The Benefits of Upgrading

However, upgrading the ability also required special conditions. This time, the condition was absorbing spiritual energy from an antique that met certain requirements: it had to be at least a thousand years old and possess considerable value—at least five hundred thousand yuan. Only after meeting these conditions would the ability upgrade.

This explanation almost made Chu Chen want to curse. There had been no hint at all, so how was he supposed to know the conditions for upgrading the ability? If he had not been lucky enough to encounter Manager Zhao, who happened to have a valuable thousand-year-old antique for him to appraise, he had no idea when the ability would have upgraded.

Now that the ability had upgraded, there would naturally be some benefits. This time, there were three.

The first was that the number of times he could absorb spiritual energy in a day had increased to five. This made Chu Chen extremely happy. He had previously thought three times was too few, but unexpectedly, it had suddenly increased by two. This was truly timely help.

The second benefit was an increase in his physical fitness. However, that section of information had not explained it, so he guessed he would have to experience it for himself. He began recalling how his body differed from before. As soon as he thought about it, he realized that he seemed to be faster than before, and his stamina had improved considerably as well. He had just run home at full speed without even becoming breathless.

Thinking of this, Chu Chen immediately began testing himself in the living room. The results proved that this was indeed the case. His speed was probably about ten percent faster than before, while his stamina had improved to the point that he could do fifty push-ups without panting once. This made him extremely happy.

The benefit to his body was nothing remarkable. No matter how much stronger he became, he could not turn into an immortal or a superhuman. The third benefit, however, was the one Chu Chen cared about most.

After the ability upgraded this time, a progress bar appeared in his mind. It was divided into six segments. The first segment was already full, and it was now beginning to accumulate the second. The third through sixth segments were gray.

After that, whenever he absorbed spiritual energy from an antique or jadeite jewelry, the amount would be reflected on the progress bar according to its quality. To Chu Chen, this function was clearly timely help. With such a prompt, he would no longer be blindly guessing at the ability's progress.

However, after the upgrade, the increase in the progress bar also became subject to certain restrictions. Specifically, if the object of the ability belonged to Chu Chen, the progress would increase normally. If the object did not belong to him, the increase would be adjusted according to the circumstances.

For example, when Chu Chen appraised antiques for someone else, he could still absorb their spiritual energy, but compared with his own antiques, the progress added would be reduced to one-quarter of the actual amount.

If he deliberately went to an antique shop or jewelry store to come into contact with antiques or jewelry, the progress bar would not increase at all. This eliminated any possibility of cheating.

Once the second segment of the progress bar was completely filled, he would be informed of the conditions for the next upgrade. After passing that stage, he would receive the corresponding rewards. Besides increasing the number of times he could absorb spiritual energy and strengthening his body, the reward for filling the second segment would also generate another ability: Spirit Treasure Eye.

The Spirit Treasure Eye actually had the same function as his left hand. The difference was that he would no longer need to touch an object. He could absorb spiritual energy with just his eyes. Most importantly, the Spirit Treasure Eye also possessed the ability to see through things. While appraising a treasure, he could use it to see inside the object.

After learning what the Spirit Treasure Eye could do, Chu Chen was overjoyed. This ability was simply too important to him. There was no need to mention antique appraisal. In gambling on rough stones, even if he used his ability to detect that there was jadeite inside a piece of rough material, he still could not tell how the jadeite was distributed within it.

Jadeite, especially high-grade jadeite, suffered a tremendous loss in overall value if even a small part of it was cut incorrectly. With the see-through function, such losses could be avoided. This function alone had Chu Chen trembling with excitement. It also offered many other conveniences—how could he not be thrilled?

Just as Chu Chen was lost in his fantasies, the phone in his pocket rang. When he looked at the number, he found that it was Zhao Qirui, whom he had only just parted from. He quickly answered the call. "Hello, Brother Zhao. This is Chu Chen."

"Little Chu, I forgot to tell you earlier. Please keep an eye out for some better paintings, calligraphy, or porcelain vases for me at the market. For the paintings and calligraphy, it would be best if they were by someone famous. As for the vase, it would be best if it were grand and festive. I'm preparing a birthday gift for my old man. Sorry for the trouble, but please put some more effort into it. Ideally, give me an answer within a week."

Chu Chen hesitated for a moment. This request was neither particularly difficult nor particularly easy. The key was finding something suitable. Suitable antiques were not easy to find. If the price was low, that would be easy enough to explain, but if he bought something too expensive, Zhao Qirui would inevitably begin to doubt his abilities.

Of course, it was even more impossible for him to refuse. Thus, he asked, "Brother Zhao, do you have any requirements regarding the price?"

Zhao Qirui joked from the other end of the phone, "Not really. Even if you found me something worth a hundred million, as long as it was worth the price, I'd buy it from you. Hehe, Little Chu, don't worry. We don't need to find both items. If you really can't find them, it's fine. I've also asked other people to keep an eye out."

