What If?

In the martial hall, disciples could always be found training in the courtyard year-round.

Beginners practiced the Ironwood Stake Skill. Those who had developed their strength would be taught the Iron Fist Thirteen Forms for Body Tempering. With further progress came the Ironcloth Body Shield, followed by the Vajra Locking Jade Formula.

After entering the martial hall, Chen Shaojun conscientiously joined the beginners and began practicing the Ironwood Stake Skill.

Fifth Senior Brother Mao Qiuyang was quite responsible. Seeing that he had arrived, Mao Qiuyang deliberately came over to offer guidance and sent strength through the air for him to experience the emergence and changes of inner force.

Chen Shaojun could only suppress his aura and put on a look of having gained greatly from the lesson.

Fortunately, Body Tempering Realm martial artists possessed no true qi in their Qi Sea. Unless they actively erupted with blood qi, ordinary people found it extremely difficult to detect their realm of strength.

Thus, his true strength remained undisclosed.

Only as dusk fell did Chen Shaojun leave.

This was already his third consecutive day at the martial hall. Today, he had deliberately told Fifth Senior Brother that he had already "developed" inner force, then took the opportunity to say that he would remain home to cultivate from now on and would no longer come to the martial hall so often.

Mao Qiuyang naturally said nothing more. After merely reminding him of a few precautions for martial training, Mao Qiuyang let him leave.

Upon returning to the pawnshop,

Chen Shaojun discovered that the rear courtyard was unusually lively.

After asking around, he finally understood.

Newcomers had arrived.

This time, the Lin Family had sent over twenty new people, most of whom had come to serve as appraisal apprentices.

In an instant, nearly every room in the rear courtyard was filled.

Even several beds in Chen Shaojun's room that had previously stood empty were now occupied by newcomers.

"What's going on? Our pawnshop's business isn't particularly good. We shouldn't need so many appraisal apprentices, should we?"

Chen Shaojun found several appraisal apprentices he knew and asked in confusion.

He had indeed heard before that a batch of apprentices would be coming, but he had not expected them to arrive so soon.

In the past, he would not have cared much.

But now, he had already confirmed that he needed to appraise treasures and exchange them for rewards to bolster his own foundation.

With so many appraisal apprentices arriving, they would be competing for his appraisal resources.

"Because Shengjing City's annual Treasure Fair is about to begin."

Someone spoke gloomily.

It was Ayong.

Among the appraisal apprentices in the pawnshop, he had been there the longest and knew the most.

"The Treasure Fair?"

Everyone else was stunned.

"Can you explain in detail?"

Chen Shaojun was intrigued.

"The Treasure Fair isn't really such an extraordinary gathering. The Heavenly Treasure Fair, held once every ten years, is the one that truly invites the world, gathering heavenly treasures in one place.

"Still, even the Treasure Fair is a grand event led by the authorities and jointly organized by Shengjing City's five great merchant associations. Countless rare treasures converge there from every corner of the world.

"Some of those treasures can be called heavenly materials and earthly treasures, objects that countless people would exhaust their fortunes fighting over.

"But with more treasures comes a greater need for appraisal experts.

"After all, many treasures are born with Baleful Intent or accumulate it. If that Killing Intent is not thoroughly cleansed away, no one would dare use them lightly.

"Therefore, nearly all appraisal experts are invited into the Treasure Fair to cleanse Baleful Intent and appraise treasures.

"We appraisal apprentices are no exception. We will also be brought into the Treasure Fair to appraise treasures.

"In that sense, the Treasure Fair is also a grand gathering for appraisal experts.

"Of course, to us, it is a banquet of life and death."

Ayong sneered, his tone pessimistic. When he looked toward the newcomers, his eyes held pity.

"How could that be?"

Zhao Hu was startled by his final tone and cried out in alarm.

"The 'raw goods' we appraise now have actually all been screened by formal appraisal experts.

"So, most of what reaches our hands contains little Killing Intent. Only when we are occasionally unlucky do we get assigned treasures with heavier Killing Intent.

"At such times, we can only pray for our own good fortune.

"But there are simply too many treasures at the Treasure Fair.

"The formal appraisal experts will not even have time to sort through them, so naturally our chances of appraising treasures with heavier Killing Intent will rise greatly.

"If you are lucky, you will merely fall seriously ill.

"If you are unlucky, Baleful Intent will enter your body, and you will breathe your last.

"At every year's Treasure Fair, countless appraisal apprentices die. Even many formal appraisal experts meet with misfortune and inevitably lose their lives there.

"Besides, compared with us, who at least possess more than half a year of treasure appraisal experience and whose Divine Gaze Technique may not have reached a profound level but is not far from it,

"those newly arrived appraisal apprentices are the ones in the greatest danger.

"I estimate that after this Treasure Fair, of the twenty new appraisal apprentices, fewer than five will return alive."

Ayong lowered his voice as he spoke, a trace of fear faintly showing in his eyes.

"Hiss..."

Everyone drew in a sharp breath.

Though, by Ayong's account, the newcomers faced greater danger and a higher chance of death, they did not truly believe that they old hands would fare much better than the newcomers.

Whether they could return alive would probably depend entirely on luck.

"Of course, although the Treasure Fair is dangerous for us, it may not necessarily be without opportunity.

"You should know that not every treasure we need to appraise contains Baleful Intent.

"Within some treasures, there may instead be spiritual qi, vital essence, even primal qi or auspicious qi... If one is fortunate enough to appraise such a treasure, then our Divine Gaze Technique, mental strength, and even physical constitution will all receive enormous improvement.

"Thus, almost every year, appraisal apprentices stand out through this and are promoted to formal appraisal experts.

"Even if they cannot be directly promoted to formal appraisal experts, their appraisal methods will still improve greatly.

"If they are lucky, they may even catch the eye of some influential figure, and their future will be boundless."

Ayong continued, a trace of longing in his eyes.

"Can one really leap straight into becoming a formal appraisal expert?"

At those words, everyone's eyes lit up.

Although Ayong's earlier words had cast a shadow over their hearts,

when they heard that some people could likewise distinguish themselves and rise to become formal appraisal experts, they were immediately tempted.

Everyone harbored a gambler's hope, always believing that they were unique and would be the lucky one to succeed.

If this Treasure Fair brought them nothing but death and illness, many would likely retreat, perhaps even... flee.

But if they could truly use this Treasure Fair to rise to become formal appraisal experts, then no one could remain unmoved.

What if?

What if they succeeded?

No appraisal apprentice did not wish to become a formal appraisal expert.

For that often represented a world of difference in status, strength, position, and treatment.

Even Chen Shaojun desperately wanted to escape his current circumstances.

A communal sleeping platform for twelve people, the status of a servant... having to tread carefully and watch others' expressions with every move—those days were not easy to endure.

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