Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “I Feel Like I’m Being Persecuted”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun reflects on the mysterious red-clad warriors, the Three-Corpse Daoist, and Xu Hongtao, sensing that they are connected to something significant. However, since the matter does not currently affect him, he decides not to investigate further.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror appraises seven Corpse-Sealing Nails. Because the nails can function individually or as a complete set, Chen receives two possible appraisal grades:
  • Seven Lower Dharma Grade artifacts
  • One combined Superior Dharma Grade artifact
• He chooses the superior combined appraisal, receiving the Lunar Corpse-Refining Method as his reward.
• The method is a comprehensive guide to corpse refinement, covering corpse selection, corpse-raising locations, timing, materials, arrays, and refinement techniques. Chen is astonished by the complexity of the practice and by how easily the Mirror transmits knowledge compared with ordinary master-disciple inheritance.
• Chen complains that the Mirror’s rewards repeatedly lean toward “Outer Dao” or demonic practices rather than righteous, openly usable cultivation techniques.
• He examines several biographical martial-world books, learning about famous figures such as Guo Zhen, Lü Buzhen, and Xu Changsheng.
• He discovers two important booklets:
  • Three-Unities Qigong, an internal cultivation manual he cannot safely understand or practice without guidance.
  • Golden Needle Acupoint-Stimulation Method, a technique that temporarily unlocks a martial artist’s potential through acupuncture, though with dangerous physical aftereffects.
• Chen counts his practical gains: 1,800 taels of silver. He plans to use the money to buy ingredients for the Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pill, hoping to establish a profitable alchemy business.
• After organizing his possessions, he goes to bed, intending to begin gathering the pill ingredients in the coming days.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun becomes more cautious and pragmatic. He refuses to pursue mysteries that do not immediately concern him and avoids practicing unfamiliar cultivation techniques recklessly.
• He shows growing trust in the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, believing its directly transmitted rewards are safer and more reliable than incomplete manuals.
• His ambition also becomes clearer: rather than merely increasing his strength, he wants to use alchemy—especially the Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pill—to build wealth and secure his future.
• Chen remains humorous and self-aware, joking that the Mirror seems determined to turn him into a demonic or heretical cultivator.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge and inheritance: The chapter emphasizes how dangerous and difficult cultivation is without proper instruction. Written manuals may be insufficient, while direct transmission provides clarity and safety.
• The tension between righteous and demonic paths: Chen is uneasy that his rewards involve corpse refinement and other “Outer Dao” techniques, despite wanting respectable, orthodox abilities.
• Pragmatism over curiosity: Chen deliberately avoids being drawn into unrelated conspiracies and prioritizes matters that directly affect his life.
• Power versus cost: Both corpse refinement and golden-needle stimulation offer powerful results but carry moral, physical, or practical dangers.
• Wealth and self-reliance: Chen begins viewing alchemy as a means of financial independence and long-term advancement.

Character Interactions

• There are no direct on-page interactions with other characters in this chapter. Chen’s thoughts reference the mysterious Three-Corpse Daoist, Xu Hongtao, and the red-clad warriors, but their roles remain unexplained.
• His main “interaction” is with the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, whose appraisal and rewards shape his choices and provoke both admiration and suspicion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a night cultivating the Tai Shang Perception Scripture, Chen Shaojun recovers fully from the previous day’s exertions.
• He extends his stay at the inn and travels to Three-River Street, where the Treasure Fair has made the area especially crowded.
• After breakfast, he heads to the Appraisal Hall to continue his work as a pawnshop appraiser and earn appraisal rewards.
• On the street, he witnesses an argument between an old shepherd and a fish seller. The shepherd’s flock of sheep behaves strangely, and the man’s whip technique appears far too precise and ruthless for an ordinary herder.
• Suspicious, Chen Shaojun activates his Spirit Eye Technique and discovers that the “sheep” are actually four men and four women, transformed and forced to crawl on all fours.
• He identifies the spell as the Livestock Transformation Technique, an evil art used by the notorious Abduction Sect to abduct people and sell them as livestock or even send them to restaurants for slaughter.
• The revelation reminds Chen Shaojun of a childhood friend who disappeared after an Abduction Sect member passed through his village.
• Determined to save the victims and expose the shepherd, Chen Shaojun observes that the man is physically weak despite knowing the transformation spell.
• He recalls that the technique is an illusion that can be dispelled by water or scattered by thunder.
• As the shepherd prepares to leave, Chen Shaojun notices the water-filled buckets at the fish stall and begins considering how to use them to break the spell.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates increased vigilance and moral resolve. Although he does not claim to be virtuous, his hatred of the Abduction Sect and his personal history compel him to intervene.
• His cultivation and supernatural abilities continue to develop, particularly his use of the Spirit Eye Technique to perceive through illusions.
• The old shepherd is revealed to be a cruel criminal hiding behind an ordinary identity. His command of the whip and use of forbidden magic expose him as a dangerous member of the Abduction Sect.
• The transformed victims remain conscious and desperate, but can communicate only through animal sounds.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: The harmless-looking flock is actually a group of abducted human beings.
• The dehumanization of victims: The Livestock Transformation Technique literally reduces people to the status of animals, reflecting the Abduction Sect’s disregard for human life.
• Justice and moral boundaries: Chen Shaojun believes that certain crimes are so vile that their perpetrators deserve immediate and severe punishment.
• Courage to intervene: Rather than ignore the strange scene, Chen investigates and prepares to risk confrontation to rescue strangers.
• Hidden dangers in crowded society: The bustling Treasure Fair provides cover for criminals and evil practitioners to operate openly.

Character Interactions

• The restaurant steward attempts to buy the shepherd’s sheep, but the shepherd angrily refuses.
• The shepherd’s whip strikes one of the sheep after it approaches the fish stall, provoking the fish seller.
• The fish seller and shepherd nearly quarrel, but the restaurant steward mediates and prevents the dispute from escalating.
• Chen Shaojun observes the argument from the side, quietly investigates the shepherd, and discovers the truth without revealing his suspicions.
• The chapter ends with Chen focusing on the fish seller’s water buckets, likely intending to use them to restore the transformed victims.

Chapter Summary: “Shopkeeper Liu’s Visit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun exposes an old man from the Abduction Sect who has disguised abducted people as sheep. He launches two copper coins to smash a fish vendor’s bucket, causing water to splash over the sheep and dispel the transformation spell.
• The crowd realizes the “sheep” are actually kidnapped people. They splash the remaining animals with water, exposing all eight victims, while the abductor flees toward the river.
• Two skilled youths in brocade pursue and capture the old man before Chen needs to intervene. Constables arrive and arrest him, while the rescued victims are placed under official protection.
• Chen returns to Appraisal Hall, where he finds Shopkeeper Liu, Xu Hongtao, and Appraiser Zhang Gao waiting for him.
• Shopkeeper Liu asks how Chen became a formal appraiser. Chen gives his prepared explanation: while appraising a treasure, he achieved Minor Success in the Divine Gaze Technique.
• Liu promises to report Chen’s promotion and arrange improved compensation, lodging, and a private appraisal room.
• Chen asks about the Lin Family’s promise to remove his slave status. Liu confirms that this is possible but requires approval from higher-ranking members of the Lin Family. He also warns Chen that, even after gaining freedom, Chen will remain bound to the pawnshop and cannot casually change employers.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates both growing power and restraint. He acts decisively to rescue the abducted victims but avoids taking public credit once others capture the abductor.
• His caution becomes clearer: he recognizes the Abduction Sect’s extensive influence and chooses not to expose himself unnecessarily.
• Chen’s promotion to formal appraiser marks an important rise in status. He is now entitled to better treatment and may soon be freed from slavery.
• Shopkeeper Liu is delighted by Chen’s advancement because it strengthens the Lin Family Pawnshop’s reputation and Liu’s own position within the family.
• Zhang Gao appears uneasy and envious, recognizing that Chen advanced to formal appraiser far faster than he did.
• Xu Hongtao congratulates Chen warmly, though Chen deliberately maintains some distance from him because of his suspected connection to a red-clothed martial artist.
• The captured old man is revealed as a member of the powerful Abduction Sect, making Chen’s caution and strategic retreat understandable.

Significant Themes

• Hidden evil and exposure: Water strips away the magical disguises, symbolizing how deception can be destroyed through timely action.
• Power versus discretion: Chen has enough ability to intervene but understands that openly confronting a major sect could be dangerous.
• Freedom and status: Chen’s desire to remove his slave status reflects his growing independence and unwillingness to remain socially powerless.
• Political and economic influence: The chapter emphasizes that sects, noble families, and businesses are linked through extensive networks of power.
• Strategic loyalty: Chen remains with the Lin Family Pawnshop not out of devotion alone, but because it provides access to valuable treasures and appraisal opportunities.

