Chapter 112: Overnight Wealth

“Cut it for me!” The bald boss rubbed his hands together, his eyes fixed intently on the jade rough.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

As the grating sound of the saw echoed through the room, everyone’s heartbeat quickened. The bald boss, the one who had placed the bid, was even more tense. At some point, he had closed his eyes, unable to bear watching the cutting process. His hands were clasped tightly, murmuring prayers as if beseeching the gods.

No one mocked him. One million two hundred thousand dollars was no small sum—it could buy several houses. For many middle-class attendees, that amount was their entire fortune. If the jade rough failed to yield any jade, or if the jade extracted was of poor quality, they would lose everything in an instant.

Soon, the staff slowly sliced away a portion of the rough, revealing its interior.

“There’s jade!” someone shouted suddenly.

The bald man snapped his eyes open, staring at the rough with burning intensity, a smile creeping onto his face.

However, when the entire rough was cut open, the middle-aged bald man sighed deeply.

The jade quality revealed was only average, nothing exceptional.

The jade extracted was worth just over a million dollars—enough for the bald man to break even.

From the audience, Guo Xinzi’s beautiful eyes turned to Chen Xian in surprise. “Mr. Chen, you’re incredible. You really guessed right—the jade inside that rough was only ordinary.”

Chen Xian neither confirmed nor denied, simply smiling faintly.

At that moment, the second jade rough was brought to the auction platform by a small crane. The auctioneer announced loudly, “Lot number two: superior color and other qualities, starting bid at one hundred thousand dollars. Each raise must be at least ten thousand dollars. Bidding begins now—highest bid wins.”

With those words, fierce bidding resumed.

In the end, the rough sold for one million two hundred fifty thousand dollars.

“Mr. Chen, what do you think about the jade inside Lot Two?” Guo Xinzi asked again.

Chen Xian replied calmly, “About the same as Lot One.”

There was an unparalleled confidence in his tone.

As predicted, the value of the jade cut from the second rough was close to that of the first.

Guo Xinzi’s eyes widened in astonishment. If the first guess was luck, how could the second be explained?

She found the young man beside her increasingly mysterious and was ever more curious to learn who he really was.

...

Chen Xian remained silent during the auctions for the third and fourth lots, merely observing.

Among lots one through four, three yielded jade, though none of high value, roughly matching their selling prices. The fourth lot yielded no jade, much to the disappointment of its buyer.

When the fifth jade rough was brought forward, the auctioneer had barely finished announcing the starting bid when scattered bids began from the audience.

Compared to the previous four lots, the bidding seemed less intense.

After three lots produced mediocre jade and the fourth yielded nothing, buyers were understandably discouraged.

Then Chen Xian bid, “One million dollars!”

The others had only raised the price to two hundred thousand, but Chen Xian’s sudden jump of eight hundred thousand caused everyone else to drop out.

Given the previous four lots’ moderate results, most thought the price wouldn’t go much higher. They feared the rough might be empty, which would mean total loss.

This allowed Chen Xian to secure the lot at a bargain.

As the cutting began, Chen Xian remained calm, watching the jade rough casually.

Beside him, Guo Xinzi was far more nervous, clasping her hands and whispering prayers: “Please let there be jade inside.”

“It’s coming out!”

“Oh my God, this is a piece of top-grade ‘glass-type’ jadeite with such clarity and water color… and it’s as large as a basin! Its value is at least one hundred million dollars! He’s truly become an overnight millionaire—buying it for one million and getting a jade worth one hundred million, that’s a hundredfold return!”

The auctioneer’s voice rang out in excitement, unable to conceal his enthusiasm.

“Damn, how did I miss this? A jade rough worth a hundred million, and I didn’t even try to compete!”

“My God, the person who bought Lot Five is rich now—one hundred million dollars! Mansions, supercars, luxury yachts, beautiful models… he’s got it all!”

“Overnight riches, truly overnight riches. I’m so envious I’m about to burst!”

“...”

The jade gamblers erupted in excited chatter as the screen displayed the flawless jadeite.

Some slammed their fists, lamenting their earlier hesitation—they had wanted to bid but gave up after seeing the poor results of the first four lots.

Now, their regret was unbearable—but there was no remedy for regret in this world.

“Mr. Chen, congratulations! You’ve won jade worth one hundred million dollars,” Guo Xinzi’s eyes sparkled as she stared unblinkingly at Chen Xian, utterly amazed. “How did you do it? How did you know that Lot Five contained such exquisite jade?”

“I have X-ray vision,” Chen Xian grinned.

Guo Xinzi found herself inclined to believe him—unless one possessed such a gift, how else could he have judged the five lots so precisely?

“Mr. Chen, could you teach me how to tell which rough contains jade? I want to bid on one too,” she said, her eyes burning with eagerness.

Chen Xian smiled faintly. “Sure! I’ll help you pick one shortly.”

They spoke quietly, as if others around them couldn’t hear.

That was because Chen Xian had just used a technique from the “Divine Mind Control Art,” employing spiritual power to block out sound.

He didn’t want others to overhear that he could see through the jade rough, lest it affect his future bids.

Soon, the sixth jade rough was brought forward and sold for eight million nine hundred thousand dollars.

However, it turned out empty, driving its buyer to despair—he pounded his fists and nearly spat blood.

The sixth lot’s high price was due to the excitement over Chen Xian’s spectacular find in Lot Five.

Though disappointing, the jade gamblers were undeterred, clinging to hope that they might strike jade like Chen Xian.

Lots seven through fifteen sold between three to eight million dollars each, but the jade extracted never exceeded eight million in value, and two lots yielded nothing.

After nine lots, the gamblers gradually returned to rationality.

When the sixteenth lot appeared, bidding was noticeably subdued.

Chen Xian smiled faintly, turning to Guo Xinzi. “This jade rough is worth at least fifteen million dollars. If you want it, now’s a good chance.”