"Okay, I'll find them for you as soon as possible. We'll contact each other then."

After hanging up, Chu Chen felt somewhat troubled. There was probably an element of testing him in Zhao Qirui's request. If he could not find something Zhao Qirui liked, the man's impression of him might take a hit. That was something he absolutely could not accept.

A billionaire like Zhao Qirui was practically the patron saint of antique merchants. There was an old saying in the antique trade: "If you don't open for six months, one sale will feed you for six months." Such a situation would not occur in ordinary small-time dealings. It was only through transactions with wealthy bosses like Zhao Qirui that this saying could become reality.

Since Zhao Qirui had given him this opportunity, he naturally had to do his best to maintain their relationship. In the future, if he had a relatively valuable antique he wanted to sell, even if Zhao Qirui did not buy it, he could introduce someone else who would. The price could also be guaranteed. This was what people often called a high-quality sales channel.

Therefore, no matter how difficult it was, Chu Chen had to complete the task Zhao Qirui had just entrusted to him. Moreover, he had to make sure Zhao Qirui was satisfied with the result.

Chu Chen then made several calls in succession, asking Uncle Wu, his other acquaintances, and his friends to keep an eye out for antiques that met these requirements and notify him immediately if they heard anything.

However, he did not ask Zhao Xueyi for help. In the past, Zhao Qirui had always entrusted such tasks to Zhao Xueyi. Chu Chen's current behavior would look like he was taking away Zhao Xueyi's livelihood. If he asked him for help as well, Zhao Xueyi might harbor resentment. No matter how good their relationship was, a rift would inevitably form between them.

After he finished notifying everyone, his phone rang again. Chu Chen looked at it and found that it was Uncle Wu calling. He quickly answered. "Hello, is that Uncle Wu? This is Xiao Chen. Do you already have news?"

Uncle Wu's laughter came from the other end. "Xiao Chen, you really are lucky. I happen to have a customer here who has a suitable double-handled vase that he wants to sell. The price is also quite reasonable. Why don't you come take a look?"

When he heard this good news, Chu Chen quickly said over the phone, "Okay, I'll be right over."

After putting down the phone, Chu Chen dashed toward Uncle Wu's shop. When he was almost there, he suddenly realized a problem. He had run too fast, and most importantly, he was barely breathing hard, let alone sweating. It was summer, after all. If he rushed in looking like this, how could he explain it to Uncle Wu?

Thus, he had no choice but to stand in the sun for a while. After a little sweat appeared on his forehead, he jogged into the shop while pretending to be out of breath.

"You brat, why are you in such a hurry? It's so hot out. Don't get heatstroke. Have some water and rest first." Seeing Chu Chen like this, Uncle Wu spoke with concern.

Chu Chen did not say much. He merely accepted the water with a foolish grin and sat to one side. Drinking water and resting, he genuinely loved the feeling of being cared for.

There was also a man around thirty years old in Uncle Wu's shop. This man was probably the customer Uncle Wu had just mentioned.

Chu Chen apologized to him, and the man said it was fine and told him to rest before discussing the double-handled vase. Then Chu Chen looked at the double-handled vase sitting on the table. It was extremely exquisite, and the moment he saw it, he was deeply captivated.

It was a double-handled polychrome porcelain vase, approximately twenty centimeters tall, making it a small vase in terms of its form. The outer wall was coated in rouge-red glaze and decorated with a famille-rose "Ten Thousand Years of Fortune and Longevity" design, symbolizing auspiciousness. The handles were shaped like dragons. Thus, the vase's precise name should be a small double-dragon-handled vase with a rouge-red ground and famille-rose "Ten Thousand Years of Fortune and Longevity" design.

After Chu Chen had rested enough, Uncle Wu introduced the two men to each other.

"So you're Mr. Wang. It's a pleasure to meet you." After listening to Uncle Wu's introduction, Chu Chen stepped forward, shook the man's hand, and handed him his business card.

Mr. Wang accepted the card with a smile. "Let's get straight to the point. I'm rather pressed for time. Mr. Chu, take a look at it first and see whether this double-handled vase meets your requirements."

Chu Chen did not stand on ceremony. After signaling to Mr. Wang, he put on a pair of gloves and carefully examined the vase.

Judging from the style of this double-handled vase, it should have been a rouge-red porcelain piece fired by a Jingdezhen kiln during the Qing Dynasty. The Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty were a historical peak in the development of polychrome porcelain production at the Jingdezhen imperial kilns. Rouge-red porcelain bowls marked "Made in the Great Qing Dynasty Qianlong period" were breathtaking, whether they used a single-color glaze or combined polychrome decoration.

Rouge red was one of the most representative and innovative colored glazes of that period. It was a pink color with a purplish tint, colored with gold. Because the glaze contained gold, it was also commonly called "gold red" or "foreign red."