Chapter 323 – The Bustling Auction

Today’s Wanbao Auction House was undoubtedly bustling.

When Su Ming arrived at the auction house, not only was the flow of people coming and going several times greater than usual, but luxury cars were also continuously streaming in like an endless procession.

From these luxury cars, one upper-class individual after another descended—people whose noble status and extraordinary aura were immediately apparent, dressed so impeccably they seemed to belong to a different world. They were greeted by the auction house staff and ushered inside.

Aside from these individuals of distinguished backgrounds, there were also Professionals who, though not arriving in luxury cars, were accompanied by various attendants. These Professionals carried themselves with dignity and were similarly welcomed into the auction house.

Clearly, these individuals were either representatives of major Families and influential factions or leaders of well-known, prominent teams.

There were also lone Professionals who received welcomes, but these individuals were visibly exceptional in strength—at the very least, they were renowned Upper-Rank Professionals. Many, like Su Ming, had disguised themselves, cloaked in black robes and wearing masks, entering the auction house alone.

This lively and unrestrained scene caused many passersby to chatter and point excitedly, as if they had stumbled upon some grand banquet, their excitement levels soaring.

“Why does it feel so lively today?”

“So many people who look extraordinary have arrived.”

“I think I just saw several Commanders of major teams leading their elites here. Was I imagining things?”

“It’s not your imagination, brother. Something big is going to happen at Wanbao Auction House today.”

“Don’t you know? A feast is about to begin on the Third Floor today!”

“What feast? I just returned to Tianfeng City after completing a mission and know nothing about it!”

“Let me tell you then…”

Amid the crowd, numerous discussions and debates rose and fell, contributing to this vibrant spectacle.

Su Ming, arriving late, witnessed this scene clearly and muttered to himself.

“It seems Wanbao Auction House has indeed put considerable effort into promoting this event over the past three days.”

This auction appeared to have captured the attention of the majority of major factions, prompting them to send representatives.

Just from what Su Ming observed, he had already spotted several familiar faces.

For instance, there was Qiao Zhi, the Second Young Master of the Qiao Family and Vice Captain of the A-Rank team 『Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion』, who had previously appeared at the Talent Market attempting to recruit Chi Qian into his team.

Su Ming saw this young master, who had once fervently tried to recruit Chi Qian, leading his team with an expressionless face as he was greeted by the staff and entered the auction house.

In addition, Zhuo Yong, the second-in-command of the A-Rank team 『Scarlet Branch Knights』, which had appeared alongside 『Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion』, also made an appearance.

Similarly, Zhu Yun, the Vice Captain of the A-Rank team 『Iron Rose』—which, like the former 『Crimson』, exclusively recruited female members—arrived quietly. Her team, composed entirely of beautiful female Professionals, attracted considerable attention.

Even Sun Jian, the Commander of the B-Rank team 『Phosphorus Fire Blade』, arrived discreetly, accompanied by several Upper-Rank Professionals.

Su Ming even spotted Liu Zai, the Commander of the B-Rank team 『Heavenly Grandeur』, who had been utterly defeated by Chi Qian and humiliated before countless onlookers.However, this arrogant young master of the Liu family, who had previously spoken disrespectfully and belittled Chi Qian, was now acting rather humbly, accompanying a man of noble status with constant bowing and scraping, perfectly embodying the essence of a “sycophant.”

Su Ming took a closer look at the man, only to be interrupted by a sudden commotion.

Just then, another luxury car pulled up and stopped at the entrance of the Wanbao Auction House.

The person who stepped out of the car made Su Ming, who had been lazily observing from the sidelines, twitch his lips involuntarily.

The reason was simple.

That person was none other than Su Ming’s old acquaintance.

“Isn’t that Xu Xiayan, the Commander of the A-Rank team 『Summer Chasing Smoke』 from the Wang Family?”

Amidst such exclamations, the crowd erupted into noisy chatter, causing many important figures who had been about to enter the auction house to stop in their tracks and turn their attention to the luxury car.

Indeed.

The person who had alighted from the luxury car was unmistakably Xu Xiayan.

This beautiful older sister, who had spent nearly an entire night drinking and chatting with Su Ming just a few days prior, had now appeared alongside a handsome man slightly older than her. His gaze remained fixed on her, his admiration so palpable it was almost overflowing—a case of intentions so obvious that even a passerby could see through them.

“Who is that?”

Just as Su Ming began to wonder, the surrounding whispers provided him with the answer.

