Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 457

Chapter 457: Why Don’t We Make a Bet Then?

Seeing the other party insist on it, Sai Xiaoyu relented, “If you really wish to attempt it, I can bring you over!”

Even though the young man before him was able to see through a problem that he couldn’t discern, deep in his heart, he still thought that it was impossible for the other party to pass the trial. Thus, he didn’t pay much heed to Zhang Xuan’s declaration of paying him back multiple folds. Truthfully, he had already regarded the hundred spirit stones as a gift.

After putting away the items that he had bought, the group walked out of the First Class Pavilion and headed up the stairs.

The bottom two floors of the Appraiser Hall were markets while the floors beyond that made up their official guild. Walking into the lounge, they saw dozens of people lining up in two neat columns with all kinds of treasures in their hands.

These artifacts weren’t too valuable; they were most probably ordinary goods that could be bought for just several spirit stones on the first floor.

There were two young men at the very front of the queue examining each of the customers’ artifacts carefully. After assessing it closely, they would leave a mark on it and write an appraisal document.

Some of those who had their artifacts appraised left overjoyed whereas some left depressed.

Both fake and authentic goods were mixed up with one another in the market on the first floor; if one chose correctly, one could make a huge profit. Otherwise, one could only concede to their misfortune. Looking at the expression of the crowd, it was clear that a larger proportion of the people belonged to the latter group.

“There are some who feel worried even after buying their goods so they would come over here and have their items appraised. The ones conducting the appraisal on this floor are 1-star appraisers who have just passed their examination!” Sai Xiaoyu said.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had also seen the single shining golden star on the emblem pinned in front of the two young men’s chests.

1-star appraisers were already capable of identifying some of the more common and simpler treasures, and the artifacts sent here were mostly of this tier as well.

“The Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets is in front, let’s proceed on!”

The group didn’t dawdle in the main lounge for too long. Under Sai Xiaoyu’s lead, it didn’t take long for them to arrive at a room.

“Hall Master Sai!”

“Teacher!”

Upon walking into a room, several elders immediately came forward and greeted Sai Xiaoyu respectfully.

As the hall master, Sai Xiaoyu wielded immense prestige in the Appraiser Hall. There were many 3-star appraisers who were his students, and they were indebted to him for his guidance.

Taking a glance in the room, there were only around six to seven people here. Puzzled, Zhao Feiwu asked, “How many appraisers are there in the Appraiser Hall in total?”

Upon hearing the question, a bitter smile appeared on Sai Xiaoyu’s face as he shook his head, “Even though the Appraiser Hall sounds impressive, including me, there is only a total of three 4-star and eight 3-star appraisers. The others are all 2-star and 1-star appraisers!”

“So few people?” The crowd was taken aback.

Seeing the grandness of the Appraiser Hall, they thought that there would be at least a dozen of 4-star appraisers here. Yet, contrary to their expectations, there were only three of them.

It was no wonder why people said that it was hard to qualify as an appraiser. From the looks of it now, that didn’t seem like just a rumor.

“Indeed!” Sai Xiaoyu shook his head. Changing the topic, he turned to the two 3-star appraisers and said, “Call Elder Chen and Elder Lu over. Tell them that someone is interested in challenging the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets!”

“Challenging the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets?”

The duo was taken aback. They hurriedly turned around and left.

As 3-star appraisers, they were well aware of the difficulty of the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets. It had been many years already, but still, not a single person had succeeded. To think that someone would still be interested in attempting it even now, he must be blinded by the immense reward.

Not too long later, two white-bearded elders walked over. Before they even reached the room, a rough voice had already sounded, “Hall Master Sai, someone intends to challenge the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets? Is it Old Hu or Old Du? Those two fellows haven’t given up yet?”

The Old Hu and Old Du that he spoke of were 4-star appraisers from other branches.

They had visited Honghai City several times in hopes of clearing the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, but to date, they hadn’t succeeded yet.

Only those two fellows had attempted the trial in the past few years. Most of the appraisers didn’t bother trying, knowing the difficulty of the trial. Thus, as soon as the two elders heard that someone intended to challenge the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, they immediately thought of them.

“Hmm? Where are they?”

Looking around the room but not seeing the familiar figures he expected to see, the rough-voiced elder asked in bewilderment.

“Elder Chen, the challenger this time isn’t one of them. It’s this little brother here, Zhang Xuan!”

Seeing Elder Chen looking around in bewilderment, Sai Xiaoyu shook his head and stopped the latter.

“Him?”

Not only were the two elders stunned, the other appraisers in the room also had a confused expression on their face.

They thought that the one challenging the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets would be some incredible appraiser, but to think that it would still be an immature fellow who wasn’t even twenty yet.

Ignoring the crowd’s reaction, Sai Xiaoyu introduced, “Brother Zhang, this is Elder Chen Yu. The one next to him is Elder Lu Xi. They are the other two 4-star appraisers of the guild!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Even if Sai Xiaoyu hadn’t introduced them, Zhang Xuan had also guessed as much. Even though the two elders weren’t dressed in the appraiser robe, their aura was incredibly profound and heavy. With just a look, it was clear that they possessed incredible cultivation that was on par with Jin Conghai.

Judging from their strength and their casual attitude before Sai Xiaoyu, it was clear that they were the two remaining 4-star appraisers.

“Hall master, what did you call him? Brother?”

Elder Chen was the first to notice Sai Xiaoyu’s bizarre way of addressing Zhang Xuan, and he was puzzled by it.

As the head of the Appraiser Hall, his standing was so high that everyone, with the exception of them two, had to address him as ‘teacher’. Yet, he actually addressed a young fellow as ‘brother’… What could that young fellow’s background be?

“Un, even though Brother Zhang is young, his expertise in appraising is in no way inferior to me!” Sai Xiaoyu chuckled.

“In no way inferior to you… Aren’t you exaggerating it a little too much?” Elder Chen shook his head in disbelief. The other appraisers in the room shared his thoughts as well.

Rather than talent, appraising was more about experience and knowledge.

Knowledge formed the basis of an appraiser’s evaluation, and only with boundless knowledge would one be able to reach great heights in the path of an appraiser.

Judging from this fellow’s appearance, he seemed to be only eighteen or nineteen this year. Even if he had started studying from his mother’s womb, at maximum, he only had twenty years to accrue knowledge. How could he possibly compete with Hall Master Sai, a 4-star appraiser who had devoted his entire life to appraising?

“It’s true. A problem has occurred with the Verdant Bamboo that teacher appraised previously…” Seeing the doubt in the eyes of the crowd, Liu Chang quickly explained the happenings from earlier.

“You mean that… with just a look, he noticed the lethal poison contained with the Verdant Bamboo and determined that it wasn’t suitable for the forging of pills?”

“This doesn’t seem like the means of an appraiser, doesn’t it?”

After hearing Liu Chang’s story, not only were the crowd unimpressed, their bewilderment only deepened.

An appraiser would have to examine the bamboo carefully, perhaps taking some samples and experimenting with them even before coming to such a conclusion. Yet, to be able to determine so much with just a single glance… Why did he feel like a fortune teller instead?

“Alright, Brother Zhang, we’ll open the chamber to the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets for you right now. You’ll have to enter alone, and there’ll be a total of ten treasures within. As long as you appraise a single one of them accurately, you will be considered to have passed the trial!”

Disregarding the doubtful looks from the crowd, Sai Xiaoyu waved his hands.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan replied.

It didn’t seem difficult since he only had to identify one of the artifacts correctly.

“Let’s begin!”

Sai Xiaoyu beckoned for Elder Chen and Elder Lu to the wall, and each of them took out a key and placed it into an aperture in the wall.

Jiya!

The wall parted, revealing a door within,

The artifacts within the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets were incredible treasures. Thus, for security purposes, only when the three keys were gathered could it be opened.

Without the three keys, even a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert would be unable to enter.

With a flick of his wrist, Sai Xiaoyu took out a pile of spirit stones and placed it within a gray aperture on the wall. In an instant, it was as though a formation had been activated, and brilliant light shone from it.

“You can enter now!”

Sai Xiaoyu gestured.

Thus, Zhang Xuan began walking over. However, before he could walk through the door, Elder Chen stepped in front of him.

“Do you understand the difficulty of the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets?”

Even though Hall Master Sai had just praised the other party, he still didn’t think too much of this young man.

If Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets was that simple, someone else would have succeeded long ago.

“I have no idea!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I have just heard about it, and it’s said that as long as one clears the trial, one will be entitled to a reward of five thousand spirit stones. Thus, I decided to give it a try!”

“You dare to challenge it… right after hearing about it?”

Elder Chen felt his vision turning dark.

He thought that the other party might be genius who had prepared a long time for this since Hall Master Sai had brought him over. Yet, to think that he had come over right after hearing of it…

Also, what did he mean by five thousand spirit stones? It can’t be that he was here for the reward, was he?

Elder Chen was furious.

The Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets wasn’t a mere challenge. It was a trial for 5-star appraisers as well, and as such, only 4-star appraisers were qualified to attempt it. Yet, to wish to challenge it just for the prize money, wasn’t the other party taking this way too lightly?

“Hall Master Sai, to allow a person to challenge the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets just for the prize money, isn’t this infringing on the prestige of the Appraiser Hall?”

Unable to hold back his rage, Elder Chen turned to Sai Xiaoyu to protest.

To wish to attempt a 5-star appraiser examination test just for its monetary reward, the other party was underestimating the occupation a little way too much.

“Elder Chen, you’re exaggerating the matter. Brother Zhang is… is… here for the spirit stones, but he has the capability to back it up!”

Sai Xiaoyu intended to speak up for Zhang Xuan, but after a moment of hesitation, he realized that this fellow… was indeed here for the spirit stones!

“Capability to back up his words? Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets was also known as Harmonious Stream of Flowing Leaves. Its meaning is simple; the challenger has to identify the type, name, origin, value, and various other properties of the artifact in the time that the artifact is flowing by… To challenge it just for the spirit stones, this…” Elder Chen protested furiously.

Interrupting the other party, Sai Xiaoyu said, “Enough, since the trial is already activated, let’s just allow him to attempt it. Who knows, perhaps Brother Zhang might be able to induce a miracle?”

He didn’t bear much hope for Zhang Xuan, but since he had agreed to give him a try, he decided to go through with it.

After all, the other party had done him such a huge favor. How could he face others if he couldn’t even deliver what he had promised?

“Un!”

Seeing that Sai Xiaoyu had managed to keep Elder Chen in check, Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered to say anything else. Thus, he stepped forward and entered the room.

Weng!

As soon as he entered, the doors behind him closed.

“Nonsense! This is truly nonsense!”

Elder Chen flung his sleeves in displeasure.

“This elder over here, do you mean that our young master will fail the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets?”

Just as Elder Chen was displeased with Hall Master Sai’s actions and was about to protest, a nonchalant voice sounded from behind. Turning around, Elder Chen saw a plump man whose fat was trembling standing not too far away.

“Indeed, the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets requires one to have a deep understanding of the art of appraising. Given how even Old Hu and Old Du weren’t able to clear it, how can an eighteen or nineteen-year-old fellow like him clear the trial?”

Elder Chen harrumphed in displeasure.

“Since you’re so certain of it, then… why don’t we bet on it then?” the plump man said.

“Bet?” Elder Chen was taken aback.

“Indeed. I’ll bet that our young master will surely be able to clear the trial while you’ll bet for the opposite. As for the stakes… let’s not make it too big. What do you think of three thousand spirit stones?”

The plump man stared at Elder Chen with a bright smile.

Chapter 458: Copper Hammer

“Not make it too big… and three thousand spirit stones?”

Elder Chen nearly fainted on the spot.

If he were to take out all of his assets, he could fork out this sum. However, he would be as good as bankrupt if he were to do so.

To take out so much money for a bet, you must be insane!

“Three thousand spirit stones… Do you have that much money?” Seeing that his old friend was placed in an awkward position, Elder Lu stepped forward to intervene.

“Of course I don’t have that much money!” the plump man declared proudly.

“You don’t have that much?”

Everyone fell speechless.

You spoke as though you had several ten thousand of spirit stones in your possession… Despite having nothing at all, you still dare to initiate a gamble, not to mention, to speak so brazenly. Aren’t you being way too arrogant!

Zhao Feiwu slapped her forehead in frustration.

She had witnessed this fearless fool acting up many times, but still, she couldn’t have imagined that he would go straight up to a 4-star appraiser and propose a bet… And more importantly, he didn’t even have the money to pay up!

The heck, you sure are an incredible person!

