After that brief silence, the hall erupted. No one would allow one person to take everything. Not to mention, when they saw Soul-Nurturing Wood on the list, some forces instantly shifted priorities and funneled their funds toward it. Even with Luo Chen's aggressive bid, others still followed suit and competed closely.

"Two million three hundred thousand! Fellow Daoist, I've been watching your earlier bids. You were going after water- and earth-element materials, so you must be crafting a treasure of that nature. This Soul-Nurturing Wood carries yin qi, which doesn't quite match what you need. The Qian family needs this. Why not give us some face?"

Luo Chen glanced toward the private room where the voice came from. He did not respond directly, but the five words...