Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Rebirth After Decapitation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun begins appraising the Dog-Head Chopper, an execution weapon filled with powerful Killing Intent and Blood Baleful Qi.
• When his spiritual power touches the weapon, the Killing Intent attacks him. He initially blocks it with a spiritual barrier and grinds it down using a spiritual millstone.
• The weapon’s resentment manifests as cries, pleas, accusations, and furious screams from those it executed. These sounds directly interfere with Chen Shaojun’s mind, causing his spiritual power to weaken.
• Forced to stop, Chen Shaojun uses a Baleful Severing Ruler to interrupt the appraisal. During his second attempt, he uses Spirit Manifestation into a Sword to cut apart the resentful energy producing the voices.
• Once the spiritual harassment is eliminated, he successfully cleanses the Dog-Head Chopper’s Killing Intent and restores the weapon’s appearance.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror reveals the weapon’s history: for thirty years, it was used in a prefectural yamen to execute countless criminals, including some who were likely wrongfully convicted.
• One month earlier, the chopper malfunctioned during an execution, failing to sever a man’s head. Under the rules, the execution was considered complete after one strike, so the man survived and was released.
• The authorities sent the weapon to the Appraisal Hall to be cleansed and repaired. Appraisal Grandmaster Lu Fengchun refused to handle it and deliberately redirected it to Chen Shaojun, claiming Chen had superior appraisal abilities.
• Manager Sun approved the transfer, apparently favoring Lu Fengchun and placing Chen in danger.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror ranks the Dog-Head Chopper as a High-Grade Treasure rather than a Spirit Rank item.
• Chen receives the spell Head Reattachment, which can reconnect a severed head and restore life if used quickly and if the body and brain remain undamaged.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun: Demonstrates caution, adaptability, and increasing mastery of spiritual techniques. He recognizes that the weapon’s resentment is more dangerous than its Killing Intent and develops a new method to counter it. The experience also makes him aware of his need for a dedicated spiritual defense technique.
• Chen becomes suspicious and angry after learning that Lu Fengchun and Manager Sun intentionally or negligently sent the dangerous weapon to him. His resolve to retaliate against Manager Sun is renewed.
• Lu Fengchun: Revealed as a hostile Appraisal Grandmaster who refuses to appraise the weapon and redirects it to Chen, likely out of jealousy or malice because Chen’s reputation has recently risen.
• Manager Sun: Continues to antagonize Chen by approving the transfer, despite having previously suffered Chen’s retaliation. He appears to favor Lu Fengchun because of the difference in their official status.
• The executed criminals: Though not active characters in the present, their lingering resentment and possible wrongful deaths become a major supernatural force within the weapon.

Significant Themes

• The danger of fame and rivalry: Chen’s growing reputation attracts hostility from established figures such as Lu Fengchun.
• Justice and wrongful punishment: The Dog-Head Chopper carries the suffering of those it executed, including people who may have been falsely convicted. Their voices symbolize unresolved injustice.
• Spiritual endurance and ingenuity: Chen succeeds not through brute force alone, but by changing tactics and targeting the resentment itself.
• Retaliation and power imbalance: Chen is repeatedly placed at a disadvantage by higher-ranking officials, but his abilities allow him to resist and plan countermeasures.
• Life, death, and resurrection: The reward of Head Reattachment introduces the possibility of restoring someone killed by decapitation, while emphasizing that revival has strict limits.

Character Interactions

• Chen and the Dog-Head Chopper: Their interaction is primarily a spiritual confrontation. Chen withstands the weapon’s Blood Baleful Qi and destroys the resentful forces embedded within it.
• Lu Fengchun and the attendant: Lu refuses the appraisal and directs the attendant to send the weapon to Chen, disguising a malicious act as praise for Chen’s abilities.
• The attendant and Manager Sun: The attendant reports Lu’s request, and Manager Sun permits the dangerous transfer.
• Chen and Manager Sun/Lu Fengchun: Although they do not directly confront Chen in this chapter, their actions provoke his suspicion and anger, setting up future conflict.
• Chen and the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror: The Mirror reveals the weapon’s history, rank, and the powerful Head Reattachment spell as Chen’s reward.