“It sure is true, birds of a feather do flock together…”

She couldn’t help but shake her head.

The young master of that plump man, Sun Qiang, was a fellow who seemed to fear nothing but peacefulness. Just a while ago, the young master taught Hall Master Sai a lesson in public, and now, the servant was going even further. Honestly, where did these two eccentric fellows pop out from?

“Since you don’t have any money, why should I gamble with you?” Elder Chen replied with a steeled face.

“It’s true that I don’t have any money, but Hall Master Sai does. It’s just three thousand spirit stones, he’ll at least lend us this meager sum!” Sun Qiang smiled.

“…”

Hall Master Sai, who was watching the commotion by the side, didn’t expect to get brought into all of the sudden. He nearly spurted blood.

He did say that he would lend some money to Zhang Xuan but that was more of a pleasantry. Yet, this master and servant duo took his words seriously; putting aside how one tried to borrow three thousand spirit stones from him for an auction, the other one was now trying to get three thousand spirit stones from him for a gamble… Do you all know what politeness is? Can you all show some restraint?

Do you all need to be so darned?

“I…”

Hall Master Sai was just about to explain when the plump man before him shook his hands casually and said, “Even if Hall Master Sai is ungrateful decides to disregard how our young master helped him, Zhao Feiwu gongzi would also surely loan the sum to us. It’s just three thousand spirit stones, to gongzi, it doesn’t mean anything much!”

“…” Zhao Feiwu.

I’m just an innocent passer-by, why did you have to involve me in the conflict…

Hall Master Sai’s eyes also flipped over.

What do you mean by calling me ungrateful and disregard how your young master has helped me? Haven’t I given him a Spirit Calming Grass already? In fact, I even suppressed all opposition and paid a hundred spirit stones for him so that he can enter the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets…

Is this not considered as repaying the favor?

The duo was just about to protest when Sun Qiang shook his hands and spoke up once more, “Look, neither of them are disagreeing with me. This shows that three thousand spirit stones mean nothing to them at all! Don’t worry, if we were to lose, we’ll surely be able to rake up the money to repay you. But as for you… You just declared so confidently that our young master will surely fail, it can’t be that you’re regretting what you said right now, can it? To think that you’re a 4-star appraiser at that! To be unable to take out this little bit of money to prove yourself, how embarrassing…”

“You…”

Not expecting to be looked down on by a servant, Elder Chen’s face flushed red in anger.

“What you? If you truly don’t dare to gamble with me, then let’s just forget about it. However, you’d better keep your mouth in check next time. Our young master is incredibly talented, and your insignificant Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets means nothing to him at all!”

Harrumphing coldly, Sun Qiang tilted his head upward arrogantly. He had complete confidence in Zhang Xuan.

“Fine, I’ll wager with you then!” Seeing how the other party was getting more and more arrogant, Elder Chen couldn’t hold himself back anymore.

As a 4-star appraiser, it was indeed embarrassing for him to argue with a servant. However, this plump man had truly gone too far.

His tone was contemptuous and his attitude was arrogant. On top of that, his disdainful glance… How did a 4-star appraiser like him, who was respected no matter where he went, become no different from a shameless beggar?

He could tolerate being looked down on by a 5-star appraiser, a 4-star master teacher, or even the hall master. However, being looked down by a fellow whose cultivation was only… only… He simply couldn’t take this lying down!

“Not bad, does anyone else dare to wager with me? I thought that all of you doubted our young master’s capability? It’s not too late now. Otherwise, you won’t get a second chance…”

Sun Qiang chuckled gleefully upon seeing that he had managed to hook this big fish. He immediately scanned the room for any potential customers.

“…”

Hearing that the fellow still wanted to wager with the rest of them, the crowd fell speechless.

“Look, the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets is beginning…”

Just as Sun Qiang was trying to dupe a few other people to wager with him, a voice amidst the crowd suddenly sounded. Everyone immediately turned to look at the wall, only to see it growing brighter and brighter, as though some formation was gradually whirling to its peak.

…

What that lay beyond the door wasn’t another room but a garden. It was filled with flowers, and a faint aroma lingered in the air. There was a stream within the garden flowing from the distance, and a ‘tik tak’ sound echoed in the air as it struck against the rocks, forming a melodious tune.

The stream was winding, and right before Zhang Xuan was an arc that was sufficiently wide for an individual to stand on.

As soon as Zhang Xuan walked over, it was as though a formation was activated instantly. A leaf slowly flowed over from the distance.

A bizarrely-shaped object was placed on top of the leaf. Its irregular shape made it difficult for one to tell what it was.

“Seems like this is the artifact that I’ll have to appraise…”

Activating the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan realized that he couldn’t see through the properties of the artifact and his eyes immediately lit up.

As expected of a treasure that stumped even 4-star master teacher. Even the Eye of Insight was unable to discern what it was.

Of the name, Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, goblets referred to wine cups and it was commonly used by literati. They would often sit by the stream and allow a goblet to slowly flow along with the currents, and whoever it reaches shall gulp down the wine and come up with a poem.

As most artifacts would simply sink due to their weight, the leaf of a Purple Mountain Tree was used to float them.

This leaf was extremely light, and it could easily keep one or two adult humans afloat on the surface of the water without any problem. This was also the reason why the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets was also known as Harmonious Stream of Flowing Leaves.

“What in the world is that?”

Since the leaf hadn’t reached Zhang Xuan yet, he could only assess the artifact by its shape and outer appearance.

It was around the size of a watermelon, and it was indigo in color. It seemed to be forged by some kind of special alloy.

After staring at it for a moment, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head.

He had never read any book on appraising so he wasn’t too sure how appraisers work.

Given how many master appraisers couldn’t identify these artifacts, how could an amateur like him possibly see through them?

“Forget it!”

Turning his head away from it, Zhang Xuan took out a paper and brush. Then, when the leaf finally reached him, he stretched out his hands to touch it.

Weng!

A book appeared in his mind.

The main reason why he dared to challenge the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets was due to the Library of Heaven’s Path. Otherwise, given his lacking appraising skills, he would surely be unable to identify even a single one of the artifacts.

Flipping open the book, Zhang Xuan began jotting down the details.

“Copper Hammer, crafted three thousand years ago by 5-star Blacksmith Duanmu Yiguang. Its material is an alloy consisting of thirteen rare minerals, Hundredwar Metal, Cleardust Sand, Indigold Metal… and crafted over a period of forty-nine days…”

…

While Zhang Xuan was writing on the book, the crowd outside was staring at the wall nervously.

Sun Qiang ran around to persuade others to wager with him but no one bothered with him. At this moment, everyone’s attention was fixated on the wall. They wanted to know whether this young man could successfully identify an artifact and clear the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets.

“Judging from the time, the first treasure should have reached him already. Do you think he’ll succeed?” an appraiser amidst the crowd asked.

“Succeed? You must be joking! Even Hall Master Sai has challenged the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets multiple times but he was unable to identify a single one of the artifacts. This just shows how difficult the matter is. How could a young lad like him possibly succeed?”

“Putting everything aside, just look at that arrogant servant of his. Do you think that a real appraiser would have such an arrogant servant?”

“That’s hard to say though. Since he’s willing to propose this bet, it could only mean that he’s confident…”

…

Everyone discussed with hushed voices.

Even the youngest of the appraisers in the room were in their thirties. They found it hard to accept that a lad who wasn’t even twenty yet was challenging the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets.

“Don’t worry. If the artifacts in the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets could be identified so easily, it wouldn’t be taken as the 5-star appraiser examination!”

Seeing Elder Chen staring at the wall nervously as well, Elder Lu walked over and consoled him.

In truth, he didn’t think much of Zhang Xuan either.

He had attempted the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets before, and putting aside how difficult it was to identify those peculiar artifacts, more importantly, the time which one had to examine them was way too limited. In just ten breaths, it would have already flowed away from one. How could one successfully appraise an artifact which one had never seen before in just ten breaths?

“Worry? What do I have to worry? He’s just an ignorant brat. Even though he isn’t an appraiser at all, he still dares to spout such arrogant words…”

Elder Chen harrumphed, but halfway through his words, a bell chimed and his body suddenly jolted.

Dong!

That sound came from the beyond the wall, and it seemed to resonate in the depths of one’s soul.

“A chime? Did he fail?”

“Wait, that shouldn’t be. Only after all of the artifacts have been appraised will a bell chime to indicate the challenger’s failure. Judging from the time, he should have just barely appraised his first artifact!”

The crowd was taken aback. A confused look appeared on their faces.

The chiming of a bell usually meant that one had failed to identify a single artifact in the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets and that one had failed the trial.

Was it over already? But Zhang Xuan had only just entered a moment ago, and judging from the time, he should have only just appraised the first artifact!

“It’s said that if one didn’t offer the slightest appraisal on the first artifact, one will be declared to have failed the trial immediately!”

“There’s such a saying?”

“Wait a moment. Now that I think about it, I recall reading it somewhere in the books before!”

Some amidst the crowd shouted and a bizarre expression immediately crept on everyone’s faces.

Even if a challenger couldn’t identify the first treasure, he could at least make a rough guess. If Zhang Xuan had really failed because he didn’t write anything at all, that would be truly embarrassing!

Hualala!

Everyone immediately turned to look at Sun Qiang with eyes of sympathy.

Without a doubt, this fellow had lost tragically this time.

Dang lang!

But at that moment, the sound of a teacup falling to the ground echoed in the room.

Following which, everyone saw Hall Master Sai’s body trembling ceaselessly, and his face gradually paled.

“That isn’t… a chime. It’s… Spirit Euphoria! In other words, not only did he manage to identify the artifact, he even gained the acknowledgement of the artifact’s spirit!”

Chapter 459: The Call of the Spirit, Acknowledgement of the Painting

“Spirit Euphoria?”

Elder Chen and Elder Lu stared at one another and froze. “How… How is that possible?”

“The chiming should be heavy and deep, but this sound is sharp and resonates with one’s soul… Only the legendary Spirit Euphoria is capable of inducing such euphoria in one’s heart…” Hall Master Sai said.

“This…”

The duo staggered.

Thinking back, given the agitation they had just felt from the sound a moment ago, it was indeed unlikely to be the doing of a bell chime.

Could it be really… Spirit Euphoria?

But how was that possible?

Elder Chen’s face twitched, and his lips turned white.

He had just proudly declared that the other party surely wouldn’t be able to identify even a single treasure, yet not only did the other party manage to do so, he even induced Spirit Euphoria…

Did he have to be so formidable?

“The Acknowledgement of a Treasure, Spirit Euphoria! This is the call that formidable spirit weapons induce when they’re excited?”

“This-this…”

Hearing Hall Master Sai’s words, all those who shot gazes of sympathy toward Sun Qiang were dumbfounded. It was as though someone had forced a turtle into their mouth, making it impossible for them to close it.

They thought that this fellow would lose so tragically that he might be leaving stark naked, but he managed to make such a huge comeback…

It was fortunate that no one was silly enough to wager with him previously. Otherwise, the one who would be leaving stark naked would be them!

As cold sweat drenched their backs, they subconsciously turned to look at Elder Chen, only to see his face steeled and his forehead marked with black streaks. He looked as though he would faint at any moment.

Three thousand spirit stones… Even though he was a 4-star appraiser, he was probably doubting the meaning of life at this moment.

Seeing everyone’s expression, Sun Qiang asked in puzzlement, “What does Spirit Euphoria mean?”

Pu!

Elder Chen couldn’t hold it back anymore and a mouthful of blood spurted out.

There was not a single appraiser who didn’t know of Spirit Euphoria. In fact, even apprentices would be aware of it.

Yet, this fellow didn’t know a thing at all…

It was one thing for him to lose to a 5-star appraiser or a formidable expert, but to lose to a servant who couldn’t even compare to an apprentice…

Why was he so foolish as to be goaded into making the wager?

Seeing how the confused plump man was about to ask the frenzied Elder Chen about the matter, Liu Chang finally couldn’t watch on anymore and hurried forward to explain, “You should know about how items can be divided into five tiers; God, Saint, Spirit, Phantom, and Mortal, right?”

“Un!” Sun Qiang nodded.

This classification wasn’t a secret even in Tianxuan Kingdom. It was a common fact known to all cultivators.

“When an equipment reaches Spirit tier, it’ll gain spirit. It’s similar to the Spirit Creation of paintings. Even though it’s unable to think like humans, it’ll be able to recognize and acknowledge cultivators. This aspect is somewhat similar to having a beast tamer acknowledge one as its master.”

