It was the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror!
Chen Shaojun was overjoyed.
The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror had appeared.
This meant the appraisal was complete. The baleful intent had dispersed, and that Yin Soul ghost had been slain within the black dog by his single stroke.
"This was truly perilous.
"Good thing I was well prepared. Otherwise, life and death would have been impossible to predict."
Chen Shaojun sighed. Even as the lingering fear remained, he keenly felt how lacking his methods were.
If possible, he should still avoid taking on such dangerous appraisal jobs.
After all, he had the Spirit Eye Technique and could avoid danger in advance.
The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror traced treasures back to their source.
Chen Shaojun saw a series of images concerning the Jade Ruyi.
It had first taken shape a hundred years ago, though the Jade Ruyi at that time was somewhat different from its current appearance.
After the Baleful Intent Cleansing, the entire Jade Ruyi had already returned to its original form.
Crystal-clear and gleaming, it could indeed be called fine jade.
Yet what truly drew attention was the oval bead above the Jade Ruyi, wrapped in jade with only a small half-circle exposed.
The bead was entirely dark green and gave off a strange fluorescent glow. It was exceptionally beautiful.
Especially in the darkness of night, that glow was breathtakingly beautiful.
In truth, when the Jade Ruyi had first taken shape a hundred years ago, the bead at its tip had not existed.
"It should have been set in later."
As Chen Shaojun guessed, the images swiftly provided an explanation.
Twenty years ago, the Jade Ruyi's owner had been an inspection guard in the imperial court's Patrol Inspection Bureau. While raiding an official's household, he had accepted bribes and obtained a batch of treasures, the Spirit Pearl among them.
Afraid of being investigated, he hid the treasures he had obtained in a secret place and even hired a specialist craftsman to set the Spirit Pearl into the Jade Ruyi.
The Jade Ruyi had originally been a family heirloom of his own, as everyone knew.
By setting the Spirit Pearl inside it, the pearl naturally became wholly his, beyond fear of inspection.
But walk the night road too often, and sooner or later one would meet a ghost.
During one bribe-taking incident, he was caught red-handed.
The Patrol Inspection Bureau's rules were strict. The inspection guard's entire family was confiscated and exiled, and after passing through several twists and turns, the Jade Ruyi ended up in Zhao Quan's hands.
Zhao Quan did not know the Jade Ruyi's origins, but he knew it was no ordinary treasure.
He had the temperament of a refined scholar and poet. Whenever he came across something good, he could not resist showing it off to his friends. After obtaining this treasure, he had displayed it among his friends several times.
During one such display, Chen Shaojun saw the scarred man among them.
Worth mentioning was that the scarred man's surname was Peng.
And twenty years ago, the Jade Ruyi's owner had also been surnamed Peng.
The images vanished.
The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror graded and ranked it.
Jade Ruyi, Mortal Grade, Upper Rank.
"How could this be?
"Only Mortal Grade, Upper Rank?"
Chen Shaojun's face froze in disbelief.
Yin energy shrouding the crown, over a hundred strands of baleful intent, and even a ghost dwelling within it—such a treasure should have been at least Law Rank in his view.
Yet it was merely Mortal Rank.
Could Law Rank treasures truly be so rare?
The reward immediately appeared. A ruler landed in his hand.
Then, before he could inspect it closely—
With a ding.
The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror began grading and ranking again.
Primordial Spirit Pearl, Low-Grade Treasure Rank. It could gather spiritual energy, converge qi, temper the body, extend one's lifespan, establish one's foundation...
"Hm?
"There's another one?
"Twin treasures?
"And it's even Low-Grade Treasure Rank?"
Chen Shaojun was stunned, but delight quickly bloomed across his face.
On second thought, it was perfectly normal.
The difficulty of this appraisal was something he had never seen in his life.
Even in the Appraiser's Notes, only a handful of recorded cases could compare to the danger he had faced this time.
None of those treasures had been ordinary either.
It was entirely normal for this treasure to surpass Law Rank on the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror and be rated Treasure Rank.
The reward also surfaced in his mind at once.
Tai Shang Perception Scripture.
One appraisal, two rewards.
One was a ruler.
The ruler was no ordinary object either. It was the Baleful Severing Ruler.
Its purpose was also simple: to sever baleful intent.
As everyone knew.
Once an appraiser began cleansing baleful intent from a treasure, there was no turning back.
Either the baleful intent would be completely cleansed away, or the appraiser would be unable to withstand it. The baleful intent would enter the body, injuring flesh and soul, with life and death decided in an instant.
But with the Baleful Severing Ruler, a single strike during an appraisal could cut off the ceaseless flow of baleful intent, ending the appraisal and preserving one's life.
To a pawnshop appraiser, this was no less than a supreme treasure.
"This is the treasure best suited to me.
"If I had possessed this Baleful Severing Ruler earlier, I would not have been in such a sorry state when facing that crown-shrouding Yin Baleful Intent."
Chen Shaojun thought of the helplessness he had felt just moments ago, trapped by the Yin Baleful Intent and unable to move an inch.
His heart filled with joy.
With this—
His future appraisals would become much easier.
Even when facing treasures with even more surging baleful intent, he would no longer be left helpless.
If necessary, he could use the Baleful Severing Ruler to interrupt an appraisal and divide it into two, three, or even four separate appraisals.
The second reward.
Tai Shang Perception Scripture.
Chen Shaojun received the memories, deeply imprinting the scripture in his mind, and in a daze, he came to understand.
This was a true Daoist scripture.
What was a true Daoist scripture?
It was a Daoist method of cultivation.
Though he could not be certain whether this was the Daoist cultivation art widely spoken of in this world.
It was indeed a cultivation method that sensed the subtle mysteries of the cosmos, contemplated the changes of the world, and strengthened one's own soul.
Its cultivation method was also exceedingly simple.
One merely had to visualize its diagram.
The Tai Shang Perception Scripture came with a Cosmic Star Chart.
Countless stars filled it.
Chen Shaojun only needed to visualize this Cosmic Star Chart in his mind and sense each of the stars within it.
There was no need to meditate, nor any need to circulate his cultivation.
The entire process took place within his mind, and it could be interrupted at any time.
"This is somewhat similar to the Evergreen Breathing Method I obtained before.
"Of course, the Tai Shang Perception Scripture must be countless times more profound."
Chen Shaojun immediately began visualizing it.
Within the star chart, one star after another seemed to be drawn from unimaginably far away to right before him. Then one star took shape in his mind, followed by a second, then a third.
As he visualized, an inexplicable attraction arose from Chen Shaojun's body, drawing countless currents from the surroundings slowly into him.
These currents seemed to contain an indescribable providence.
They nourished his flesh and body, warmed his limbs and bones, expanded his meridians and acupoints, and finally gathered in his dantian, forming wisps of "qi."
Each visualization granted him one wisp of "qi."
One cycle took half an hour. Ten cycles a day meant ten wisps of "qi."
Ten wisps of qi could become one strand. That meant he could obtain one strand each day.
"The Tai Shang Perception Scripture is truly marvelous."
Chen Shaojun opened his eyes. Feeling that wisp of qi within his body, a trace of emotion welled up in his heart.
After struggling and seeking so bitterly, he had finally stepped onto the path of cultivation once more.
Sorry for being late. Something really did hold me up.
.
Before you continue