Character Interactions

• Chen indirectly collaborates with the fish vendor and the surrounding crowd to reveal the transformed victims.
• The crowd and constables respond to the exposed kidnapping, while two martial youths take responsibility for capturing the fleeing abductor.
• Liu questions Chen about his advancement, praises him, and offers improved treatment while also reminding him of his obligations.
• Xu Hongtao congratulates Chen, but Chen responds politely without encouraging greater familiarity.
• Chen and Liu discuss the conditions surrounding Chen’s possible emancipation, balancing Liu’s promises with an implicit warning about continued service to the Lin Family.

Summary: “On Going Premium”

This chapter is an author’s note announcing the book’s launch as a paid/premium work on May 21 at noon. The author explains that writing it was unusually difficult because its style differed from their usual approach. An earlier manuscript was rejected by editor Xiao Da, whose feedback and guidance led to a major realization and the creation of the current book. The author believes the new book is performing better than the rejected version, crediting both Xiao Da’s editorial judgment and strong new-book recommendations.
The author then outlines the update schedule: at least three chapters of 3,000 words each per day, with additional chapters tied to reader support. Tips from Hall Master–rank supporters onward will earn one extra chapter each, while reaching 1,000 monthly votes before the end of the month will also trigger bonus chapters. The author reflects regretfully on receiving no later donations for a previous completed book, despite its strong average subscription count, and presents this as a lesson motivating the new incentive system.
Subscriptions, especially first-day subscriptions, are emphasized as the most important factor in determining the book’s future. With 35,000 bookmarks, the author sets 2,500 subscriptions as a baseline and promises one extra chapter for every additional 500 subscriptions. The chapter closes with repeated appeals for readers to subscribe and support the book, along with gratitude to the audience.

Character and Interaction Focus

• The author: Shows vulnerability, pressure, gratitude, and renewed motivation. They acknowledge past shortcomings, particularly slacking off on the previous book, and use that experience to encourage consistent reader support.
• Xiao Da: Acts as a discerning editor and mentor. Their rejection of the earlier manuscript and subsequent guidance directly shape the current book.
• Readers: Are addressed as active participants whose subscriptions, tips, and votes influence the book’s success and update bonuses.

Significant Themes

• The difficulty of adapting to a new writing style
• The importance of editorial guidance and creative breakthroughs
• Commercial pressures surrounding serialized fiction
• Reader participation and financial support
• Learning from past failures and using them as motivation
• Gratitude between author, editor, and audience

Chapter Summary: “True Auspicious Omen Appears”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shopkeeper Liu instructs Chen Shaojun to focus on appraising treasures in the Appraisal Hall and to seek help if necessary.
• Xu Hongtao gives Chen an unsettling look before leaving, making Chen suspect that Xu may be plotting against him.
• Third Attendant Zhang Gao congratulates Chen on becoming a full Attendant and apologizes for his previous behavior. He hints at profitable dealings beyond ordinary pawnshop appraisals.
• Chen responds politely but secretly remembers that Zhang Gao once used him as a substitute to bear the effects of Baleful Intent. Though Zhang’s actions ultimately helped save his life, Chen still considers repaying him if the opportunity arises.
• Chen receives a small six-tiered golden pagoda for appraisal. It contains six intricately carved Buddha statues and possesses more than a hundred units of Killing Intent.
• Using the Divine Gaze Technique, Chen completely removes the Killing Intent. The pagoda releases Buddhist radiance, purifying his mind and greatly strengthening his spiritual power.
• Chen discovers that his spiritual power can now extend seven feet and physically move objects at that distance, indicating that his Divine Gaze Technique has advanced significantly toward Major Mastery.
• He realizes that, unlike his earlier false claim, he has now genuinely received an auspicious omen.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror reveals the pagoda’s history: it came from Great Buddha Temple on Great Buddha Mountain, a powerful Buddhist institution destroyed roughly three hundred years earlier during the Buddhist Suppression War.
• The pagoda is identified as a Low-Grade Treasure Rank artifact called the Six-Buddha Golden Pagoda. It can stabilize homes, dispel Baleful Intent, protect peace, and shine with Buddhist light when near someone possessing a Buddhist Root.
• Chen recognizes that the pagoda can effectively detect cultivation aptitude, making it highly valuable to Buddhist sects and other cultivation forces.
• The chapter ends as Chen waits to learn what reward he will receive for the appraisal.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun: Gains confidence after surviving the previous night’s battle and no longer feels as helpless or overly cautious as before. His spiritual power doubles after receiving the auspicious aura, and his Divine Gaze Technique advances considerably. He also becomes more aware of the value of his abilities and the potential significance of his own cultivation aptitude.
• Zhang Gao: Shifts from dismissing Chen to actively currying favor with him now that Chen has become a full Attendant. He hints at lucrative dealings, suggesting involvement in hidden or questionable business.
• Xu Hongtao: His mysterious, unreadable glance creates tension and foreshadows possible conflict or danger.
• Shopkeeper Liu: Treats Chen as a capable full Attendant and gives him greater responsibility, reflecting Chen’s rapid rise in status.

Significant Themes

• Rapid advancement and recognition: Chen’s promotion demonstrates his unusual talent and growing influence within the appraisal trade.
• Hidden motives and shifting relationships: Zhang Gao’s sudden friendliness and Xu Hongtao’s suspicious behavior show how people’s attitudes change when Chen’s status and power increase.
• Fortune and destiny: Chen’s accidental acquisition of a genuine auspicious omen contrasts humorously with his earlier false pretense of receiving one.
• The value of history: The golden pagoda carries the legacy of Great Buddha Temple, linking a small artifact to the rise and destruction of a major Buddhist power.
• Cultivation aptitude: The pagoda’s ability to reveal Buddhist Roots emphasizes the rarity and importance of innate talent in the cultivation world.
• Consequences of political involvement: Great Buddha Temple’s destruction illustrates the dangers faced by religious or cultivation organizations that interfere in imperial succession and court politics.

Character Interactions

• Shopkeeper Liu gives Chen instructions and acknowledges his ability to resolve appraisal-related problems.
• Xu Hongtao’s silent, unsettling observation creates an atmosphere of suspicion.
• Zhang Gao adopts a cordial tone, apologizes for past offenses, and offers Chen access to profitable opportunities.
• Chen maintains outward courtesy toward Zhang while privately remaining distrustful and remembering their hostile past.
• Chen’s interaction with the Six-Buddha Golden Pagoda becomes transformative: by removing its Killing Intent, he triggers its Buddhist aura and receives a major improvement in spiritual strength.

Chapter Summary

• Golden Bell Shield Acquired: After appraising the Six-Buddha Golden Pagoda, Chen Shaojun gains the Golden Bell Shield, a powerful Qi Sea Realm defensive martial art and the successor to his Ironcloth Body Shield. He recognizes that its eventual advancement, the Indestructible Vajra Technique, is one of Buddhism’s supreme defensive arts.
• Resisting Greed and Subduing the Heart-Ape: Although the pagoda is extremely valuable, Chen Shaojun suppresses his desire to keep it. He reflects that appraisers must handle treasures without claiming ownership of them, since greed can corrupt the heart and obstruct cultivation. He interprets this struggle as “subduing the heart-ape and mind-horse”—controlling restless thoughts and desires.
• Spiritual Breakthrough: By overcoming his greed, Chen Shaojun’s spiritual power expands to nine feet beyond his body, nearly reaching the one-zhang range associated with Greater Mastery of the Divine Gaze Technique. He realizes that emotional clarity and spiritual cultivation are closely connected.
• Advancing to Appraisal Master: Chen Shaojun consumes Spirit-Communing Pills to deepen his understanding of the Divine Gaze Technique. After two pills, he breaks through from Minor Mastery to Greater Mastery, becoming an appraisal master. This is a major achievement, as Shengjing City previously had only twenty-seven qualified appraisal masters.
• Choosing to Remain Hidden: Despite his breakthrough, Chen Shaojun decides not to report it to Steward Sun. Advancing twice in two days would draw dangerous attention from powerful martial artists and Daoist cultivators. He concludes that maintaining a low profile while quietly gathering rewards is the safest strategy.
• Second Treasure—Brush Holder: Chen Shaojun next appraises a brush holder containing roughly eighty strands of Killing Intent. His newly strengthened Divine Gaze Technique eliminates them instantly. The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror reveals that the item was once owned by scholars and a third-rank official, but otherwise contains little noteworthy history.
• Dragon-Drawing Finishing Touch: The brush holder is identified as a Mid-Grade Dharma Rank treasure, rewarding Chen Shaojun with the Dragon-Drawing Finishing Touch ability. He instantly masters extraordinary painting skills, especially the ability to make painted dragons appear lifelike. Though not directly combat-oriented, he values it as a means of cultivating character and temperament.
• Further Appraisals: Chen Shaojun continues appraising several higher-grade treasures, receiving various abilities, techniques, and spirit pills. His rewards include a full bottle of ten Blood-Qi Pills, reflecting the improved quality of treasures in his current appraisal room.