Liu Chang continued, “Equipment that acknowledged a cultivator would release this kind of euphoric sound, and this is termed as Spirit Euphoria. As soon as it appears, a cultivator would be able to become the true master of the weapon by feeding it a droplet of his blood…”

“Become the true master?”

Sun Qiang widened his eyes in shock.

“Indeed… The artifacts on the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets are treasures that countless appraisers were unable to identify. To induce Spirit Euphoria right after he entered, could it be that… not only did he manage to identify the artifact, he even managed to analyze the strengths and flaws of it as well?

Liu Chang’s face was filled with disbelief.

“Analyze the strengths and flaws?”

“Every top-notch equipment is forged with a blacksmith’s heart poured into it, but due to the limitations of material and the skill of the blacksmith, flaws will appear on even the most formidable treasures. As long as this kind of flaws is made up for, the equipment could reach higher tiers.

“An equipment possessing spirit is aware of its own flaws, but as it’s unable to communicate with anyone, it’s unable to find a way to make up for them. Some experts could easily find these flaws and earn the acknowledgement of the spirit of the equipment. However, this is a skill that only high-raked blacksmiths possess. Why would it… appear in an appraisal?”

The more Liu Chang explained, the more confused he became.

The main responsibility of an appraiser was to determine the identity of an artifact and its background. As for the flaws and strengths of the artifact, that was beyond their means.

That was a skill that only skilled blacksmiths who had achieved a profound understanding of equipment would have.

Could it be that… the fellow inside wasn’t just an appraiser but… a formidable blacksmith as well? Was that why he could easily identify the treasure and analyze its strengths and flaws?

Finally recovering from his shock, Elder Lu turned to his old friend and consoled, “The first artifact that appears happens to be an equipment. If he’s a blacksmith, it’s not too surprising for him to be able to identify it. However, an appraiser has to be more than capable of identifying weapons. Paintings, antiques, medicinal herbs, and even cultivation techniques and battle techniques… They must be well-rounded in all aspects. The ten artifacts of the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets cover the various occupations. If he’s just a blacksmith, he’ll only be able to identify the first one…”

Blacksmiths had an in-depth understanding of equipment. It wasn’t completely impossible for Zhang Xuan to be capable of identifying an equipment swiftly, find its strengths and flaws, and win its acknowledgement.

However, it was a pity that the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets tested one on one’s appraising ability, not on one’s understanding of equipment.

The ten artifacts didn’t just consist of equipment. There were many other items as well. No matter how knowledgeable Zhang Xuan was in the field of equipment, he would only be able to identify one.

Elder Lu was in the midst of consoling his old friend when they heard the plump man beside them muttering to himself, “Right, didn’t Hall Master Sai say that he would have cleared the trial as long as he could recognize a single artifact?”

Elder Chen had just barely calmed down when he heard those words and his face paled once more. Internally, he could feel his heart bleeding.

There had been not a single success case to the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets in the past. As such, as long as one was able to identify even one of the ten artifacts, it would be considered as a pass… In other words, regardless of whether Zhang Xuan was able to identify any other artifacts or not, he would have to part with his three thousand spirit stones!

…

While a huge wave of shock had washed over the appraisers outside, in the trial, Zhang Xuan stared at the bizarre metal hammer speechlessly.

“What are you calling out for? You scared me!”

After jotting down the details on the artifact from the Library of Heaven’s Path, this toy suddenly began buzzing, causing him to nearly drop his brush in shock.

What the heck was it?

It wasn’t like it was a clock, gong, or something. What was it trying to call out for!

Don’t you know what is manners? It’s rude to shout in public, you know!

‘Forget it, I’ll just write the names then…’ Zhang Xuan thought.

There were seventy-two flaws on the Copper Hammer recorded in the Library of Heaven’s Path, and if he were to jot down all of them, he would surely die of fatigue. Since he had written down its name, origin, and two to three of its flaws, it should be sufficient for a pass!

Putting down his brush, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze away from the Copper Hammer to wait for the arrival of the next artifact when ‘hu!’, the heavy lump of metal suddenly flew from the stream and landed right before him.

“What’s going on?”

Zhang Xuan blinked in shock.

Why is a hammer like you jumping right in front of me instead of lying obediently on the tree leaf?

Just so you know, I’m not a female hammer!

“Forget it…”

Zhang Xuan was unable to comprehend the situation before him. However, since the previous tree leaf had already floated away and the next artifact was slowly flowing down, Zhang Xuan shook his head and turned his attention away.

Placed on top of the second tree leaf was a painting. It was emitting a faint glow.

The spiritual energy in the surroundings were automatically attracted to the painting, and incredibly realistic birds flew into the air, dancing with liveliness.

“It’s at least a fifth level painting!”

As a 3-star painter, Zhang Xuan still possessed some understanding of painting. Even though the artifact was still a far distance away from him, he could already see what was incredible about it. At the very least, its grade was no lower than the fifth level.

He activated his Eye of Insight.

However, just like the Copper Hammer, he wasn’t able to tell anything at all. In other words, the painting’s value had surpassed the ability of his Eye of Insight.

Soon, the leaf reached his surroundings, allowing him to catch a clearer glimpse of the painting.

The painting was exquisite, but there was no signature left behind, making it impossible to determine whose work it was.

The birds flying above the painting also looked extremely foreign. Of all of the savage beasts that Zhang Xuan learned about from beast taming books, there was none that fits the shape.

In other words, not only was there no name for the painting, it was even impossible to determine what those birds were.

It was no wonder why so many appraisers before were unable to identify it.

“Flaws!”

Upon coming into contact with the painting, Zhang Xuan began moving his brush excitedly.

…

“Teacher, after the Spirit Euphoria, it’s highly likely that the artifact will automatically acknowledge Zhang Xuan as its owner. If so, on top of paying the five thousand spirit stones, that artifact will also have to…”

Upon recalling something, Liu Chang hurried over to Hall Master Sai and brought up the matter.

Artifacts possessing spirit were able to choose their owner as they pleased. In other words, through this Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, not only did Zhang Xuan earn five thousand spirit stones from clearing the trial and three thousand spirit stones from winning the wager against Elder Chen, perhaps… he would be taking away the equipment as well.

What in the world was this!

When other people challenged the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, they ended up paying a hundred spirit stones. On the other hand, not only did this fellow earn a huge profit, he even managed to steal away the various treasures in it…

The Appraiser Hall was truly making a huge loss this time around.

“Artifacts have their own spirit, and they are allowed to choose their owners. Even though these artifacts have been with our Appraiser Hall for many years, no one has been able to identify them. Now that someone is able to point out their identity and origin, it’s only natural for them to be excited and want to acknowledge the person as their master. There’s nothing we can do about this!”

Hall Master Sai had also considered this matter, and he shook his head helplessly.

Every single treasure in the Appraiser Hall was incomparably valuable, and if possible, he didn’t wish for any of them to get out. However, since the other party had earned the acknowledgement of the spirit of the weapon, there was nothing he could do.

Seeing that his teacher was helpless toward this situation as well, Liu Chang asked worriedly, “Then… What if this happens to the artifacts later on as well?”

“Hehe, don’t worry! The first artifact is an equipment so blacksmiths or those who possess a natural affinity toward equipment would be able to win its acknowledgement easily. However, it’ll be different for the artifacts behind. There are antiques, paintings, as well as medicinal herbs… It’ll be impossible for him to identify all of those treasures. Besides, even if he does, it’ll be extremely difficult for him to earn the acknowledgement of their spirit. It wouldn’t be a joke to say that it is practically impossible!”

Hall Master Sai smiled lightly, “There’s no need to worry so much.”

“That’s true!”

Liu Chang was taken aback for a moment before recovering. Nodding his head, he was just about to say something when the spiritual energy before him suddenly rippled intensely and gushed straight through the closed doors.

Following which, everyone’s eyes blurred for a moment, and countless birds formed by spiritual energy danced and chirped in the air.

“The Call of the Spirit, Acknowledgement of the Painting? This is a masterpiece painting acknowledging its owner?”

Hall Master Sai’s vision went dark.

Chapter 460: Poor People Have It Rough

The first five levels to painting were: Reality Depiction, Spiritual Canvas, Infused Intentions, Breathtaking Verisimilitude, and Spirit Creation.

Upon reaching Spirit Creation, the beings within the painting would be able to absorb spiritual energy to reach higher levels. In fact, the entire painting would be granted spirit, and it would be able to find a suitable owner for itself.

In this sense, it was similar to formidable spirit equipment.

Before them, birds from a painting were formed by the gathering of spiritual energy, dancing and chirping energetically. Clearly, it had acknowledged the challenger within the trial.

This…

If it was an equipment or a person who possessed exceptionally affinity with equipment, the acknowledgement of the first artifact could be explained. However, it was completely different for a painting.

Painting was a refined sport, and it was the expertise of literati. No matter how strong one was, it would be difficult for one to earn the acknowledgement of a painting. The only way to earn its acknowledgement was to understand the true artistic conception contained within the painting and comprehend its true meaning.

But… for a painting which one didn’t know the name, the content, or even the year of production… How could one possibly understand the intent behind it?

Could this fellow be a painter as well?

Only a true master in painting would be able to discern the thoughts of another painter in a painting that wasn’t signed, sealed, or dated.

Everyone’s eyes shot toward Sun Qiang, curious to hear his explanation.

Since this servant as so sure that his young master could pass the trial, he definitely knew a thing or two about it.

“Painter? Our young master is already one!”

Seeing the doubtful gazes from the crowd, Sun Qiang smiled gleefully. Placing his hands behind his back, he tilted his head upward proudly, “On top of that, he created a fifth level painting through a savage beast. To him, this is just a walk in the park!”

“Created a fifth level painting through a savage beast?”

Everyone’s mouths twitched.

One would have to at least be a 3-star painter to create a fifth level painting. To do the same through a savage beast… How many stars would that require?

Even the 4-star painters that they knew weren’t capable of such a feat!

“It just happens that he’s knowledgeable in equipment and painting, this doesn’t truly reflect his appraising proficiency. Perhaps… it might just be luck?” an appraiser amidst the crowd said.

However, after saying those words, putting aside whether there was anyone willing to believe his words, even he found his own words hard to believe.

Seeing how everyone was shocked speechless, and Elder Chen even seemed to be on the verge of collapsing, perhaps due to the sympathy he felt for his fellow appraisers, Hall Master Sai scanned the surroundings and said, “We’ll know whether it’s luck or not in the next artifact! If I’m not wrong, it should be a celestial treasure. These kinds of items appear randomly and no one can replicate them. No amount of prior knowledge of other occupations can help him on this… This is the purest form of appraisal!”

If it was truly luck, and Zhang Xuan had only happened to identify the first two artifacts due to his double identity as a blacksmith and painter, it would surely be impossible for him to do the same for the rest of the artifacts.

“I really do hope that he fails to identify the other artifacts. The artifacts in the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets are all incredible treasure left behind by the predecessors, and every single one of them can fetch an astronomical sum. Two of them have already recognized him as their master. If this goes on, I fear that… our Appraiser Hall will go bankrupt!” Elder Lu muttered pitifully.

“That… That’s true!”

Hall Master Sai’s mouth twitched as well.

Just identifying the artifact itself was sufficient for one to pass the trial, but this fellow went ahead and had the artifacts acknowledge him as their master… They had already lost two artifacts. If this were to go on, it would be a huge blow to the Appraiser Hall despite its affluence.

“Don’t worry, I’ve challenged the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets before, and the third one is a celestial treasure.”

Elder Chen finally managed to suppress his urge to spurt blood and gritted his teeth. “There are no records on what material it is made of, and it’s even unclear as to whether it has a spirit or not. It’ll be nearly impossible for one to identify it, needless to win, earn its acknowledgement…”

Celestial treasures were extremely rare in the world, and they weren’t recorded in the books. As such, it was nearly impossible to call out their names. Furthermore, it was unclear whether it had a spirit or not. Thus, it was nearly impossible to have it acknowledge one as its master.

However, as soon as he said those words, a chuckle sounded.

“You mean that our young master won’t be able to identify the object and earn its acknowledgement?”

The one who spoke was still Sun Qiang.

“Hmph!” Elder Chen flung his sleeves.

“There’s no need for you to get displeased. How about this? I’ll give you a chance to earn back your money. Let’s continue to wager three thousand spirit stones; if our young master is unable to identify what the object is and earn its acknowledgement, we’ll call off the debt. Otherwise, you’ll owe me another three thousand spirit stones. How about it?”

Sun Qiang stared at Elder Chen with glowing eyes.

“I…”

Elder Chen’s lips quivered. He wanted to agree to it but he didn’t dare to do so.