“Isn’t that the third young master of the Wang Family?”

“That’s Wang Di, the one with the most exceptional Bloodline and outstanding talent in the Wang Family, regarded as the pinnacle of the next generation and the future heir of the Wang Family.”

“The one who advanced to Six-Star at just thirty-five this year?”

“Exactly. Among the direct descendants of the Wang Family under forty, he is the only Six-Star Professional, far surpassing his two older brothers. He’s considered the most likely among the Wang Family’s direct line to advance to Seven-Star.”

“Unfortunately, despite his excellence, he didn’t establish his own team. Instead, he joined 『Summer Chasing Smoke』, a team founded by external hires, and became Xu Xiayan’s deputy, the Vice Captain of the team.”

“Tsk, tsk, it’s clear there are some ulterior motives at play here.”

“Well, can you blame him? Just look at who Young Master Wang has his eyes on.”

“That’s Xu Xiayan, the one who advanced to Six-Star at thirty, hailed as the youngest Six-Star Professional in Tianfeng City and one of the most likely to advance to Seven-Star.”

“Xu Xiayan—a woman with even greater talent and potential than Wang Di, and stunningly beautiful at that. Is it really so strange for Young Master Wang to harbor some hidden intentions?”

“If it were me, I’d think the same.”

These hushed discussions quickly enlightened Su Ming about the identity of the man accompanying Xu Xiayan.

“So, he’s the Vice Captain of 『Summer Chasing Smoke』, the other Six-Star Professional besides Xu Xiayan?”

Su Ming suddenly understood.

As one of the A-Rank teams closest to S-Rank, 『Summer Chasing Smoke』 was known to have two Six-Star Professionals—information Su Ming could easily verify on his Terminal.

He also knew that the other Six-Star Professional, aside from Xu Xiayan, was likely the team’s Vice Captain.Large teams differ from small ones; with more members, their operations become quite complex. Even simple task allocation can be a tedious affair. If the Commander had to handle everything personally, it would undoubtedly be extremely troublesome.

Therefore, most sizable teams establish the position of “Vice Captain,” some even having more than one. As the Commander’s assistant, the Vice Captain helps share the burden and resolve difficulties.

For instance, both ‘Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion’ and ‘Iron Rose’ have Vice Captains. Like ‘Summer Chasing Smoke,’ they are A-Rank teams with considerable scale themselves.

Thus, Su Ming had long known that ‘Summer Chasing Smoke’ had a Vice Captain, and Xu Xiayan had an assistant.

But he never expected that this so-called assistant, this Vice Captain, was actually a direct descendant of the Wang Family—a veritable young master regarded as the pinnacle and heir of the Wang Family’s next generation. A prodigy who, at just thirty-five years old, had already become a Six-Star Professional.

“The future heir of the prestigious Wang Family actually serving as an assistant to someone recruited from outside?”

Su Ming’s expression immediately turned as intrigued as those around him.

“Our Academy Beauty’s aunt certainly has no small charm.”

In that moment, Su Ming had already planned how he would tease Xu Xiayan the next time they met.

“Hmm?”

Just then, as Xu Xiayan was about to enter the auction house, she sensed a rather peculiar yet familiar gaze, making her stop and turn to look in Su Ming’s direction.

However, Su Ming was no longer there.

He had turned away before Xu Xiayan looked over, blending into the crowd and unobtrusively entering the auction house.

“What’s wrong?”

Wang Di, standing nearby, noticed Xu Xiayan halting and immediately asked softly.

“Nothing.” Xu Xiayan shook her head, withdrawing her gaze while muttering, “Was it an illusion?”

With some doubt, she resumed walking and entered the auction house.

Wang Di gazed obsessively at Xu Xiayan’s retreating figure, following closely behind.

Not long after, another wave of exclamations rose from the crowd.

The Mo Family siblings, whom Su Ming had met once before, also stepped out of a luxury car, drawing considerable attention.

Like this, one rarely-seen influential figure after another made appearances.

Today’s auction was destined to be exceptionally lively.

……

Wanbao Auction House, Third Floor.

This time, when Su Ming reached this floor, he was no longer alone along the way but had many fellow attendees.

Normally, the Third Floor of Wanbao Auction House saw few visitors—only those truly prominent figures could ascend, rarely forming large groups.

Today was different.

Today, there were simply too many distinguished guests at Wanbao Auction House: either members of major teams or representatives of powerful factions and great Families, each accompanied by entourages, making the solitary Su Ming somewhat conspicuous instead.

