After getting a well-deserved rest, Qian Yu woke up the next morning to explore as he put on the best clothing he had brought along. They would leave the city tomorrow so he wanted to get up early. Just as he left his room, one of the other doors in the hallway opened as Zhao Xieren walked out.

“Ready?” Qian Yu asked as he looked at the pretty girl wearing long brown pants and a white long sleeved shirt. 

“Mhm, let’s go!” Zhao Xieren replied eagerly.

A few nights ago, Qian Yu curiously asked if they were going to have time to explore Northern Star City. Hearing this, Zhao Xieren who had never been to Northern Star City agreed to it as well since she wanted to explore one of the largest cities in the country. In the end, they agreed to go explore the city together. Essentially, it was a date, but neither of them explicitly said anything about it.

As it was morning, the two went to get some breakfast as Qian Yu tried some new cuisines he never tasted before. Being the rich girl she naturally was, Zhao Xieren didn’t mind paying for the expenses as Qian Yu was pretty poor.

It was a bustling city Qian Yu observed. As a port city, there were all types of people here. Foreigners were easily distinguished with their darker skin tone since those in the Southern Ice Continent usually had very light skin tones. 

Afterwards, the two walked around checking out some stores and eating some more street food before heading to port. They didn’t come too close but from afar, Qian Yu was astonished seeing the large boats. With dragon designs on them and the large and tall flags, they were mighty vessels.

Lastly, their main attraction was in the late afternoon.

Entering at Northern Star Auction House, they entered a small private room to bid after Zhao Xieren showed them a special card.

Northern Star City had a normal auction once every month and they sold some goods and items that one could not normally find. Of course, they weren’t super rare for cultivators as it was aimed towards rich mortals.

Although the items were considered expensive to Qian Yu, Zhao Xieren had a sizable amount of wealth and hoped to buy anything she fancied. As for Qian Yu, he knew there was no chance he could buy anything here and he was there to expand his horizons and learn about the prices of items. 

As the starting time for the auction approached, more and more people entered the auction house until it was packed. At that moment, a charming and mature lady walked onto the stage and seductively smiled, “Welcome, everyone to our monthly auction!” 

Along with her revealing short dress that displayed her long legs, she had an ample bosom and the crowds roared and applauded excitedly. Qian Yu wasn’t immune to her beauty either and he felt something stirring in the bottom part of his body as he turned his attention elsewhere to calm himself down while Zhao Xieren was sitting in a nearby chair.

As the auction continued, many items were sold but nothing seemed to catch Zhao Xieren’s interest until they started selling herbs and plants. After a dozen things were auctioned, the “Whispering Bamboo” plant was announced and a big grin appeared on Zhao Xieren’s face. It was a small pot with a small stalk of bamboo and some leaves on it. 

“What is that plant for?” he asked.

“Mm, it's something pretty useful for my cultivation technique. As you will learn sooner or later, my family’s cultivation technique is called the ‘Wandering Blade in the Soundless Night’. It’s a sword cultivation technique and early on, one needs to learn and use wind laws and qi along with the sword. I’m sure you noticed it the other night. Anyways, this plant might help me when cultivating,” she explained and started bidding.

After a few minutes, she eventually got it after bidding 500 gold coins. Looking at the smiling Zhao Xieren, Qian Yu couldn’t see a single shred of pain after spending that much. ‘We surely are living in a different world,’ he sighed. 

After a few more plants were sold, the female auctioneer announced, “Alright everybody, it’s that time of the auction. Without further ado, let us begin.” 

With a wave of her hand, the curtains behind her opened as a girl walked onto the stage. The woman continued, “From the Dark Empire, we have a 16 year old girl at the 9th stage of the body refinement realm. The starting bid is 1 spirit stone or 100 gold coins with an increment of 10 coins”. 

Hearing her words, Qian Yu realized that the girl was none other than a slave. In a world where might was right, slavery was pretty common. If opposing enemies or forces were to have a large conflict where one side would lose, the losing side would usually either die or be sold as slaves if they did not run away and got caught. 

Slavery varied differently on the scenario. Obviously having to give up some rights the treatment you received was different. For example, some powerful families would buy slaves and use them as "servants", where they would have their own housing and food. This was to ensure that the family's privacy and secrets would stay safe. Yet there could also be situations where they would get poorer and unluckier situations naturally if they met a bad master.

Of course, human trafficking existed too but it wasn’t too common because the people that got trafficked were people of no background which meant they were usually weak cultivators or mortals which had no demand and a large surplus. 

Looking at the eyes of the girl on the stage, Qian Yu sighed as he saw the poor hopeless eyes of the girl. He had seen those eyes countless times throughout his childhood in his grandpa’s clinic. It was none other than the ones who had already given up on life and accepted their fate. After reliving some childhood memories, he suddenly realized that the current price for the girl was already over 5 spirit stones! 

“Do all slaves normally cost that much?” he asked confusedly. The 9th stage of the body refinement realm at 16 was to him, pretty good, if they weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouths of course. However, 500 coins was a lot and Qian Yu didn’t even think he had used over 500 gold coins combined in his whole life! 

“Of course not. Only the females ones are,” she blushed as her voice got quieter, “Because they are still virgin most of the time and have many uses.” 

‘Ahh... that makes sense,’ he thought for a second before looking at her face. Then he lightly laughed as he saw the blushing Zhao Xieren. 

In the end, the girl was sold for 6 spirit stones. The following two girls were even prettier than the first girl and were sold for 8 and 9 spirit stones respectively, leaving Qian Yu once again questioning how much he was worth if he was sold… 

After that, the auction ended and the two left after Zhao Xieren went to pick her plant up. After dinner, they parted ways as they went back and prepared for their trip back to the sect.

After over a week outside the sect, the group of 11 finally returned. It was a great experience for Qian Yu as he learned a lot and managed to relax his body and mind. However, it was time to return to the grind. He was nearing the 6th stage of the body refinement and he was excited to advance another step.