After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Chen Shaojun returned to his appraisal room carrying several grayish-white stones.
Knowing what he was about to face, he naturally had to make every possible preparation.
So he specifically sought out Ayong and learned from him the Four-Square Formation that could cleanse Baleful Intent.
"Hope it'll be of some use."
Chen Shaojun muttered as he placed the White-Cut Stones down one after another according to their designated positions.
Before long, the Four-Square Formation had been set up.
He had no real confidence in such a simple formation.
Still, something was better than nothing. At the very least, it could offer him a little comfort.
Setting the tray in the corner, Chen Shaojun took out one of the items.
It was a white jade pendant, carved with a divine deer turning its head.
But dust from the years had settled upon it, and Baleful Intent had seeped into the jade. The entire piece looked dull and gray, with faint yellow and black speckles.
To those who knew nothing of such things, those spots were merely grime that might be washed away. In truth, unless the jade shattered and the Baleful Intent dispersed on its own, the speckles would seem as though they had grown naturally within it and would never fade easily.
That was precisely the purpose of pawnshop appraisers.
Appraising treasures was merely their traditional role.
Baleful Intent Cleansing was why pawnshop appraisers were respected within pawnshops.
He lit a candle and burned incense.
Then he closed his eyes to rest his mind.
What followed would be a confrontation.
Especially when it came time to appraise the Jade Ruyi, he had to ensure that he had enough energy.
After another incense stick's worth of time, Chen Shaojun opened his eyes.
The candle had long since gone out, and the three bamboo incense sticks had burned down completely.
Although this white jade contained Baleful Intent, there was not much of it—at most two or three wisps. It posed little threat.
Calming his breath and focusing his mind, he smoothly unleashed the Divine Gaze Technique.
Carrying the power of Chen Shaojun's spiritual will, it surged straight into the white jade.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...
In an instant, the Baleful Intent within the jade seemed to have been enraged. It turned into black smoke and lunged at him, baring fangs and brandishing claws.
But Chen Shaojun was no longer the man he had once been.
Not only had his Divine Gaze Technique reached the proficient level, but his physical condition had also undergone a qualitative transformation after being nourished and strengthened by the Essence-Nourishing Pill and Blood-Qi Pill.
His blood and qi were abundant, and his vigor overflowed.
Naturally, his spiritual power had increased dramatically as well.
The Baleful Intent inside the white jade was almost completely worn away by the outpouring of his spiritual will the instant it rushed out.
The once-speckled white jade also regained its original appearance.
White as paper, crystalline and translucent.
The appraisal was complete.
Buzz!
The Eight-Faceted Prism Mirror and Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror appeared!
Chen Shaojun saw the pendant's entire history.
From the moment it was excavated, to its shaping, to every person through whose hands it passed—each scene appeared vividly before his eyes.
Its final owner had been Zhao Quan, the man slain by the scar-faced man. The pendant had always hung at his side.
Zhao Quan had come from a scholarly background, but his learning was mediocre. Like Shen Piaotai, he had sat for the examinations many times without gaining anything.
Of course, Shen Piaotai had fared somewhat better. With one final push, he had earned the title of xiucai.
Zhao Quan, however, had failed twice and given up. Yet the Fragrant Letters Academy of Great Harmony Commandery, where he had studied, was home to many men of outstanding talent. Thus, among his acquaintances were calligraphy masters such as Xu Chenchang.
By chance, Zhao Quan offended a powerful figure in Great Harmony Commandery and had no choice but to move his entire family to Shengjing City.
He bought a house and registered his residence, but before he could settle down, assassins found him one night, and he fell into a pool of blood.
The images vanished, and the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror assigned a grade.
Lower Mortal Grade!
At the same time, his palm grew hot, and a spiritual pill appeared in his hand.
A Spirit-Communing Pill.
In his eyes, it was an experience pill.
Though it had not granted him the ghost-slaying method he had hoped for, the experience pill could raise the level of his Divine Gaze Technique and strengthen his methods of wielding spiritual power. It was still better than nothing.
After all, in a certain sense, the Divine Gaze Technique was also an offensive technique.
If it fell upon a person, it could inflict severe damage as well, turning them into an idiot or even killing them outright.
If it fell upon a ghostly creature, it should be effective too.
Chen Shaojun looked at the Spirit-Communing Pill. He had no intention of saving it to breed interest, and swallowed it in one gulp.
This was a critical moment. Even the slightest improvement in his abilities could strengthen his ability to preserve his life.
As the experience pill entered his stomach, Chen Shaojun's mind grew hazy, and he felt his thoughts and senses enter an exceptionally strange state.
Methods for cultivating the Divine Gaze Technique flashed rapidly through his mind. At once, he felt as though he had undergone countless bitter years of training in that brief instant, reaching an astonishing level of cultivation and understanding of the Divine Gaze Technique.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
After quite a while, Chen Shaojun came back to himself.
"Unfortunately, I still couldn't raise the Divine Gaze Technique to the minor achievement realm."
Chen Shaojun felt somewhat regretful.
As far as he knew, once the Divine Gaze Technique reached minor achievement, the spiritual power emerging from the body would condense into substance and become visible to the naked eye. Its effect in wearing down and cleansing Baleful Intent would also undergo a qualitative transformation.
It could even interfere with reality.
With spiritual power alone, one could move objects before oneself over a short distance.
And that was the standard for becoming a Certified Appraiser in a pawnshop.
"But I'm close.
I estimate that with one more experience pill, I should be able to raise my Divine Gaze Technique to the minor achievement realm."
Chen Shaojun's expression returned to calm.
Without lingering, he took out the second item awaiting appraisal.
This time, it was a hairpin.
He lit the candle and burned incense.
After an incense stick's worth of time, the appraisal began again.
Though the Spirit-Communing Pill had not raised the Divine Gaze Technique to minor achievement and brought about a qualitative transformation, it had still improved it.
Not only was it faster and less taxing to use, but when his spiritual will emerged from his body, it was sharper than before, like a pointed blade capable of piercing through any obstruction of Baleful Intent.
The hairpin was soon successfully appraised.
The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror traced its origins, then assigned a grade.
Lower Mortal Grade.
The reward was a Blood-Qi Pill.
"Continue!"
Expressionless, Chen Shaojun took out the third treasure.
Then came the fourth, the fifth, the sixth...
Again and again, he lit candles and burned incense. Again and again, he appraised treasures.
Again and again, the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror appeared, assigned grades, and granted rewards.
The third reward was a Spirit-Nurturing Pill.
The fourth reward was horse-taming technique.
The fifth was the Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostic Method: Observation, Auscultation, Inquiry, and Palpation.
The sixth was a martial art, the Eight-Step Cicada Catcher.
Reward after reward.
None of them were poor; every one was something countless people dreamed of obtaining.
Yet none of them offered any help in dealing with the ghostly creature inside the Jade Ruyi.
He even hoped to obtain another Spirit-Communing Pill.
That way, he could raise his Divine Gaze Technique to the minor achievement realm.
Unfortunately, he did not receive even another Spirit-Communing Pill.
When he began the seventh appraisal, he did so with the determination to sink or swim.
If there was still no result this time... then, well, he would give up.
Open his eyes wide and face a ghost?
He was not that foolish.
Wasn't staying alive good enough?
If it truly came to it, he would have to take the dangerous path.
Before you continue