Zhang Yunxi frowned when she saw the stone.
Although she was not specialized in ore judging, she had met many Spirit Ore Appraisers. She had grown up in Divine Firmament Sacred Ground, after all.
Normally, these Spirit Ores with cracks on them were called ‘Spider Ores’. It was universally accepted that these ores were useless as the protective layer was broken. Even if there were treasures in them, their sources would be lost easily. Thus, no matter how good the items in there, they would be useless.
“Mr. Shen, are you sure there’s good stuff in here?” Zhang Yunxi questioned. “I have a different opinion about it.”
Upon seeing that Zhang Yunxi was questioning Shen Tian’s choice, Shopkeeper Song was furious.
He scoffed and said, “Since you asked Master Celestial for help, why don’t you believe him? Master Celestial is very good at what he’s doing! Who are you to question him?”
Zhang Yunxi looked at the shopkeeper coldly and said, “Are you trying to scam me?”
Spider Ore was known to be useless, so it was impossible to find a good item in it unless what was inside were Immortal Metal, Mystic Earth, or Spiritual Wood, which would not decay with time. Nonetheless, these were rare items that one could hardly find in the entire Eastern Wilderness.
Many Spirit Ore Appraisers had spent years looking for them but to no avail.
Although this ore was large in size and it was a product of the Primordial Battlefield, when looking at the cracks, it was impossible to price it for 100,000 Spirit Stones. The chances it contained a good item were just too low!
Zhang Yunxi’s words made Shopkeeper Song’s face red.
“I’ll be honest with you. Indeed, I set the price slightly higher. When I bought this Spider Ore, it cost me only 50,000 Spirit Stones. However, It’s our rule to set high prices for our goods. Since Master Celestial has chosen this ore, I promise you that your 100,000 Spirit Stones will be well spent!” Shopkeeper Song said with confidence.
“If you cannot afford it, you don’t have to buy it. However, I won’t allow you to question our Master Celestial like this! If you are not buying this ore, I’ll open it myself and show you what’s in it so that you know how good our Master Celestial is!”
Then, Shopkeeper Song looked at Shen Tian.
“Master Celestial, if you want, I can sell it to you for 50,000 Spirit Stones, and I will open it myself for free! Keep it for yourself so that this little girl can learn what regret is.”
Liu Zhijia and Xiong Meng were all shocked.
Liu Taiyi was blaming himself for not acting fast and not kissing Master Celestial’s ass in time.
Why can Shopkeeper Song always react so fast!? I know what I need to do too, so why am I slower than Shopkeeper Song?
God… Why am I here when Shopkeeper Song is so much better than me!?
On the other hand, Zhang Yunxi looked at Shen Tian and Shopkeeper Song. They looked like the Spirit Ore Garden’s swindlers. If Shen Tian was actually a rotten apple, she would be furious!
Sigh… Should I trust him?
Zhang Yunxi frowned under her Phoenix Feather Mask.
Honestly, she knew some Spirit Ore Appraisers were extremely gifted and could find treasures in awful-looking ores. However, Shen Tian was too young to be one of them. Most importantly, Zhang Yunxi had realized that Shen Tian had not used any power when choosing the ore.
If not all, almost all Spirit Ore Appraisers needed to use their Spiritual Power when casting their mystic techniques to assess ores. Thus, an advanced cultivator could notice the small change of power in the surroundings.
Zhang Yunxi had not picked up anything when Shen Tian was choosing the ores. He had merely looked at the ore’s shape and picked what he needed. Even the best Spirit Ore Appraiser could not do that. There was no way to see through a Spider Ore without some kind of mystic technique!
This shook Zhang Yunxi’s confidence in Shen Tian!
She looked at the Spider Ore with mixed feelings. From a logical viewpoint, she did not believe that this ore contained something good. Simultaneously, from an emotional viewpoint, she hoped Shen Tian was an actor helping Shopkeeper Song, as the latter’s words had truly infuriated her.
“I can’t afford it!?”
It’s just 100,000 Spirit Stones! How dare you say that I cannot afford it? You’ll pay for this!
Zhang Yunxi scoffed, took out 100 Spirit Crystals, and said calmly, “It’s just 100,000 Spirit Stones, what’s the big deal? Since Mr. Shen said there is something good in this Spider Ore, I’ll buy it!”
She looked at Shopkeeper Song and asked aggressively, “Do you dare to make a bet with me?”
Shopkeeper Song did not know who Zhang Yunxi was, so he replied nonchalantly, “Sure, why not?”
“Mr. Shen did not use any skill when choosing the ore just now. Thus I do not believe this ore contains treasure.”
Shopkeeper Song replied proudly, “I can guarantee that the item it contains is worth at least millions of Spirit Stones!”
Zhang Yunxi nodded and said, “Sure, then I will take out 500,000 Spirit Stones as collateral. If what is inside the ore is worth more than this amount, I’ll give the item to Mr. Shen for free.
“However! If it’s not, you need to close your Sky Spirit Pavilion for three months! Do you dare to make this bet?”
Shopkeeper Song noticed that the bet was not very fair.
Little girl, are you trying to be clever?
If the item is worth less than 500,000 Spirit Stones, I need to close shop for three months and bear the loss myself?
If it’s the other way, you’ll give the goods to Master Celestial for free?
So either way, I have nothing to gain from the bet? Anyway, this is a good opportunity to show my sincerity to Master Celestial.
Shopkeeper Song said firmly, “Sure! I’ll make a bet!”
As long as I trust Master Celestial wholeheartedly, what’s there to be afraid of?
Shopkeeper Song stood in front of the Spider Ore with the special equipment to cut the ore.
He had not done this for decades, so he took a deep breath before cutting.
His skill was still top-notch, and the human-sized Spirit Ore was cut slowly into a much smaller piece.
Zhang Yunxi looked at the Spirit Ore calmly. She trusted her eyes and experience. Even a Nascent Soul Spirit Ore Appraisers could not hide away from her detection.
Since she had not sensed Shen Tian using any Spiritual Power to assess the ore, then there was only one explanation—Shen Tian couldn’t know whether this ore contained treasure or not!
Mr. Shen, you are good looking and kind. I cannot allow this evil shopkeeper to misguide you!
In Zhang Yunxi’s eyes, Shen Tian was deemed as an actor that Shopkeeper Song had hired.
Zhang Yunxi needed to help Shen Tian turn over a new leaf, and she would not allow Shopkeeper Song to use him again!
As the ore was getting smaller, the crowd realized something was not right.
Shen Tian stood beside the window in the Sky Spirit Pavilion and looked at the darkened sky.
A huge dark cloud was forming directly above them, thunder rumbled in the sky, and the wind blew strongly, making the Myriad Spirit Garden’s flags flap loudly—a thunderstorm was coming!