Night descended in the city as Jiang Feng's eyelids parted, his black eyes reflecting the moonlight that entered the room.
Turning to the window, the previously bustling streets were lit with lanterns and torches. The spiritual energy in the air also seemed to have increased, just like how Jiang Feng was able to 'see' the number of cultivators walking around in high spirits.
Looking back at Ling, Jiang Feng tried to reach her through their soul link.
"Ling, it's nighttime already."
Receiving the message almost instantly, Ling's eyes opened as they blinked cutely.
Ling then did some stretching as she let out a yawn, her legs kicking towards Jiang Feng while he allowed them to do so.
"Are we heading out right now?" Jiang Feng asked, seeing that Ling had became spirited.
"Yup, are you hungry?"
"Not really. Just feeling a little empty in my stomach."
"Then it's best if we have something to eat first. Although it's best for you to learn to live without mortal necessities like meals, it's fine to take things slow."
After deciding on that, Jiang Feng and Ling left their room as they sat in the tavern's restaurant, dealing with their hunger with a small bowl of rice and some dishes.
Walking on the streets, Jiang Feng and Ling kept their heads low while they looked around.
Their figures blended with the surroundings, like how every cultivator is wearing a cloak to prevent their appearance from getting recognize.
When asked why by Jiang Feng, Ling replied with a simple sentence.
"So as not to be hunted down if someone finds a treasure."
A sentence formed with simplistic words, yet hinted again at the danger of the cultivation world. Jiang Feng couldn't help but tense up as he looked around more vigilantly, afraid that a random cultivator stooping to the level of a thief appearing before him.
While the couple walked along the street they were on, Ling communicated with Jiang Feng through their soul link.
"Since we want you to adapt to the cultivation world as quick as possible, starting with the city's auction house would definitely be the best pick."
"In there, you'll get to see how spiritual stones is normally used and the levels of strength you'll get to achieve in the future."
"Ah, there's one!"
Grabbing Jiang Feng's hand, Ling began pulling him towards the end of the street, where a spacious ground was at.
A seven-layered tower stood at its center, its walls painted red and the roof tiles shining with a dim color of green. Multiple cloaked customers walked into the tower, causing a busy traffic to happen at its entrance.
Yet, not a single cultivator was pushing around or complaining, as they entered the tower in an orderly line.
Through the use of Spiritual Sense, Jiang Feng could tell that most of the cultivators lining up were at the level of Foundation Building Stage, with a few at Qi Circulation Peak Stage, being only a single thread away from ascension.
Joining the line, Ling began explaining rules about auction houses to Jiang Feng.
"Once we're in, the receptionists will hand us different wooden signs with different shapes."
"These wooden signs will represent the amount you're adding to the bid of an item. The rectangular shaped ones means a thousand spiritual stones, the one with a pointy tip being ten thousand spiritual stones and lastly, a fan shaped sign that represents a million spiritual stone."
"A million spiritual stones?!!"
Hearing to the exaggerating amount of spiritual stones being mentioned before him, Jiang Feng could only exclaimed his disbelief to Ling, making her chuckle as she continued.
"With these wooden signs, all we need to do is find a place to sit and start bidding. An auction host will be standing at the center of the stage, introducing the details about the item on bid."
"Since we're only here for you to gain knowledge about the cultivation world, we can just stay at the first floor."
"Oh, I forgot to mention. Each floor represent different levels of customers, with the last floor usually reserved only for the owner or the city lord. Of course, if I reveal my cultivation base to the people, we'll easily be in there already instead of lining up here."
"That reminds me, you never told me your cultivation base before."
Pointing out the fact, Jiang Feng slightly tilted his head and looked at Ling, her covered face letting out a teasing smile as she asked.
"Would you like me to tell you now?"
"If possible, yes."
"Don't be shock then. I'm at Soul Refining Late Stage, a total of three large stages above you."
"…"
Receiving no response from Jiang Feng, Ling turned to look at him as she felt his dubious gaze on her. She seemed to have understand the reason behind so as she hurriedly add on.
"Three stages may sound a little, but trust me, a single Soul Refining Stage cultivator can deal with an infinite amount of cultivators at Foundation Building Peak Stage, not to mention that you've only recently entered Foundation Building Entrance Stage."
"I'm nearing the middle stage you know."
While refuting Ling's comment, the two finally arrived at the front of the line as two female receptionists greeted them.