Character Development and Interactions

Chen Shaojun demonstrates growing self-control, discipline, and awareness of the dangers of greed. His interaction with the Six-Buddha Golden Pagoda becomes an internal moral struggle rather than a direct conflict with another character. His relationship with the appraisal profession also matures: he understands that remaining an unnoticed official appraiser is strategically wiser than revealing his rapid advancement. His only external interaction is indirect, involving attendants delivering and collecting treasures; his decision not to approach Steward Sun emphasizes his caution.

Major Themes

Self-mastery and spiritual purification

The danger of greed and attachment

The connection between character, spiritual will, and cultivation

Humility and concealment as survival strategies

Accumulating diverse skills as preparation for future growth

The contrast between worldly treasure and inner transformation

Chapter Summary: Empty-Handed Sleight, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a morning of treasure appraisal, the Appraisal Hall pauses at noon so appraisers can eat and recover their mental energy. News spreads that some appraisers have received auspicious blessings, while others have been overwhelmed by Killing Intent and carried out of the Pavilion.
• Yan Dingchen approaches Chen Shaojun and congratulates him on becoming a formal appraiser after receiving an auspicious blessing and reaching minor mastery in the Divine Gaze Technique.
• Yan warns Chen that the red-robed warriors—bandits connected to a series of treasure robberies—have begun recruiting appraisers at the Treasure Fair. They recently killed a formal appraiser who refused them and have already summoned an appraiser from Fortune-Gathering Pawnshop.
• Chen returns to Room 137 and decides not to worry excessively. He is confident in his ability to defend himself, though he remains wary of the corpse-raising cultivator known as the Three-Corpse Daoist.
• Chen appraises a white coral ornament and receives the technique Empty-Handed Sleight, an extraordinary form of sleight-of-hand capable of concealing and retrieving objects almost invisibly.
• Further appraisals grant him three performance skills:
  • Three Immortals Return to the Cave, a concealment and conjuring technique capable of hiding even a sword.
  • Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, an advanced vocal-mimicry skill that can imitate the calls of a hundred birds.
  • Pole-and-Bowl Balancing, an acrobatic technique requiring exceptional balance and control.
• Chen jokes that these skills could let him earn a living as a street performer if necessary.
• His next treasure is a heavily baleful heart-protecting mirror, apparently once part of a battle-worn general’s armor. Its dense Blood Baleful Qi affects the surrounding environment and threatens anyone who handles it.
• Using the Spirit Eye Technique, Chen witnesses visions of battle within the mirror’s crimson aura. He realizes that appraising the complete armor set would likely exceed his current abilities.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun becomes increasingly confident after reaching major mastery in the Divine Gaze Technique and becoming a formal appraiser. He remains modest about his success but recognizes that his skills give him the means to protect himself and survive outside the Appraisal Hall.
• His appraisal rewards broaden beyond combat-related abilities into deception, concealment, performance, and physical control. Though he considers the techniques potentially useful for earning money, he chooses not to rely on theft or dishonest methods.
• Chen also demonstrates growing discernment and caution. He takes the threat of the red-robed warriors seriously without panicking and correctly identifies the heart-protecting mirror as an exceptionally dangerous object.
• Yan Dingchen remains talkative and friendly, but his warning reveals that he has useful connections and information about the red-robed warriors’ activities. He is also approaching a breakthrough toward becoming a formal appraiser.

Significant Themes

• Danger and opportunity in appraisal: Appraisal can grant extraordinary blessings and abilities, but mistakes may result in crippling or death due to Killing Intent.
• Power hidden in ordinary objects: A simple coral ornament yields a useful technique, while a seemingly mundane mirror contains terrifying Blood Baleful Qi and memories of countless battles.
• Practical survival and adaptability: Chen’s new skills are not all martial abilities; concealment, performance, and balance may also help him survive, make money, or evade danger.
• Caution amid growing strength: Although Chen is becoming more powerful, he understands that certain threats—particularly the Three-Corpse Daoist and extremely baleful treasures—still surpass his current capabilities.
• The moral limits of ability: Chen acknowledges that Empty-Handed Sleight would make him an exceptional thief but refuses to use it for immoral purposes.

Character Interactions

• Yan Dingchen speaks with Chen in a warm, familiar manner, easing his initial hesitation and showing that Chen’s promotion has not damaged their relationship.
• Yan provides Chen with important intelligence about the red-robed warriors, including their coercive recruitment of appraisers and the death of one who resisted them.
• Chen responds modestly to Yan’s congratulations and thanks him for the warning, while privately assessing the danger and resolving to remain prepared.
• Chen’s interactions with the treasures are portrayed almost like confrontations: he carefully controls his response to the heart-protecting mirror, recognizes its battle history, and measures its power against his own limitations.

Chapter Summary: Appraising the Heart-Protecting Mirror

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun, now one of Shengjing City’s top appraisal masters, begins examining a Heart-Protecting Mirror from a powerful ancient armor set.
• Because the mirror contains overwhelming Killing Intent and Blood Baleful Qi, he follows a cautious appraisal ritual using candles and incense.
• The candle and incense extinguish at unusual intervals, signaling that the treasure contains more than ordinary residual killing intent.
• Chen Shaojun proceeds despite the danger, relying on the Baleful Severing Ruler and Tribulation-Crossing Talisman as safeguards.
• During the appraisal, a phantom of a black-armored warrior attacks him with a spear. Chen destroys it using his full spiritual will, then pauses the appraisal to recover.
• After replenishing his Arcane Power and mental strength, he resumes. Two more attacks emerge:
  • A white-armored young general attacks with a saber.
  • A powerful arrow shoots from the mirror.
• Chen defeats both manifestations and finally clears away all the mirror’s Killing Intent. The appraisal nearly exhausts him, making it the most difficult treasure he has ever examined.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror reveals the Heart-Protecting Mirror’s history:
  • It was forged from Dark Iron and precious materials.
  • It originally formed part of a complete pale-green armor set.
  • The armor was worn by a powerful general and passed through four generations of warriors.
  • After enduring countless battles, the armor shattered, leaving the Heart-Protecting Mirror damaged but intact.
• The three illusions correspond to the three strongest attacks that had scarred the mirror: a black-armored enemy’s spear, a white-armored general’s saber, and a foreign warrior’s arrow.
• Chen concludes that the original attackers were likely Innate-realm experts capable of manifesting and preserving martial will through their attacks.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror begins determining the item’s grade and rank as the chapter ends.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates exceptional appraisal ability, courage, and preparation. Although he recognizes that some treasures exceed his current limits, he is willing to take calculated risks.
• His cautious nature is evident in his use of ritual safeguards and his decision to halt the appraisal after the first phantom attack rather than recklessly continue.
• He also shows adaptability and sound judgment by restoring both his Arcane Power and spiritual strength before resuming.
• Witnessing the remnants of Innate experts’ martial will inspires Chen to pursue greater strength and reach the Innate realm himself.
• The experience reveals that, although he is among Shengjing’s best appraisers, he still has significant limitations compared with the world’s strongest cultivators.

Significant Themes

• The limits of knowledge and ability: Even a master appraiser must recognize that some treasures are beyond his current capacity.
• Courage balanced by caution: Chen succeeds not through recklessness, but by preparing protective measures, stopping when necessary, and recovering before continuing.
• The lasting imprint of violence: The mirror retains the killing intent and martial will of generations of battlefield combat, showing how objects can preserve the spiritual traces of their history.
• Legacy and inheritance: The armor passes from one generation of warriors to the next, embodying family continuity, duty, and accumulated battle experience.
• The pursuit of strength: Encountering the power of Innate experts deepens Chen’s ambition to advance his own cultivation.
• The danger of hidden secrets: The mirror initially appears to be a difficult but manageable treasure, yet conceals multiple lethal spiritual attacks.

Character Interactions

• Chen’s primary interaction is with the spiritual remnants embedded in the mirror:
  • The black-armored spear wielder launches the first surprise attack.
  • The white-armored general follows with a powerful saber strike.
  • The foreign warrior attacks with a deadly arrow.
• Chen counters each phantom through overwhelming spiritual will and disciplined use of his appraisal techniques.
• The historical visions also show the mirror’s relationship with generations of generals and warriors who wore and inherited the armor, as well as the formidable enemies who damaged it in battle.

