Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror

Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, appraising treasures through spirit communion, Origin-Tracking Search.

Of all things beneath heaven and earth, all wondrous treasures in the world, none could not be appraised, none could not be traced.

Chen Shaojun's vision blurred. Upon the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, the white clouds dispersed and the palace receded, revealing an ancient piece of green jade.

The ancient green jade was jade-green throughout, its surface carved with a carp whose head met its tail. It seemed to be the very piece he had just appraised with the Divine Gaze Technique.

The instant Chen Shaojun saw the image of that green jade, scenes concerning it immediately surfaced in his mind.

It had transformed from stone into jade, then been carved by a craftsman named Liu Zhonghe before being given by a young hunter to his wife.

The young couple had loved each other dearly. One day, while the young man was hunting, disaster struck him without warning, and he never returned.

The wife was heartbroken. Each day, she could only clutch the green jade and pine for her husband.

Several years passed, and at last her longing turned into illness. She took to her bed and died.

Because she had clutched the green jade tightly even in death, her family buried it alongside her in the coffin.

The jade accompanied the corpse for thirty years, steeped in yin energy. The wife's wandering soul also seemed to linger by its side, and the green jade gradually underwent a peculiar change.

Half a month ago, the earth was dug up. A tomb raider opened the coffin, fought a fierce battle, and took the green jade away. After changing hands again and again, it eventually appeared at the Lin Family Pawnshop...

The images vanished, but the green jade's origins, its entire history, and every person who had handled it all surfaced in Chen Shaojun's mind.

At the same time, the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror gave its appraisal of the jade's rank: Lower Mortal Grade.

The ranks on the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, from lowest to highest, were Mortal, Dharma, Treasure, Spirit, Immortal... Each rank was further divided into upper, middle, and lower tiers.

Lower Mortal Grade was clearly nothing remarkable within this ranking system.

Chen Shaojun came back to his senses and found that an additional pill had appeared in his hand.

An Essence-Nourishing Pill.

It was translucent like white wax and the size of a thumb. A faint fragrance wafted from it, and when the scent entered his nose, even his utterly exhausted spirit was stirred slightly, as though it had recovered somewhat.

This was a spiritual pill only cultivators who practiced Dao Martial Arts would consume to improve their cultivation and strength.

But that did not mean ordinary people could not use it.

One Essence-Nourishing Pill could nourish one's vital essence and bolster one's blood and qi, allowing an ordinary person to cleanse their marrow and refine their body, greatly enhancing their essence, qi, and spirit.

"The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror appraises treasures and grants rewards..."

Chen Shaojun was overjoyed. How could he not realize that fortune had descended upon him and given him a cheat unique to himself?

Though he still did not know how the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror had merged into his body, what it truly was, or whether he could really gain rewards by continuously appraising treasures—

There was at least one thing he understood clearly.

With the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror on him, it should be enough to give him a greater advantage than others in this world of shifting clouds and treacherous winds. It might even let him gain a foothold and soar into the sky in a single bound.

"However.

This world really has ghosts..."

He thought of the wandering soul that had constantly accompanied the green jade in the visions shown by the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.

Previously, he had only heard of such things. Now, he had seen one with his own "eyes."

It made him even more wary of this world.

Then Chen Shaojun looked at the crystalline Essence-Nourishing Pill in his hand, and a powerful craving rose in his heart.

Without hesitation, he swallowed it in one gulp.

The pill melted the instant it entered his mouth. In a moment, a cool and peculiar force surged into his body like rushing streams, clinging to his tendons, bones, flesh, and blood before slowly seeping within.

"Hiss..."

Chen Shaojun sucked in a breath, feeling both a scorching heat and a peculiar coolness arise within his body.

As heat and cold alternated, he actually felt as if his flesh was being hammered and his bones washed clean.

Layer upon layer of fine impurities were expelled from his body along with that hammering and cleansing.

An hour later.

Chen Shaojun opened his eyes and felt that his condition had never been better.

Not only had all the mental energy consumed by using Spirit Sight been restored, it was several times more vigorous than before.

