Tiger Demon Body-Tempering Fist

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Shen."

Chen Shaojun thanked him, then took his own tally sticks from Xu Hongtao.

Three tally sticks, plus the one from before, made four.

"Four tally sticks, one hundred and twenty cash.

"Saving up enough silver to learn martial arts this way really was rather difficult."

Chen Shaojun frowned.

But he truly needed a way to acquire martial arts techniques—at the very least, everyone in the pawnshop needed to know that he had begun practicing martial arts.

"Uncle Xu, here..."

After hesitating, Chen Shaojun did not speak.

He knew this matter could not be rushed.

Bringing it up rashly would only have the opposite effect.

Today, Chen Shaojun was the last to leave the appraisal room. By the time he reached the dining hall, it was already empty.

Fortunately, there were leftovers in the dining hall. What satisfied him most about the Lin Family Pawnshop was this dining hall. Though the food was barely passable, at least it filled his stomach.

When he returned to his quarters, snores were already rising and falling throughout the communal sleeping room.

Enduring the noise, Chen Shaojun lay down.

With every breath, he maintained the rhythm of the Evergreen Breathing Method.

Each inhale and exhale constantly drove faint tremors through his body.

By now, it had been more than three hours since he had obtained the Evergreen Breathing Method. Though it had not yet become instinctive and his rhythm occasionally faltered, he had gradually discovered one of its wonders.

It helped his body digest...

He had eaten dinner less than an hour ago, yet he already felt hungry.

Early the next morning.

The six appraiser apprentices stood in a row. When they saw two figures enter through the side gate, surprise filled their faces.

"What is going on?

"Both the Second Master and Third Master are here?

"Did something happen?"

Within the Lin Clan Pawnshop, the status of official appraisers was exceedingly lofty.

Not to mention Chief Appraiser Qin, who was like a divine dragon whose head could be seen but whose tail never appeared, almost never showing himself—even Second Appraiser Dai Ming and Third Appraiser Zhang Gao rarely appeared before the appraiser apprentices.

Even when they did, it was usually only one of them.

Two arriving one after another like this was extremely rare.

"You are all here.

"I have something to inform you of today.

"Since the number of appraiser apprentices in the pawnshop has been steadily dwindling, new people will soon be brought in to replenish the ranks."

The first to speak was Third Appraiser Zhang Gao. He was short and fat, and when he walked, he carried himself with fierce momentum, charging about headlong, looking somewhat arrogant and overbearing.

But in truth, his temperament was comparatively mild.

At the very least, the appraiser apprentices dared to ask him questions about certain matters.

Second Appraiser Dai Ming, on the other hand, wore a stern expression. Merely standing there with a cold face was enough to make the timid appraiser apprentices so nervous that they could not speak.

"New recruits?

"How many?"

Sure enough, someone could not resist asking curiously.

"More than twenty, I suppose."

Zhang Gao answered casually, then added, "By the way, who is Chen Shaojun?"

The others immediately cried out in surprise and uncertainty, turning to look at Chen Shaojun.

Chen Shaojun was startled and hurriedly stepped forward. "That is me."

He did not mind that the other man had forgotten his name.

In the eyes of official appraisers, there had never been names for appraiser apprentices like them.

Because, in a sense, they were merely a group of expendable goods.

Once they could no longer withstand the Killing Intent entering their bodies, they would inevitably be carried away.

Zhang Wang, and the five before him, had all met the same fate.

"I heard your Divine Gaze Technique has reached the proficient level?"

Zhang Gao glanced at Chen Shaojun curiously.

The appraiser apprentices immediately erupted in astonishment.

They all found it far too unexpected.

Before this, Chen Shaojun had not stood out in the slightest. None of them had expected that he would be the first among them to raise the Divine Gaze Technique to the proficient level.

Second Appraiser Dai Ming, standing nearby, finally spoke as well. He tossed out a piece of white jade and said, "Try it."

"Yes, Second Master."

Chen Shaojun nodded and quickly reached out to catch it.

There was no need for any preparation.

At the proficient level, the Divine Gaze Technique could already withstand the Killing Intent on many treasures.

Of course, before that, he secretly cast the Spirit Eye Technique.

Under the Spirit Eye Technique, Chen Shaojun "saw" that the white jade contained only three wisps of Killing Intent.

It posed no threat.

The Divine Gaze Technique was successfully cast.

Substantial rays of light poured into the white jade.

At once, black light flashed over the jade. The Killing Intent within had been stirred awake and rushed swiftly toward Chen Shaojun.

But Chen Shaojun's spiritual strength was already no longer what it had once been. Not to mention, his Divine Gaze Technique had genuinely reached the proficient level.

Like rotten wood collapsing before a gale.

The Killing Intent on the white jade was completely worn away.

The white jade, which had originally been somewhat dim and faintly streaked with blood-red lines, instantly bloomed with its own radiance, glowing with a lustrous brilliance.

"It has indeed reached proficiency.

"You are very good.

"Your talent is not bad either.

"Take this copy of Appraiser's Notes.

"I hope to see the day you become an official appraiser."

Dai Ming nodded, then tossed over a thin booklet.

Envy immediately appeared in everyone else's eyes.

Appraiser's Notes was not actually anything remarkable.

It was no more than an appraiser's accumulated experience and insights from their growth.

What they truly cared about was Second Master Dai Ming's favor.

With his protection and guidance, would they not soon be able to become official appraisers?

"Thank you, Second Master."

Chen Shaojun quickly bowed in thanks, his heart surging with excitement.

However.

His excitement was not because of Appraiser's Notes, nor was it because Dai Ming thought highly of him.

It was solely because, when he appraised that piece of white jade, the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror had appeared.

Origin-Tracking Search, grading and ranking—and the reward it granted him.

The white jade's grade was not high, only low-grade mortal rank.

But the reward given by the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror delighted him beyond measure.

A fist technique.

Tiger Demon Body-Tempering Fist!

Thus, the martial art he had longed to learn had fallen into his hands.

The principles, movements, and cultivation methods of that fist technique continuously flashed through his mind.

If the occasion had not been unsuitable, he would have dearly loved to spread his stance and practice it properly at once.

"Mm."

Dai Ming nodded. Without greeting the others, he turned and left directly.

The others were not surprised.

Dai Ming had always been like this. Even before the shopkeeper, his stiff face would not show a few more traces of expression.

Perhaps only before Chief Appraiser Qin would he be a little more cautious?

"Alright, that trivial matter is settled.

"I have a special treasure here that requires someone to help appraise it.

"Which of you is willing to help?"

After Dai Ming left, Zhang Gao immediately changed the subject. With a kindly expression, he looked at the appraiser apprentices and spoke with a smile.

"Help?"

The appraiser apprentices froze, then all revealed delighted expressions and called out together, "Third Master, I am willing to help."

Seeing that Chen Shaojun's Divine Gaze Technique had risen to the proficient level and that he had already caught Second Master Dai Ming's attention, the appraiser apprentices also felt a sense of urgency. Settling for the next best thing, they hoped to earn Third Master Zhang Gao's favor.