Chapter 189: You Should Be the Ones to Leave

Private Room Number One was exceptionally luxurious, exuding an air of nobility from every corner. The wall decorations alone were worth tens of thousands of crystal stones. The teacups on the table were also rare treasures carved from premium spiritual wood, each valued at a thousand crystal stones. Even the most ordinary seats were worth several thousand crystal stones.

As elite disciples from various peaks, they were all accustomed to grand sights, yet the opulence before them still left them awestruck.

Ji Ruyue's beautiful eyes sparkled. "This truly is the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's auction house!" she exclaimed.

"The decor in Private Room Number One must be worth tens of thousands of crystal stones, at a minimum!"

The other disciples echoed her admiration. "It's even grander than our Sect Leader's bedroom," one remarked.

"Who would invest such an exorbitant sum purely on decoration?"

"Only the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, it seems."

Just then, Ji Ruyue spotted a long jade chair in the center of the room. Carved with exquisite dragons and phoenixes, it possessed an extraordinary grandeur. More importantly, it was crafted from ice jade, a material rarely found in the Nine Sects Continent, where even a fist-sized piece was worth a thousand crystals. The cost of an entire chair made of this material was simply unimaginable.

"Senior Brother Ling, may I sit on this chair?" Ji Ruyue asked, her hand caressing the armrest, her eyes gleaming with desire.

However, Ling Guihai immediately halted her. "Take your hand off!" he sternly commanded. "Are you out of your mind? This chair is reserved for that distinguished personage. How could you or I just casually sit on it?"

Startled, Ji Ruyue quickly retracted her hand, apologizing profusely, "My apologies, I got carried away for a moment."

Ling Guihai felt a surge of irritation. Bringing these troublesome individuals along not only meant sharing an opportunity meant solely for him, but they also constantly caused problems. What if the senior arrived and found a group of ill-mannered individuals occupying his seat? How would he react?

He cast a stern gaze over everyone present. "All of you, pay attention!" he instructed. "If you upset that senior, none of us will fare well!"

The elite disciples, who had been idly touching and examining everything around them, immediately straightened up.

Liu Qingxian also found the decor of the room quite novel and meticulously observed her surroundings. Suddenly, she noticed a palm-sized jade lion on a table and, out of curiosity, asked, "What is this?"

She reached out to pick it up. Annoyed, Ling Guihai suppressed his irritation and said, "Junior Sister Liu, please don't randomly touch things here."

"It would be problematic if it gets damaged."

Liu Qingxian playfully stuck out her tongue and shamefully withdrew her hand. Since they were here as guests, she knew she had to abide by the rules.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Fan simply picked up the jade lion, turned it over in his hand, and remarked, "This seems to be what's used for bidding, right?"

"Just infuse a bit of spiritual energy, and the auction stage below will register this private room's bid." As he spoke, he tossed it to Liu Qingxian. "Feel free to play with it; it's not valuable anyway. If it breaks, just ask Manager Wen for a replacement."

Liu Qingxian frantically caught it. "Be careful!" she chided. "You almost broke it!"

This nonchalant gesture startled the elite disciples. "This guy!" one muttered. "He acts as if he owns the private room!"

"He even told Manager Wen to replace it! If he actually breaks it, Manager Wen will throw us all out!"

Ji Ruyue, also angered, exclaimed, "Senior Brother Ling, look at him! He's deliberately trying to cause trouble!"

Ling Guihai was furious. He hadn't wanted to bring Jiang Fan in at all, only doing so reluctantly for Liu Qingxian's sake. Yet, Jiang Fan showed no gratitude whatsoever. Upon arrival, he had completely taken over, ignoring all of Ling Guihai's warnings and causing chaos.

"Jiang Fan, this is my final warning: stop touching everything indiscriminately!" he fumed. "If you break anything, I'll face severe repercussions, and you'll be in even greater peril!"

Jiang Fan pursed his lips, utterly speechless. "Since I invited you in, there's no issue," he said. "You don't need to be so stiff; just relax as long as you don't make too much noise."

With that, he casually sat down on the long jade chair. A cool, comforting sensation instantly spread throughout his body, as wisps of spiritual energy continuously flowed into him, making him feel incredibly at ease.

"Impressive. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion's auction house certainly knows how to do things right," Jiang Fan mused. He silently praised their attention to detail, especially in crafting such a luxurious private room experience. This level of luxury would undoubtedly attract many powerful individuals. And after experiencing such opulent surroundings, who would be able to resist bidding in the auction?

However, this action was the last straw for Ling Guihai.

"Jiang Fan!" Ling Guihai roared, his face contorted with palpable fury. "What exactly are you trying to do? Get off that chair this instant!"

He was absolutely incensed! That senior could arrive at any moment. If he discovered that his private jade chair had been occupied, he would certainly not be pleased. In a fit of rage, he might even throw them all out!

Jiang Fan frowned. "This private room was prepared for me," he stated. "What I choose to do is my business! As for you, you're incredibly loud!"

"If you continue to shout like this, you can leave!"

Jiang Fan had only allowed them all to come in and look around out of consideration for their enthusiastic curiosity. But Ling Guihai's constant fussing was utterly annoying.

Ji Ruyue froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Did you all hear that?" she giggled. "He says this private room was prepared for *him*! Good heavens, am I hallucinating?"

The elite disciples' mouths twitched, and they began to whisper amongst themselves. "Is this guy insane?" one whispered. "Even several Grand Elders from other sects are here, and none of them are qualified for Private Room Number One."

"Even if he truly is Xia Chaoge's martial uncle, he's absolutely not qualified to sit here!"

Liu Qingxian was also bewildered by Jiang Fan's remarks. She lowered her voice and whispered, "Jiang Fan, why are you speaking so carelessly? You'll offend people with talk like that." If word got out that Jiang Fan, a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, had falsely claimed Private Room Number One, not only would it displease the esteemed senior who was expected to arrive, but the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's auction house would likely blacklist Jiang Fan indefinitely.

Ling Guihai, fuming, slapped the table. Unable to tolerate it any longer, he roared, "You utterly ridiculous person! Did I bring you in here for you to make a fool of yourself? How dare you take such liberties? Get out! Get out now! You are not welcome here!"

Jiang Fan's expression turned cold. Still seated on the jade chair, with no intention of moving, he retorted icily, "You're the one who should leave! And all of you are too noisy! Get out, all of you!"

They were truly ungrateful, a bunch of rude individuals!

Liu Qingxian was startled. She barely recognized the Jiang Fan before her. Wasn't he usually so modest? How could he be so arrogant and unreasonable, completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation? He was occupying a senior's chair and now trying to kick others out? If the senior and the auction house staff saw this, he would be in serious trouble.

*Creak* — just as she feared! Just as the tension in the room reached its peak, the private room door swung open.

Chen Luoyue entered, a jade box of spiritual tea in her hands and a bright smile on her face. Upon seeing so many people, she immediately froze. "So many people?" she murmured, surprised.