Mortal Grade, Mid-Tier

Chen Shaojun's eyes flickered, filled with deep longing.

Naturally, he hoped to become the sort of powerhouse capable of slaying demons and exterminating devils.

There was no helping it.

For someone who had grown up bombarded by all manner of wuxia novels and films, this kind of thing held far too much allure. It was no different from an ethereal beauty standing before you, gazing at you with tender affection—you would find it hard not to ask, "Do we know each other?"

And if one wished to cultivate the Dao or practice martial arts, there truly were avenues available in this world.

Dao Academy.

Martial arts schools.

Both were places where ordinary people could grasp Dao Martial Arts methods.

"Only...

I heard the tuition fees are extremely expensive.

And whether it is a martial arts school or the Dao Academy, they have requirements regarding their students' backgrounds.

At the very least, one must come from a family with a clean record."

Chen Shaojun frowned.

Never mind that the tuition was beyond what he could afford now.

The requirement of having a clean background alone was enough to bar his way.

Having signed a contract of sale, with life and death no longer in his own hands, hardly counted as having a clean background.

"So, when all is said and done, I still need to regain my freedom as soon as possible."

Chen Shaojun sighed.

The mess left behind by the previous owner of this body would ultimately have to be borne by him.

It was not as though he had never considered relying on the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.

But the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror had only appeared once. Afterward, he searched his entire body and still could not find where it was hiding. He tried every means to call for it, yet could not summon it again. He feared it had merely flashed by like a startled swan, never to leave a trace again, and so unease always lingered in his heart.

"Fortunately, there is not no way to shed my slave status.

There are three Certified Appraisers in the Lin Family Pawnshop. Chief Appraiser Qin, who held the highest status among them, generally did not make appearances. The Second Appraiser, Dai Ming, wore a cold face all day and was difficult to approach.

Only the Third Appraiser, Zhang Gao, was somewhat more talkative.

According to him, once an Appraiser Apprentice advanced to become a Certified Appraiser, the Lin Family would reward them with bestowed favors.

Shedding one's slave status and returning to freedom was merely one of those rewards.

That was how he himself had cast off his slave status back then, and his identity and standing had become utterly different."

Chen Shaojun composed himself. He knew this was, in truth, a means by which the pawnshop won people's hearts.

But it had to be said that this was indeed one of the reasons why the previous owner of this body, and even most Appraiser Apprentices, had not fled after learning of the dangers of the profession.

Becoming a Certified Appraiser was very difficult.

Among them Appraiser Apprentices, perhaps very few could hold out until that day.

But at least there was hope.

Especially after they had stayed here for half a year and their Divine Gaze Technique had grown ever more refined, the hope of becoming a Certified Appraiser became visible to the naked eye.

Everyone harbored a fluke mentality, believing they would not fall before success...

The laughable thing was,

the current Chen Shaojun thought the same way.

The next day.

Appraisal Room Seven.

Chen Shaojun was assigned another pawned item.

This time, it was a small bead mottled with colors. It was oval-shaped, somewhat like a jade button, yet also different.

Since something had happened only yesterday, one of the Certified Appraisers showed himself today.

It was Dai Ming, the Second Appraiser among the Lin Family Pawnshop's three great appraisers, and nominally their master.

He specifically advised them that, when appraising treasures, if they wished to guard against possible danger, they could try lighting a candle in the southeast corner. If the candle went out, they were to think no further of it and immediately stop the appraisal.

If the candlelight flickered uncertainly and swayed up and down, they also needed to handle things with caution.

In fact, Chen Shaojun and the other Appraiser Apprentices had known this method long ago.

Besides lighting candles, burning incense to ward off taboos was also one method.

It was said that this was a method the older generation of appraisers had distilled from countless experiences appraising treasures.

But a single candle cost three copper coins, while even the cheapest bamboo incense cost one copper coin per stick. The expense was considerable and had to be borne entirely by themselves, so it had gradually been abandoned by the Appraiser Apprentices.

After all, one saved wherever one could.

But now, no one dared be careless.

So this time, Chen Shaojun also lit a candle in the southeast corner.

He then took out three sticks of incense and lit them one after another.

There was no harm in being careful.

Chen Shaojun would never joke with his own life.

Only after seeing the candle burning brightly and the bamboo incense nearly burned away did he truly begin his work.

Yet he failed to notice that when both the candle and bamboo incense went out, each left behind a thin layer that had not burned completely.

He calmed his breath and focused his mind, taking one look, then another.

The Divine Gaze Technique was smoothly activated.

A pair of divine lights shot forth as though they had substance, clearly illuminating the bead.

At the same time, their vital energies were drawn together.

In a daze, Chen Shaojun saw an arrow streaking toward his eyes like lightning.

"This is... Arrow-Path Killing Intent."

His expression changed drastically. Pain suddenly flared in his eyes, and his head felt as though it had been struck by a boulder, leaving him dizzy and muddled.

This was the danger appraisers had to face head-on when using the Divine Gaze Technique to appraise treasures.

Appraising treasures with Spirit Sight was a contest of minds.

Under the stimulation of the spirit, every change in the treasure's vital energy—yin energy, Killing Intent, ghostly energy, murderous intent...—would be drawn out and activated. At the first moment, they would rush toward the appraiser.

Either the appraiser would be injured by the various vital energies, or the vital energies would be worn away, allowing the treasure to bloom with its original radiance and display its true function.

Only after quite a while did he regain his senses, his expression somewhat unsightly.

He had never expected this bead to contain a strand of Arrow-Path Killing Intent.

Had he not swallowed an Essence-Nourishing Pill yesterday and undergone a cleansing of marrow and sinews, greatly increasing his essence, qi, and spirit, he likely would not have been able to withstand it and would have ended up like Zhang Wang.

Before he even had time to feel lingering fear, the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror had already appeared, clearly recording the image of the bead.

Spirit-Seeking Appraisal, Origin-Tracking Search.

In a daze, Chen Shaojun felt his thoughts being dragged across countless years. He clearly "saw" the bead's form change.

It turned into an eyeball, and the owner of that eye was an eagle.

The eagle soared through the skies, crossing mountains and seas, taking in the wonders of heaven and earth, free and unrestrained.

Of course, it had also encountered natural enemies and seen exotic beasts larger and countless times stronger than itself.

One day, as it passed over a village and swooped low, intending to prey upon a few docile fowls, an arrow suddenly tore through the sky.

With a puff, it pierced the eagle's eye.

Afterward, the eyeball fell into a courtyard. Eroded by the years and steeped in vital energy, it transformed into a round bead, until it was finally picked up by a young boy.

The boy polished it every day, and the eyeball gradually became smooth and round. But the boy's health worsened by the day, and he was often jolted awake by nightmares.

At last, the boy's father discovered it.

The boy's father was a traveling peddler with some knowledge. He hurriedly sent the bead to the pawnshop.

The images vanished, and everything about the bead—its origins, its transformations, and the people through whose hands it had passed—surfaced in Chen Shaojun's mind.

At the same time, the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror gave its appraisal and evaluation.

Goshawk's Eye, Mortal Grade, Mid-Tier. When soaked in water from a spirit spring, it could brighten the eyes, sharpen vision, and treat eye diseases.