The next few dozen items were a warm-up with rapid bidding mostly from the ground floor, and occasionally the gallery.

During this time the auction hall was filled with murmurs as everyone was discussing the first clash of the two princes.

"Hihi, doesn’t it remind you of the youngest from earlier today?", Ko Wenlu snickered in a low voice, making sure to activate the sound protection of the private balcony.

"What does?", Ko Furen raised his eyebrows, tilting his head and leaning to the side to listen a bit without fully turning away his gaze from the stage.

"The way the 5th prince picked a fight only to get a bloody nose", Ko Wenlu explained, causing his younger brother to turn a slightly reproachful gaze to him.

"Wenlu..."

"Oh come on, hehe, it’s not like I’m saying it to the face of either of them, it’s not so serious either, just an observation!", Ko Wenlu continued with a subtle laugh in his tone, "Besides, it was me the youngest picked a fight with, even if I was serious - which I’m not - it wouldn’t be out of line, would it?"

Ko Furen’s eyes remained on him for a bit, though the rebuke in them disappeared to be replaced with a slightly hard to read look, but definitely one that was more understanding and sympathetic to the second eldest of the siblings, and as he turned to look back at the stage, added as if in passing, his voice taking a nonchalant tone, "Well, it was certainly a bit out of character for him - you know the youngest, he’s usually a lot more cautious in how he acts"

These words caused Ko Wenlu to slightly freeze up while Ko Furen wasn’t looking, furrowing his eyebrows with both realization that the latter was right and beginning to ponder why Ko Fuan, who was always so cautious and calculated in his actions, behaved so impulsively toward himself today, ’Is there some hidden goal he’s pursuing that I didn’t see? But why me...? Is he suspecting I really want to compete with him for succession?’

That look of puzzled pondering quickly disappeared into a smirk the moment Ko Furen glanced at him, as he chuckled as if nothing happened, but returned as the latter once again redirected his attention back to the stage where one of their father’s item put up for the auction was introduced, Ko Wenlu’s expression once again becoming somber.

Ko Furen, on the other hand, had a satisfied delight appear deep in his eyes, as he focused on his peripheral vision rather than looking at the stage for a bit, before truly shifting his attention forward.

The auction began heating up as more and more items now prompted bids from the gallery and even from some of the private balconies.

Wei Yuanjie and the 5th prince also clashed a few times, but those were mostly successful attempts by Wei Yuanjie to force his older brother to pay more for an item the latter wanted.

Those clashes ended in Wei Yuanjie having to purchase an item he didn’t need only a couple of times, as the 5th prince tried to throw him off by bidding on items he didn’t want either - most of those attempts at baiting the 9th prince failing as the 5th prince bought quite a bit of items he didn’t want or have any kind of need for.

At the same time, at no point Wei Yuanjie initiated the bid first, to the point that it became suspicious until one of Wei Liheng’s advisors suddenly had a look of realization, "Your Highness, he has someone bidding for the items he wants in the audience, but since he’s not using sound transmissions there must be some kind of visual sign that he’s using to signal for them to bid on a particular item - it’s likely so we can’t catch them easily"

The 5th prince clenched his fists in both anger at not being able to interfere with Wei Yuanjie’s purchases, and frustration that this was indeed a smart move, "Why the heck did we not do that then?!"

His outburst caused his entourage to lower their gazes, but he sighed covering his face the next moment to calm himself down, knowing that antagonizing his supporters too much was not good now that he was in quite a precarious position, his status as a viable candidate for the throne lately hinging on a rather unstable ground, "Can you figure out who it is? We’ve got to be able to at least guess by the purchases that person makes, no?"

"It’s unfortunately quite likely he dispersed many parties across the auction hall, in the gallery and even the ground floor to disguise any purchasing patterns that might lead us to his men...", the same advisor carefully said as Wei Liheng clenched his jaws but held back without lashing out.

"Where is he getting those resources? Those bodyguards with him are all in Essence Awakening Realm... ten of them! And he has multiple subordinates he trusts with large sums of money to place around this auction hall to bid for him? Is that an arrangement by that friend of his, Wu Long? And where the heck is he?", the 5th prince put down the hand he held over his face before, looking directly at Wei Yuanjie.

"His base of support should be whoever is supporting Princess Wei Zhenhui from the shadows, including that man calling himself Wu Long", another advisor chimed in, "As for the latter, it is rumored he left the continent altogether after that incident with the Iron Claw Group"

"Left the continent? And how do you imagine that?", Wei Liheng turned a distrustful look to his advisor, "You know damn well that the Iron Claw Group wants that man’s head on a pike, they placed heavy guard on their World Stone and don’t let anyone in and out without identification.

"That is, we received news that on the night after the incident, the Formations around the World Stone were disrupted for about 15 minutes, we believe it was at that point that he left the continent", the General who came with the 5th prince spoke solemnly.

"Tsk... those incompetent bunch of bandits... and they have the audacity to dream of being recognized by our Dynasty with that kind of abillity?", Wei Liheng clicked his tongue, frustrated and yet at the same time relieved if Wu Long who unnerved him was no longer on the continent.

He might be making dangerous moves outside, but at the very least he wasn’t here to make his life even harder in the Silver Wing City - he had his hands full with just Wei Yuanjie after all.