When he lightly clenched his fist, a crisp crack sounded. He could clearly feel that his strength had increased by more than double.

"As expected of a spiritual pill used by Dao Martial Arts cultivators to increase their cultivation."

Chen Shaojun was delighted. Even when he caught the faintly foul smell on his body, he paid it no mind.

When pawnshop appraisers examined treasures, anything could happen. Killing Intent, ghostly aura, yin energy... any of these could be present in any "raw material." Whenever one appeared, it would leave an Appraiser Apprentice in a sorry state. A little foul smell would not make anyone suspicious.

What he cared about more was the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.

Appraising treasures could earn him rewards.

A mere Lower Mortal Grade jade pendant had granted him an Essence-Nourishing Pill, something only Dao Martial Arts cultivators used.

What about Mortal Grade, Mid-Tier, Mortal Grade, Upper Rank, or even Treasure Rank and Spirit Rank?

He was already impatient to appraise more treasures.

As for his original plan of changing professions and seeking another way to make a living?

He felt that he was merely an ordinary person from an age of peace and prosperity, someone who had not yet learned how to survive in this world.

Outside were Dao Martial Arts experts who could fly over roofs and leap across walls, along with demons and ghosts running rampant without restraint. Where could be safer than the Lin Clan Pawnshop in Shengjing City? Countless top experts of the Great Zhou Dynasty gathered here, soldiers regularly patrolled the streets, and he could gain rewards through continuously appraising items. It was practically a treasured place tailor-made for him.

He could not bear to leave.

He had to do his appraisal work well, and this green jade needed to be sent to the storeroom for registration as soon as possible.

With that thought, Chen Shaojun stood up and walked out of the room with the green jade in hand.

Turning his head, he looked above the room's entrance, where the words "Appraisal Room Seven" were written.

Ten identical rooms stood in a row beside it, all specifically assigned by the Lin Clan Pawnshop for their Appraiser Apprentices to appraise items.

Of course, Certified Appraisers held extraordinary status and naturally did not work here. Not only were their rooms much more spacious, but they also had specialized equipment. Some of that equipment was said to be extremely useful for appraising treasures and guarding against potential danger.

Chen Shaojun followed the corridor and soon arrived at a side hall.

Several people were busy inside. Besides a few servants and apprentices, the main figures were Shen Lang, the ticket-desk clerk responsible for filling out pawn tickets and registering the pawn ledgers, and Xu Hongtao, the unpacker responsible for wrapping pledged items and keeping the bamboo-tag markers.

Both looked middle-aged. Shen Lang was dressed like a scholar and had in fact been a scholar who failed the imperial examinations. He had taken them three times before barely earning the title of xiucai.

Xu Hongtao was much more robust. Chen Shaojun had heard that he had once run with a gang in his early years and knew some martial arts.

"Mr. Shen, Uncle Xu."

Chen Shaojun greeted them.

The pawnshop's hierarchy was strict. As an Appraiser Apprentice who had yet to complete his training, his status naturally could not compare to those of the two older men.

What was more, the "raw materials" appraised by Appraiser Apprentices had mostly passed through their hands.

Though several Certified Appraisers in the pawnshop selected the "raw materials," it was generally these two who handed them over to the Appraiser Apprentices.

The two men had been in the pawnshop for years. If he carelessly offended them, then the difficulty and danger of the "raw materials" he received for appraisal would be hard to predict.

"Finished appraising it?"

Shen Lang nodded and asked casually.

"Yes. Green jade from Dianyang, of middling-to-low quality. It has been formed for over thirty years, and the craftsmanship is above average."

Chen Shaojun presented the green jade. After hesitating briefly, he did not reveal everything the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror had shown him about the jade. He said even less about how it had been invaded by yin energy for thirty years and possessed a certain gathering-yin effect.

Those were not things an Appraiser Apprentice could appraise.

He only wanted to make a living here, steadily appraise treasures, and gain rewards. He did not want to stand out too much.

In this world.

Keeping a low profile did not necessarily guarantee safety, but if one was too high-profile, death would certainly come quickly.

Especially when he lacked strength.

.