Chapter Summary: Breakthrough to the Qi Sea Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun uses the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror to appraise the Purple-Blue Heartguard Mirror, identifying it as a High-Grade Treasure.
• The Heartguard Mirror is one component of the Purple-Blue Battle Armor. It can defend against powerful attacks and channel true qi, while the complete armor could increase combat strength by seventy percent. The mirror is damaged but repairable through the Thousand-Jun Hundred-Forging Method.
• As his appraisal reward, Chen Shaojun receives the Creation Heart Scripture, an internal cultivation technique.
• The technique allows a cultivator to absorb different kinds of energy and transform them into personal true qi. Its eventual strength depends on the quality of the energy absorbed.
• Chen Shaojun notices that only the Qi Sea portion of the scripture is available, leaving him uncertain whether the remaining sections are sealed, divided into future rewards, or inaccessible due to his current realm.
• Already at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, Chen Shaojun takes a Qi-Nourishing Pill to strengthen his blood and qi before attempting his breakthrough.
• He guides his inner strength through his meridians and successfully breaks open his Lower Dantian, forming his Dantian Qi Sea.
• His inner strength transforms into true qi, marking his successful advancement to the Qi Sea Realm.
• Afterward, his senses, spiritual power, and overall physical condition improve dramatically. He can hear distant sounds, detect numerous scents, and perceive the surrounding world with far greater clarity.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun progresses from the limits of the Body Tempering Realm to becoming a genuine Qi Sea Realm martial master.
• His success confirms the exceptional foundation created by his previous cultivation, especially the Single-Stroke Penetrating Fist and Tiger-Leopard Thunder Resonance, which left his body and meridians unusually strong and unobstructed.
• He becomes increasingly aware that the quality of future cultivation depends on the types of energy he absorbs, prompting him to seek rare and powerful sources of strength.
• His identity expands beyond that of a treasure appraiser and Dao cultivator: he is now effectively a dual cultivator of Dao and martial arts, possessing both Arcane Power and true qi.
• Although delighted by his breakthrough, he remains cautious and disciplined, stopping cultivation once his body is depleted rather than risking injury.

Character Interactions

• The chapter contains no major direct interactions between Chen Shaojun and other named characters.
• His main “interaction” is with the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, which evaluates the Heartguard Mirror and grants the Creation Heart Scripture.
• He also interacts with the treasure’s lingering Killing Intent, which makes the appraisal difficult, and with his own internal energy during the breakthrough.
• His awareness of nearby servants, appraisers, vendors, and other people increases after the breakthrough, though they do not directly participate in the events.

Significant Themes

• Progress through opportunity and preparation: Chen Shaojun’s breakthrough becomes possible because his earlier cultivation has prepared his body, while the appraisal reward provides the missing internal technique.
• The value and uncertainty of inheritance: The Creation Heart Scripture is powerful but incomplete, raising questions about how cultivation methods are transmitted and whether future portions must be earned.
• Quality determines strength: The scripture emphasizes that a martial artist’s eventual power depends on the quality of the energy they absorb, making future choices crucial.
• Transformation and expanded potential: The transition from inner strength to true qi represents a major evolution in both martial power and life potential.
• Limits of mortality: The contrast between the Qi Sea Realm’s roughly hundred-year lifespan and the Innate Realm’s potential lifespan of 150 years establishes a larger progression beyond the current breakthrough.
• Steady advancement through discipline: Despite his excitement, Chen Shaojun remains controlled, cultivating carefully and stopping before exhaustion causes harm.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun successfully breaks through to the Qi Sea Realm, becoming a recognized martial-arts expert. Although this rank could bring him official status and fame, he cares more about the increase in strength than reputation.
• He stabilizes his new realm and confirms that his newly formed true qi greatly enhances even ordinary martial techniques. He plans to begin practicing the Golden Bell Shield and Gale Saber Technique.
• After the day’s appraisals end, Chen decides to use his earnings to purchase ingredients for refining Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pills, intending to sell them for profit.
• He avoids Third Appraiser Zhang Gao and Xu Hongtao, suspecting that they are waiting to involve him with the red-clad martial artists. He leaves through a side gate instead of confronting them.
• While walking through the bustling Three-River Street, Chen uses his Empty-Handed Sleight to steal back a purse from a pickpocket and return it to its victim without either person noticing.
• Using a disguise and his knowledge of medicinal ingredients, Chen visits multiple herb shops, bargains successfully, and spends 1,100 taels to obtain nearly all the materials required for the pills.
• He stores the ingredients at an inn and heads to the temporary Lin Clan Pawnshop, hoping to buy the Bronze Cauldron he previously appraised, which he knows can serve as an alchemy furnace.
• Initially unable to find the cauldron, Chen asks Shopkeeper Liu about furnaces. Liu launches into his familiar sales pitch about supposedly blessed vessels from Fish River Temple.
• Chen recognizes the pitch as exaggerated nonsense, but while inspecting the displayed cauldrons, he discovers that the Bronze Cauldron is hidden inside a larger black cauldron.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun grows substantially stronger by entering the Qi Sea Realm and gains confidence in controlling true qi. He becomes more proactive in developing additional sources of income through pill refining.
• He remains cautious and calculating, deliberately avoiding Zhang Gao and Xu Hongtao because of their suspicious connections.
• His moral character is shown through his intervention against the pickpocket, though he recognizes that he cannot personally solve every crime around him.
• Chen also demonstrates growing resourcefulness: he uses disguises, bargaining skills, martial knowledge, and appraisal experience to pursue his goals while avoiding unnecessary attention.
• Shopkeeper Liu is portrayed as an enthusiastic and opportunistic salesman who repeatedly uses the legend of Fish River Temple to persuade customers to overpay.
• Zhang Gao and Xu Hongtao remain offscreen but continue to represent a potential threat through their association with the red-clad martial artists.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength versus fame: Chen’s breakthrough establishes that true power matters more to him than official rank, titles, or reputation.
• Practical ambition and entrepreneurship: He treats martial ability and alchemy as ways to create wealth and independence rather than merely pursuing traditional heroic fame.
• Caution and survival: Chen avoids dangerous associations and relies on disguises and indirect action to protect himself.
• Appearance versus reality: The pawnshop’s “blessed” cauldrons and Fish River Temple stories show how easily people can be deceived by impressive appearances and persuasive narratives.
• Helping within limits: Chen assists a victim when the opportunity arises but accepts that he cannot police the entire crowded marketplace.
• Fate and interconnected events: The Bronze Cauldron, his earlier appraisal, Hui Neng’s Alchemy Manual, and the Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pill recipe appear to be linked by a providential chain of events.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen avoids interacting with Zhang Gao and Xu Hongtao, despite realizing they are waiting for him.
• He briefly affects the scholar and the thief on Three-River Street by silently recovering and returning the stolen purse.
• At the pawnshop, Chen speaks with Shopkeeper Liu, who mistakes his disguised appearance for that of a wealthy or influential customer and attempts to sell him overpriced objects with an elaborate story.
• Chen internally exposes Liu’s sales pitch as a repeated village legend: Fish River Temple was once operated by a fish demon that was eventually destroyed by the Patrol Inspection Bureau.
• The chapter ends with Chen locating the Bronze Cauldron, potentially allowing him to begin refining the Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pills.

Chapter Summary: “Spirit-Sealing Stone”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun visits the pawnshop and shows no interest in the Bronze Cauldron at first, instead asking about a pair of large jade-green bronze incense burners.
• Shopkeeper Liu claims the incense burners were worshipped at Fish River Temple for over a century and asks an inflated price of five hundred taels each. Chen knows Liu originally acquired both for only seventy taels.
• Chen deliberately bargains over the incense burners and asks for the smaller Bronze Cauldron as a free addition. Liu exaggerates its value before agreeing to include it.
• Chen exposes Liu’s false claim about the incense burners, pointing out that Fish River Temple has been abandoned for more than a hundred years. He then offers two hundred taels specifically for the Bronze Cauldron.
• Liu realizes that the cauldron was Chen’s true target but accepts the deal because he can still make a substantial profit.
• Chen purchases the cauldron and various medicinal ingredients for a total of 1,300 taels. The cauldron is actually an intact Green-Copper Alchemy Cauldron from the cultivation world, capable of activating internal runes and improving pill-refining success.
• After returning to the inn, Chen prepares to refine the Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pill. Before he can begin, Lin Qi, the pawnshop’s ticket clerk, arrives at his door.
• Lin Qi respectfully calls him “Senior” and admits that he followed him. He explains that he recognized the cauldron as an alchemy furnace and detected the scent of medicinal ingredients.
• Lin Qi asks Chen to refine a Baleful Intent-Expelling Pill for him, offering a Spirit-Sealing Stone as payment.
• Chen has never heard of a Spirit-Sealing Stone. Lin Qi explains that it is a sealed object created by Daoist cultivators, which may contain anything from a magical artifact or cultivation technique to a dangerous or worthless object.
• Chen also realizes that Spirit-Sealing Stones are likely connected to the treasure-unsealing profession mentioned by Elder Nie.
• Lin Qi is disappointed when Chen appears unfamiliar with the stone and doubts that he is the alchemist Lin Qi hoped to find.
• Chen admits that he cannot refine the requested pill because he lacks its formula and the correct ingredient ratios, though he hints that he may have another solution.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun: Demonstrates cleverness, restraint, and strong bargaining skills. He conceals his true interest in the alchemy cauldron, exposes Shopkeeper Liu’s deception, and calmly protects his identity. His confidence has grown because of his improved cultivation and mastery of techniques such as Face-Shifting and Spirit-Hiding.
• Shopkeeper Liu: Is revealed as greedy and manipulative, attempting to sell cheaply acquired incense burners at an enormous markup. However, he remains willing to compromise when he realizes he can still profit.
• Lin Qi: Becomes more mysterious and important. He appears knowledgeable about alchemy, cultivation treasures, and baleful intent, but his own condition suggests he is suffering from Killing Intent or Baleful Intent entering his body. His desperate request reveals vulnerability beneath his cautious exterior.