Chapter Summary: “Casting Experiment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun obtains the Head-Rejoining Art, a spell capable of restoring creatures that have been decapitated.
• Wanting to test it without harming a person, he orders the Red-Clad Female Ghost to find animals. She returns with a tabby cat carrying a large rat.
• Chen decapitates the rat and successfully uses the spell to reconnect its head and revive it. The rat survives but appears weak.
• He then performs the same experiment on the cat. The spell works again, and the cat’s intelligence appears unaffected, though it becomes deeply terrified of Chen.
• Chen concludes that:
  • The spell must be cast soon after decapitation.
  • It does not noticeably reduce intelligence.
  • Its mana cost increases with the subject’s size: roughly 30% for the rat and 50% for the cat.
  • Reviving a human might consume all his mana.
• He gives both animals Blood-Qi Pills before ordering the Red-Clad Female Ghost to remove them, then cleans the blood from the room with a Purification Spell.
• Elsewhere, Manager Sun treats the Ghost Handprint on his neck with glutinous rice provided by a Daoist expert. The treatment is painful but visibly reduces the mark and the yin aura within it.
• Manager Sun learns that an extremely evil object has been sent to Chen’s appraisal room. Although he worries Chen may not survive, he permits the danger because Lu Fengchun, the Mo Clan’s only Appraisal Grandmaster, requested it.
• Manager Sun admits the action is also partly motivated by Chen’s refusal to join the Mo Family Pawnshop after Chairman Mo personally recruited him. He views the ordeal as a way to test or punish Chen indirectly.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates curiosity, confidence, and a willingness to experiment with dangerous supernatural techniques. Though disturbed by the violence, he remains methodical and observant.
• He gains a clearer understanding of the Head-Rejoining Art’s limitations, particularly its high mana consumption and time sensitivity.
• The Red-Clad Female Ghost becomes more useful as Chen’s subordinate, obeying his commands and even showing curiosity about his spell.
• The tabby cat and rat serve as test subjects; both survive, but the cat develops an intense fear of Chen.
• Manager Sun is revealed to be suffering from the Ghost Handprint and struggling to protect himself. His actions also show that he is willing to follow political pressure and exploit Chen’s dangerous situation.
• Lu Fengchun emerges as an antagonistic figure whose authority and motives are still unexplained.

Significant Themes

• Experimentation and the limits of power: Chen tests a miraculous spell while carefully assessing its costs and consequences.
• Moral ambiguity: Although Chen avoids experimenting on humans, he casually kills animals to advance his understanding, highlighting the ethical compromises of cultivation and supernatural research.
• Power and hierarchy: Manager Sun’s treatment of Chen reflects the influence of Chairman Mo and Lu Fengchun, showing how subordinates manipulate events to satisfy their superiors.
• Hidden danger and political intrigue: The mysterious evil object placed in Chen’s room suggests that his advancement has attracted hostility and that his refusal to join the Mo Clan has consequences.
• Life, death, and restoration: The Head-Rejoining Art challenges the boundary between death and life, while the failed or weakened state of its victims hints that resurrection is not without limitations.

Character Interactions

• Chen commands the Red-Clad Female Ghost, establishing their increasingly practical master-servant relationship.
• The ghost witnesses Chen’s spell and questions him about it, revealing her curiosity and fear of his supernatural abilities.
• Chen studies the revived rat and cat, using their reactions to evaluate whether the spell damages intelligence.
• Manager Sun discusses Chen with a middle-aged subordinate, defending the decision to expose him to the evil object while explaining the pressure from Lu Fengchun and Chairman Mo.
• The subordinate questions why Lu Fengchun would target a newly certified appraiser, leaving the chapter on an unresolved mystery about Lu Fengchun’s motives.

