Magical Artifact

"So this copper cauldron was actually an alchemy furnace?"

Chen Shaojun wore an incredulous expression.

This was the first time he had appraised a treasure connected to the world of cultivation.

And it was even an alchemy furnace capable of refining spiritual pills.

Even if its grade was not high, any treasure associated with the cultivation world was a precious item.

This copper cauldron was absolutely worth a fortune.

What a pity.

He knew nothing of alchemy, and the copper cauldron was not his either.

Ding!

Soon after, the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror assessed and graded it.

Green-Copper Alchemy Cauldron, mid-grade magical artifact. It could gather fire, stabilize medicinal properties, and increase the pill-forming rate by half a tenth...

"Mid-grade magical artifact—not bad."

Just as he was feeling pleased, a vast torrent of information flooded into his mind.

The appraisal reward had arrived.

Hui Neng's Alchemy Manual.

"Hui Neng's Alchemy Manual?

"I remember that the first owner of this copper cauldron, that old monk, had the Dharma name Hui Neng.

"Could this be the alchemy manual he wrote?

"I never expected the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror's reward to be this?"

Chen Shaojun was slightly stunned. He had just been muttering that he knew nothing of alchemy, yet the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror immediately rewarded him with one. It truly caught him off guard.

As he absorbed the information belonging to Hui Neng's Alchemy Manual, he quickly came to understand.

This was a complete inheritance of alchemy.

Of course, it could not be called especially formidable, but it was certainly a highly foundational method of alchemy.

It not only explained in detail the matters requiring attention during pill refinement, but also contained methods for controlling fire, as well as hand seals for separating and collecting pills.

In short, with this alchemy manual, Chen Shaojun could already consider changing professions and becoming an alchemist.

The only thing that left him helpless was that it contained no powerful pill formulas, only a prescription for strengthening vitality and nourishing the spirit, called the Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pill.

"The ingredients for this Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pill aren't difficult to find, but there's one frustrating point.

"Expensive.

"Far too expensive.

"Tiger penis, scarlet viper gallbladder, fifty-year mountain ginseng... A single batch of ingredients would cost at least one thousand taels of silver."

Chen Shaojun had initially been eager to try, but now he could only abandon the thought.

There was no helping it.

He was too poor.

Even if each appraisal in the pawnshop earned him one hundred copper coins, appraising five items a day would only bring him seven and a half taels of silver after a month. That was still nowhere near one thousand taels.

"But this prescription is definitely good stuff.

"Named Dragon-Tiger... could it be some fierce aphrodisiac for men and women? That would have a huge market."

Chen Shaojun decided that once he had money in the future, he would definitely prepare some.

For his own use? Well, he probably would not need it... But if he sold it outside, it would surely be enormously popular among nobles and dignitaries.

Chen Shaojun then began appraising the second treasure.

The second treasure was a metal Buddha statue. Judging from its surface, it looked somewhat like brass? But its weight was wrong; it probably contained pig iron?

He did not dwell on it.

He lit a candle and burned incense.

Then he used the Divine Gaze Technique to appraise it.

After the full process.

The appraisal was complete.

The Buddha statue's origins and consequences, along with countless scenes, had already surfaced in his mind.

This Buddha statue's general history was similar to that of the copper cauldron. The difference was that the statue had a history of three hundred years and had nearly witnessed the rise and fall of Hui Neng's temple.

From it, Chen Shaojun learned that the temple was called Fangyuan Temple. It had originally been established by an old monk named Fangyuan and could be considered a temple that cultivated both Buddhism and martial arts.

It possessed inheritances of martial arts and Buddhist cultivation methods.

Unfortunately, after flourishing three hundred years ago, it had declined all the way until it was ultimately destroyed by a group of red-clad men.

The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror assessed and graded it.

Low-grade magical artifact.

Although this Buddha statue had greater historical significance than the copper cauldron, it had merely absorbed some Buddhist aura and thus acquired a trace of Buddha-nature. Naturally, it was precious to believers of Buddhism, but ordinary people would not value it too highly.

Thus, its grade was not high, one level below the copper cauldron.

The reward appeared immediately afterward.

Diamond Sutra.

"A Buddhist scripture? Is this trying to make me cultivate my character, enter the Way, and become a Buddha?"

Chen Shaojun was somewhat unwilling to accept it.

Logically speaking, the reward from a magical-artifact-grade treasure should not be weak.

As he received the information, Chen Shaojun quickly put away his dissatisfaction.

This Diamond Sutra differed from conventional scriptures. Once recited, it could immediately cut away distracting thoughts, suppress irritability, calm one's emotions, still the qi, and focus the mind... It was a classic Buddhist scripture for severing thoughts and granting blessings.

It absolutely counted as something good.

The third treasure was likewise a Buddha statue.

After a full appraisal process, it was assessed and graded as a mid-grade magical artifact, one tier higher than the previous Buddha statue.

The reward was the Mighty Vajra Palm.

One Diamond Sutra and one Mighty Vajra Palm—both were things of the Buddhist sect.

Chen Shaojun silently absorbed them, only hoping that when he used them in the future, others would not mistake him for a monk.

Of course, if he encountered monks, he would also need to keep them hidden as much as possible.

The Diamond Sutra was fine; it was generally used in private to calm his emotions. But the Mighty Vajra Palm was one of Buddhism's ultimate arts and was not easily passed down. Without a legitimate reason, it could easily bring disaster upon him.

Still, despite such concerns, Chen Shaojun was immensely excited.

Because by now, he finally possessed an offensive martial art.

He could finally bring the full strength of his Body Tempering Realm, Eighth Layer cultivation into play.

He would no longer be like before, possessing only powerful qi and blood yet able to rely on nothing but brute force.

Immediately afterward, Chen Shaojun took out the final treasure.

A lacquered golden bowl.

This should have been the golden alms bowl used by a monk when begging for alms. Perhaps it had often been scrubbed with sand, for its surface was extremely smooth. Yet at the bottom of the bowl, there was a faint crack, as though it might shatter at any moment.

However, despite the golden bowl's poor appearance, it contained the greatest amount of Killing Intent.

Even after the Baleful Intent Cleansing three years ago, more than seventy wisps of Killing Intent remained within it, showing just how extraordinary it was.

He lit a candle and burned incense.

Chen Shaojun used the Divine Gaze Technique.

The consecutive appraisals from earlier had ultimately consumed a great deal of his mental energy. After cleansing the Killing Intent for only a short while, Chen Shaojun felt himself beginning to run out of strength.

This was because his mental power had been overconsumed and had not had time to replenish.

If he continued, Chen Shaojun's mental strength would keep the Killing Intent from entering his body, but he certainly would not have an easy time of it.

Yet he was not panicked in the slightest.

He stretched out a hand, seized a ruler, and struck forward.

Puff!

The connection between the Killing Intent and Chen Shaojun's mental will was instantly severed and cut apart.

This ruler.

Was the Baleful Severing Ruler.

It could sever Killing Intent and rescue any appraiser in the midst of appraisal from danger.

After resting for a while, Chen Shaojun felt that his mental energy had recovered considerably, and he began appraising the treasure once more.

This time, the Divine Gaze Technique proceeded extremely smoothly.

The instant the final wisp of Killing Intent was cleansed away, the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror appeared in his mind.

Spirit-seeking appraisal, tracing roots and seeking origins.

"This was actually a magical artifact?

"A magical artifact that could truly unleash special power?

"A weapon that old monk Fangyuan had wielded skillfully three hundred years ago?"

Information concerning the golden bowl surfaced in Chen Shaojun's mind one scene after another, and he could not help but be shocked.

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