He had just said that it was impossible for the other party to pass the trial but the fellow went ahead to earn the acknowledgement of two of the artifacts. Who knows what would happen this time?

“You’re chickening out again? I’m giving you a chance but you sure don’t know how to make use of it. With guts like yours, I truly wonder how you can call yourself a 4-star appraiser and a Transcendent Mortal expert!” Sun Qiang glanced at Elder Chen disdainfully.

“You…” Not expecting to be looked down by a servant twice in just a few short minutes, Elder Chen’s face flushed red, and he looked as though he would faint from anger at any moment.

“Enough!”

At that moment, another fatty walked out from Sun Qiang’s back and bellowed.

Seeing someone stepping out to speak up for him, Elder Chen heaved a sigh of relief. He was just about to thank the other party when he heard the other party’s words, “You’ve to consider matters from Elder Chen’s perspective as well. What if he doesn’t have sufficient money to pay you back if, by chance, he loses? Butler Sun, you should learn to be more understanding. It isn’t easy for him either. Poor people have it rough, you know… This can’t be helped at all.”

Pu!

After hearing those words, Elder Chen spurted another mouthful of blood.

At this moment, he was completely frenzied.

Appraiser was one of the most lucrative occupation in the world. As a 4-star appraiser, he was one of the top of the trade. Even though his wealth couldn’t be said to be able to compare up to an entire nation, he wasn’t too far from it.

Yet, someone was publicly saying that… he was poor.

Poor your head!

“Fine, let’s wager then! Who’s afraid of whom…” Unable to hold back his rage, Elder Chen bellowed.

“That’s a promise then. However… what if you don’t have any money to repay your debt after you lose?” Sun Qiang shot his accomplice, Yuan Tao, a look of approval and chuckled.

“I’ll borrow it from Elder Lu then, there’s no need for you to worry about that!” Elder Chen flung his sleeves.

“Elder Chen… You should reconsider the matter!”

Elder Lu’s eyebrows twitched, and he hurriedly stepped forward to persuade the other party against it.

“Don’t worry, I don’t believe that that fellow can even identify a celestial treasure. If he really is able to do so, I’ll just admit my misfortune…” Elder Chen clenched his jaws tightly.

As a 4-star appraiser, he wasn’t a reckless person. However, the two fatties before him were simply too infuriating.

Besides, he truly believed that it would be impossible for that young man to identify a celestial treasure.

One must know that this artifact that stumped even a passing 5-star appraiser. How could a fellow who popped out from nowhere possibly know anything about it, let alone earn its acknowledgement?

Weng!

While he was still immersed in his thoughts, a crisp buzz sounded from the room. It was similar to the call from before.

“The Acknowledgement of a Treasure, Spirit Euphoria… He was acknowledged by the celestial treasure?”

Elder Chen’s face paled, and he suddenly burst into tears.

To be able to win even the acknowledgement of a celestial treasure, what kind of monster was the other party? How in the world did he manage to do it?

Ding dong!

However, he wasn’t stunned for too long. Various sounds echoed from within soon afterward. It didn’t feel as though Zhang Xuan was in a trial; rather, it felt as though he was in a music room, and various melodies mixed in with one another.

“Hall master… I think we should forcefully terminate the trial!”

Hearing the various sounds within, Elder Lu couldn’t hold himself back anymore and suggested.

“Terminate?”

“If we don’t terminate it now, I fear that… our Appraiser Hall might be shut down by him…”

Elder Lu’s lips twitched.

“This…”

Hall Master Sai’s face steeled.

It would be formidable if anyone else can recognize one out of ten artifacts, yet not only did this fellow manage to identify all of them, he even won their acknowledgement in the midst of doing so…

If he were to continue on like this, he might really make a clean sweep of the treasures within the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets.

“You should quickly make up your mind! If he continues on like this, and claims all of the artifacts, what should we do in the future? Let’s just terminate it now. In any case, he has passed the trial already anyway!”

Knowing that there was no time to be wasted, Elder Lu urged Sai Xiaoyu.

“Alright, let’s have him stop now then!”

Knowing the severity of the matter, Hall Master Sai clenched his jaws.

Initially, he thought that the other party only visited the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets out of curiosity, and he would give up once he realized its difficulty. Who could have known that he would make the artifacts submit to him in an instant…

Seeing so many valuable treasures submitting to him, they were scared out of their wits. They didn’t dare to allow him to proceed on with the trial.

Even though the Appraisal Hall was known for its affluence and immense collection of treasures, there was still a limit to it.

And the treasures that no one had been able to identify in the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets were the height of the collection.

They could accept having one or two being taken away, but if it were all of them, then the overall fortune of the Appraisal Hall would be reduced immensely.

What in the world was this?

For the Appraisal Hall to be forced to a corner by just an individual, the thought of it felt ludicrous in itself. Yet, it was happening at this very instant.

“Fetch the keys!”

Since there was a way to activate the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, naturally, there was a way to stop it as well. However, similar to the activation process, it required the usage of three of the keys simultaneously as well.

“Alright!”

Elder Chen and Elder Lu hurriedly walked up to the wall, and stretching out their hands, they placed their keys into the apertures.

Jiya! Jiya!

Along with the insertion of the three keys, the formation immediately rumbled to a halt.

The radiance slowly faded.

“What… are you all doing?” Sun Qiang frowned.

“Don’t worry, we’ve only stopped the formation. This won’t hurt your young master at all!” Hall Master Sai said.

“To stop the formation because you can’t afford to lose, the Appraisal Hall… sure is shameless!” Sun Qiang harrumphed.

Even though he hadn’t heard their exchange, the meaning behind their actions was clear.

Clearly, they were scared of the young master taking away all of the artifacts inside so they didn’t dare allow the trial to continue on any further.

“Cough cough, it’s indeed our fault to forcefully terminate the trial. However, there’s no need to worry. I’ll make it up to your young master!”

Mocked in public, Hall Master Sai’s face turned red.

It was just as the other party had said, these treasures were left behind by their predecessors and they were necessary to conducting the 5-star appraiser examination. As such, they truly couldn’t afford to lose them.

However, forcefully terminating the trial like that was unfair to the other party as well. Thus, the Appraisal Hall could only find some way to make up for the other party’s losses.

“Hmph!”

Sun Qiang harrumphed in displeasure. However, the formation was already stopped, and there was no way around it anymore.

“Alright, open the door!”

Once the formation was stopped, the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets would automatically cease to operate, and the artifacts wouldn’t appear anymore. Relieved, Hall Master Sai shook his hands with a smile.

Boom!

But at that moment, the ground shook, and everyone nearly fell down. After which, a thunderous chime reverberated within the room, leaving everyone nearly deaf.

“It’s… the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets acknowledging its master. The heck!”

Hall Master Sai looked at the door and bellowed frenziedly.

Chapter 461: Compensation

Returning back to a minute earlier.

After four consecutive treasures had leaped off the tree leaves and flown to him, no matter how foolish Zhang Xuan was, it was clear that these artifacts had acknowledged him and wanted to leave with him.

After all, treasures were crafted with a purpose in mind and they craved to display their value.

Being trapped within the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets for a time so long that swords were buried in dust and pearls lost their glow had left these artifacts’ spirits indignant.

As such, as soon as they were identified, they immediately submitted to Zhang Xuan.

“I won’t hold back then!”

His mouth slowly curled out as he stretched out his hand and swiftly kept the treasures who leaped off the leaves into his storage ring.

Even though Zhang Xuan wasn’t very knowledgeable about treasures, he could tell that they were valuable based on their descriptions in the Library of Heaven’s Path. In any case, they were definitely worth more than a few hundred spirit stones.

He would be insane to turn down these valuable treasures.

After putting away those objects, while he was waiting for the next artifact to appear, the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets suddenly shook and stopped. The flow of water also abruptly halted.

“Could it be that… this artifact has something wrong with it as well?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

The Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets was driven by a formation, and logically speaking, its flow shouldn’t stop until all ten of the artifacts appeared. Why did it suddenly stop when only four had appeared?

“Let me see if I can fix this!”

Doubtful, Zhang Xuan stretched out his hands and touched the stone pedestal.

The Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets should be similar to the various trials of the master teacher examination. Most likely, it was a Spirit tool used to control the water flow and protect the treasures.

Since it came to an abrupt stop, it probably meant that it was malfunctioning. However, Zhang Xuan wasn’t worried at all. After all, he had the Library of Heaven’s Path. As long as it was a flaw or loophole, he could easily determine the problem and find a solution to it.

Hu!

A book appeared, and browsing through it, he picked up his brush and started writing some words down.

“The Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets is a Spirit low-tier tool, and it’s a part of the Appraiser Hall…”

Right after writing just a few flaws, a buzzing sound echoed and the entire place began to shake, as though expressing its intimacy toward Zhang Xuan.

“This toy can be taken away as well?”

Sensing that the attitude of the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets was similar to that of the artifacts he identified before, Zhang Xuan was astonished.

If he could take the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets away, didn’t it mean that he could claim all of the treasures here in one ago?

“Let’s give it a try then!”

Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan issued the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets a command, and as he expected, it didn’t try to resist him at all.

‘Hu!’

The entire tool was placed inside his storage ring.

“What the heck?! It really worked…”

The edges of Zhang Xuan’s lips crept upward. Just as he was about to see if there was anything else of value in the room…

‘Jiya!’

The door opened abruptly and Hall Master Sai, Elder Lu, and Elder Chen rushed in.

“Yo-you…”

“You took the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets as well…”

Upon seeing the empty room, the lips of the three 4-star appraisers quivered. They stared at the young man before them as if he was a monster.

Are you sure you’re here to challenge the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets and not to sweep away everything within it…

A moment ago, there were still mountains, flowing water, flowers… But all that was left now was an empty room devoid of anything.

You aren’t here to challenge the trial but to take away everything of value in the Appraiser Hall!

“Zhang shi, the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets is… property of the Appraiser Hall. It represents our prestige and dignity, I beseech you to leave it behind…”

Holding back the urge to spurt blood, Hall Master Sai uttered with a scarlet face.

It was just a moment ago that he addressed Zhang Xuan as Brother Zhang, but at this moment, he didn’t dare to do so anymore.

Not only did the other party manage to claim so many treasures in a single move, he even took away the operating table as well. The other party’s mastery of appraisal was definitely way above of his… He was no longer qualified to call the other party brother anymore.

“Leave it behind? But it has willingly chosen to acknowledge me as its master!” Zhang Xuan glared at the other party.

You must be joking! How much do you think these treasures are worth? How can I simply leave them behind?

“That… I know!” Hall Master Sai’s face was flushed.

The ownership of artifacts usually hinged on a single word — affinity.

All of these artifacts had acknowledged Zhang Xuan as their master, and this showed that he had affinity with them all. As an appraiser, Sai Xiaoyu should be more than aware of this. If he were to force the other party to hand it over, that would be no different from stealing.

But… the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets was one of the most valuable treasures of their Appraiser Hall so they couldn’t afford to lose it. Otherwise, even before the headquarters dismissed him, he would probably have to resign from his seat for the discontentment of the other appraisers in the hall.

It was just like someone claiming and taking away the Spirit tool used to operate the various tests in the Master Teacher Pavilion.

If word were to spread out, the Master Teacher Pavilion would surely become a laughingstock.

After a moment of hesitation, Hall Master Sai said, “How about this, as long as Zhang shi is willing to leave the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets behind, the Appraiser Hall is willing to… compensate your losses!”

“Compensate? You wish to pay me spirit stones? I’m fine with it!”

Zhang Xuan started counting on his fingers, “The Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets contains ten artifacts. I won’t demand too much so I’ll go by the estimate of five thousand spirit stones for each of them. Totaling them up, it’s only fifty thousand spirit stones! As for this operating platform… I’ll take it to be ten thousand then! Thus, as long as the Appraiser Hall pays me sixty thousand spirit stones, I’ll return everything back to you!”

“Sixty thousand spirit stones…”

The three appraisers trembled and their eyes turned red.

They were the Appraiser Hall, not a bank… Besides, even if they were the bank, they wouldn’t be able to fork out so many spirit stones either.

“This… We truly aren’t able to take out so many spirit stones at the moment…” Hall Master Sai felt so embarrassed that he wished that there was a hole in the floor that he could dive into at this very moment.

What the heck was this.

When no one was able to clear the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, he wished that some challenger could simply overcome it. Yet, now that someone had succeeded, he found himself on the verge of tears, wishing that it was just a dream…

“You can’t take it out? Alright then. If you all can take out the following items, I’m willing to fork out the items in return!”

