A Man's Insanity: A Changing World

The auctioneer started counting.

"1… 2… 3… 4…"

He was deliberately counting slowly, waiting for Yang Zhai's response.

"Make a bid, when you do that, I will not bid anymore and you will waste your essence stones."

That person muttered with a smile.

"17… 18… 19… and 20. Congratulations, this item goes to the Sky Stand room 6!" The auctioneer shouted.

That person from room 6: "..."

"Hell…I won…"

He was left completely speechless.

"Tzu Yu, seriously, at least give me a hint. I have bid on so many items that even I am feeling embarrassed now." Yue Qing was getting too curious that she would involuntarily delay bidding on every item Yang Zhai asked her to even if Yang Zhai didn't ask her to. Even though he was also purposely making her delay many bids.

This was why the auctioneer thought that they needed time to think because of their delayed biddings. So, he increased the counting on the auction management's orders.

"Simple, almost everyone here is rich, especially those Sky Stand people. If we try to win by bidding more essence stones, we will lose when the items I want appear because of their value. We need to defeat them mentally…"

"I am sure you cannot compete with those well-off, high rank elders. Even though you are rich and can borrow essence stones from your father and mother if you need more, you cannot do so right now. On top of that, there is also a set of rank 4 Blue Gems and one rank 5 Blue Gem. I don't want them to exceed the limit of essence stones I can pay. So, that's why I am doing it." Yang Zhai replied.

Yue Qing went quiet when she heard Yang Zhai.

When did he think of all this? Did he plan all this when he saw the item list? However, that was given to us only when we entered the auction house and not much time had passed. But he is just a boy. But still…: Yue Qing was flabbergasted when she heard Yang Zhai. Still, she had her doubts.

"What if your plan ends up backfiring?"

"I want it to backfire." He replied with a smile.

"You want it to backfire…?"

After a while,

"Next item, a set of rank 4 Blue Gems."

"Ten thousand mid-grade essence stones!"

Yang Zhai didn't hold back and went for ten thousand directly.

"It's that person again."

"I wonder who would be the unlucky one this time."

"Whenever that person bids, the prices go up. We can get a top-grade material belonging to rank 4 easily in a thousand mid-grade essence stones, but that person went directly for ten thousand."

"I wonder about his identity."

"Yeah, I stopped bidding on the items that person bids on. It's obvious they are here to play with us, and do not want anything. They are really experienced in this game."

"Not to mention that the ones who tried to make that person waste their essence stones ended up incurring losses themselves."

These people were talking on every bid Yang Zhai made.

"Fifteen thousand."

"Twenty thousand."

"Thirty thousand." Yue Qing made a bid.

"Thirty-five."

"Stop," Yue Qing was about to make a bid when she was stopped by Yang Zhai.

"Fifty thousand."

"Now,"

"Sixty thousand."

She bid again.

"Sixty-five thousand."

"Should I make the bid?" She asked.

"No, start delaying your bids again." Yang Zhai replied.

As such, each bid was delayed by Yue Qing.

"Seventy-two thousand."

He made the bid again.

"That person started to hesitate. This has been happening since the start, every time that person is going to stop, they hesitate. This was why others tried to defeat them. Those people thought that they would stop bidding the moment that person starts to hesitate, but that person would stop the bid before them."

"You are right, now that they are hesitating, they are going to stop bidding."

This was what Yang Zhai had been doing to make sure that he wouldn't end up winning a bid. Instead of just depending on his expertise, he was also using this tactic.

Along with that, I want others to know when I am going to stop bidding. This hesitation of mine will make those wanting revenge on me hesitate from increasing the bid, thinking that I am going to stop. As for them thinking that I am aiming for this? Well… by now, they all think that I am just here to play around and not obtain anything. Now, it's not related to the essence stones, they want to take revenge by making me lose a bid terribly. Even if the item belongs to rank 4, it doesn't matter. As long as the item can be auctioned at an unusual price to me, they would be satisfied: he contemplated.

As such, others also started to hesitate.

"Seventy-five."

Yang Zhai and Yue Qing didn't bid anymore.

"1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 12…" the auctioneer started to count.

"Make a bid already, damn it! I want you to lose at least once. I want you to incur a loss even if a little bit. Even though I wanted these Blue Gems at first, now I only want you to incur losses." A Sky Stand person muttered.

"What to do, Tzu Yu? You will lose this set if we don't make a bid right now. Even though the auctioneer is counting slowly, you don't have much time."

"Make seventy-six thousand mid-grade essence stones when the counting reaches 19." Yang Zhai replied.

"17… 18… 19, make any bid you want, I am completing my counting." The auctioneer said and after that tried to prolong the counting with his usual convincing speech. He was doing this because Yang Zhai had made many bids on the previous items when he was right at nineteen.

"So, as everyone knows, this world is built with dust, air, water, fire, and many more elements. However, have you ever thought why people auction even such precious items, even though they don't need money? Well, let me tell you guys before you lose this item as well....."

Everyone: "..."

"There he goes again."

"What the hell is wrong with this auctioneer? Why would we want to know that?!"

"And where the heck does he get those speeches from? Why do people auction? Right for real...is that even a question? First, his speeches belonged to the items' usefulness I didn't even know existed, and now this."

"I mean, isn't that obvious? Why do people auction? Some do that for money, and some don't want to waste the time, so they want to benefit from them, even if a little. Not to mention that those wealthy people earn a lot with those precious items."

"Besides, when did he form an understanding with that sky person?"

"Not only did he increase the counting on the whim and right in front of us, but he also started giving long speeches. I thought this was an auction house, not some classroom."

"I still pity the guy who thought he had won the bid when this guy first counted to three, but went ahead and said four instead of 'this item belongs to you', shocking everyone. And then, right there, the price for that item skyrocketed by that sky person. I am sure he must hold a severe grudge against these two." A woman shook her head and said sympathetically.

"Hey!! Would you stop with this useless begging and say 20 already?!!!"

"Seventy-six thousand essence stones."

"Seventy-six thousand one, two, three…"

The auctioneer started counting after Yue Qing made the bid.

"Nineteen and twenty! This set of rank 4 Blue Gems goes to the guest of room 2."

The set was delivered to Yang Zhai's room and he paid the essence stones right away.

If he didn't, this set would be auctioned off again.

After a twenty percent discount, he only had to pay sixty thousand eight hundred mid-grade essence stones.

They were given to him in a box with its opening made from glass.

He could see three blue gems inside and smiled.

"Congratulations, you will soon be a rank 5 cultivator… You deserved it after what you did today," she said with an awkward smile. She didn't know what to say. After all, he made her bid so many times and made an enemy out of almost everyone present here.

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