Significant Themes

• Concealment and deception: Chen hides his true goal while Liu inflates prices, and Lin Qi attempts to identify Chen’s real abilities.
• Value beyond appearances: The ornate incense burners are less important than the plain-looking Bronze Cauldron, whose true worth lies in its cultivation properties rather than craftsmanship.
• Knowledge as power: Chen’s knowledge allows him to recognize the cauldron’s real nature and expose Liu’s lies, while Lin Qi’s specialized knowledge gives him insight into Spirit-Sealing Stones and alchemy.
• Risk and uncertainty: The Spirit-Sealing Stone may contain a priceless treasure, a dangerous object, or nothing of value, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of cultivation opportunities.
• Desperation and hope: Lin Qi is willing to rely on a near-impossible chance of obtaining a Baleful Intent-Expelling Pill, showing how severe his condition has become.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Shopkeeper Liu engage in a calculated negotiation in which Chen pretends to be interested in the incense burners while maneuvering to acquire the alchemy cauldron.
• Chen exposes Liu’s fraudulent sales pitch, reversing the balance of the negotiation.
• Lin Qi confronts Chen at the inn, addressing him respectfully as “Senior” and revealing that he suspects Chen is an alchemist.
• Chen remains guarded, neither confirming nor denying his identity, while Lin Qi offers the Spirit-Sealing Stone in exchange for help.
• Their conversation establishes a tentative connection based on mutual secrecy: Lin Qi needs Chen’s aid, while Chen is intrigued by the Spirit-Sealing Stone and Lin Qi’s unexplained condition.

Chapter Summary: “Multicolored Clouds”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Qi seeks Chen Shaojun’s help to cure the Pill Baleful Intent that has afflicted him for six months. The condition resulted from reckless cultivation and consuming low-quality spirit pills, causing Pill Poison to spread into his meridians and threatening to destroy his cultivation.
• Because Lin Qi belongs to a disadvantaged collateral branch of the Lin Family, he cannot easily ask the family ancestor or patriarch for treatment. This leaves him desperate for another solution.
• Chen Shaojun agrees to help only if Lin Qi brings him a Spirit-Sealing Stone, a dangerous treasure containing powerful restrictions and possibly an unknown treasure.
• Lin Qi retrieves the stone. He explains that ordinary pawnbrokers cannot safely unseal it because it is protected by restrictions created by Daoist True Persons and surrounded by various forms of Killing Intent. Only a genuine treasure unsealer is likely capable of opening it safely.
• Chen Shaojun reveals that a Fish Essence Stone, found in the throats of ordinary fish demons, can be ground with water and consumed to dispel Baleful Intent.
• Lin Qi leaves to test the treatment, subtly revealing Chen Shaojun’s false identity, “Bai Ziyue,” as a warning that he knows Chen’s secret.
• After Lin Qi departs, Chen Shaojun examines the Spirit-Sealing Stone and uses the Spirit Eye Technique. He sees a vast, multicolored mass of spiritual energies and numerous types of Killing Intent bound together by a gigantic black restriction.
• The sight nearly overwhelms him, forcing him to break eye contact. He realizes that unsealing or appraising the stone will be far more dangerous and difficult than expected.

2. Character Developments

• Lin Qi is shown as desperate but determined. His illness has damaged both his cultivation and his position within the Lin Family, yet he is willing to risk everything for even a small chance of recovery.
• Chen Shaojun demonstrates caution and growing confidence in his abilities. He refuses to trust Lin Qi without receiving the Spirit-Sealing Stone first, but his curiosity eventually tempts him to inspect the dangerous object himself.
• Chen also displays increasing expertise in treasures, alchemy, and spiritual energies, though the stone reminds him that he has overestimated his current abilities.
• Lin Qi’s mention of “Bai Ziyue” suggests that he is perceptive and may be deliberately testing or warning Chen, creating uncertainty about whether he can be fully trusted.

3. Significant Themes

• Desperation and survival: Lin Qi’s worsening condition shows how Baleful Intent can ruin a cultivator’s future and drive him to seek help from unlikely sources.
• Trust and bargaining: Both characters withhold complete trust, and their exchange is based on mutual benefit—Chen wants the Spirit-Sealing Stone, while Lin Qi needs a cure.
• Hidden danger within treasures: The Spirit-Sealing Stone appears beautiful and valuable, but its contents and restrictions may be lethal. The chapter emphasizes that powerful treasures cannot be judged by appearance alone.
• Limits of knowledge and ability: Chen’s discovery that the stone contains countless energies and immense Killing Intent humbles him and highlights the gap between being a master pawnbroker and becoming a true treasure unsealer.
• Social hierarchy and family politics: Lin Qi’s inability to obtain help from his own family reflects the conflict between the Lin Family’s main and collateral branches.

4. Character Interactions

• Lin Qi approaches Chen respectfully as “Senior,” hoping his expertise can save him.
• Chen remains detached and cautious, making his assistance conditional on receiving the Spirit-Sealing Stone.
• Lin Qi explains the stone’s dangers and the role of treasure unsealers, while Chen connects this profession to figures he has previously encountered in the pawnbroking world.
• Chen gives Lin Qi the Fish Essence Stone treatment without demanding payment beyond the Spirit-Sealing Stone, creating a tentative exchange of trust.
• Before leaving, Lin Qi intentionally refers to Chen by his alias, “Bai Ziyue,” implying that he recognizes or suspects Chen’s true identity.
• Afterward, Chen interacts directly with the Spirit-Sealing Stone and confronts its overwhelming spiritual and baleful energies, ending the chapter with a renewed awareness of the danger involved.

Chapter Summary: “Stone Tiger”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun examines a mysterious Spirit-Sealing Stone and realizes it contains countless layers of aura concealing a powerful restriction created by a Daoist cultivator. Although he believes he could eventually erase the outer auras, he is unwilling to risk triggering the unknown restriction without guidance.
• He considers consulting Senior Appraiser Nie or Chief Appraiser Qin Wenshan, who is knowledgeable about treasure unsealing and hopes to become a professional treasure unsealer.
• Concerned about the safety of his pill cauldron, medicinal ingredients, and other possessions, Chen rents a two-courtyard house near Three-River Street. Though the rent is expensive, the residence gives him privacy and space to practice martial arts.
• He moves his belongings from the inn and returns to the Appraisal Hall, keeping the precious Spirit-Sealing Stone hidden on his person with the Three Immortals Return to the Cave technique.
• His next assignment is a heavy stone pedestal carved as a tiger descending a mountain. Its eyes were covered with red cloth, but once exposed, they appear unnaturally lifelike and radiate intense ferocity.
• Servants reveal that the pedestal came from the Mo Family Trading Association. One servant also mentions rumors of a haunted stone tiger formerly placed outside a Vice Minister’s residence—one that frightened horses and disturbed passersby before being smashed apart.
• Using the Spirit Eye Technique, Chen discovers dense Blood Baleful Qi and a hostile soul shadow trapped within the stone tiger. Candle and incense omens are unfavorable, confirming that the appraisal is dangerous.
• Chen activates the Divine Gaze Technique. The ghost attacks by firing bloody mental energy from its eyes, but Chen blocks the assaults with a shield of mental strength.
• After a fierce struggle, Chen’s mental power overwhelms the ghostly presence and completely erases the stone tiger’s Killing Intent, ending the immediate threat.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates increasing caution and maturity. Rather than recklessly testing the Spirit-Sealing Stone, he recognizes the limits of his current abilities and seeks the possibility of expert advice.
• He also shows growing practical awareness by securing a private residence for his valuable tools and materials.
• His confidence has improved considerably. Although he detects a genuine ghost within the stone tiger, he remains composed and handles the attack far more calmly than he would have in the past.
• His mastery of appraisal techniques, particularly the Spirit Eye Technique and Divine Gaze Technique, continues to advance.

Significant Themes

• Caution versus ambition: Chen wants to deepen his abilities but understands that unknown Daoist restrictions cannot be challenged carelessly.
• Growth through experience: His previous encounters with supernatural dangers have made him stronger and less fearful.
• Hidden danger beneath appearances: The stone tiger appears to be an ordinary protective ornament, yet it conceals Blood Baleful Qi and a violent soul.
• Security and independence: Renting a private home reflects Chen’s increasing wealth, responsibilities, and need for a secure base.
• Conflict between human craftsmanship and supernatural forces: A decorative object intended to ward off evil has itself become possessed by malicious energy.

Character Interactions

• Chen mentally weighs whether to seek help from Senior Appraiser Nie or Chief Appraiser Qin Wenshan, highlighting his limited knowledge of professional treasure unsealing.
• He questions the servants about the stone tiger’s origins and possible haunting.
• One servant tries to discourage discussion of the rumors, while another cautiously describes the haunted stone tiger linked to the Vice Minister’s residence.
• The servants’ fear of the tiger contrasts with Chen’s controlled response and emphasizes his superior experience and growing strength.
• During the appraisal, Chen directly confronts and defeats the hostile soul trapped inside the stone tiger.

