Room C-57

The so-called Appraisal Hall was actually a large courtyard house.

It had been partitioned into many rooms.

According to Manager Sun, the Appraisal Hall had its own ranking system for the appraisal abilities of appraisers like them, generally divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D.

Among them, Certified Appraisers from pawnshops or major trading houses were mostly assigned to A- and B-grade rooms. C and D, naturally, were for Appraiser Apprentices.

Along the way, Chen Shaojun noticed that the three chief appraisers of the Lin Family Pawnshop had all been assigned B-grade rooms. Chief Appraiser Qin was in Room B-20, the second appraiser, Dai Ming, was in Room B-57, while the third appraiser, Zhang Gao, was in Room B-108.

Because Chen Shaojun and Ayong had reached the proficient level in appraisal, they were assigned C-grade rooms. They were not far apart—one was Room 57, the other Room 61.

As for the other Appraiser Apprentices, they had all been assigned D-grade rooms.

After being warned not to leave at will, Chen Shaojun received an identity token and entered Room C-57. He found that the space inside was not large, merely a small cubicle of around ten square meters. Aside from a bed, there was only a small table for appraisals.

"Looks like I'll be living here for a while."

Chen Shaojun muttered. He did not particularly care about his living conditions.

He had never been someone raised in silken comfort. At the pawnshop, he had slept in a communal bunk with twelve people. At least this was a private room. It was not bad.

There was nothing to inspect in the plainly visible room. He soon stepped outside and happened to see Ayong coming out as well. Beside him stood someone with a rare stout build among the Appraiser Apprentices, his face honest and simple-looking.

"Brother Shaojun, this is Yan Dingchen, an Appraiser Apprentice from the Fortune-Gathering Pawnshop. We met last year. I didn't expect we'd run into each other again today."

Ayong came forward, a rare look of delight on his face.

"Chen Shaojun."

Chen Shaojun nodded and greeted him.

"Hello, my name is Yan Dingchen. I've been an apprentice at the Fortune-Gathering Pawnshop for two years, and this is my second time attending the Treasure Fair.

"I heard Ayong say that this is your first time here?

"Then perfect. I can tell you about this place.

"The entire Appraisal Pavilion has been divided into a thousand rooms across the A, B, C, and D grades. There are thirty-six A-grade rooms, one hundred and eighty B-grade rooms, two hundred and sixty C-grade rooms, and all the rest are D-grade.

"The room assignments at the Treasure Fair are based on merit.

"Those living in A-grade rooms are all renowned chief appraisers and appraisal masters in our trade. Every one of them has cultivated the Divine Gaze Technique to great mastery.

"The B-grade rooms correspond to the Certified Appraisers of the various pawnshops. I hear their room numbers match their reputation and methods.

"Our Fortune-Gathering Pawnshop's chief appraiser, Zhou Fang, is ranked third among the B-grade rooms. That means that aside from the A-grade masters, his appraisal ability ranks among the top three.

"Then come the C-grade rooms, where we are staying. They are for those who have cultivated the Divine Gaze Technique to the proficient level and have hope of advancing further to become Certified Appraisers.

"As for D-grade, there's no need for me to tell you. Most of them are not yet skilled enough at the craft; many were dragged in simply to make up the numbers. Once the Treasure Fair ends, I'd estimate that at most half of them will survive—perhaps even fewer.

"Last year, there were seven hundred and forty-three Appraiser Apprentices in the D-grade rooms. In the end, only two hundred and twenty-eight survived.

"Their living conditions are the worst too. Our cubicles may be small, but theirs are half this size. It is nearly difficult even to turn around.

"If there are too many apprentices, two people may even have to share one room."

Yan Dingchen was exceedingly enthusiastic. Before Chen Shaojun could say anything, he had already rattled off a great deal.

However, Chen Shaojun truly did not know much about the Appraisal Hall, so he was happy to listen to the explanation.

"Of course, although this Treasure Fair is fraught with danger for Appraiser Apprentices, and one careless mistake may allow Killing Intent to enter the body, leaving life and death uncertain—

"Even Certified Appraisers die here every year.

"But this is also the place where we can improve the fastest.

"Not to mention that the Treasure Fair provides an Energy Pill every day to restore our strength and bolster our spirits, among the countless treasures, there are also hidden rare treasures. Those rare treasures contain Auspicious Aura and Primordial Spirit Essence, which are tremendously beneficial to our advancement.

"Once absorbed, they not only greatly improve one's physique, but can also send one's Divine Gaze Technique soaring by leaps and bounds.

"At the last Treasure Fair, five people I know of advanced directly from Appraiser Apprentices to Certified Appraisers. One of them even came from a D-grade room.

"Besides that, some people gained enormous benefits in other ways. Take Fang Yu of Tengyuan Pavilion, for example. Last year, he was fortunate enough to appraise a Five-Directions Pearl, which drew the Five-Directions Spiritual Qi into his body. Although his Divine Gaze Technique did not improve much, his physique increased greatly, and he succeeded in Body Tempering. He could already be considered a master in his own right.

"Within Tengyuan Pavilion, his status is not much lower than that of a Certified Appraiser."

Yan Dingchen sighed with emotion, anticipation appearing on his face as well.

Last year, like Ayong, he had endured through the whole event and gained nothing.

This year, he planned to press on with renewed vigor. Even if he could not leap up to become a Certified Appraiser, he wanted to gain some other benefit, just like Fang Yu of Tengyuan Pavilion had.

A Martial Warrior who had achieved success in martial arts likewise had a vast future ahead of him.

Chen Shaojun listened silently. Through Yan Dingchen's explanation, he not only gained a deeper understanding of the Treasure Fair, but also learned many hidden secrets.

For example, although there were said to be thirty-six A-grade rooms, only twenty-seven people were actually qualified to move in. Yet many of them would not participate in this Treasure Fair.

For example, the Treasure Fair was so grand not merely because it contained immense profits, but because many of its treasures actually came from the cultivation world, with numerous top-tier powers involved.

At the previous Treasure Fair, it was said that even great figures had appeared and fought fiercely over a single treasure.

For example, the Treasure Hall did not actually forbid appraisers from going out, provided they were Certified Appraisers.

Night fell. Chen Shaojun remained in his narrow cubicle, visualizing the Tai Shang Perception Scripture.

After one round of visualization, the mana within his body increased accordingly.

Yet he suddenly stopped, a trace of puzzlement appearing on his face.

For some reason, the mana he gained today from visualizing the Tai Shang Perception Scripture was somewhat greater than before.

Normally, after one visualization session, the mana within his body would increase by only a single thread.

But this time, it had increased by three threads.

"Could it be because of the change in environment?"

Chen Shaojun thought of the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Lands spoken of in ancient legends.

This Appraisal Hall naturally could not be called a Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land, but its feng shui was presumably better than that of the pawnshop, and the spiritual energy drifting through heaven and earth was also more abundant.