Seeing the tearful faces of the three great 4-star appraisers, Zhang Xuan knew that it was impossible for them to fork out so many spirit stones. Thus, after a moment of hesitation, he proposed, “Firstly, help me find as many Transcendent Mortal cultivation techniques and battle techniques as possible, the more the better. Other than that, I want the Soulless Metal Humanoid and all books related to soul oracles. Similarly, the more there are, the better it is!”

Actually, Zhang Xuan didn’t really need the treasures within the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets.

If he really wanted to earn spirit stones, there were various means for him to do so.

There were only two priorities for him at the moment. The first was to find a way to wake up Lu Chong’s dormant soul and bring him out of his coma, and the second was to raise his cultivation and advance through the master teacher ranks so that he could become a 9-star master teacher before reaching thirty.

Treasures and spirit stones were just means to these ends.

“This…”

He thought that the other party would say something overboard, and upon hearing that he only needed these few items, Hall Master Sai was taken aback.

Even though they were the Appraiser Hall, they still had quite a decent collection of Transcendent Mortal cultivation techniques and battle techniques.

And as for books on soul oracle, even though this occupation no longer existed and there were many contentions regarding its existence, the Appraiser Hall still had a few books on the occupation… Just that, it was hard to gauge whether the information was true or not.

Honestly speaking, these items… weren’t worth much. There was no comparison between them and those treasures in the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets.

Having witnessed the greed of the other party for himself, he thought that the other party would be willing to stoop to even unscrupulous means to earn spirit stones. Since he had earned the upper hand this time, he thought that the other party would raise some outrageous request that would cause the Appraiser Hall’s bankruptcy. Yet, to think that… it would be just these few items.

This… Was there a problem somewhere?

Seeing the bewildered faces before him, Zhang Xuan asked, “What, can’t you do it?”

“I can find a few of the others, but regarding the Soulless Metal Humanoid… As it doesn’t belong to the Appraiser Hall – someone is just keeping it with us at the moment for the auction – I can’t say for sure how it’ll be auctioned and how much it’ll be auctioned for!” Hall Master Sai said.

The figure he had given for the Soulless Metal Humanoid before was just a rough estimate. Even if the Appraiser Hall were to speak on Zhang Xuan’s behalf, it was hard to tell whether the seller would be willing to sell it to him. Thus, they couldn’t give their word on this matter.

But of course, this was just a conservative way of putting it. In comparison to other powers in the region, the influence of the Appraiser Hall was immense. On top of that, the item was to be auctioned on their territory. If even the Appraiser Hall couldn’t get it, it would be even more unlikely for others to lay their hands on it.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan said, “There’s no problem about that. Didn’t you say that the clearing the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets would entitle me to a reward of five thousand spirit stones? I’ll bid for it myself! You just have to gather the other things that I asked for. The quantity for each of those books mustn’t be any less than a thousand!”

“A thousand books?”

Hall Master Sai’s face went pale.

He thought that the other party was just asking for a few dozen books. To ask for a thousand of them in one go, what did he wish to do with them?

He thought that the other party was letting the Appraiser Hall go by not insisting on the sixty thousand spirit stones, but it seemed like things weren’t as easy as he thought.

“Books on soul oracles are rare even when considering the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance. At best, we’ll just only be able to find… a few dozen of them. As for Transcendent Mortal cultivation technique manuals, if it’s only Transcendent Mortal 1-dan Prolonged Longevity realm manuals, I think we’ll still be able to find above a thousand of it.”

“But for 2-dan Origin Energy realm, the quantity is significantly lower. My estimate is that we’ll only be able to find around five hundred of them. As for 3-dan Yin-Yang realm, while there are a lot of them in the Myriad Kingdom City, in Honghai City… it’ll already be great if we can gather a hundred of them!”

Doing a rough estimate, Hall Master Sai explained the circumstances for each of the items.

Even though the Honghai City was a massive city in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, it was still inferior as compared to that of the Myriad Kingdom City. As such, it wasn’t as easy to gather over a thousand manuals here.

This was especially so for Transcendent Mortal 3-dan cultivation technique manuals. Even if one were to search through all of the powerful clans in the city, it would be hard to find a hundred of them. On top of that, every single clan valued their manual as their greatest treasure and they didn’t allow it to go out into the public. Even if the Appraiser Hall were to exert its influence, it would be hard to gather them.

“That’s fine as well. I’ll take whatever that’s available, so go ahead and look for them!”

Knowing that he was limited by the geographic boundaries and that it was already great if he could gather this much here, Zhang Xuan nodded and agreed to it. Then, flicking his wrist, he took out the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets.

He was willing to return this to the other party, but as for the other four artifacts that had already acknowledged him, they shouldn’t even think about it.

“Thank you Zhang shi!”

Hall Master Sai heaved a sigh of relief and clasped his fist.

“Don’t worry about it. Alright, I would like to get the five thousand spirit stones from clearing the trial now!”

Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

“Un, I’ll go get it for you now!” Hall Master Sai walked out. Not too long later, he returned, and with a flick of his wrist, a bunch of spirit stones appeared in front of him. The spiritual energy in the surroundings immediately rippled, forming a mini tornado.

Scanning through it and confirming that there were around five thousand spirit stones in the pile, Zhang Xuan chuckled and put it all away in his storage ring.

After keeping the items away, Zhang Xuan was about to say something when Sun Qiang walked up and said, “Young master, this Elder Chen has just lost to us in a bet and he owes us six thousand spirit stones!”

“Bet? Six thousand spirit stones?”

Taken aback, Zhang Xuan turned to the elder and exclaimed, “To offer six thousand spirit stones in a single go, Elder Chen, you are indeed much more generous than Hall Master Sai!”

“Generous?” Elder Chen cried.

How was this generosity? How did it feel more like suicide…

Chapter 462: Celestial Designer’s Mechanical Container

From Sun Qiang’s explanation, it didn’t take long before Zhang Xuan understood the happenings of the entire incident.

“Not bad, you did well. The only thing pitiable is that the number of spirit stones at stake were too few. No matter what, it should be at least ten thousand!”

Not expecting for Sun Qiang to perform so excellently, earning so many spirit stones for him through a wager, Zhang Xuan looked at him in commendation.

“Ten thousand!”

Elder Chen’s lips twitched once more.

Six thousand was sufficient to leave him so frustrated that he felt like committing suicide already. If the debt was truly ten thousand, he would have already run away.

“Since I’ve the wager, I won’t refuse to pay up. However…” Stepping forward, Elder Chen gritted his teeth and said, “My total fortune only adds up to around three thousand spirit stones. As for the rest… Can you allow me to repay it back in a year’s time?”

“A year’s time? A year later, it would be useless even if you were to give me twenty thousand spirit stones!”

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

It had only been two to three months since his journey started in Tianxuan Kingdom. A year later… He could foresee that three thousand spirit stones would just be an insignificant sum to him.

“I…”

Elder Chen’s face flushed red.

As a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan expert and a 4-star appraiser, he was a respectable figure. If he were to refuse to pay up after losing a wager, even if the other party didn’t do anything at all, he would die from the humiliation.

Besides, if his trustworthiness was brought into question, his career as an appraiser might come to an end.

Thus, after hesitating for a moment, he clenched his jaws and said, “Even though I don’t have many liquid assets, as a 4-star appraiser, I do have some treasures in my possession… How about this, I’ll allow you to pick any item among my treasure as compensation for the three thousand spirit stones!”

Appraisers were very similar to antique collectors. Even though they might not have many liquid assets, they had quite a valuable inventory in their home.

These items were treasures that he had slowly accumulated over the course of his life. If not for being forced into a corner, he would never bear to take them out.

“Treasure? Let me take a look. If it’s suitable, I can strike off your entire debt of six thousand spirit stones for it!”

Knowing that this person would surely have some valuable possessions having dealt in artifacts his entire life, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

“Alright!”

Knowing that it was impossible to avoid this anymore, Elder Chen flicked his wrist.

Hualala!

Before long, a pile of treasures appeared before the crowd.

There were antiques, paintings, weapons, sets of armor, as well as some bizarre clay molds.

There were all kinds of treasures within Elder Chen’s collection, and astonishingly, its total value seemed to exceed even that of the shops on the second floor.

“I only have these, feel free to choose…”

Elder Chen forcefully put on a generous front and gestured.

These were his prized possession, and he couldn’t bear to part with any single one of them. However, what else could he do having lost the wager?

It simply wasn’t worth shattering the reputation that he’d built up over the course of so many years due to a wager.

“Let me take a look!”

Activating the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan began browsing through the various artifacts on the ground.

A moment later, he shook his head in disappointment.

Most of these items were rare and valuable but to Zhang Xuan, they didn’t hold much meaning.

In contrast to these items, spirit stones were much more practical to him.

Zhang Xuan turned to look at Elder Chen helplessly and said, “You only collected these few useless toys over the course of your entire life?”

“I…” Elder Chen’s face flushed in embarrassment. Knowing that the other party was a grandmaster appraiser and his eye for things exceeded even that of the hall master, he couldn’t protest at all.

He had treasured these possessions as though they were his own children, yet the other party viewed them as nothing but useless toys. He couldn’t help but feel slightly awkward.

“Elder Chen, why don’t you take out that object that you obtained just a while ago? If… Zhang shi likes it, he might even trade it for six thousand spirit stones.”

Just when Elder Chen was at a loss, he heard Elder Lu’s telepathic message.

“That object?”

Recalling something, Elder Chen hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. Turning to Zhang Xuan, he said, “Zhang shi, please hold on for a moment. I have an object that I’ve been unable to identify ever since I received it. I’ll bring it over now. If even that doesn’t interest you, then I’ve nothing else to offer you anymore!”

“Alright!”

Hearing that the other party still had another treasure, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

He wasn’t in a hurry anyway.

Elder Chen turned around to leave, and around half an hour later, he returned, and with a flick of his wrist, a black object appeared before him.

It was a fist-sized black sphere, and no matter how one looked at it, it seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary ball of lead.

“You call this a treasure?”

Sun Qiang took a glance at it and protested, “Elder Chen, aren’t you trying to take advantage of us if you wish to use this to call off the entire debt?”

“I…” Elder Chen’s face flushed.

“You’re misunderstanding Elder Chen!” Hall Master Sai said. “This object was dug up from an ancient tomb ten years ago, and even though it doesn’t seem like anything much, it’s invulnerable. We’ve tried quenching, burning, slashing, and smashing but nothing could leave a mark on it. We’ve studied it innumerable times but we weren’t able to determine what it is.”

“Since you don’t know what it is, how can you say that it’s a treasure?” Sun Qiang refuted.

“You can’t really put it that way. It could be possible that it is an ore that no one has ever seen before. If one used it to craft a weapon, one would surely be able to forge a top-notch weapon,” Hall Master Sai said.

“Use it to forge a weapon? Putting aside whether it’s possible or it, it’ll surely be a troublesome and lengthy process…” Sun Qiang harrumphed.

“Enough. Allow me to take a look at it first!”

Interrupting Butler Sun’s words, Zhang Xuan stepped forward.

He had tried to examine the metal ball with the Eye of Insight, but to his astonishment, he realized that he was unable to see anything about it.

In his time in the Appraiser Hall, he learned that the true treasures were among the objects that he couldn’t see through with his Eye of Insight.

Thus, he grabbed the ball and muttered ‘flaws’ internally.

Hu!

A book appeared in the library. Zhang Xuan quickly flipped it open.

“Celestial Designer’s Mechanical Container, forged by the Celestial Designer Institute with complex mechanical systems. It can’t be opened without knowing the specific sequences required to do so. It’s likely that some important treasure is hidden within it. Flaws…”

After which were the various flaws of the object.

“There are only seventeen flaws?”

Even though the Library of Heaven’s Path didn’t label the value of the object and Zhang Xuan had never heard of the Celestial Designer Institute, he was still astounded by the number of flaws contained in the object.

The flaws that the Library of Heaven’s Path could detect ranged from the material of the object to the technique used to craft it, covering nearly all fields possible.

Take the first artifact from the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, the Copper Hammer, for example, even though the Eye of Insight couldn’t determine any problem with it, the Library of Heaven’s Path was still able to find a total of seventy-two flaws.

But of course, it didn’t mean that the fewer flaws there were, the more valuable an artifact would be. It was also related to the complexity of the artifact.

The more complex an artifact was, the more likely it was that there would be flaws in it.

This object was known as the Celestial Designer’s Mechanical Container, and based on its description, it was clear that there was a system far more complex than the Copper Hammer contained within it.