Chapter Summary: “Is Your Life Imperfect, You Know?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun completes the appraisal of a pair of Stone Tigers using the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.
• The mirror reveals the Stone Tiger’s history:
  • It was carved by the famous stonemason Wang Er and placed outside Vice Minister Mo Chengwei’s residence.
  • Fifteen years later, a powerful court official pursued a green-eyed, tail-bearing demon past the residence.
  • The official wounded the demon, and its blood splashed onto the Stone Tiger.
  • The demon blood awakened the Stone Tiger’s Killing Intent and allowed a yin soul to attach to it, causing nearby horses to panic.
  • After the wife and daughter of Minister Zhou were frightened by the Stone Tiger, Mo Chengwei ordered it destroyed.
  • His corrupt steward, Liu Neng, secretly sold the Stone Tigers instead. They were eventually purchased by the same mysterious court official who had fought the demon.
• Chen realizes the buyer was the powerful official from the vision. He wonders what the demon was, whether it survived, and who the official truly is.
• The appraisal awards Chen the Fireball Technique, his first genuinely offensive spell.
• Chen tests the spell and discovers that it can create, guide, and control a fireball, though casting it consumes about one-third of his Arcane Power.
• He continues appraising treasures through the morning and receives several rewards:
  • A Qi-Nourishing Pill
  • The parkour ability
  • A Water-Evasion Pearl
  • The Golden Wild Goose Technique, a powerful qinggong movement art
• At lunch, Chen learns that Zhang Ke has died while appraising another treasure after being struck by Baleful Intent.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun gains a major increase in combat potential through the Fireball Technique. He is excited by its offensive capabilities but demonstrates restraint by refusing to test it openly in the crowded Appraisal Hall.
• His understanding of his own limitations becomes clearer: the spell is powerful, but his current Arcane Power allows only three uses before exhaustion.
• Chen also obtains the Golden Wild Goose Technique, addressing his long-standing lack of true qinggong and giving him improved mobility and future combat potential.
• Chen’s attitude toward Zhang Ke is complicated. Though Zhang Ke had mocked him and was not a close friend, Chen still feels heavy-hearted upon hearing of his death.
• Chen’s curiosity and caution deepen as he becomes aware that an exceptionally powerful official and demon are active somewhere in Shengjing City.

Significant Themes

• Cause and effect: The Stone Tiger’s transformation results from a chain of seemingly unrelated events—its long exposure to the elements, the demon’s blood, the official’s pursuit, and the steward’s corruption.
• Power and hidden danger: Ordinary objects can become dangerous through supernatural influence, while seemingly respectable figures may conceal immense strength or corruption.
• Growth through appraisal: Chen continually turns dangerous or mysterious treasures into opportunities for cultivation, combat ability, and survival.
• Restraint and preparation: Although eager to use his new spell, Chen chooses not to cause trouble and instead focuses on developing his abilities carefully.
• The fragility of life: Zhang Ke’s death reminds Chen that apprentices in the Appraisal Hall face constant danger and may perish suddenly from supernatural forces.
• Dark humor and imperfect justice: Chen privately jokes that Zhang Ke’s life was “imperfect” because he died without seeing Zhang Gao suffer, revealing lingering resentment beneath his otherwise detached attitude.

Character Interactions

• The Stone Tiger’s history involves the conflict between the mysterious court official and the demon, as well as the official’s later purchase of the corrupted artifact.
• Mo Chengwei attempts to appease Minister Zhou after his family is frightened, while Liu Neng exploits the situation for personal profit.
• Chen interacts indirectly with the powerful official through the appraisal vision and memorizes his appearance in case they meet again.
• At lunch, Chen speaks with apprentices from the Lin Family Pawnshop and learns about the mounting deaths in the Appraisal Hall.
• Chen reflects on his past connection with Zhang Ke, whose repeated misfortunes included being used by Zhang Gao and eventually dying during another appraisal.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun visits Chief Appraiser Qin Wenshan in Room B-20 to ask about the mysterious profession of Treasure Unsealers and the nature of Spirit-Sealing Stones.
• Qin recognizes Chen’s talent, rejecting Chen’s claim that his success is merely luck. He points out that Chen was the first among his peers to master the Divine Gaze Technique and has already demonstrated the abilities of an official appraiser.
• Qin angrily dismisses Senior Appraiser Nie Rufei’s promise to introduce Chen to an “important figure,” accusing Nie of trying to lure Chen to Fortune-Gathering House. He insists that the Lin Family Pawnshop offers excellent treatment.
• Qin explains that Treasure Unsealers are an advanced branch of appraisal. They specialize in treasures once used or refined by powerful martial artists and Daoist cultivators, which retain their former owners’ source aura and restrictive techniques.
• Treasure Unsealers use superior spiritual power and the Divine Unsealing Technique to gradually remove these residual powers, allowing the treasures to be safely used or traded again.
• Qin warns that learning the technique requires the spiritual strength of a master appraiser. Failure can cause severe spiritual backlash, leading to permanent mental damage, loss of intelligence, or death.
• He reveals that the Divine Unsealing Technique is a Daoist secret art, generally taught only by Daoist sects. Master appraisers rarely learn it unless they abandon their worldly positions and join such sects.
• Qin names two legendary Daoist figures—Daoist Liu Dongcheng of Divine Firmament and Xie Fang, the Five Elements Wanderer—as rare individuals who might teach the technique, though meeting them is already extremely difficult.
• Qin then explains that Spirit-Sealing Stones are Spirit-Gathering Stones containing treasures sealed by Daoist cultivators. Restrictions preserve the treasures for centuries or millennia while the stone absorbs and accumulates mixed energies from the environment.
• Although master appraisers have occasionally opened Spirit-Sealing Stones, doing so is extremely dangerous because of the accumulated energies, enormous spiritual consumption, and possible backlash from the restrictions.
• Chen realizes that the mixed spiritual energy he detected earlier came from the outer Spirit-Gathering Stone. He begins considering whether his Creation Heart Scripture can absorb and refine that energy.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates increasing ambition and resourcefulness. He carefully guides the conversation to obtain information about Spirit-Sealing Stones, while concealing that this is his true objective.
• Chen’s understanding of the appraisal world expands significantly. He learns that appraisal has a higher, more dangerous path involving powerful treasures and Daoist techniques.
• His Creation Heart Scripture becomes potentially important beyond cultivation, since it may allow him to exploit the vast energy stored within Spirit-Sealing Stones.
• Qin Wenshan is shown to be perceptive, straightforward, and protective of the pawnshop’s interests. He recognizes Chen’s genuine talent and speaks candidly about the dangers and limitations facing appraisers.
• Qin’s strong desire to become a Treasure Unsealer is revealed, along with his frustration that he has never had the opportunity to learn the Divine Unsealing Technique.

3. Significant Themes

• Talent versus luck: Chen’s achievements are presented as the result of ability and effort rather than coincidence.
• Knowledge and opportunity: Advancement depends not only on talent but also on access to rare teachers, secret techniques, and powerful connections.
• Dangerous pursuit of power: The Divine Unsealing Technique offers immense professional advancement but carries severe risks to the mind and spirit.
• Conflict between worldly success and spiritual cultivation: Master appraisers must choose between wealth and status in the mortal world or abandoning them to pursue Daoist knowledge.
• Preservation and accumulated power: Spirit-Sealing Stones embody the idea that time can preserve treasures while also gathering dangerous energies around them.
• Hidden potential: Chen’s Creation Heart Scripture may give him an unusual advantage over ordinary appraisers by allowing him to absorb energies others consider too dangerous to handle.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen approaches Qin respectfully and uses carefully chosen questions to learn about Treasure Unsealers without revealing his full motives.
• Qin initially praises Chen’s talent, then criticizes Nie Rufei and Fortune-Gathering House for allegedly attempting to recruit him through exaggeration.
• Their conversation becomes an informal mentorship exchange: Qin explains professional secrets and dangers, while Chen listens attentively and asks increasingly targeted questions.
• Chen challenges Qin’s explanations by connecting Treasure Unsealing with the Divine Gaze Technique and later links Spirit-Sealing Stones to his own discoveries using the Spirit Eye Technique.
• The chapter ends with Chen privately shifting from curiosity to practical planning, wondering whether he can use the Creation Heart Scripture to absorb the energy inside a Spirit-Sealing Stone.

