Hearing Shen Yu's question, Lan Ming got confused before she realized what was going on. She wanted to facepalm as she formed a hypothesis.
'As I thought, he's definitely someone from the world beyond Hollow Mountains. I should have known that for someone like him, Spirit Stones are a common currency, not a precious resource. Or maybe it's that Lower-Grade Spirit Stones don't have much value to him. Hmm, he should be a top person even in the outside world, so it isn't much of a surprise that his worldview is flawed.'
Lan Ming sighed and explained things to Shen Yu.
"Master Shen, you might not know but Spirit Stones are very rare for us. Not only for us, but even for the Major Sects. Even they have to maintain a proper resource of Spirit Stones. As for us, Tier 2 sects, we have a Lower-Grade Spirit Stone Mine under us, so we have a rather higher quantity of Spirit Stones compared to other sects; however, even we have to be careful with the usage of Spirit Stones. Every single Spirit Stone that is traded or spent is recorded. That's why we were surprised at how casually you said 2 spirit stones."
Realization dawned on Shen Yu as he coughed lightly, his face turned slightly red in embarrassment, which he quickly hid away. He cleared his throat and said.
"Thanks for the information, Miss Lan. I'm still not clear about how the world works."
"It's my pleasure, Master Shen."
Lan Ming obviously didn't mind it. For her, it was an opportunity to help Shen Yu so she was enjoying it. As for Shen Yu, he cancelled his plans for the bidding he was going to do for the Purple Magnetic Ore. If the spirit stones were scarce, then he had already cheaped Bai Chen.
Bai Chen punched the wall beside him in anger. Fortunately, it was protected by Rune Formations, so only a few cracks appeared on it. He looked at the VIP room in front of him and muttered something that nobody heard.
He then took a deep breath and turned towards the old man who had been sitting silently this whole time. He asked respectfully.
"Elder Feng, how much can I spend on this?" Bai Chen asked. The old man was an elder in the Seven Stars Sect and was sent to protect Bai Chen in case something happened.
Elder Feng stroked his beard and said, looking calmly at Shen Yu's room.
"This Purple Magnetic Ore is very important to us. Sect Master predicted that some variables may arise and gave me extra Spirit Stones. You don't need to worry and bid. I have 5 spirit stones with me."
Bai Chen's eyes glistened as a smirk appeared on his face. He turned towards the stage and said.
"3 Spirit Stones!"
"Oh my god! He actually increased one Spirit Stone directly. Heavens! Is the Seven Stars Sect really that rich?"
"Just join them and find out. Oh yeah, you have a fucked-up talent, so you wouldn't be able to!"
"SHUT UP!! Someone get this guy out of here."
Bai Chen crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for Shen Yu to bid again. However, instead of bidding, Shen Yu spoke to him.
"I see that the Purple Magnetic Ore is so important for young master Bai that he's even willing to fork out 3 Spirit Stones. Since that's the case, I'll withdraw. I was only bidding to see how wealthy the Seven Stars Sect is, and indeed, you guys are the best sect in the Jade Province. You made quite a show to show that."
Bai Chen instantly realized that Shen Yu was just playing with him to make the price higher and cursed under his breath. The Purple Magnetic Ore obviously could have been bought at a much cheaper price, but because of Shen Yu, it was now 3 Spirit Stones, an outrageous price for an ore of that rank.
"Have some control over your emotions, Young Master. We will teach him a lesson later; we can't do anything outrageous currently. He's obviously trying to rile us up and induce a conflict between us and the Wind Flower Sect. Just stay silent and look for revenge later."
Elder Feng spoke in his calm tone. For him, Shen Yu was basically dead since he had decided to mess with them. It didn't matter to which sect he belonged; he would be dead.
'We just need to wait. Once the plan is completed, even Wind Flower Sect wouldn't be able to do anything to us. They'll be assimilated with us, making our sect the sole ruler of Jade Province.'
Bai Chen snorted and nodded in understanding. He sat down on the sofa and waited for the next item. They had already bought what they wanted, so he wasn't much interested in a further auction, but he still decided to wait.
The next item, however, caught everyone's attention. It wasn't actually an item but a human being, a beautiful girl in her early twenties clad in red garments and having her long red hair tied behind in a bun. Her face was exquisite, and anyone who saw her would blush.
Unfortunately, such beauty had a slave collar on her neck, and a chain was connected to that colour. That chain was being held by a burly man who brought the girl on stage.
The girl, as if she had resigned to fate, walked with a blank look on her face. She kept her head low, as if she couldn't look in others' eyes.
Shen Yu clutched the sofa's hands tightly, and cracks appeared on them. His eyes burned with a fury that struggled to break out and cause utter chaos in the whole world. However, Shen Yu kept it in check.
Zhou Zun looked pitifully at the girl and then sighed. Selling slaves was the last thing he wanted to do. Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about it. So, unlike other times, he masked a fake smile and announced it to the audience.
"I don't see the point in explaining it, as I believe everyone already understands it. So, let's just start the bidding, which starts with 50 Gold coins."