Power of Silence!

Ten million High-grade Spirit Stones!

This price was no longer a simple bid, but a crushing display, more than doubling the 4.8 million from Heavenly Chamber Two.

The entire inner hall fell silent, every gaze, from the common patrons below to the VIPs in the surrounding private rooms, snapped towards the Heavenly-class private room named "Purple Empyrean." Their eyes held shock, confusion, curiosity, and utter disbelief.

"T-Ten million?" a low grumble, laced with suppressed anger, came from Heavenly Chamber Two, which had previously bid 4.8 million. It then fell silent. This price far exceeded the upper limit of the "Dragon Scale Stone's" inherent value. To continue bidding would be unprofitable even for them, feeling more like a childish tantrum.

On the high platform, the gentle smile on Manager Lu's face faltered slightly, a minuscule hint of surprise flashing in his eyes before he quickly regained his composure. He looked towards the Purple Empyrean chamber, his gaze seemingly piercing through the one-way glass window to see the three people inside.

"A distinguished guest from the Purple Empyrean chamber has bid ten million High-grade Spirit Stones," Manager Lu's voice remained warm, betraying no hint of emotion. "Are there any other Dao companions willing to increase the bid?"

The hall was utterly silent. Ten million for a highly speculative stone, even if it came from the Primordial Forbidden Ruins, was too outrageous.

"Ten million, first call."

"Ten million, second call."

"Ten million, third call."

Manager Lu produced a small jade hammer from somewhere and gently struck a golden bell beside him.

Dong—

The crisp bell sound echoed.

"Sold. Congratulations to the distinguished guest from the Purple Empyrean chamber for acquiring this 'Dragon Scale Stone'."

Only after the dust settled did the crowd below seem to snap back to reality, erupting into even more fervent discussion.

"They're crazy! Absolutely insane!"

"Whose young master is in the Purple Empyrean chamber? So extravagant!"

"Maybe they really are confident? Perhaps there's an earth-shattering treasure inside?"

"Hmph, in stone gambling, nothing is ever certain. I think it's just some rich family's prodigal son out there to waste Spirit Stones."

Inside the Purple Empyrean chamber, Lei Mingjian's mouth hung open, wide enough to fit a fist. He stared blankly at Xuanyuan Che, stammering, "Little... Little Junior Brother... you... you spent ten million... High-grade Spirit Stones... on that big rock?"

Although he felt the stone was unusual, the price was simply preposterous! Selling him wouldn't even fetch a fraction of that!

Yun Mengyao also frowned slightly, her cool gaze falling on Xuanyuan Che with a questioning look.

Both of them knew their Little Junior Brother was incredibly wealthy on this trip, so describing him as such might even be an understatement. But having money was one thing, and how to spend it was another.

Xuanyuan Che smiled and transmitted his voice to them, "That stone does indeed have something inside. Ten million is not a loss, but it's not the main point. The main point is that our Manager Lu doesn't seem to be focused on this 'Stone King'."

Yun Mengyao's eyes flickered, and she instantly understood Xuanyuan Che's meaning. Her spiritual sense subtly swept over the hall below, and she immediately noticed Manager Lu's gaze, which, though seemingly casual, had repeatedly swept over a certain corner. In that corner lay the rough, gray-white stone Xuanyuan Che had noticed earlier.

"Junior Brother means..." Yun Mengyao transmitted back.

"Shh, the real show is just beginning," Xuanyuan Che winked.

Below, Manager Lu had already ordered the massive "Dragon Scale Stone" to be carefully lifted and delivered to the Purple Empyrean chamber for handover. His face still wore a smile that felt like a spring breeze, as if the staggering ten-million-dollar transaction had been a trivial side note.

"Thank you, Dao companions, for your love of the 'Dragon Scale Stone.' Next, as per tradition, it's time to showcase some of our pavilion's more 'special' stone materials." Manager Lu clapped his hands, and several stewards immediately pushed mobile display racks to the center of the venue.

The stones on these racks varied in size and shape, but they shared a common trait: either they had extremely poor appearance and seemed worthless, or their shapes were peculiar and defied conventional judgment, or they came from certain forbidden lands and secret realms, exuding an eerie aura. Their prices ranged from a few hundred to tens of thousands of High-grade Spirit Stones, a stark contrast to the "Dragon Scale Stone" just moments before.