Chapter Summary: Divine Gaze Technique Reaches Perfection

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun realizes that the Spirit-Sealing Stone may be exceptionally useful for his cultivation. He believes he can absorb the various energies sealed inside it—including Killing Intent, spiritual energy, Origin Spirit Aura, Auspicious Aura, Nine Yang Aura, and other rare forces—as long as he can overcome its restrictive seal.
• After leaving Chief Appraiser Qin, Chen encounters Third Appraiser Zhang Gao outside his appraisal room. Zhang again invites him to participate in an outside treasure-appraisal opportunity.
• Chen initially refuses because he wants to avoid trouble connected to the red-clothed martial artists. However, Zhang reveals that the appraisals will be overseen by Wang Xinyuan, a famous former master appraiser who has become a prestigious treasure unsealer. Chen becomes interested in learning from him, particularly because he hopes to acquire the Divine Unsealing Technique.
• Chen agrees to participate after learning that the work pays thirty taels of silver each night, though his main motivation is the chance to meet Wang Xinyuan and improve his appraisal skills.
• Back in Room 137, Chen continues appraising treasures and receives several rewards, including:
  • Embroidery
  • Brewing
  • Cooking
  • The Lower Dharma Grade martial art

Death-Claiming Triple Immortal Swords

• Ten Spirit-Communing Pills from a royal silver bowl
• The Death-Claiming Triple Immortal Swords consists of three connected sword attacks, with the final strike becoming a deadly finishing move. Chen considers expanding beyond saber techniques and becoming a more versatile martial artist.
• Chen realizes that the ten newly obtained Spirit-Communing Pills, combined with two pills he already possessed, may be enough to perfect his Divine Gaze Technique.
• He consumes the pills in stages. The early pills improve his mastery but do not immediately produce a major breakthrough. After taking the remaining pills, the Divine Gaze Technique finally reaches perfection.
• His mental strength more than doubles, and his perception expands to three zhang—roughly ten meters. Even with his eyes closed, he can clearly sense everything within that range.
• Confident in his transformed mental power, Chen prepares to unravel the Spirit-Sealing Stone and discover both the nature of its sealed energy and the treasure hidden within it.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun becomes more cautious about dangerous alliances, rejecting Zhang Gao’s proposal at first because he does not want to become involved with suspicious martial artists.
• His confidence continues to grow as his appraisal abilities and cultivation advance. He now relies on his skill and mental strength rather than fear, believing he can overcome the Spirit-Sealing Stone’s restriction.
• Chen’s ambitions broaden. He is no longer focused solely on becoming a powerful saber user; after receiving a sword technique, he considers becoming an all-round martial artist.
• Perfecting the Divine Gaze Technique marks a major breakthrough. Chen’s mental perception, combat awareness, and confidence all increase dramatically, making him far more capable than before.
• Zhang Gao is portrayed as eager and persuasive. He attempts to recruit Chen by emphasizing both the financial reward and the chance to learn from Wang Xinyuan.
• Wang Xinyuan, though not yet appearing directly, is established as an influential treasure unsealer whose expertise could greatly benefit Chen.

Significant Themes

• Growth through accumulation: Chen’s strength increases through repeated appraisals, rewards, and gradual cultivation rather than a single lucky breakthrough.
• Skill and courage: His powerful appraisal abilities give him the confidence to confront risks that he previously would have avoided.
• Opportunity versus danger: Chen must balance the benefits of Zhang Gao’s proposal against the possibility of becoming entangled in dangerous affairs.
• Perception as power: The perfected Divine Gaze Technique transforms not only Chen’s appraisal abilities but also his combat potential by allowing him to perceive movements and surroundings with extraordinary clarity.
• Expanding ambitions: Chen’s receipt of new martial arts and knowledge of the treasure-unsealing profession encourages him to pursue broader goals beyond his current specialization.

Character Interactions

• Chen Shaojun and Chief Appraiser Qin: Chen bids Qin farewell after discussing the Spirit-Sealing Stone and its possible value to his cultivation.
• Chen Shaojun and Zhang Gao: Zhang tries to persuade Chen to join the outside appraisal work. Chen initially refuses, but Zhang’s explanation of Wang Xinyuan’s status and the opportunity for professional advancement changes his mind.
• Chen Shaojun and Wang Xinyuan: They do not meet in this chapter, but Wang’s reputation becomes a key influence on Chen’s decision to participate in the appraisal event.
• Chen Shaojun and the Spirit-Sealing Stone: The stone serves as both a potential cultivation resource and a dangerous mystery. After perfecting his Divine Gaze Technique, Chen is ready to confront its seal directly.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun retrieves the Spirit-Sealing Stone from a concealed wooden box, relying on the concealment technique Three Immortals Return to the Cave.
• He performs traditional pawnshop procedures—lighting a candle and burning incense—to test whether opening the stone is dangerous. Nothing unusual occurs, though he questions whether these methods are still reliable.
• Using his powerful mental strength, he cautiously makes contact with the stone. Its immense mixture of spiritual energy and Killing Intent immediately surges toward him.
• Chen blocks the majority of the energy and allows only tiny threads to enter his body, while operating the Creation Heart Scripture to guide and refine them.
• The mixed spiritual energy is successfully transformed into Creation True Qi, strengthening both his true qi and his confidence in the technique.
• As he absorbs more energy, his Qi Sea becomes full. The high-quality spiritual auras within the stone—including Nine Yang Aura, Auspicious Aura, Morning-Sun Purple Aura, Stellar Aura, and Supreme Essence Aura—greatly improve the quality of his true qi, changing it from pale white to sharp, pure silver-white.
• Chen decides to break through into the next stage of cultivation by opening his meridians.
• Choosing mobility over direct combat, he attacks the Foot Three-Yin Meridians. His powerful true qi opens all three meridians almost instantly.
• His Qi Sea expands to more than twice its former size, while his true qi compresses into a denser, higher-quality form.
• Chen successfully advances from the peak of the First Layer to the Second Layer of the Qi Sea Realm.
• Despite the breakthrough, he continues absorbing the remaining spiritual energy. By the end of the chapter, all the mixed spiritual energy in the Spirit-Sealing Stone has been completely absorbed.

Character Development

• Chen demonstrates increased caution and maturity by carefully controlling the amount of dangerous energy entering his body and keeping the Baleful Severing Ruler ready in case something goes wrong.
• His perfected Divine Gaze Technique proves crucial, giving him the mental strength needed to restrain the violent spiritual energy.
• His confidence grows as the Creation Heart Scripture successfully refines the mixed energy rather than harming him.
• Chen becomes more ambitious and decisive, moving from cautious experimentation to large-scale absorption and an immediate cultivation breakthrough.
• His strategic thinking is evident in his choice to open the Foot Three-Yin Meridians first, prioritizing movement and lightness techniques.

Significant Themes

• Risk and controlled advancement: Chen gains strength by exposing himself to potentially lethal spiritual energy, but survives through discipline and precise control.
• Transformation of chaos into power: The chaotic, mixed spiritual energy is refined into pure Creation True Qi, reflecting the cultivation technique’s ability to convert disorder into usable strength.
• Preparation and foundation: His earlier efforts to perfect the Divine Gaze Technique directly enable his current breakthrough, emphasizing the importance of preparation.
• Cultivation as accumulation and refinement: Advancement depends not merely on gathering energy, but on improving its quality, compressing it, and opening the body’s meridians.
• Strategic specialization: Chen’s decision about which meridians to open reflects the connection between cultivation choices and personal fighting style.

Character Interactions

• There are no direct interactions with other characters in this chapter.
• Chen’s main “interaction” is with the Spirit-Sealing Stone and the dangerous spiritual energy within it. His mental strength effectively restrains the energy, while the Creation Heart Scripture mediates and transforms it.
• His relationship with his cultivation techniques also deepens: the perfected Divine Gaze Technique provides control, and the Creation Heart Scripture converts the stone’s chaotic energy into personal power.

Chapter Summary: Unsealing Success, Treasure Revealed

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Shaojun absorbs the mixed spiritual energy inside the Spirit-Sealing Stone, the restriction hidden within it activates.
• The restriction manifests as a massive black net that transforms into chains, repeatedly striking and consuming Chen Shaojun’s mental power.
• Having anticipated the backlash, Chen Shaojun protects himself with a mental barrier. Though the attack causes intense soul-burning pain and drains his mental strength to roughly forty percent, he successfully withstands and exhausts the restriction.
• The outer Spirit-Gathering Stone loses its spiritual power, crumbling into gray dust and revealing a black ring sealed inside.
• Chen cautiously examines the ring with the Spirit Eye Technique and detects abundant spiritual energy but no killing intent or immediate danger.
• After recovering much of his mental power, he performs a formal appraisal using incense, candles, and the Divine Gaze Technique.
• The Heaven-Connecting Treasure Mirror reveals the ring’s history: it was created by a cultivator in a cyan Daoist robe, who later used it as a storage vessel before sealing it away with six other treasures.
• The ring eventually entered a cultivators’ exchange, where Lin Qi traded valuable Black Nethersteel for it, mistakenly believing it might contain a method for expelling baleful intent.
• The appraisal identifies the object as an upper-grade treasure-rank Storage Ring with an internal space three feet in diameter. It can be accessed through blood-drop recognition and controlled with mental or arcane power.
• Chen is surprised that the appraisal produces a reward despite the process being relatively easy, setting up the next development.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates increased caution and preparedness. He expects the restriction’s backlash and responds immediately rather than being caught off guard.
• His perfected Divine Gaze Technique gives him enough mental power to survive the restriction, though the ordeal exposes the limits of his current reserves.
• Chen’s curiosity and ambition grow after discovering the Storage Ring. He begins thinking beyond his immediate work and considers joining the monthly Cultivators’ Exchange to learn more about Daoist cultivation.
• He also recognizes the practical value of a storage treasure, especially for concealing and transporting future rewards.
• Lin Qi is shown to have suffered from an unfortunate trade. His lack of appraisal ability left him unable to properly assess or unseal the Spirit-Sealing Stone, causing him to regret the exchange.