Yet, despite being more complex than the Copper Hammer, there were so few mistakes with it. Didn’t that mean that the value of this object far surpassed that of the Copper Hammer?

Treasure!

This was definitely a treasure!

“Zhang shi, are you able to determine what this artifact is?”

Seeing that Zhang Xuan had examined the object for a long time already, Elder Chen couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

Hall Master Sai and Elder Lu also turned over as well.

They had studied this artifact for many years, and they had utilized all means available to them to examine it. However, they were still unable to come to a conclusion. The fellow before him had such a great appraising ability that he could even earn the acknowledgement of the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets. Perhaps, he might really be able to see through it.

“I’m not able to tell what it is exactly as well so I might require some more time to examine it.”

Understanding the logic of keeping one’s wealth a secret, Zhang Xuan chose to hide the matter. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Alright, even though I’m unable to determine what this artifact is, I think that there’s something deeper to it as well. I’ll trade this for six thousand spirit stones then. What do you think of it?”

“Fine!”

Not expecting that this artifact could replace the six thousand spirit stones, Elder Chen heaved a long sigh of relief. At the same time, he secretly sneaked a glance at the plump servant.

The one that he wagered with was this fellow. Would he protest to such a decision?

As a master teacher, Zhang shi should still pay some consideration to his reputation. Even if this artifact wasn’t worth the price, he wouldn’t pursue the matter in the future. However, this servant was different.

He was afraid that the other party would continue arguing with him. If that was the case, he would be put in truly tight a spot.

However, after taking a glance, he saw the plump servant standing quietly at the side, not interfering in his young master’s decisions at all.

“It seems like he respects his young master quite a lot!”

Seeing that the plump servant had decided to stay out of this matter, the tenseness finally left Elder Chen’s body.

In truth, even though part of the reason why Sun Qiang didn’t speak up was out of respect for Zhang Xuan, the main reason was because he knew that the young master was smarter than him and would never allow himself to be on the losing side of a deal. Since the young master was willing to purchase this ball for six thousand spirit stones, it could only mean that its value was way beyond that amount.

Since that was the case, why should he interfere in the matter?

“I’ve already sent some men to gather the books that you want. It’ll probably take around three days!”

Seeing Zhang Xuan keep the ball into his ring, Hall Master Sai chuckled, “The auction is about to start. Shall we go over?”

All in all, the time they had spent here totaled up to nearly two hours. Judging from the time, it was indeed about time for the auction to start.

If they were to head over immediately, they would barely make it for the opening.

“Alright!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

The main goal of his journey here was the Soulless Metal Humanoid. It was imperative that he attended the auction so that he could obtain the item.

Thus, under Hall Master Sai’s lead, the group hurriedly headed to the auction hall.

The auction hall was located on the second floor, not too far away from the First Class Pavilion. Before the group even reached the auction hall, they could already see a huge crowd gathering outside.

It seemed like the items offered in the auction were extremely attractive. There were many powerful and affluent individuals and powers here.

Activating the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan swept across the crowd and saw dozens of Transcendent Mortal experts. In fact, most of them had reached 2-dan and 3-dan.

As expected of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. The number of experts were indeed incredible.

“Isn’t the auction hall operated by the Appraiser Hall?”

Following behind Hall Master Sai, the group managed to enter the venue without any hiccups. Not too long later, they arrived at a relatively large suite. At this moment, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but raise a question.

They were in the Appraiser Hall, so logically speaking, the auction hall should belong to them as well. Yet, why did they require an invitation letter to enter the venue?

Could it be that the Appraiser Hall didn’t have a stake in the auction hall?

“No, the auction hall isn’t operated by us. It’s similar to the First Class Pavilion; it’s only in a working relationship with the Appraiser Hall. We’re in charge of appraising their artifacts while they are responsible for finding buyers and customers to conduct the auction… After all, we don’t have sufficient manpower and energy to manage all of these miscellaneous affairs!” Hall Master Sai answered.

The strength of an appraiser lay in appraising and determining the value of an artifact. As such, they might not be as adept at running a business.

Thus, it was much better to leave it to the veteran merchants instead.

Chapter 463: The Auction Begins

“No wonder…”

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

If this auction hall was operated by them, they would have been able to arrange a meeting between him and the buyer; his chances of getting the Soulless Metal Humanoid would’ve been much higher.

“Have you all appraised the Soulless Metal Humanoid? May I know the story behind it?”

Since the auction hadn’t begun yet, Zhang Xuan asked about the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

After receiving the five thousand spirit stones reward, he’d repaid the loan he borrowed from Hall Master Sai and compensated him with an additional hundred spirit stones.

Thus, he had a total of 4800 spirit stones on hand at the moment. Even though Hall Master Sai was rather confident that it was sufficient for him to take away the Soulless Metal Humanoid, Zhang Xuan still felt that he should listen to the details to make a judgement himself.

“Alright!”

Hall Master Sai nodded. “Around a month ago, an elder came to the Appraiser Hall and requested that I appraise an artifact. The artifact seems to have been forged out of gold, and it’s shaped like a puppet. After much assessment and contemplation, I determined that it is the legendary Soulless Metal Humanoid. I sought Elder Lu and Elder Chen’s opinions on the matter before coming to a final verdict!

“That metal humanoid is incomparably resilient, and most probably, it was crafted by having a human swallow metal while they were still alive before proceeding to use a special secret art to forge the puppet. Its body is wholesome, thus preventing the slightest bit of aura from leaking out. A formation is constructed within its body, and one can control it through spirit stones. In terms of strength, it possesses a might comparable to a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan expert.”

“While they were alive… Was the Soulless Metal Humanoid crafted out of real human bodies?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He had only heard about soul oracles from Pavilion Master Luo so he wasn’t too sure about the details. When he heard about the Soulless Metal Humanoid, he thought that it would be a man-made object just like those puppets he met in the Master Teacher Pavilion when he was taking the master teacher examination. However, Sai Xiaoyu’s words seemed to hint at something very different.

“Of course it isn’t. Man-made puppets, just like other crafted tools, will gain spirit over time. As such, it’s impossible for a human’s soul to delve in it. Even if one managed to do it, one’s control over the puppet would still be lacking. This is similar to weapons and armor; even though they are convenient to use, one still isn’t able to manipulate it as easily as one’s own limbs.” Hall Master Sai said.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

No matter how adept one was in using tools, it could never match up to the level of control one had over one’s own limbs. A man-made puppet followed the same rule as well. Even if one could drive it with one’s soul, one wouldn’t be able to move it as seamlessly as one’s own body.

“However, the Soulless Metal Humanoid is different. It’s crafted using the body of a living human coated with metal. Not only is its defensive and offensive capability impressive, more importantly… it can contain a soul perfectly, making it easy for a cultivator to drive it. Legend has it that even though soul oracles had outstanding control over their souls, their physical bodies were extremely weak. As such, they possessed such powerful physical bodies with their souls to grant them immense power, thus making them a subject of fear.” Hall Master Sai explained.

Zhang Xuan finally came to a realization, and he was astounded.

To craft a living human into a puppet to protect oneself… This occupation sure was bizarre and vile.

“The reputation of soul oracles was put alongside poison masters in ancient times, they were the two most feared occupations. It is said that soul oracles, with their powerful souls, could forcibly extract a cultivator’s soul from his body and forge a Soulless Metal Humanoid through their empty body. In fact, some of the more powerful soul oracles were even able to create a fearsome army of metal humanoids.”

Hall Master Sai continued, “This was the reason why it was struck down by the other occupations. The Master Teacher Pavilion personally led the other occupations on a crusade against it and destroyed the soul oracles, thus terminating their heritage. I only learned of the existence of the Soulless Metal Humanoid by flipping through innumerable ancient books. Otherwise, I would have probably just thought of it as an ordinary puppet.”

Suppressing his anxiety, Zhang Xuan asked, “I heard that this occupation… possesses the ability to wake dormant souls. May I know if it’s true?”

Even though Luo Qianhong was a 3-star master teacher, his knowledge of this subject was definitely inferior to Hall Master Sai. Thus, Hall Master Sai’s evaluation was likely to be much more accurate.

“The soul is a very complicated and profound subject. Only 7-star master teachers would begin to dabble in the subject. Otherwise, no matter how strong one was, even if one were a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan pinnacle expert, one wouldn’t dare to touch in this field. The only exception to this rule are the soul oracles! Those of this occupation could even extract the soul from a living body, so waking a dormant soul should be a simple feat to them.” Hall Master Sai replied with a grim expression.

Upon hearing the other party confirm the matter, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

“Alright, the auction is starting!”

While the duo was speaking, a commotion had sounded below. Turning around to take a look, the host was already on the stage.

Taking a closer look, the host was no other than Elder Chen.

As a 4-star appraiser, an elder of the Appraiser Hall, his words felt more credible and persuasive, and in such auctions, trust was an important factor to hiking up the prices.

“The items on auction today cover weapons, armors, antiques, paintings, celestial treasures, the ancient Soulless Metal Humanoid, and such, totaling up to a number of 35 artifacts. Every single one of them has been approved by the Appraiser Hall, and we can guarantee their authenticity.”

Elder Chen’s gaze swept across the crowd with majesty.

As soon as he reached the stage, he turned into that indomitable 4-star appraiser. Not a hint of that fellow who was forced to a corner by Sun Qiang and ended up spurting blood about remained.

“35 artifacts? So many?”

“Of course, the auction of the Appraiser Hall is only conducted once a year. As such, all of the artifacts put up for sale are invaluable treasures!”

“I’ve prepared a very long time for this auction, there are some things among the 35 artifacts that I’m determined to get…”

…

After hearing the introduction, the crowd fell into a commotion.

The auction was around the size of an ordinary sparring field. People of Hall Master Sai’s standing were allocated a suite whereas ordinary customers were seated below.

Some of these people were itinerant cultivators, and some of them were guests of prestigious clans as well. In any case, all of them had prepared a long time for this auction, determined to obtain the object of their desire.

Looking through the window, Hall Master Sai commented, “It seems like the allure of the Soulless Metal Humanoid is great. There are many experts here!”

“Indeed!” Jin Conghai nodded in agreement.

He was a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert, and he had followed the alliance head for quite a period of time. As such, he knew most of the reputable experts in the alliance.

Even though this auction was conducted in Honghai City, scanning across the room, he could see many experts whose strength was on par with him, some exceeding him even.

It was impossible for so many powerful experts to be gathered in an ordinary auction. Most likely, they were all here for the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

“I’m afraid that three thousand spirit stones might be insufficient to take down the Soulless Metal Humanoid!”

Hall Master Sai smiled bitterly after scanning the room.

His previous judgement was that the metal humanoid should be only worth around 1500 spirit stones. Even if the price doubles due to the heated atmosphere in an auction, it’ll only cost around 3000 spirit stones. However, considering the number of experts that were here for it, it probably wouldn’t be easy to win the bid at that price.

“Let’s wait and see then! If I really don’t have sufficient money, I’ll be depending on Hall Master Sai to loan me some then!” Zhang Xuan chuckled.

“Ah…” Hall Master Sai rolled his eyes. To think this fellow hadn’t forgotten that matter yet.

“Everyone, please remain silent. The auction will be starting now. I’ll be bringing up the first item now!”

After allowing everyone to vent their astonishment, Elder Chen smiled in delight and gestured grandly.

Huala!

A stone pedestal below slowly rose up, revealing a narrow and long jade box.

Opening the jade box, a transparent plant appeared before everyone’s eyes. It exuded a bone-chilling frost that seemed to reach straight into one’s soul. Even when looking at it from afar, the crowd couldn’t help but feel as though they were about to be reduced into pillars of ice.

“This is a five-hundred-year-old Glacier Spirit Grass, and it has exceptional effects for those who cultivating ice attribute cultivation techniques. If one were to forge it into a pill, one’s cultivation would surely rise immensely. The minimum bid is 220 spirit stones, and every increment must be no lower than 20 spirit stones!”

“Glacier Spirit Grass? This is the main ingredient for the grade-4 Ice Soul Pill! Not only is it useful for those cultivating ice attribute cultivation technique, it is also extremely useful to Transcendent Mortal 3-dan Yin-Yang realm cultivators!”

“Indeed, this is truly a treasure! As expected of the auction conducted once a year by the Appraiser Hall. Even the first item is exceptional!”

“I’ll be taking this Ice Spirit Grass, 240 spirit stones!”

“You think you can buy a five-hundred-year-old Spirit herb with just that bit of money? Dream on, 260 spirit stones!”

“Hah, it’s mine! 300 spirit stones…”

Even though the first artifact was only a Spirit herb, it immediately heated up the atmosphere.

