The new bid shocked everyone, prompting them to assume that Li Qiye was crazy. Being rich didn’t mean wasting money in this manner.
“Money can fall from the sky for him and he’ll still go broke.” One crowd member murmured due to the grade of the refined jades being used here.
“Elder Wang, how much did we bring?” The princess asked the old servant.
The shadow-like protector frowned and said: “Your Highness, this sword is not worth it.”
“What, our Sea Emperor Sword Kingdom can’t come up with 2,000,000?” She became dissatisfied.
“Of course not, Your Highness. You do not wish to take a look at any other treasure?” The old servant asked.
She scowled and said: “I must have this sword. If Elder Wang does not wish to pay, we’re leaving.”
“We can certainly continue, Your Highness.” He coughed wryly and acquiesced.
The spectators had a great time watching the bidding war. Some found her to be awfully stubborn. Nonetheless, they understood why – the future queen of Sea Emperor should be able to get whatever she wanted.
“3,000,000. Bid however high you want, we can play along.” She glared at Li Qiye and revealed a proud smile.
Li Qiye became amused and said: “4,000,000.”
“5,000,000.” She bid generously this time instead of resorting to 50,000 increments.
“Insanity.” The crowd clamored since they haven’t seen an auction like this before.
“5,000,000… any higher?” The worker was actually more excited than both Li Qiye and the princess.
He had seen plenty of customers before, but these two were a rare breed. The higher the bid, the higher his bonus, hence his excitement.
“10,000,000.” Li Qiye smirked.
“He’s goddamn crazy!” Everyone gasped after hearing this.
“Does money grow on trees for him?! No, that’s still not enough for him to be this crazy.” Someone shouted in astonishment.
“Let’s assume he can afford this, it’s still too much.” One expert commented.
“Seems like he wants to compete against Sea Emperor.” A different cultivator raised his brows and said.
“Why would anyone do that? It’s a sure defeat, borderline suicidal too.” A youth replied.
Sea Emperor was the current number one sect in Sword Continent. It had countless experts and unimaginable wealth.
There were other powerful behemoths but they might not be as rich in comparison. In this case, Li Qiye was a single person.
Moreover, why would he risk antagonizing the future queen of Sea Emperor over one sword? It wasn’t a peerless treasure or anything.
In fact, relenting to her could be viewed as a favor. Perhaps a relationship could start and he would be able to ride her coattails. Now, he ended up provoking both the princess and her backers.
“What a foolish choice.” A young expert snorted. The kingdom wouldn’t let him live easily after this mess.
“I don’t think he’ll have a place to stay in Sword Continent.” Another gloated on someone else’s misery.
As for the princess, she was still unwilling to give up despite the enormous bid.
“Your Highness, let’s stop here.” The old servant warned again before she could bid.
She naturally didn’t appreciate this and glared at him: “10,000,000 refined jades is enough to force us to back down? No, even 100,000,000 can’t stop our Sea Emperor Sword Kingdom.”
She purposely brought up Sea Emperor in order to intimidate Li Qiye into giving up. Anyone with a sliver of reason would hand her the sword.
“That’s not my intention, Your Highness, but this sword is not worth…” The old servant smiled awkwardly.
“Its worth depends on my mood.” The princess said: “As long as I like it, 100,000,000 is still worth it. My happiness isn’t cheap.”
The old servant gave up after the princess said so much.
“Go back if Sea Emperor can’t handle this.” She added.
“Do as you please, Your Highness. It is fine as long as you like it.” He replied. It wasn’t a matter of affordability. He just thought that the sword was not worth it.
“20,000,000.” The princess bid while staring provocatively at Li Qiye.
The crowd wasn’t too surprised this time given the momentum of the auction. It no longer had anything to do with the grass sword itself.
She represented Sea Emperor at this moment. Losing was unacceptable so she would entertain her opponent regardless of the price.
Now, they wondered if Li Qiye could keep up.
“This has to be it for the brat, right?” Someone murmured.
“This is unnecessary, the sword isn’t worth this much.” Xu Yiyun worried for Li Qiye and pulled on his sleeve.
Li Qiye ignored her and smilingly asked the princess: “I assume that you’ll follow whatever bid I make?”
“I’m afraid you’re neither rich enough nor have the courage to compete against our Sea Emperor Sword Kingdom.” The princess sneered while asserting her future position as the queen.