The receptionists had no spiritual energy waves being released from them, meaning that they were just mortals. However, their figures can be said to be top notch as they wore an alluring dress of purple, its cloth being partially transparent.
Their appearances were hindered by a thin veil of the same color, tied to the accessories of their hair.
"Please take good care of these wooden signs. You would be fine with 10 spiritual stones if you break them." One of the receptionist said to Jiang Feng, her seducing voice sounding repeatedly in Jiang Feng's head as he gulped.
Noticing his reaction, Ling pinched his arm as she dragged him towards the seats, the pain assaulting Jiang Feng's mind as he held back the intense urge to scream.
"Focus on what the host says." Ling whispered, a slight tinge of jealousy brewing in her words.
Afraid of angering her even further, Jiang Feng cleared his mind of the image of the receptionists as his eyes landed on the host, an old cultivator with white hair and beard.
The old cultivator was releasing spiritual energy waves many times stronger than Jiang Feng's, signaling the fact that he was a Foundation Building Late Stage cultivator.
His sharp eyes scanned through the crowd as his lips moved to explain the effects of the treasure that was on bid currently, a rusty bell that let off faint waves of spiritual energy.
"The starting price of bid for this Rusty Bell will be one thousand spiritual stones. The bid starts now!"
"3000 spiritual stones from that man!"
"5000 spiritual stones from the esteemed customer on the second floor!"
"8000 spiritual stones!"
"10000 spiritual stones!"
"Sold! Moving onto the next item, we have…"
Witnessing the rusty bell being bid off at the price of 10000 spiritual stones, Jiang Feng became petrified with his mouth agape, the pitiful amount of spiritual stones in his space pouches revealing his poverty in the cultivation world.
"I don't get it. How can a rusty bell like that sell for 10000 spiritual stones? Isn't it a big waste?"
"If you think this is a big waste, then I'm sure you'll die of shock if you see somebody bidding 30 trillion spiritual stones for a single piece of leaf."
Smiling at Jiang Feng's ignorance, Ling proceeded to reveal an even more shocking story to him, pulling the corners of his lips further back as she stunned him with it.
Shifting away her sight back onto the stage, Ling began to explain the insane reason behind such events.
"In the cultivation world, a powerful treasure is considered to be more valuable than the life of a person. This is because such treasures can raise the battle prowess of the user, allowing them to have a better chance of grasping at the surreal stage of Godhood."
"As useless and insignificant the bell earlier may look, it could protect the lives of Foundation Building Stage cultivators such as yourself from a deadly attack at the level of Body Reconstruction Entrance Stage, making it equal for the owner to have two lives."
"Now, tell me. How much do you think a single life is worth?"
"…"
Seeing Jiang Feng turned silent, Ling's smile also faded as her voice turned cold.
"While there's no fixed value of a life, it does not mean it cannot be bought."
"In the cultivation world, the strong rules the weak. They determine the rules for those weaker than them, controlling their lives to their desire, even selling some of them for the profit of doing so."
"The closest example will be those girls we saw earlier. They may seem no different than a mortal, but they're actually slaves to the owner of this auction house."
"Slaves?" Jiang Feng questioned.
"There are many things that defines what a slave is, but for their situation, a formation that controls their life is left inside their bodies, forcing them to obey without a choice." Ling elaborated, her eyes taking a single look at the receptionists welcoming guests before moving away.
"Such things happen all over the cultivation world. The only way for those pitiful people to escape is to hope to meet a kind master that would save them. But since when was people truly kind…"
Sighing out loud as she said those words, Ling closed her eyes and shook her head lightly before turning to Jiang Feng, staring intensely at him.
"Things may seem fine now, but we're actually severely limited with time. Try to learn as much as you can from this auction, we'll start improving your cultivation base tomorrow morning."
"Got it." Jiang Feng replied as he nodded.
Shifting his eyes back to the stage, Jiang Feng attentively listened to every detail the host was saying. However, his thoughts was distracted every once and then when he thought back about what Ling said.
'The strong catches the weak as slaves. Cultivators control the life of mortals as they pleased. What if… what if someone stronger than Ling appears?'
Clenching his fists as his thoughts reached so, a sense of fear rose up within him as his limbs began trembling, the possibility of losing Ling repeatedly flashing in his mind.
'No! I won't let that happen! If the enemy is stronger than Ling, than I just have to be stronger than they are!'
'I won't lose Ling. To do that, I'll rise up and defeat whoever dares to take her away from me.'