The Glacier Spirit Grass was an extremely valuable herb in itself, needless to say, one that had reached a maturity of five hundred years. In the end, the hammer price was 540 spirit stones!

“As expected of an auction conducted in the Appraiser Hall, it sure is lively…”

Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan was impressed.

Based on his estimations, this Glacier Spirit Grass was only worth 300 spirit stones at maximum. Yet, it was hiked up to a whole 540 spirit stones. That was almost a single fold of his estimated price. Just like Hall Master Sai had said, it probably wouldn’t be easy for him to take down the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

After which, the second item was brought out. It was a unique mineral which raised the enhanced the durability and sharpness of a weapon greatly if a sliver of it was added during the crafting process.

As soon as the mineral appeared, the atmosphere immediately became even more elevated than when the Glacier Spirit Grass appeared.

What that accompanied cultivators through their days were weapons. The stronger their weapons, the greater their ability to protect themselves. As such, who would be willing to miss such a good item?

It didn’t take long for the price to exceed 600 spirit stones, and eventually, a middle-aged man claimed it at a price of 720 spirit stones.

“The third object is a long sword known as [Cold Yin]. It was crafted by a 4-star pinnacle Blacksmith, Jiu Muzi. He gathered a total of 37 minerals, one of which is the extremely valuable Cold Yin Rock, before managing to forge the weapon. It contains an extremely strong yin attribute within, and if a cold attribute cultivator were to wield it, its might would be increased by several folds, allowing one to bring out fighting prowess far exceeding their limits!”

Elder Chen slowly drew the sword from its sheath, and an incredibly cold gleam immediately escaped into the room, leaving shivers down the spine of whoever it shines upon.

“This is a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon, and it can cut through metal as easily as though mud. The minimum bid is 500 spirit stones, and every increment must be no lower than 50 spirit stones

“Cold Yin sword? I heard that it’s an extremely powerful sword suited for females!”

“A Spirit intermediate-tier weapon is more than sufficient for the usage of a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert. Given that, 500 spirit stone isn’t too expensive. I want it!”

“Don’t even dream of competing with me, I’ll be taking this sword down for my companion. 550 spirit stones…”

…

The cold gleam of the sword brought heat to everyone’s gazes.

Zhang Xuan’s eyes also lit up upon seeing it. Thus, he turned to Zhao Ya and asked, “That weapon is indeed not bad. Zhao Ya, do you want it?”

Zhao Ya possessed the Pure Yin Body, and this sword happened to complement her constitution. If she were to wield it, her battle prowess would surely leap greatly.

“Teacher, I think you should save the money to purchase the Soulless Metal Humanoid instead to save Lu Chong. I… don’t need it!”

Zhao Ya shook her head, but her eyes were filled with desire.

Chapter 464: Let Me Give It a Try

Even though Zhao Ya found herself desiring this sword greatly, she knew that the reason why her teacher came to Honghai City was to obtain the Soulless Metal Humanoid. If he were to lack the funds to purchase it due to buying this sword for her, he would definitely regret it for life.

Knowing Zhao Ya’s thoughts, Zhang Xuan said, “It’s sufficient that you like it. If we end up having insufficient spirit stones, we can just find some other ways!”

It wasn’t easy to come by an equipment that was compatible with one, and as such, Zhang Xuan didn’t purchase many items for his students. Since he had managed to stumble by one for Zhao Ya, he was determined to buy it for her.

“Find some other ways? What other ways are there now?” Zhao Ya was taken aback.

For this five thousand spirit stones, her teacher had gone to the extent of nearly tearing down entire Appraiser Hall. Where else could he obtain even more spirit stones?

After all, he couldn’t possibly tear down this auction hall.

“Simple!”

Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan gestured to Sun Qiang and said, “Get the one in charge of the auction over here!”

“Yes!”

Sun Qiang blinked his eyes in incomprehension.

Even so, since the young master had issued such an instruction, he must have his own purpose. Thus, he immediately left to get the person over.

Zhao Ya and the others stared at one another in confusion… Did their teacher really intend to tear down this auction hall?

Not too long later, Sun Qiang brought a middle-aged man back with him.

Logically speaking, given the middle-aged man’s standing, he wouldn’t allow himself to be summoned by just anyone so easily. However, this was Hall Master Sai’s suite so he had no choice but to comply.

“Hall Master Sai!”

Upon walking into the room, the middle-aged man immediately turned his sight onto the elder.

“Manager Luo, you’re here. Allow me to make the introductions, this is Zhang shi!”

Hall Master Sai chuckled. “Zhang shi, this is Manager Luo Qin. He’s in charge of the matters regarding the auction, and if you’ve any problems, feel free to approach him!”

“Zhang shi?”

Only then did Luo Qin notice that a youngster was seated right beside Hall Master Sai, and on top of that, his disposition didn’t pale in comparison to Hall Master Sai. Clearly, he was of esteemed standing as well.

“May I know the reason why Zhang shi is looking for me?”

Stepping forward, Luo Qin clasped his fists and smiled.

“Oh, I would like to add an additional item into the auction!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Add an additional item?”

Luo Qin was taken aback for a moment before a look of difficulty appeared on his face, “This… the auction has already started, and I’m afraid that it’s too late to add anything in…”

To only bring up the matter now, you must be pulling my leg!

Besides, who knows whether the object you are adding in is valuable or not. If it turns out to be fake, won’t the reputation of the auction be destroyed?

“Don’t be in such a hurry to deny it. Why don’t you take a look first before making up your mind?”

Anticipating the other party’s response, Zhang Xuan smiled nonchalantly. He waved his hands to interrupt the other party.

“Alright then!”

He didn’t think that Zhang Xuan would offer anything that would interest him, but considering how the other party was a Hall Master Sai’s guest, and Hall Master Sai even went to the extent of addressing him as ‘shi’, the other party’s standing must be rather high. Thus, Luo Qin nodded his head.

Hall Master Sai also turned his gaze over. He was curious to see what this young man could take out.

Logically speaking, if he had any treasure, he would have brought it up already. He wouldn’t have to go through the trouble with the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets.

Hu!

Before everyone’s intrigued gazes, the young man took out an item. Upon seeing the appearance of the item clearly, Hall Master Sai’s body shook and he nearly coughed blood.

What was in the young man’s hand was a painting. It was the second artifact of the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets.

“It’s this. Is it possible for you to put it into the auction as well?” Zhang Xuan asked.

The most valuable objects on him were naturally the treasures he received from the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets.

Given how those artifacts were able to the trial for the 5-star appraiser examination, they must be of great value. Purchasing one or two swords with the sum earned from these artifacts shouldn’t be too difficult.

This was the reason why Zhang Xuan could remain calm even though he knew that the money he had on him was probably insufficient to take down the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

“Zhang shi, this artifact… is incomparably valuable. I think you should just keep in instead…”

Hall Master Sai chuckled awkwardly as his heart bled profusely.

That was a treasure belonging to their Appraiser Hall…

It is one thing that the artifact to acknowledge and follow a new owner, but for you to sell it off at the very next moment… What the heck is this!

“If you think that it’s a pity to see it sold… Hall Master Sai can buy it back! After all, we’re friends. I won’t demand too much; 5000 spirit stones will do…” Zhang Xuan chuckled.

“Cough cough…” Hall Master Sai’s face turned red and he choked on his saliva. Eventually, he shook his head helplessly and said, “Alright, you should continue on with whatever you’re intending to do…”

He couldn’t even take out three thousand spirit stones at the moment, how in the world could he afford to buy this painting?

Even though he was unwilling to see the treasures of the Appraiser Hall being leaked out, there was nothing he could do.

“If you doubt the authenticity of this artifact, you can feel free to have Hall Master Sai appraise it!” Having received Hall Master Sai’s approval, Zhang Xuan turned to Luo Qin and said.

“There’s no need to appraise it, this painting is definitely real. I can tell so much…” Unrolling the painting and taking a glance at it, Luo Qin nodded his head.

As a manager of an auction hall, his appraising ability was above average as well. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing if he couldn’t even identify a real treasure when it was placed before him.

The painting before him had a profound aura to it and concentrated spiritual energy was gathered around it. The birds in the painting felt as though they would soar out at any moment. Even a fool could tell that this was a valuable masterpiece.

“Alright, take it to the auction then! It’ll be best if it can fetch 5000 spirit stones.” Since the other party could recognize the value of the painting, Zhang Xuan could save the hassle of explaining. Thus, he dived straight into the matter.

“This…”

Upon hearing the other party’s words, Luo Qin hesitated for a moment before saying, “Zhang shi, even though this painting is of extremely high grade, selling it for 5000 spirit stones… would be impossible!”

“Oh? Then how much can it fetch?” Perplexed, Zhang Xuan asked.

He wasn’t too sure of the prices of artifacts, especially in terms of spirit stones. He thought that since this artifact was found in the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, it should be an incredible treasure. Thus, its value should exceed at least five thousand… But yet, this fellow said that it was impossible.

What was going on?

“At the very most… It can only fetch 500 spirit stones!” Luo Qin’s face reddened.

“500?”

Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure. “This painting came from the hands of a 5-star painter, and it also possesses a spirit. Not only can it absorb spiritual energy from the air to nourish itself, it also contains the essence of the world that is valuable to cultivators. Even Transcendent Mortal 4-dan experts would benefit greatly from looking at it for extended periods of time, so… how could it be worth only 500 spirit stones?”

After the verification from the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan could tell that it was authentic, and it was a treasure left behind by a 5-star painter. The grade of the painting had reached the sixth level pinnacle, and it was just a step off from the legendary seventh level.

Yet, it was only worth 500? You must be kidding me!

“Indeed! Who do you think you are fooling? How can such a great painting be worth only that much money?” Sun Qiang and the others also found the matter hard to believe.

“Zhang shi, calm down. Listen to my explanation first!”

Luo Qin hurriedly bowed and explained awkwardly, “The painting is exquisite and majestic, and it clearly carries the disposition fitting of a great painter. However… it doesn’t have a name, and it isn’t signed off either. This causes the value of the painting to drop tremendously. In truth, the art industry is somewhat similar to the antique industry. What that determines the value of an artwork isn’t really the quality of the painting itself but the reputation of the artist. If this painting was created by a famous painter of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, it can easily fetch 5000 spirit stones… But under the current circumstances, even 500 is a positive estimate!”

Upon hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He immediately turned to Hall Master Sai, only to see the latter nodding his head.

“There’s such a matter as well?” Zhang Xuan fell speechless.

Thinking about it, it did make sense.

After all, paintings weren’t like weapons or medicinal treasures. The latter was truly beneficial to a person’s cultivation whereas the former was more of a personal interest and hobby or an individual. If it wasn’t the work of a famous painter, the collection value of the work would immediately plummet.

“This painting is the work of a 5-star Grandmaster Painter Wu Xuanzi from eight hundred years ago. Is he not considered as a famous painter?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“Wu Xuanzi? Of course he’s considered as a famous painter. In fact, he’s the very first 5-star beast tamer of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. If this is truly his work, it’ll be worth more than 500 spirit stones. Just that… even though he possesses a great reputation, he didn’t live in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance for too long, and he left behind very few works as well…” Luo Qin froze for a moment before asking, “How can you prove that this painting is his?”

Wu Xuanzi was an unparalleled figure in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance eight hundred years ago. Despite not having reached two hundred, he had already brought his art of beast taming and painting up to 5-star.

However, it was a pity that he left behind too few works in the world. Most appraisers couldn’t discern his handwriting or his habits, and as such, it was difficult to determine whether this painting was a work of his or not.

“Ah…”

Zhang Xuan was stumped.

He only knew of the origin of the painting via the Library of Heaven’s Path, but… how in the world was he supposed to prove this fact to others?

Wu Xuanzi didn’t leave behind many works so it was hard to draw a comparison between his works. Otherwise, this painting wouldn’t have remained unidentified for so long a period of time in the Appraiser Hall.

“Unless… a formidable painter bestows a name upon this painting. Even if the painter’s reputation isn’t as striking as Wu Xuanzi, as long as they’re around the same level and the name he bestows bring out the true disposition of the painting, the title should be recognized by the spirit of the painting and the value of it will immediately increase by several folds… But even so, it’ll probably only fetch around two thousand spirit stones at best!” Luo Qin said.

“Name? Brings out the true disposition of the painting?”

“Un. Bestowing a name to a completed painting isn’t a simple matter. Everyone has different thoughts, and there could many multiple interpretations to a single painting. If one’s line of thoughts differs from the original painter by even the slightest, one would be unable to earn the acknowledgement of the spirit of the painting! If so, not only would the value of the painting not increase, it’ll even cause a fall in the artistic conception of the original painting, thus resulting in a massive plummet in its value!”

