On the other side, after Big Gold Tooth made his bid, silence enveloped the crowd for a few seconds before the auction resumed with bids climbing into the thousands.
"$102,000!"
"$115,000!"
"$118,000!"
Big Gold Tooth suddenly turned around, his sharp gaze silencing the jewelers poised to bid.
"$140,000!" he declared, exhaling a puff of smoke, as if that sum was mere pocket change.
The crowd fell silent, overwhelmed by his audacity, but just as Big Gold Tooth started to feel anxious, a calm voice broke through.
"$150,000."
Big Gold Tooth's hand trembled slightly as he recognized the voice. The crowd parted, revealing a composed middle-aged man with a shaved head.
"It's Mr. Xiao Zheng!"
"He's here!"
"Didn't even notice him before!"
"Hello, Mr. Xiao Zheng!"
The crowd erupted in admiration, akin to fans meeting a celebrity. Cao Yi was surprised; he hadn't expected the man who had previously advised him to be such a notable figure.
"I'll bid $150,000," the man smiled, standing confidently before Big Gold Tooth.
Big Gold Tooth's expression shifted from shock to a forced smile, his bravado fading as he extended his hand, acknowledging, "Mr. Xiao Zheng, my apologies..."
The surrounding crowd snickered at Big Gold Tooth's defeat, and he reluctantly stepped back, casting one last envious glance at Cao Yi's prized jade.
"Daoist Priest, shall we continue?" asked the now-forgotten stone cutter.
Cao Yi nodded, "Let's keep going. Number 2333."
The cutter approached the massive rock, his expression turning to one of despair.
"Is this even jade? It looks like just a stone," he muttered, eyeing the daunting task ahead.
Laughter erupted from the crowd, "This is just a rock! Where did they even get this?"
The cutter shook his head and began to slice into the stone.
As the shards fell, the anticipation in the crowd turned to disbelief.
"It's just a stone!" one young man laughed.
"Whoever thinks jade is coming from that is delusional," another chimed in.
Wang Kaixuan, feeling the stakes, bet, "If jade doesn't come out, I'll eat dirt!"
The cutter continued his work, despite the ridicule, sweat pouring down his face.
"Careful down there!" Cao Yi reminded.
Finally, just as doubts were solidifying, a hint of yellow mist began to appear from the depths of the rock.
"Yellow mist!" the cutter exclaimed, stunned.