Most people's interest had clearly waned with the fall of the hammer on the "Dragon Scale Stone." Only a few cultivators who were truly devoted to the Dao or hoping to find a bargain were still observing carefully.

Manager Lu strolled among the display racks, casually picking up a few stones and giving brief introductions. His attitude remained gentle, but he was clearly not as focused as he had been when introducing the "Dragon Scale Stone."

Finally, as if by chance, he walked to that corner and picked up the gray-white, pockmarked stone.

"This stone was brought back from a forbidden area by a Dao companion. Its material is unknown, its spiritual essence is not apparent, and it is quite peculiar," Manager Lu weighed the stone in his hand, his tone casual. "It is priced at one thousand High-grade Spirit Stones. If any Dao companions are interested, feel free to examine it."

He placed the stone back, seemingly not expecting anyone to buy it.

Just as he turned to walk back to the center of the hall—

"Purple Empyrean chamber, one thousand Spirit Stones. I'll take this one too."

Xuanyuan Che's voice rang out again from the Purple Empyrean chamber, clear and calm.

This time, it didn't cause much of a stir. After all, everyone was already convinced that this prodigal son was here to spend money.

Manager Lu's turning motion paused slightly.

He looked up at the Purple Empyrean chamber. This time, the surprise in his eyes could no longer be completely concealed, and it was even tinged with a deeply serious scrutiny.

Yun Mengyao looked at the relaxed Xuanyuan Che beside her, her mind already clear. This gray-white stone was likely Xuanyuan Che's true target! Spending a fortune on the "Dragon Scale Stone" earlier was probably just to make his acquisition of this "scrap" less conspicuous, allowing it to happen naturally.

To establish the persona of a prodigal son with ten million... Her Junior Brother was always right in whatever he did.

Xuanyuan Che smiled towards the window, "What's wrong, Manager Lu? This stone isn't for sale?"

Manager Lu took a deep breath, and a smile reappeared on his face, though this smile now held more depth than before. "Distinguished guest is joking. The Mysterious Yellow Pavilion does business with open doors; how could we refuse to sell? Since the distinguished guest fancies it, this stone now belongs to you."

He still had to abide by the rules of auction, and Manager Lu had only a vague idea about this stone. He grew increasingly curious about the young master in the Purple Empyrean chamber.

He signaled a steward to wrap the gray-white stone and deliver it to the Purple Empyrean chamber along with the other item.

The handover process was completed quickly. A storage ring filled with ten million and one thousand High-grade Spirit Stones was respectfully taken by a steward, and in its place, two stones were delivered into the Purple Empyrean chamber.

The massive "Dragon Scale Stone" occupied nearly a corner of the chamber, exuding an ancient aura. The unremarkable gray-white stone, however, was held and idly examined by Xuanyuan Che.

Xuanyuan Che temporarily ignored the Stone King that had captured the attention of the entire hall, his focus entirely on the inconspicuous gray-white stone in his hand.

"Let me see just how extraordinary you are."

A barely perceptible wisp of Chaos Qi coiled around his fingertips, gently brushing the stone's surface. Under the infusion of Chaos Qi, the pitted, rough surface seemed to turn slightly transparent for a moment. Within it, a faint, yet incredibly profound, dim light flashed and vanished!

Though it was only an instant, both Xuanyuan Che and Yun Mengyao, who had been watching him intently, clearly caught it!

"This is..." Yun Mengyao's pupils contracted. From that dim light, she sensed an indescribable ancientness and stillness, as if facing the void at the very beginning of the universe's birth.

A satisfied smile curved Xuanyuan Che's lips. "As expected, it's a little interesting."

He attempted to probe further with his Chaos Qi, only to discover that a peculiar power was entwined around the dim light within the stone, absorbing and annihilating all his probing force, making it impossible to penetrate.

"The Power of Silence... lives up to its name." Xuanyuan Che was not annoyed; instead, his interest grew. Things that could block his Chaos Qi probes were extremely rare in the Lower Realm.

Just as he was preparing to research further, the private room door was gently knocked.

A steward from the Mysterious Yellow Pavilion stood respectfully outside, holding a purplish-gold invitation: "Esteemed guest, greetings. Our Pavilion Master requests the presence of the three esteemed guests in the rear hall for a meeting. May we have the honor?"

Xuanyuan Che and Yun Mengyao exchanged glances, both seeing a look of "as expected" in each other's eyes.

"Lead the way," Xuanyuan Che said calmly, putting away the grayish-white stone.