Verification

This situation immediately invigorated Chu Chen's emotions.

After obtaining the results he wanted from experimenting with the Kangxi Tongbao, he quickly picked up another coin, this time a Xianchun Yuanbao. Although the aura within it was still weak, upon careful observation, it lasted longer than before.

From the experiment with the Xianchun Yuanbao, Chu Chen drew three general conclusions.

Firstly, the duration of the aura being absorbed into his left hand seemed to be directly proportional to the actual age of the antique, approximately half a second for every five hundred years. Of course, this conclusion was based on the three instances where the aura appeared, so it might not be entirely accurate, but the actual situation should be similar.

As for why he only based his conclusion on three instances, it was because after the Xianchun Yuanbao, although he could still sense the aura from the other coins, it was as if his left hand was already full and no more aura was absorbed.

From this, he could see that his special ability (as he called it in his mind) had limitations. It seemed that his left hand could only absorb a maximum of three wisps of aura within a certain period. The intensity of the aura, however, appeared to have no limit.

As for this "certain period," the most likely scenario was a period of one day. Whether this reset started from when he last used the ability or at midnight each day would require further experimentation to confirm. Another question was whether unused abilities from one day could carry over to the next; this also needed future experiments to determine.

Despite the limitation on the number of uses, he could still sense the presence of aura within the coins. This was quite useful because it could first prove whether something was an antique. As for whether it was a high imitation or its actual value, that would depend on his own judgment. However, even this function alone was a tremendous help.

Finally, the strength of the aura might represent the value of the antique. He would have to verify this with Uncle Wu, as currently, besides the coins, all his other possessions had already been dealt with.

As mentioned before, Chu Chen originally had a savings of 400,000 yuan and a few thousand yuan in liquid funds for purchases. To buy that Tang Sancai Camel, he had to quickly sell off most of his valuable jade ware and antiques. Because he had to sell them in a hurry, he only managed to get 20,000 yuan.

This was why, after nearly five years of running a street stall in Panjiayuan, Chu Chen now only possessed these inexpensive antique coins.

Having verified these points, Chu Chen felt as if he had been struck by a treasure basin. He was already envisioning priceless antique treasures beckoning to him.

To hell with rent, to hell with Tang Sancai!

"Haha! Haha!"

Chu Chen burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face. The emotional rollercoaster of the past few days, from elation to despair and then a sudden turn of fortune, had kept him on edge.

From the joy of acquiring the Tang Sancai to discovering it was a fake, his mind had endured immense pressure, as he had lost real money. Then he received two pieces of news, one good and one bad, followed by the discovery of his ability. If his psychological resilience hadn't been so strong, he might have gone insane.

Even if he didn't go insane, such extreme emotional highs and lows could lead to a serious illness. Chu Chen's outburst now saved him from potential physical ailments. Moreover, it greatly enhanced his psychological resilience, laying a foundation for his future career in antique collecting.

Three to four hours had passed since he discovered his ability. Chu Chen now felt a profound weakness in his body, likely due to the excessive strain on his mind. He casually ate a bowl of instant noodles and went to rest.

Chu Chen woke up the next morning at six o'clock. He had slept soundly, feeling refreshed and full of energy.

Upon waking, Chu Chen's first action wasn't to wash up, but to go to the living room where the coins were kept. He picked up a coin with his left hand and, as expected, immediately felt a faint aura, which was quickly absorbed into his palm.

This confirmed for Chu Chen that his ability yesterday wasn't a hallucination. It also made him realize that the number of absorptions likely reset at midnight each day.

Chu Chen nodded with satisfaction and, in high spirits, prepared to wash up. However, after a few steps, he stopped with a frown.

"This won't do. If I waste my daily uses on insignificant antiques like this, won't that be a terrible shame? Can this ability be controlled?"

With this thought, he immediately turned back to the pile of coins, took a deep breath, and reached out with his left hand towards another coin, silently chanting in his mind:

"Don't absorb, don't absorb."

As he held the coin in his hand, he immediately sensed the aura within it. When the aura tried to be absorbed into his palm, it merely flickered and then returned to the coin.

"It worked!"

At this moment, Chu Chen was as overjoyed as a monk's wooden fish, unable to close his mouth. Being able to control his ability was fantastic! This meant his three precious opportunities could be used on antiques he deemed more valuable, greatly increasing his chances of finding rare treasures.

