This is like a dream.”

A withered leaf carried by the wind drifted slowly onto the gown of the rejected man in white. Tears rolled down his face as he patted his own broken heart and raised his head up to the sky at a forty-five degree angle. The man in white sobbed silently.

“My name is Summer Day’s Dream, I’m so... so honoured to meet you. Can I get to know you? I’m your hardcore fan and a loyal admirer... can we add each other? Also, this is my private number. If you ever find time, could you possibly send me a message? If you ever give me a call, I would be so happy I might die. And also, can I have your signature? Can I give you a hug? This is mine... also this...”

“............”

The man in black frowned, his mouth twitched furiously. Finally, he said to the girl, “Goodbye.”

As soon as the word left his mouth, the man in black turned and walked away without looking back.

The girl remained where she was standing, watching him leave in full fan-girl mode “He’s so cool!”

The man in white left the girl’s sight in torment. He sprinted towards the man in black, grabbed his collar and shouted in his face “Where is justice, where is justice?! I am painfully good looking, whereas you’ve got a dead man’s face. And yet she prefers you over me! This isn’t logical! This must be an exceptional case! It must be!”

The man in black glanced at the man in white’s ‘handsome face’, “Idiot.” He then shoved him away, and began strolling once again into the monster-active region.

The man in white watched him, “~！@#￥%......”