Spell-Deflecting Ring

"The killing intent shrouded the top, and it was only on the surface.

Beneath the killing intent, there was another layer of membrane.

Perhaps only by breaking through this membrane could the treasure reveal its true face?"

Chen Shaojun blinked, then suddenly realized.

He had hit the jackpot.

He had appraised a treasure overflowing with killing intent, enough to cloud the heavens overhead.

Give such a treasure to an ordinary appraiser apprentice, and no matter who it was, one appraisal meant one death.

The appraiser apprentice in Room Seventy-Three earlier had likely hit the jackpot too. He had appraised a treasure steeped in such dense killing intent and was struck by it, dying on the spot.

Not to mention that beneath the treasure lay a layer of transparent substance, making it even more unsettling.

"What exactly is that transparent substance?

It doesn't look like killing intent. It seems more like some kind of barrier.

A barrier? A restriction?

Could this thumb ring be a treasure belonging to a Daoist cultivator?"

Chen Shaojun speculated, but he hesitated somewhat.

It was not easy to make a move.

He estimated that this treasure was anything but ordinary.

He did not know who had assigned it here, or whether some lucky fellow had picked it up for a bargain price. Otherwise, it should not have been placed in a C-grade room.

Still, however uneasy he felt, he had to appraise it.

At this point, relying solely on the Spirit Eye Technique was no longer enough to judge the danger within.

Thus, following the rules of appraisers, Chen Shaojun lit another candle and set three incense sticks alight.

He calmed his breath and focused his mind, waiting silently.

At the same time, he quietly contemplated the Tai Shang Perception Scripture, recovering the Arcane Power he had expended during his earlier appraisals.

The time it took for one incense stick to burn passed.

Chen Shaojun opened his eyes.

The candle had burned down completely, and Chen Shaojun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At least this proved that the danger within did not involve ghosts or gods.

Because if ghosts or gods were causing trouble, the candle would have been blown out.

A person had three flames, and one candle was lit in the room. If the other side wanted to blow something out, it would certainly blow out the easiest one first.

But when he looked at the three incense sticks, his heart tightened.

All three had gone out halfway through, forming a pattern of one short and two long.

One short, two long.

"One short and two long—according to traditional belief, that is Ill-Omen Incense, indicating that something bad will happen."

Chen Shaojun recalled the information recorded in the Appraiser's Notes, in the section on interpreting incense-burning omens.

Yet what it said still seemed rather vague.

What exactly was this bad thing?

Killing intent exceeding a hundred strands, clouding the heavens overhead—there was certainly nothing good about that.

"Fine. In the end, I still had to shoulder everything alone..."

Chen Shaojun considered finding a temple someday to ask what it all meant when incense burned incompletely.

Temples and Daoist monasteries, which dealt with incense all the time, surely had some understanding of such matters.

As for now—

Of course, he would try first.

This Ill-Omen Incense was not Soul-Severing Incense, Soul-Locking Incense, or Life-Ending Incense. It should not be enough to endanger his life.

Besides, he still had the Baleful Severing Ruler in hand.

Touching the Baleful Severing Ruler at his waist, Chen Shaojun secretly let out a breath.

If things truly went wrong, he could strike with the Baleful Severing Ruler and interrupt the appraisal, ensuring his own safety.

He calmed his breath and focused his mind.

As Arcane Power surged rapidly through his body, he unleashed the Divine Gaze Technique.

The Divine Gaze Technique at minor mastery was already quite formidable.

Chen Shaojun's Arcane Power transformed into spiritual force, like a roaring river, swiftly pouring into the black thumb ring.

Boom!

The scarlet killing intent soaring into the sky was like a mighty general whose dignity had been violated, unleashing a furious roar. Strands of killing intent shot toward Chen Shaojun at once like sharp swords piercing the heavens.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

This was a contest between killing intent and spiritual force.

The two wore each other down, locked in a fight to the death.

The Arcane Power within Chen Shaojun's body was steadily depleted, while the killing intent also rapidly dissipated, gradually thinning.

When he saw that only a few strands of killing intent remained, Chen Shaojun immediately reached for his waist and flung out the Baleful Severing Ruler.

Smack!

The killing intent was cut off.

It was struck back into the thumb ring.

Chen Shaojun also took the opportunity to stop appraising the treasure.

The reason he interrupted the appraisal was not because his Arcane Power was insufficient.

In fact, though he did not have much Arcane Power left, it should have been enough to wear away all the killing intent. Not to mention that he could still rely on his spiritual force to hold on. Even another hundred or so strands of killing intent should not have posed much of a problem.

But that layer of membrane continued to leave him deeply uneasy.

For the sake of caution, he decisively halted the appraisal, intending to first restore his spiritual force and Arcane Power.

He glanced at the porcelain bottle on the table. Inside were Energy Pills sent over by the Appraisal Hall early that morning.

Yet Chen Shaojun did not even consider them. He directly took out the Spirit-Nurturing Pill he had received as an appraisal reward.

Appraisal rewards were always the finest goods.

Besides, this Spirit-Nurturing Pill was countless times better than those Energy Pills.

He swallowed it in one gulp.

The Spirit-Nurturing Pill melted upon entering his mouth. Its surging medicinal power instantly circulated through his body, continuously restoring his spiritual force, replenishing his Arcane Power, and nourishing his soul.

In the blink of an eye, he felt his spirit brimming over, his eyes bright and gleaming.

The Arcane Power within him also quickly became full and abundant.

"Everything is ready. I can continue appraising the treasure."

Chen Shaojun used the Divine Gaze Technique once more.

Surging spiritual force burst forth like a world-shaking tsunami.

Poof!

Almost the instant it touched the black thumb ring, the remaining wisps of killing intent turned to ash.

However, the moment his spiritual force struck that layer of membrane, his mind shuddered as though it had collided with an unyielding wall. Even his consciousness trembled, and he felt dizzy and disoriented.

Looking closely, he saw that the membrane also shook violently at that instant, sending ripples spreading across its surface.

"So sturdy?"

Chen Shaojun was surprised and was about to launch another assault.

The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror suddenly appeared, and immediately afterward, the image of the black thumb ring emerged upon it.

"What is going on?

The appraisal is complete?"

Chen Shaojun stared in astonishment.

Then he immersed himself in the images within his mind.

"This black thumb ring is actually a magical artifact.

It seemed to be called the Spell-Deflecting Ring, forged by an artificer named Kong Lin.

That membrane was not formed from gathered killing intent. It was a defensive barrier naturally created by the rune structure inscribed within the artifact itself, capable of resisting, to a certain extent, the spell attacks of Daoist cultivators?"

Chen Shaojun was slightly surprised. This was the first time he had appraised a treasure that naturally possessed a defensive membrane.

The Spell-Deflecting Ring had passed through three owners.

One of them seemed to have been a cultivation genius. Before he even had the chance to make use of this magical artifact, he no longer needed it, so he bestowed it upon one of his junior disciples.

That junior disciple used it quite often, but the artifact's effect was merely so-so. It could block ordinary spells but could not withstand stronger attacks. After using it for a while, the junior disciple grew dissatisfied with it, brought it home, and bestowed it upon a younger member of his Lineage.

That younger member was weak. Because one of his elders cultivated in a great sect, he inevitably became somewhat arrogant. On one trip outside, he provoked a middle-aged man. Before he could even make use of the ring, he was killed.

Afraid of inviting trouble, the middle-aged man set up this magical artifact for sale at this Treasure Fair. In the end, it was spotted and purchased by a scholar-looking man, who sent it into the Appraisal Hall.