Chapter Summary: “The Reason, A Chance Encounter?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Manager Sun explains why Lu Fengchun targeted Chen Shaojun. The dangerous Green Bottle originally belonged to the Mo Clan Trading House, and several appraisers—including Appraisal Grandmaster Wu Yuan—had died attempting to appraise it.
• Lu Fengchun had refused to appraise the Green Bottle because he feared for his life. Chen Shaojun’s successful appraisal made Lu look cowardly and damaged his reputation.
• To retaliate, Lu arranged for Chen Shaojun to receive the extremely dangerous Dog-Head Chopper, hoping it would kill him.
• Manager Sun orders guards to check Chen Shaojun’s appraisal room after an hour and collect his body if necessary. He assumes Chen has died, though he admits Chen’s survival would force them to reassess him.
• Chen successfully survives the Dog-Head Chopper appraisal, restores his spiritual power using the Tai Shang Perception Scripture, and leaves his room.
• Two guards arrive carrying equipment for removing a corpse. Chen sarcastically confronts them, realizing that others had expected him to die.
• Chen decides he must retaliate rather than passively endure further attacks.
• In the dining hall, Chen overhears that some Appraiser Apprentices have advanced to Certified Appraiser after receiving Spirit-Nourishing Pills. He begins considering whether the three pills given to him by Mo Zhu-Xiang could be sold for a high price.
• During the noon break, Chen explores the Appraisal Hall and unexpectedly encounters Manager Sun, Lu Fengchun, and logistics manager Wang Youcai in a pavilion by the lotus pond.
• Manager Sun praises Chen’s appraisal abilities while introducing him to Lu and Wang. Chen hides his hostility and politely bows to Lu, despite recognizing him as the person responsible for his dangerous assignment.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun: Demonstrates that he survived another deadly appraisal and has recovered fully. His perception of the hostility around him sharpens, and he resolves to retaliate against those who have plotted against him. He also begins thinking more strategically about his resources, including the Spirit-Nourishing Pills.
• Lu Fengchun: Is revealed to be fearful, self-serving, and deeply concerned with preserving his reputation. His resentment toward Chen stems from Chen exposing his cowardice by succeeding where Lu refused to act.
• Manager Sun: Acts as an accomplice or at least a willing participant in the scheme against Chen. Although he claims Chen was merely unlucky, he knowingly sends him a deadly treasure and expects him to die.
• Wang Youcai: Appears to be a lower-ranking manager involved in the discussion surrounding Chen, though his precise role in the plot remains unclear.
• The guards: Their reaction upon seeing Chen alive confirms that they had expected to find his corpse.

Significant Themes

• Jealousy and damaged reputation: Lu’s plot is driven less by justice than by humiliation and resentment after Chen’s success undermines his standing.
• Human selfishness and cowardice: The chapter emphasizes that people protect themselves first, even at the expense of others. Lu avoids danger while allowing less prestigious appraisers to die.
• Hidden power and underestimated ability: Chen’s survival challenges the assumptions of those who view him as merely a newly promoted Certified Appraiser.
• Retribution and self-protection: Chen shifts from enduring danger to preparing an active response against those who target him.
• Appearance versus reality: Manager Sun and Chen both maintain polite outward behavior while concealing suspicion, hostility, and ulterior motives.

