"Lower Mortal Grade."
Chen Shaojun was not surprised.
The amount of Killing Intent did not represent a treasure's value, but to a great extent, it was related to the grade displayed on the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.
The denser the Killing Intent, the higher the grade on the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.
At least, that was what he had discovered so far.
At the same time, the appraisal reward fell into his hands.
A grayish-white spiritual pill.
A Spirit-Communing Pill.
It was slightly smaller than an Essence-Nourishing Pill, yet rounder. Its effect was also different from that of an Essence-Nourishing Pill.
This was a spiritual pill that allowed one to commune with spirits for a short time, attain enlightenment, and comprehend true meaning.
"Commune with spirits?
Attain enlightenment and comprehend true meaning?
What exactly does that mean?"
Chen Shaojun was somewhat puzzled.
Even though the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror had already transmitted this spiritual pill's effects into his mind, mere words still made it difficult to understand its actual use.
"Why think so much? Wouldn't I understand after taking it?"
After pondering briefly, Chen Shaojun soon laughed at himself.
At least he knew that this spiritual pill placed no requirements on its user. Even an ordinary person could take it.
Pinching the Spirit-Communing Pill, he swallowed it in one gulp.
The pill melted the instant it entered his mouth. Before it even reached his throat, a cool sensation rose directly into his mind.
Buzz!
In an instant.
He felt his thoughts and senses enter an extremely peculiar state. Everything he thought of moved with astonishing speed; with a single turn of thought, countless changes emerged, and the moment a question arose, it was instantly resolved.
"This state..."
Chen Shaojun was inwardly shocked, vividly sensing its miraculous nature.
Then, as though divine inspiration had descended upon him, he turned his thoughts toward the Divine Gaze Technique.
At once, every subtle change, question, and conjecture concerning the Divine Gaze Technique... all surfaced, then swiftly received answers.
It was as if, within that brief span of time, he had undergone countless bitter years of cultivation. His understanding and cultivation of the Divine Gaze Technique reached an astonishing level.
This knowledge and mastery had not appeared out of thin air.
In truth, every detail and variation involved in cultivating the Divine Gaze Technique was crystal clear to him.
He had merely used the power of the Spirit-Communing Pill to accelerate the process of cultivation.
The Spirit-Communing Pill had effectively spared him the time of painstaking step-by-step cultivation.
After quite a while.
The cool sensation faded, and he returned to his senses from that peculiar state.
Then.
He felt a sense of loss.
That feeling had been far too wondrous.
He finally understood what attaining enlightenment and comprehending true meaning truly meant.
"This is basically an Experience Pill.
It can directly raise my Divine Gaze Technique's cultivation level."
Chen Shaojun was utterly amazed.
If his prior mastery of the Divine Gaze Technique had only barely counted as entry-level, then now, he had at least raised this method to the proficient level.
In this world, the realms for martial arts or spells were generally divided into five levels: entry, proficient, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and perfection.
The proficient level was already not low.
One could fully unleash the effects of the method.
The most direct manifestation was faster casting speed and stronger condensed spiritual power.
For instance, when Chen Shaojun had previously prepared to use the Divine Gaze Technique, it had taken him at least five breaths, and the spiritual intensity it produced had not been very high.
Now, not only had the casting time been reduced to three breaths, but the spiritual intensity it produced was more than twice as strong as before.
"If my Divine Gaze Technique had reached the proficient level when I appraised the Literary Fan before, perhaps it would not have been so difficult."
After silently comparing the two, Chen Shaojun could not help but sigh.
"Let's continue.
There are still two more.
If the rewards for appraising these two treasures are still Spirit-Communing Pills, perhaps I can raise my Divine Gaze Technique to the minor accomplishment level."
Chen Shaojun's eyes lit up, and his motivation surged.
A Divine Gaze Technique at minor accomplishment was enough for him to apply to become a Certified Appraiser at the Lin Clan Pawnshop.
From then on, his status and position would undergo earthshaking changes.
After careful consideration, he might not reveal this too early.
But one must not forget that pawnshop appraisers had treasures needing appraisal nearly every day, and every treasure contained more or less yin ghost Killing Intent.
Some Killing Intent was exceedingly powerful. Under its impact, it could nearly claim a person's life in an instant.
And the Divine Gaze Technique was the only means of self-preservation available to Appraiser Apprentices.
Naturally, the higher one's cultivation level, the stronger one's ability to preserve one's life.
Very soon, the second piece of "raw material" fell into his hands.
Without hesitation, the Divine Gaze Technique was smoothly cast.
Three breaths later.
The appraisal was complete.
The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror appeared, Origin-Tracking Search began, and the grade was determined.
Then came the third item.
After the same process.
Chen Shaojun had two rewards in his hands.
Both rewards this time were spiritual pills as well.
One was a Spirit-Communing Pill—the Experience Pill.
The other was a Blood-Qi Pill.
A Blood-Qi Pill.
It strengthened qi and blood and bolstered the physique.
Though it could not compare to an Essence-Nourishing Pill, which could cleanse the marrow and wash the sinews, it was likewise an exceptionally rare good thing for Chen Shaojun.
After all, the body was the foundation of everything.
If he wished to learn martial arts, a strong physique would undoubtedly give him far greater advantages than those who were frail and weak, with depleted qi and blood.
Chen Shaojun had no intention of keeping either spiritual pill.
There were not many places in the pawnshop where he could hide spiritual pills.
The large shared sleeping quarters where he lived were even more crowded and full of prying eyes.
Moreover, he was currently still weak. Naturally, he needed to turn every resource into capital for strengthening himself.
Thus, he first took out the Spirit-Communing Pill.
He swallowed it in one gulp.
Information concerning the Divine Gaze Technique swiftly flowed through his mind. In a short time, his cultivation and understanding of this method improved enormously.
Only after quite a while did he return to his senses with a wistful expression.
A trace of regret appeared on his face.
This time, consuming the Experience Pill had not directly raised his Divine Gaze Technique to the minor accomplishment realm.
He estimated that he would need at least two more Spirit-Communing Pills before he could comprehend and cultivate his Divine Gaze Technique to minor accomplishment.
"But this is enough.
A proficient Divine Gaze Technique should be unique among all the Appraiser Apprentices in the pawnshop, right?"
Chen Shaojun could not be certain. He had not deliberately asked around before.
He had vaguely heard that Zhang Wang, who had been invaded by Killing Intent, had actually cultivated the Divine Gaze Technique to the proficient level long ago.
But had Zhang Wang not already been injured and carried away?
Then calling himself unique would not exactly be wrong.
After digesting the Spirit-Communing Pill's effects, Chen Shaojun soon turned his gaze to the Blood-Qi Pill.
The Blood-Qi Pill was likewise oval, but its surface bore a layer of blood-red threads.
It was said to be refined from the blood essence of exotic beasts, combined with certain special ingredients.
Chen Shaojun curiously examined it for a moment, guessing what exotic beast's blood essence had been used to refine it, yet his hand swiftly tossed it into his mouth.
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