Significant Themes

• Preparation and caution: Chen’s survival depends on anticipating the restriction and maintaining defensive measures.
• The value of specialized knowledge: Lin Qi’s inability to appraise the stone contrasts sharply with Chen’s unique abilities, showing how appraisal knowledge can transform seemingly worthless objects into treasures.
• Hidden opportunities: The Spirit-Sealing Stone conceals a valuable artifact, reinforcing the theme that danger and fortune often lie beneath ordinary appearances.
• Growth and exploration: Chen’s interest in the Cultivators’ Exchange reflects his desire to understand the larger cultivation world and find companionship and guidance.
• Practical power versus prestige: Although the Storage Ring is only upper-grade treasure rank and not a spiritual treasure, Chen realizes its usefulness makes it immensely valuable.

Character Interactions

• Chen’s primary interaction is with the restriction left behind by the unknown Daoist cultivator. Their indirect conflict highlights the cultivator’s formidable precautions and Chen’s growing resilience.
• The appraisal reveals the previous relationship between the cyan-robed cultivator and the Storage Ring, including the blood-drop method used to claim it and the many treasures stored within.
• Lin Qi’s transaction with the cave explorer demonstrates how the Spirit-Sealing Stone passed between cultivators and how Lin Qi was persuaded into an unfavorable trade.
• Chen contemplates participating in the Cultivators’ Exchange, suggesting future interactions with a broader community of cultivators and a move beyond his isolated development.

Chapter Summary: Moonlit Flower Boat

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun receives the Treading Water Technique as a reward. The spell allows him to walk and even run across water as long as he has sufficient Arcane Power.
• He recognizes that the technique is far more profound than the Spirit Eye and Fireball Techniques. Combined with his Water-Evasion Pearl, it gives him a powerful escape method when fighting near rivers or lakes, even against experts above the Innate Realm.
• Third Appraiser Zhang Gao secretly brings Chen Shaojun to the Moonlit Flower Boat, a group of luxurious pleasure boats on the river. Zhang explains that the location provides privacy and that their expenses will be covered after completing their appraisal work.
• Chen notices an unusual scent mixed into the flower boats’ rouge fragrance, suggesting that something may be wrong, though he has no time to investigate immediately.
• In a lower cabin, more than twenty official appraisers gather. They are told that each will appraise three treasures and receive either thirty taels of silver and access to the pleasure quarters if successful, or ten taels if unsuccessful.
• Two important figures arrive:
  • Master Wang Xinyuan, a former appraisal master who became a treasure unsealer fifteen years ago.
  • Steward Zhang, a large, beardless man whom Chen recognizes as the red-robed martial artist from his previous appraisal visions.
• Master Wang agrees to answer the appraisers’ questions, making the gathering especially attractive to experienced officials from the Appraisal Hall.
• Chen begins considering whether he can use the opportunity to ask about treasure unsealing and the mysterious group behind the appraisal event.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun gains a valuable new movement and survival technique. His ability to remain calm through the Diamond Sutra also demonstrates his growing spiritual discipline and resistance to temptation.
• He becomes increasingly cautious and observant, noticing the suspicious fragrance and immediately recognizing Steward Zhang from his visions.
• Zhang Gao is portrayed as openly lustful and familiar with the pleasures of the flower boats, contrasting sharply with Chen’s restraint.
• Wang Xinyuan’s reputation is established as extremely influential. Even highly skilled official appraisers eagerly seek his guidance.
• Steward Zhang emerges as a dangerous and mysterious figure connected to the red-robed martial artists and the larger conspiracy surrounding the appraisal events.

Significant Themes

• Power and survival: The Treading Water Technique expands Chen’s practical abilities and gives him an advantage in aquatic environments.
• Temptation versus self-control: The seductive atmosphere of the flower boats contrasts with Chen’s use of the Diamond Sutra to calm his desires.
• Appearances and hidden danger: The luxurious, lively setting conceals a secretive appraisal operation and possibly sinister intentions.
• Knowledge as power: The appraisers are willing to overlook the suspicious identities of their hosts because of the opportunity to learn from a master treasure unsealer.
• Mystery and conspiracy: Chen’s recognition of Steward Zhang and his suspicion about the strange fragrance hint that the gathering may be part of a dangerous scheme.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Gao leads Chen into the flower boat and explains the secret appraisal arrangement while openly enjoying the atmosphere.
• Chen silently judges Zhang Gao’s excessive interest in the courtesans but remains outwardly composed.
• The assembled appraisers show deference toward Wang Xinyuan, treating him with admiration and near-worship.
• Steward Zhang formally explains the appraisal rules and compensation, while Wang offers to answer questions.
• Chen observes everyone carefully, weighing whether Wang’s knowledge might reveal information about treasure unsealing without exposing his own secrets.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Xinyuan brings twenty official appraisers into a room filled with artifacts and distributes items according to each appraiser’s ability.
• Chen Shaojun deliberately conceals his true strength with the Spirit-Hiding Technique, presenting himself as a newly qualified appraiser. Wang assigns him a teapot, a verdigris-covered canister, and a bronze gui vessel.
• In a private appraisal room, Chen becomes suspicious that the Moonlit Flower Boat is connected to the red-clad martial artists he has been investigating.
• Using the Spirit Eye Technique, he determines that the three artifacts contain varying levels of Killing Intent. The teapot is relatively harmless, while the canister and bronze vessel possess far more dangerous manifestations.
• Chen appraises the teapot first, easily destroying its Killing Intent with his perfected Divine Gaze Technique. The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror reveals that it was an ordinary teapot made valuable by years of use beneath a spiritually endowed jujube tree.
• The tracing also reveals that the red-clad martial artists who looted the merchant caravan are not the same group Chen previously encountered. They appear to be part of a larger, organized network led by various figures, including a cruel young man missing three fingers on his right hand.
• The teapot earns a Superior Dharma Grade rating, rewarding Chen with a Spirit Tea Seed.
• Chen then appraises the verdigris-covered canister. Its Killing Intent manifests as a blood cloud but is quickly erased by his spiritual power.
• The canister is revealed to be an execution supervisor’s lot tube, stained with the Blood Baleful Intent of criminals who had been executed, including powerful martial artists.
• The object reached the red-clad martial artists through an execution supervisor’s guard, who secretly had ties to their organization.
• The canister earns a Low-Grade Treasure Rank rating, rewarding Chen with the Soul-Summoning Technique.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates growing confidence and control over his abilities. His perfected Divine Gaze Technique allows him to appraise artifacts that would seriously challenge ordinary appraisers.
• He becomes more cautious and investigative, recognizing that the red-clad martial artists’ activities involve a broad and deliberate scheme rather than simple robbery.
• Chen begins building a mental record of important suspects, particularly the mysterious leader with missing fingers and the owner of the Moonlit Flower Boat.
• His practical nature is shown when he decides to keep the Spirit Tea Seed despite doubting whether he will live long enough to see it mature.
• He remains uneasy about supernatural matters, reacting with discomfort to the Soul-Summoning Technique despite insisting that he is not afraid of ghosts.

3. Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Chen conceals his true cultivation to avoid drawing attention while quietly outperforming expectations.
• Mystery and conspiracy: The red-clad martial artists are revealed to be numerous, organized, and connected to people in different positions, suggesting a larger hidden plot.
• The history within objects: Appraisal uncovers not only an artifact’s material origin but also the human events, violence, and connections surrounding it.
• Power and social status: The Moonlit Flower Boat’s owner and the martial artists’ leaders demonstrate that wealth and influence are controlled by people with significant martial strength.
• The cost of violence: The execution canister embodies the accumulated blood and resentment of countless condemned prisoners, showing how brutality leaves spiritual traces.
• Reluctance toward the supernatural: Chen’s discomfort with soul-summoning contrasts with his increasing access to dangerous and occult abilities.

4. Character Interactions

• Wang Xinyuan and the appraisers: Wang commands deep respect and distributes artifacts carefully according to each appraiser’s capacity. He offers to answer Chen’s questions after the appraisal.
• Wang Xinyuan and Chen Shaojun: Wang treats Chen as an inexperienced appraiser, unaware that Chen is concealing vastly superior spiritual strength.
• Chen and the red-clad martial artists: Through artifact tracing, Chen learns more about their organization, including multiple groups, secret connections, and mysterious leaders, though their ultimate objective remains unknown.
• The execution supervisor and his guard: The guard is secretly affiliated with the red-clad martial artists and passes the spiritually tainted execution canister to them.
• The red-clad leader and the Moonlit Flower Boat’s owner: The leader appears deeply fearful or respectful of the boat’s female owner, implying that she possesses greater authority, status, or martial power.