Important Character Interactions

• Manager Sun explains Lu’s motives to a middle-aged manager, revealing the conspiracy behind Chen’s assignment.
• Chen confronts the corpse-collecting guards with mocking calm, making clear that he understands what they expected.
• Chen overhears discussions among appraisers, gaining useful information about Spirit-Nourishing Pills and advancement within the appraisal trade.
• Chen meets Manager Sun, Lu Fengchun, and Wang Youcai in the pavilion. Manager Sun offers false praise, while Chen responds with equally controlled politeness and conceals his intention to deal with his enemies.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun encounters Lu Fengchun, Wang Youcai, and Manager Sun while they discuss his recent appraisal of the Dog-Head Chopper.
• Pretending to be exhausted by a difficult appraisal, Chen subtly hints that he knows Lu Fengchun and Manager Sun were responsible for forcing him to appraise the dangerous item.
• Manager Sun and Lu realize that Chen’s visit is a warning. Chen then leaves after secretly placing a tracking mark on Lu Fengchun using the Myriad-Mile Tracking Art.
• Chen activates the Bad-Luck Talisman against Manager Sun. Shortly afterward, the pavilion railing breaks, Manager Sun falls into the lotus pond, is slapped by a jumping carp, becomes stuck in the mud, and is bitten by a turtle before being rescued.
• Chen is mildly disappointed that the talisman causes only an embarrassing accident, but he recognizes that it has taken effect.
• Back in the appraisal room, Chen uses Empty-Handed Sleight to take a white jade pendant from Lu Fengchun. He intends to study the Appraisal Grandmaster’s methods through the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.
• The jade’s visions reveal Lu Fengchun’s life and rise through the appraiser profession. Lu endured severe abuse and danger under his master, who repeatedly used apprentices to test dangerous treasures.
• Fearing that he would eventually die in the same way, Lu conspired to murder his master. After becoming a Certified Appraiser, he adopted the same ruthless practices.
• Over the following decade, Lu caused dozens of apprentices and even fellow Certified Appraisers to die in his place. He also manipulated Appraisal Grandmaster Wu Yuan into appraising the deadly Pure Moon Vase, contributing to Wu Yuan’s suicide.
• Chen concludes that Lu Fengchun is effectively a tyrant of the appraiser world, though he acknowledges that Lu’s appraisal techniques are genuinely distinctive and worth studying.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun becomes more strategic and vengeful. Rather than relying solely on the Divine Unsealing Technique, he plans to learn from experienced appraisers by examining their appraisal visions.
• He also demonstrates growing confidence, subtly warning his enemies while concealing the full extent of his abilities.
• Manager Sun is exposed as an accomplice who permitted Chen to be placed in danger. He suffers public humiliation and physical discomfort through Chen’s Bad-Luck Talisman.
• Lu Fengchun is revealed to be far more sinister than his respected reputation suggests. Having once been a victim, he transformed into someone who sacrifices others to protect himself.
• Wang Youcai remains largely a subordinate observer, though he recognizes that Chen may know the truth about the conspiracy.

Significant Themes

• The cycle of victimization: Lu Fengchun repeats the cruelty once inflicted on him, becoming the same kind of exploiter as his former master.
• Moral corruption and survival: The dangerous appraiser profession rewards ruthlessness, but survival does not excuse the exploitation of others.
• Justice and revenge: Chen begins taking measured revenge against those who endangered him, using misfortune and future planning rather than immediate confrontation.
• Knowledge gained through history: By studying an object’s past, Chen can uncover hidden crimes and learn valuable techniques from other practitioners.
• The difference between talent and virtue: Lu’s impressive appraisal abilities coexist with terrible character, showing that expertise does not imply morality.

