Black Thumb Ring

The sound had come from the appraisal room next to Chen Shaojun's, Room C-58.

Chen Shaojun remembered him. He knew the man was a young fellow who looked to be in his twenties, though he estimated that the man's actual age was somewhat younger.

As appraisers, they cleansed Killing Intent and appraised treasures every day, a task that damaged the body and exhausted the mind. They generally looked older than they were. It was perfectly normal for teenagers to look twenty or thirty.

Within Treasure Hall, Chen Shaojun had even seen an Appraiser Apprentice with a head of white hair and two rings of wrinkles on his forehead. When he asked around, good heavens—the fellow was only eighteen.

The young man next door was skinny and withered-looking, with an ordinary face. Apart from his somewhat large eyes, there was nothing conspicuous about him.

Chen Shaojun had not expected that, having only just begun appraising his first treasure at the Treasure Fair, the man would break through directly, raising his Divine Gaze Technique from the proficient level to minor accomplishment and truly advancing into a Certified Appraiser.

"I was still wondering whether I should hold off for another two days..."

Chen Shaojun muttered. Unable to resist, he walked out and immediately saw the young man next door cheering excitedly, while the surrounding Appraiser Apprentices emerged to watch in curiosity.

"That's Wen Zhenchuan from Abundant Treasure Abode. If I remember correctly, this should be his fourth Treasure Fair. Actually, during his third one, he had already cultivated the Divine Gaze Technique to the peak of the proficient level.

"Sadly, he had never managed to break through. He'd truly been stuck there for an entire year.

"Who would have thought that he'd break through right at the beginning of this Treasure Fair and become a Certified Appraiser?

"His status and standing are now worlds apart.

"I reckon we'll have to call him Master Wen when we see him from now on."

Yan Dingchen came over and spoke with a face full of envy.

"This should count as a breakthrough born from long accumulation. With a year's worth of buildup, and the tension and excitement of this once-a-year Treasure Fair, it's perfectly normal that he broke through.

"I just wonder when I'll be able to break through as well and become a Certified Appraiser."

Ayong also spoke up, his face full of emotion.

Before long, Manager Sun from the Appraisal Hall came over. After verifying the matter, he confirmed that Wen Zhenchuan possessed the abilities of a Certified Appraiser. He immediately upgraded Wen Zhenchuan's compensation and perks, and his room was moved to the B-class rooms as well.

The other Appraiser Apprentices discussed the matter animatedly, then gradually returned to their respective appraisal rooms.

Yet every one of them had been deeply stirred. Secretly gritting their teeth, they too wanted to become Certified Appraisers as quickly as Wen Zhenchuan had.

In truth, among the three hundred-odd Appraiser Apprentices in the C-class rooms, there were quite a few like Wen Zhenchuan who had attended the Treasure Fair three or four times. A few had even attended five or six times and had reached the limit of the proficient level in the Divine Gaze Technique years ago.

Unfortunately, minor accomplishment was a hurdle. One either had to build up strength over time and break through by patient grinding, or, like Wen Zhenchuan, suddenly attain enlightenment—once one understood, one broke through.

Of course, the various auspicious treasures at the Treasure Fair were another possible path.

But that truly depended on luck alone.

When luck arrived, Auspicious Aura would nourish them and Origin Spirit Aura would irrigate them... allowing them to advance by leaps and bounds.

But if luck did not come, and they encountered a treasure with Killing Intent covering their heads and yin ghosts entrenched within, then...

"Ah..."

A miserable scream rang out.

Everyone's expression changed.

Very soon, someone announced, "Appraiser Apprentice in Room C-73, Killing Intent entered his body. Dead!"

Hiss!

The many apprentices, whose hearts had been burning with fervor, were like people doused with a basin of cold water in winter. They sucked in sharp breaths.

How long had it been?

Someone beside them had already died?

Chen Shaojun frowned as he listened, and he too sighed inwardly.

Some rose to heaven along with their chickens and dogs, while others descended into hell. Appraising treasures as an appraiser was indeed an occupation filled with the unknown—and even more filled with danger.

Once one decided to remain in this line of work, one ought to be prepared for it.

Many people might have entered it out of helplessness, but there were also some who had long since found their place and regarded it as a stepping stone for advancement.

For someone from a poor family who lacked education and could not practice martial arts, it was far too difficult to become a person above others.

The death rate among pawnshop appraisers was high, but once one became a Certified Appraiser, the prestige of that status truly made countless people envious.

Of course, Chen Shaojun had only one reason, and one reason alone, for persisting in this profession.

That was the appraisal rewards from the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.

He flipped the sign outside his door to notify the people in the Appraisal Hall to come collect the appraised treasure. By chance, he saw two guards carrying a stiff corpse out of Room C-73 on a bamboo stretcher.

Killing Intent had entered that corpse's body. Its face had already turned blackish purple, and its eyes were wide open, as though it had seen something incomparably terrifying. A faint chill radiated from its body, leaving even the two guards looking tense.

Before long, an attendant came in, took away the treasure he had finished appraising, and delivered the second item.

For the following appraisals, Chen Shaojun decided to skip the steps of lighting candles and burning incense, instead directly using the Spirit Eye Technique to inspect them.

Though it consumed a certain amount of mana, it could save time.

With a sweep of the Spirit Eye Technique, the density of Killing Intent within the treasure became clear at a glance.

Fifteen wisps of Killing Intent.

He unleashed the Divine Gaze Technique, and the Killing Intent was instantly cleansed away completely.

Now, appraising treasures with such low amounts of Killing Intent was truly incredibly fast for him.

The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror assessed its grade and rank.

Mortal Grade, Upper Rank.

A reward appeared: a Spirit-Nurturing Pill.

"Not bad. At the very least, it's countless times better than the Energy Pills given by the Appraisal Hall."

Chen Shaojun had taken Spirit-Nurturing Pills before and knew the effects of this spiritual elixir.

It restored energy and nourished the spirit.

One pill could not only directly replenish his completely exhausted spiritual power, but also nourish his spirit and improve it beyond its original foundation.

Though the effect would weaken if he took too many, the first pill had increased it by thirty percent, while the second had increased it by more than fifteen percent. By the time they stopped working altogether, they should at least be able to double his spiritual power from its original level.

"Continue!"

Chen Shaojun flipped the sign outside his door again.

There were quite a few attendants throughout the Appraisal Hall. As time passed, more and more people at the Treasure Fair entrusted the treasures they had purchased to the Appraisal Hall for the appraisers to inspect.

Thus, not long after Chen Shaojun flipped the sign, someone came to collect the treasure and deliver another item for appraisal.

This time, it was a thumb ring.

The black thumb ring seemed to be made of metal, yet its weight was wrong. It was extremely light, floating in his hand as though weightless.

After examining it carefully, Chen Shaojun could not make anything out. He did not dwell on it and activated the Spirit Eye Technique.

Surging Killing Intent nearly blinded him.

It took him quite a while to recover.

Then he looked again. After adapting slightly, he discovered something different.

While crimson Killing Intent coiled within it, beneath that Killing Intent was also a layer of transparent substance that completely enveloped the black thumb ring.