Many also noticed Su Ming—well-dressed, with an extraordinary Aura, clearly of high birth, resembling a young master from some great Family—and began speculating about his identity in hushed tones.

Su Ming paid no heed to these scrutinizing, assessing glances, proceeding directly up to the Third Floor.Manager Yu was in the hall on the third floor, greeting each arriving VIP as they came.

Naturally, Su Ming’s arrival also caught the attention of this Wanbao Auction House manager.

Immediately, Manager Yu stepped forward with a welcoming smile.

“We’ve been expecting you for some time, Young Master Wang,” Manager Yu greeted with deep respect.

This greeting drew the notice of many present.

“Young Master Wang?”

Many began exchanging glances.

“Wang?”

Wang Di, who had just arrived, also overheard Manager Yu’s words and finally shifted his attention away from Xu Xiayan, looking toward Su Ming.

“Someone from our Family?” Xu Xiayan raised an eyebrow slightly.

The rebellious elder sister of the Xu Family had finally noticed Su Ming, catching sight of his back.

Su Ming paid no mind to the gazes, speaking to Manager Yu as if no one else were around.

“When does the auction begin?” Su Ming skipped pleasantries and got straight to the point.

“It will start in another two hours,” Manager Yu replied. “Young Master Wang, you may enter the venue first. A private room has been prepared for you—it would be a good place to rest.”

“Very well, then.” Su Ming waved a hand, then added after a moment’s thought, “No need to send anyone to attend to me. I’d rather not be stared at by those women with hungry eyes again.”

Su Ming was referring to the attendants he had encountered in the private room during his last visit to an auction.

Their intentions—to latch onto someone influential, cling to a powerful figure, or seek patronage—could not have been more obvious. Last time was one thing, but this time, Su Ming had no interest in playing along with such young ladies.

Manager Yu clearly understood what Su Ming meant and nodded with a wry smile.

Only then did Su Ming stride into the venue on his own, heading in the direction of the private room he had used before.

Manager Yu, in turn, prepared to attend to other guests.

As it happened, Xu Xiayan and Wang Di were next in line.

“Thank you for gracing us with your presence today, Commander Xu, Third Young Master,” Manager Yu bowed to Xu Xiayan and Wang Di.

“It’s been a while, Manager Yu,” Xu Xiayan smiled. “I haven’t visited in some time. I didn’t expect your auction house to quietly organize such a grand event all of a sudden.”

Hearing this, Manager Yu couldn’t help but chuckle.

He hadn’t hosted such a large-scale occasion in a long time.

This auction had genuinely invigorated him, and he had put more effort into it than usual.

He believed that, after today’s auction, Wanbao Auction House would become the talk of Tianfeng City for some time to come.

Just thinking about how much business this would bring to the auction house in the future filled Manager Yu with delight.

“By the way, Manager Yu,” Xu Xiayan suddenly inquired, “where is that Young Master Wang from earlier from?”

Wang Di also pricked up his ears, listening intently.

There was no helping it—Manager Yu’s attitude, along with Su Ming’s demeanor and Aura, had made it clear to both Xu Xiayan and Wang Di that he was no ordinary person.

His rather ornate attire and the air of a scion from a great Family made the two suspect he might be from their own clan.

Yet neither could recognize Su Ming’s identity, so they had no choice but to ask Manager Yu.

Unfortunately…”We don’t know Young Master Wang’s identity either,” Manager Yu shook his head, not only failing to provide an answer but also looking thoughtfully at Xu Xiayan and Wang Di as he said, “Did you two not recognize that young master’s identity?”

Clearly, Manager Yu was also probing, wanting to know if Su Ming was actually from the Wang Family.

Xu Xiayan and Wang Di exchanged glances before simultaneously shaking their heads.

“I truly didn’t recognize that person’s identity,” Xu Xiayan turned to Wang Di and asked, “Did you recognize him?”

“No,” Wang Di replied straightforwardly, “He doesn’t appear to be any Wang direct descendant I know, nor does he resemble any Upper-Rank Professional from our family’s collateral branches.”

“Then he probably isn’t from our family,” Xu Xiayan thought for a moment before finally concluding this way.

“If you’re curious, you could go have a face-to-face conversation with him,” Manager Yu said with a chuckle upon seeing this.

Xu Xiayan and Wang Di could only nod in response.

(End of Chapter)