Afterward, Chu Chen, without even eating breakfast, became completely absorbed in training his ability's control. He thoroughly enjoyed it, finding no boredom in the repetitive practice. After half a day of training, he felt he had gained a significant level of mastery, almost as if it were an extension of his own will.

"Beep, beep..." A phone ringing from the bedroom interrupted Chu Chen's training. He hurried inside and answered without even checking who was calling.

"Hello, who is this? This is Chu Chen."

"You brat, I heard you bought that Tang Sancai from Old Xiang. You haven't even been to your stall these past few days. Has something happened?" a slightly hoarse but resonant voice came from the phone. It was a voice Chu Chen recognized instantly; it was Uncle Wu.

"It's Uncle Wu. I'm fine. I've just been studying that Tang Sancai," Chu Chen felt a warmth in his heart hearing the concerned tone.

"Oh! Have you figured anything out? I heard Old Liu and Old Qian weren't optimistic about it. Why didn't you consult me about such a big matter beforehand?"

"Heh heh, I was in a hurry at the time, so I didn't have a chance to discuss it with you. Uncle Wu, please don't be angry. As for the Tang Sancai, I've actually figured something out. I'll tell you the specifics when I get to your shop later."

With the confidence of his newfound ability, Chu Chen no longer cared about the Tang Sancai, and his tone lacked any dejection. He even harbored a secret suspicion: perhaps this ability was brought about by the Tang Sancai itself. Otherwise, why would it be such a coincidence that he gained this ability right after the Tang Sancai shattered?

"Alright then. I just got a shipment from out of town and returned to the shop. Come over, and I can test your knowledge."

"Ah? Uncle Wu, you went out of town?"

On the phone, Uncle Wu said in a teasing tone, "Brat, I care about you so much, and you don't even know I went out of town. I'm truly heartbroken."

Chu Chen felt a bit awkward. He had indeed been engrossed in his own world recently, not even aware of such things. It was truly regrettable. He quickly apologized, "Uncle Wu, I'm truly sorry. I was a bit obsessed recently. How about I treat you to a meal later?"

"Forget it. Uncle Wu accepts your apology. But I just ate, so no need for a meal."

"Alright, I'll be there right after I eat."

After ending the call, Chu Chen immediately washed up, changed his clothes, wrapped the Tang Sancai pottery shards in newspaper, put them in a bag, and headed out.

After a simple lunch, Chu Chen took a few turns and arrived in front of Uncle Wu's antique shop.

The shop faced west. Above the door hung a plaque with the words "Ciyizhai" written in seal script. The storefront was small, less than a meter wide, requiring two adults to turn sideways to enter together.

The door was open, and the layout inside was visible from the entrance. The shop was about twenty square meters. Although small, it was neatly arranged.

At the entrance stood a corner counter. The other three walls were lined with multi-tiered display shelves. The bottom tier consisted of storage cabinets holding more valuable porcelain pieces, while the upper shelves displayed various high imitation porcelain items.

There were also several small, multi-tiered display racks in the open spaces, also holding various porcelain items, all of which were high imitations.

All these high imitation ceramics are clearly priced, and the sellers will also explain this to customers when selling. The prices of ceramics in the storage cabinets, however, are subject to negotiation.

Uncle Wu was originally an appraisal expert at the Forbidden City. He entered the antiques business in the early 1980s. Over the years, he has earned quite a lot, enough to at least buy a larger shop.

This is because Uncle Wu has a daughter named Wu Ke, who is twenty-one years old this year, just like Chu Chen. From this, one can see that Uncle Wu had his daughter late in life, having her at the age of thirty-nine.

Normally, the couple doted on her, giving her whatever she wanted. However, they also paid close attention to her studies. When she was born, Uncle Wu and his wife had already decided that they would definitely send their daughter abroad to study in the future, so they saved all their money for her.

Wu Ke was indeed a credit to them, excelling in her studies. Furthermore, with Uncle Wu pulling some strings, she was admitted to Oxford University in England at the age of eighteen. However, because she was privately funded, the expenses were quite high, and Uncle Wu's savings over the years were all spent on this. He lived frugally, which is why he didn't have the money to replace his shop.

Despite this, Uncle Wu was very generous to Chu Chen. He would do anything within his power for him without hesitation, which deeply touched Chu Chen.

The fact that Chu Chen was determined to make it on his own and moved out of Uncle Wu's home was also largely due to this. Seeing this small shop, he made up his mind that once he earned money, he would definitely change Uncle Wu's environment for him.