My master gave me a death mission: to go down the mountain and retrieve his granddaughter.

"Eight hundred million..."

In less than five minutes, the price of this "King of Stones" soared to 800 million yuan, but at this price, there were not many people left to participate in the bidding.

Besides Mr. Chen and the Guangdong businessman, there were three other business owners participating in the bidding.

When the price reached 900 million, the three bosses put down their paddles and stopped bidding, leaving only Boss Chen and the Guangdong boss at the scene.

However, towards the end, the Guangdong businessman hesitated for a long time every time he raised the price, clearly indicating that he had reached his limit.

Ultimately, the price reached 980 million. The Guangdong businessman was disheartened. It wasn't that he didn't want to raise the price, but that he simply couldn't. The funds he brought, plus the money Qian Yutang lent him, amounted to only this much.

Funds for on-site auctions are prepared in advance, so it's no use trying to raise more now. Not only does the auction house not allow this kind of operation, but the guests participating in the auction also disagree.

"The price is now 980 million. Is there anyone else bidding? 980 million for the first time..."

The beautiful auctioneer deliberately dragged out the bidding to see if anyone would continue bidding, but no one present showed any intention of raising the price further.

Indeed, even if this "King of Stones" truly yields imperial green as described in the introduction, it wouldn't be worth this price. The reason everyone wants to bid for it is because of the significance of this "King of Stones."

Just like Boss Chen, the reason he spent more than the price of the "King of Stones" was to use it to consolidate his position and surpass Qian Yutang, so that he could become the leading jewelry manufacturer in Jiangnan Province.

Everyone else had similar thoughts, but the price of this "King of Stones" was indeed too high. The returns from bidding at this price were no longer worth the risk.

"Nine hundred and eighty million, the second time..."

"Beautiful lady, no need to waste any more time. No one's bidding anymore, let's just drop the hammer!"

Seeing the beautiful auctioneer dragging her feet, Boss Chen was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan and couldn't help but remind her.

"Hehe! Sir, please be patient. If no one else raises the price, then this 'King of Stones' is yours for the taking. Please wait a little longer!"

The beautiful auctioneer could also sense Mr. Chen's urgency, but as an auctioneer, she still had to follow the usual procedures.

"Anyone else bidding? If not, the hammer will fall. Nine hundred and eighty million, the third bid... sold!"

As the beautiful auctioneer finished speaking, the gavel in her hand slammed heavily onto the auction table, sealing the deal.

Ultimately, the No. 1 "Stone King" was auctioned off to Mr. Chen for 980 million.

"Hahaha... This 'Stone King' is mine now, thank you all for your kind offer!"

The moment the gavel fell, Boss Chen could no longer contain his excitement. He stood up and laughed heartily, while also bowing to the guests present to express his gratitude.

However, everyone found Boss Chen's smug and arrogant attitude extremely annoying, and no one at the scene offered him any congratulations.

With the help of the staff, Mr. Chen quickly completed the transfer. He then immediately ran to the No. 1 "Stone King" and gently stroked the half-person-tall rough stone as if it were his own child, occasionally even kissing it, which was disgusting to watch.

"Mr. Chen, congratulations on winning the bid for the No. 1 'King of Stones'. I have a request, and I wonder if you would be willing to grant it."

Just as Boss Chen was immersed in his close contact with the No. 1 "Stone King", Old Liang stepped forward to congratulate him.

"Mr. Liang, please tell me what you want me to do!"

"Here's the thing, this 'King of Stones' has been with our jade association for almost ten years. Every time we see it, we want to cut it open to see the quality of the jade inside, and also to confirm whether there is imperial green inside. Now that you, Mr. Chen, have won the bid for this 'King of Stones,' I wonder if you could cut it open on the spot, so that we can all broaden our horizons."

Old Liang was telling the truth. For the past ten years, the members of their jade association have been thinking about cutting open this "King of Stones" all the time. But this "King of Stones" is the most prized possession of their jade association, so how could they allow anyone to cut it open?

If an even better "King of Stones" hadn't been discovered, this rough stone wouldn't have appeared at the auction. Now that someone has bought it at a high price, the jade association members all want to see what kind of jadeite this highly sought-after "King of Stones" can yield.

Upon hearing what Mr. Liang said, Boss Chen did not reply immediately, but instead frowned and pondered.

Just then, an untimely laugh rang out.

"Pfft... Brother Su, I just couldn't hold back anymore, hahaha..."

Everyone looked in the direction of the laughter and saw Qian Yutang clutching his stomach and laughing heartily in his seat.

Whether it was because they remembered something happy, or perhaps influenced by Qian Yutang, Su Muchen and Liu Ziyan also laughed out loud. In this serious atmosphere, the three of them seemed so out of place.

"Hey you guys surnamed Qian, have you lost your minds? Did you see Chen buy the number one 'Stone King' and couldn't handle the shock, so you suddenly went mad?"

Boss Chen was oblivious to Su Muchen and his companions' actions, still basking in the joy of having won the first "Stone King" bid.

"Hahaha... Mr. Chen, stop making me laugh. I advise you to listen to Elder Liang and have the stone cut open on the spot, hahaha..."

Qian Yutang's laughter never stopped; he continued to laugh heartily after finishing his sentence.

"Hmph, if you want to cut the stone on the spot, then let's do it. I, Chen, will show you what a 'Stone King' really is."

Mr. Chen had the same idea. The people present were all big names in the industry. If this "King of Stones" could yield an extraordinary piece of jade in front of so many witnesses, wouldn't that make him famous?

Even if that wasn't the reason, Boss Chen wanted to see what kind of surprise the "King of Stones" he had spent nearly a billion yuan to acquire could bring him. If it turned out to be imperial green, then he would not only not lose money on his billion yuan investment, but he would also make a profit.

"Mr. Liang, please arrange for a stone cutter to help me cut this stone. I want everyone to see how amazing this 'King of Stones' is."

"Alright, someone come and cut the stone..."

When they heard that Boss Chen was going to cut the stone on the spot, everyone cheered. Everyone wanted to see what this "King of Stones" would reveal.

Su Muchen and the others cheered along, but their cheers seemed to carry another meaning, something akin to mockery.

With the help of the staff, a larger cutting machine was quickly pushed to the front of the auction table. After all, this "King of Stones" was very large and required a large cutting machine to fit it.

"Boss Chen, could you please draw out the cutting path for this 'King of Stones'?"

The stone-cutting master handed the paintbrush to Boss Chen, but Boss Chen did not reach out to take it, but simply waved his hand away.

"No need for that trouble. Just cut it in half for me. That way, I can see the quality of the jade inside the 'King of Stones' more clearly."

"Sizzle..."

As soon as the cutting machine was turned on, the restless guests immediately quieted down and all crowded around the auction stage, eager to witness the stunning beauty of this "King of Stones" as soon as possible.

Because this "King of Stones" was so large, the cutting process took a long time. Everyone craned their necks and waited for nearly ten minutes before the stone was finally cut in half.

"Holy crap, what's going on?"

"Hahaha..."