Luo Qin explained. “Thus, the only way is to first understand the background of the painter to attempt to get into his line of thoughts. Only then can one come up with a name that could bring out the true disposition of the painting and boost its value. Otherwise…”

Even though Luo Qin didn’t finish his words, the meaning he wished to convey was clear.

Ten thousand people viewing a single painting would generate ten thousand different thoughts.

To fathom the thoughts of another, how difficult a task it was! In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it was nearly impossible!

“You’re saying that… if one could emulate the original author’s understanding of the painting and bestow a fitting name to the painting, there’s a chance that it could bring out its true disposition?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“That’s right… If one understands the thoughts of the original painter, meaning Wu Xuanzi’s thoughts, and write them down on the painting, it’ll definitely allow the value of the painting to soar. However, putting aside how it’s impossible to verify whether it’s a painting left behind by Wu Xuanzi or not, even if it is his work, he is well-known for keeping a low profile. As such, his background, the condition, and state he is in when he paints are completely unknown to others… And to make things worse, this painting is extremely bizarre as well. It’s difficult to even identify the species of the birds in the painting… To fathom the painter’s thoughts on top of that, it is impossible!”

Luo Qin shook his head.

Even though he had only taken a look, based on his many years of experience, he could tell that it was impossible to fathom Wu Xuanzi’s thoughts.

“Impossible?”

After hearing Luo Qin’s explanation, Zhang Xuan was taken aback. Then, a smile slowly crept onto his face.

“Since bestowing a name will boost the value of this painting…

“Let me give it a try!”

Chapter 465: Rousing from the Drunken Dreams

“You?”

Everyone was taken aback.

Hall Master Sai’s eyes even rolled around.

Based on what Sun Qiang said, the other party was a painter. But… even if the other party was a painter as well, to fathom the true meaning behind a painting made eight hundred years ago… That was an impossible task!

Furthermore, the birds in the painting were neither spirit beasts or savage beasts; since it couldn’t be identified at all, how could one bestow it with a name?

Putting aside how the painting wouldn’t fetch a high price, more importantly, it was a crime to ruin such a valuable art piece!

“This…”

Luo Qin scratched his head in embarrassment, not knowing what to do.

The main reason why he explained the entire matter so carefully was so as to dispel the other party’s thoughts. Who knew that his words would only egg the other party on…

Are you that frenzied for money?!

If it was that easy to come up with a title that would bring out the true disposition of the painting, there would have been at least a single success case in the past few years.

Hu!

Disregarding the crowd’s response, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out a brush. Then, he placed the painting on a table in the room.

It might be difficult for others to fathom the thoughts of the painter and find a suitable name for this painting, but he was different!

The Library of Heaven’s Path could provide him with the ideal name immediately!

If he were to write the name, he would surely be able to bring out the true disposition of the painting, thus inducing a leap in the value of the painting.

“It can’t be that… you’re serious about doing it!”

Seeing Zhang Xuan dab his brush in ink, Hall Master Sai hurried forward to persuade him otherwise.

“You should reconsider your actions, that’s… a supreme treasure left behind by our predecessors…”

This treasure had been passed down within the Appraiser Hall from generation to generation. To have it destroyed right before him… He couldn’t allow himself to simply look on by the side.

“Since it can raise the value of the painting, why shouldn’t I do it?” Zhang Xuan chuckled.

“But what if you fail…” Hall Master Sai was agitated. He was just about to continue speaking when Sun Qiang walked up to him with a heated gaze.

“Hall Master Sai, judging from your experience, it seems like you think that our young master will fail. If so… why don’t we wager on it then? There’s no need to make it too big, three thousand spirit stones will do!”

“…” Hall Master Sai’s body swayed.

What the heck was this!

Can’t at least one of you two be normal?

One insisted on bestowing a name on the painting while the other one was challenging him to a wager so confidently… What’s wrong with you two!

Hall Master Sai’s complexion was extremely awful. He was tempted to accept the wager but upon recalling the tragic fate that befell Elder Chen, he backed down.

This fellow was an incredible figure who could win even the acknowledgement of the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets… Perhaps, he might really find the words to bring out the true disposition of the painting.

“Regarding the wager… I’ll pass!”

With a pale face, Hall Master Sai backed down.

“Ah?” Taking this scene into sight, Luo Qin widened his eyes in shock.

Hall Master Sai clearly didn’t believe that Zhang shi could come up with a correct name, and he was determined to stop him. Yet, with a word from a servant, he immediately backed down from fear…

What was going on?

When did the hall master become so easy to talk to?

Just as Luo Qin was perplexed over the situation, he suddenly felt a violent disturbance in the spiritual energy in the air. It seemed to be to be gathering at an area not too far away from him, and vaguely, he could hear the chirping of the birds.

Qiu qiu qiu!

The sound was crisp, and even though it wasn’t too loud, everyone within the auction hall could hear it clearly.

“Ah…”

Following the direction from where the sound came from, he realized that in his short moment of hesitation, that Zhang shi had already finished writing a name on the painting. Upon ‘seeing’ it, the birds chirped and flew excitedly, as though delighted to be given a name.

“This is… Elation of Unearthed Disposition, Enlightened Spirit? The heck… What the heck is going on?”

Luo Qin’s mouth twitched in agitation, and his body trembled violently.

“Enlightened Spirit… That is a work of the seventh level, a masterpiece that only a 6-star painter can produce…” Hall Master Sai’s vision went dark.

He had just thought that the other party would fail when the other party came up with a name that not only brought out the true disposition of the painting, he even induced the phenomenon ‘Elation of Unearthed Disposition, Enlightened Spirit. This… Was this really happening before him?

The first six levels of painting were as followed: Reality Depiction, Spiritual Canvas, Infused Intentions, Breathtaking Verisimilitude, Spirit Creation, and Spirit Wisdom!

Normal 3-star painters could only produce a painting at the level of Spirit Creation, and a Spirit Wisdom painting could only be created by the hands of a 4-star and 5-star painter.

Going beyond the sixth level, Spirit Wisdom, the seventh level was a realm that only 6-star painters could hope to reach… Enlightened Spirit.

At this level, all of the living objects within the painting would come to life, and they would possess their own intelligence and they could acknowledge their own master. In fact, they could even soar out of the painting and they wouldn’t disappear even after a day or two…

In other words, a painter who had reached this level of enlightenment could easily draw out birds and soar to the skies.

It was said that a formidable 6-star painter had once drawn a crane on a wall, and it materialized from the wall. Then, riding on the crane, he soared into the distance, leaving behind the legend of Soaring on the Heavenly Crane.

Initially, this drawing should have only been at sixth level pinnacle, and it was still a far way off from reaching the next realm. Even if the name one came up with was able to bring out its true disposition, it should only have added slightly to the harmony of the painting…

Yet, Zhang Xuan’s name allowed it to immediately surpass its limits and reach the seventh level instantaneously…

The heck!

Am I insane, or is this fellow mad?

Are you a monster? How in the world… did you manage to do it?

Hall Master Sai’s body froze and his eyes were filled with frenzied. At the same time, relief gushed through his body. He felt that it was a blessing that he didn’t wager with Sun Qiang. Otherwise, he would probably end up in the same state as Elder Chen…

Actually, the frenzy wasn’t just limited to the group in the suite. The entire auction hall also broke out in commotion. The ongoing auction for the [Cold Yin Sword] also abruptly came to a halt.

The dancing birds weren’t just limited to within the suite; they flew through the windows and danced around the auction hall. The bright red flying birds resembled mini suns in the evening, illuminating the entire place with its brilliance.

“What… are those?”

“These birds are illusory beings. Someone has created a painting of the seventh level…”

“A seventh level painting? A 6-star painter? Th-this…”

“Which senior is it? Is this painting for sale? If it is, I’ll be willing to put all of my fortune into it…”

“So do I!”

…

The dancing birds formed a spectacular sight within the auction hall. Everyone’s eyes reddened in excitement.

Even the most formidable painter in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance was only at 4-star pinnacle.

The legendary Wu Xuanzi from eight hundred years ago had reached 5-star, but it was a pity that… he didn’t leave behind any works.

Yet, a work that could only come from a 6-star painter had suddenly appeared in the room. How could the crowd not go into a frenzy?

“This… It can’t be the doing of that Zhang shi, could it?”

The host, Elder Chen, upon seeing that no one’s attention was on him, immediately turned to look at the suite where the birds appeared from and he immediately frowned.

That was the hall master’s suite… He couldn’t think of anyone else other than that unfathomable young man who could cause such a huge commotion.

…

While the crowd outside had fallen into a frenzy, Zhang Xuan, who had just completed the painting, kept his brush and smiled at the dumbfounded Luo Qin, “May I know if this painting is worth 5000 spirit stones like that?”

“Five thousand? Worth, it’s definitely worth that amount…”

Recovering from his shock, Luo Qin hurriedly nodded his head.

Just a named sixth level pinnacle painting was already worth 5000 spirit stones. A painting of the seventh level… Even if it was sold for 10,000 spirit stones, there would probably be someone who would be willing to fork out the sum!

Just by casually writing a few works, this young man had raised the value of the painting by twenty times. This… It would be a gross underestimation to say that his words were worth gold!

Fearsome!

Curious to know what it was that the young man wrote that transformed a sixth level pinnacle painting into a seventh level one, they hurriedly turned their gazes to the painting. However, upon taking a look, their bodies swayed and they nearly fell to the floor.

It was just five squiggly words — [Rousing from the Drunken Dreams]!

These five words weren’t written in any conventional form of calligraphy; rather, it felt as though it was written right after one woke up from a drunken stupor. Even though it was squiggly, there was exquisite in a very different manner. Not only weren’t they out of place, it seemed to complement with the bizarre birds on the painting, harmonizing the painting into one entirety.

“Rousing from the Drunken Dreams? This is the name of the painting?”

Luo Qin grabbed his hair frenziedly.

If it was anyone else, they would surely be racking their brains to think of the origin of the bizarre birds, given that they were the main theme to the painting.

Yet, this fellow simply went on to write Rousing From the Drunken Dreams… And what was even more frightening was that… he was right!

Could it be that… the legendary Wu Xuanzi drew this painting right after he woke up from a dream after drinking the previous day?

If that was the case, wasn’t this way too difficult to guess!

Furthermore… how in the world did this fellow know about it then?

“Indeed, this painting is indeed made by Wu Xuanzi right after he woke up from his drunken stupor!” Zhang Xuan confirmed everyone’s doubts.

Unable to accept this outcome, Hall Master Sai asked, “But… but… what spirit beasts are those birds? Why haven’t I heard of them before?”

He had stumbled by this painting back then when he was challenging the Harmonious Stream of the Flowing Goblets, and for this, he had flipped through innumerable books, but he was unable to find an answer.

Since this was Wu Xuanzi’s work, these birds should at least have a name.

“Oh… They’re called White Purity Birds!” Zhang Xuan said.

“White Purity Birds? That can’t be! White Purity Birds have long wings, purple beaks, golden claws, red head, and they’re slightly plump as well. Not only does these birds not possess those unique traits, they clearly possess a slim physique…”

This time, the one who spoke was Zhao Feiwu. She felt that there was a clear problem in Zhang Xuan’s analysis.

The White Purity Bird was a commonly seen spirit beast, and its unique characteristics made it extremely easy to identify. On the other hand, these bizarre birds didn’t possess a sliver of those characteristics, so how could they be White Purity Birds?

If those were really White Purity Birds, Hall Master Sai and the others would have long identified the painting.

“Oh, when Wu Xuanzi drew this painting, he was still slightly intoxicated so he depicted the White Purity Birds inaccurately, resulting in their current forms…” Zhang Xuan explained.

“Inaccurate depiction?”

At that moment, everyone trembled in shock.

Who could have thought that a 5-star painter would make such a fundamental error!

“Indeed. When he woke up from his stupor, he realized how ridiculous his drawing was, and he thought that if it were to get out, it would surely affect his reputation. However, he found it a waste to tear it apart as well. Thus… he removed his name and signature, thus resulting in this incomplete work!” Zhang Xuan said.

It was recorded amidst the flaws in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Initially, when Zhang Xuan first saw it, he felt that it was ridiculous as well.

But this was the truth.

If it wasn’t so ridiculous, Wu Xuanzi would have surely left behind his name, and the painting would have never reached the Appraiser Hall.

“Th-this… is the result of your appraisal?”

Hall Master Sai’s teeth clattered together, as though fearful of the terrifying monster before him.