Character Interactions

• Chen’s polite conversation with Lu and Manager Sun is layered with hidden threats, while they attempt to probe whether he knows about their actions.
• Manager Sun encourages Chen to seek Lu’s guidance, unknowingly prompting Chen to realize that he can learn from veteran appraisers through their possessions.
• Chen silently retaliates against Manager Sun with the Bad-Luck Talisman and marks Lu for future revenge.
• The visions expose Lu’s relationship with his former master, his betrayal, and his later abuse of apprentices and rivals.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Through the appraisal vision of Lu Fengchun, Chen Shaojun learns the Baleful Intent-Splitting Method, which separates a treasure’s killing intent and transfers it elsewhere for apprentices to handle. He recognizes its usefulness for improving an appraiser’s safety, though it is inferior to his own Baleful Severing Ruler.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror rewards him with the Face-Changing Art, an impressive performance technique he remembers admiring in his previous life.
• Chen gains a clearer understanding of Lu Fengchun’s personality and past, removing any remaining hesitation about taking revenge. However, he decides not to curse Lu Fengchun immediately with the Nail-Head Seven Arrows, fearing that the connection to him might be discovered. Since he has already placed a tracking mark on Lu Fengchun, he can wait.
• During the afternoon appraisal session, Chen cleanses a blood-stained jade pendant of its intense killing intent.
• The pendant’s history reveals the tragic story of Yi Ting, a Hongchen performer, and Young Master Wang, the privileged son of the wealthiest merchant in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Wang pursued Yi Ting for years, but she never returned his affection.
• After Wang discovered that Yi Ting had privately pledged herself to another performer, he retaliated. He ruined the other man, sabotaged Yi Ting’s workplace, turned her acquaintances against her, and ultimately caused her death.
• The pendant earns Chen the Divination Art, which can reveal fortune and misfortune and help him avoid danger. Chen realizes it may make treasure appraisal considerably safer by warning him of hidden risks.
• The next treasure is an inkstone carved with a swimming dragon. A red ink mark placed over the dragon’s eye has seemingly given the carving a trace of life, causing the ordinary inkstone to begin nurturing a spirit.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun becomes more knowledgeable and capable by acquiring the Baleful Intent-Splitting Method, Face-Changing Art, and Divination Art.
• His attitude toward revenge becomes firmer after learning more about Lu Fengchun, though he remains cautious and strategic rather than acting impulsively.
• Chen shows increasing confidence in applying his appraisal rewards creatively, especially by recognizing that divination can protect him from hidden dangers.
• Lu Fengchun is portrayed as calculating and self-preserving, using others to manage the dangers created by his appraisal methods.
• Yi Ting is shown as talented, cautious, and socially vulnerable. Her attempt to expose Young Master Wang’s letters wins public sympathy but ultimately leaves her defenseless against his power.
• Young Master Wang develops from an apparently humble admirer into a vindictive and dangerous man whose wounded pride leads him to destroy Yi Ting’s life.

Significant Themes

• Power inequality: Yi Ting’s tragedy demonstrates that talent, public sympathy, and moral innocence cannot protect someone without social status or powerful backing.
• Revenge and caution: Chen wants revenge but understands that acting too directly could expose him, emphasizing the importance of patience and indirect methods.
• The danger within objects: Treasures contain not only historical stories but also killing intent, spiritual corruption, and hidden supernatural consequences.
• Art and power: Artistic talent brings Yi Ting attention but cannot overcome the influence of wealth and social position.
• Knowledge as protection: Chen’s growing collection of techniques allows him to turn appraisal into a safer and more controlled process.

Character Interactions

• Chen indirectly studies Lu Fengchun through the appraisal vision, learning how he divided killing intent and survived past dangers.
• Young Master Wang and Yi Ting share a one-sided relationship communicated through letters. Her playful but noncommittal replies contrast with his increasingly devoted affection.
• Wang’s discovery of Yi Ting’s relationship with another performer transforms his admiration into humiliation and revenge.
• Yi Ting’s public exposure of their correspondence wins temporary public mockery against Wang but provokes his retaliation.
• Chen remains emotionally detached from Yi Ting’s tragedy, viewing it as another example of the harsh realities of the human world, before turning his attention to the spiritually altered inkstone.

Chapter Summary: Dragon-Carving Without Eyes and the Dragon-Drawing Finishing Touch

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun examines an inkstone and discovers that it has developed a rudimentary spirit. The spirit appears as a dragon formed from concentrated Killing Intent and is already observing him.
• Concerned about possible danger, Chen performs divination twice. Both results are auspicious, confirming that appraising the inkstone poses no serious threat.
• When Chen uses the Divine Gaze Technique, the dragon-shaped spirit attacks him with Killing Intent. Chen easily withstands the assault and counters by manifesting his spiritual power as the Killing Sword.
• His sword-like spiritual attack severely damages the spirit’s consciousness, allowing him to grind away both the dragon-shaped entity and its accumulated Killing Intent.
• Through the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, Chen learns the inkstone’s history:
  • It was carved by Wang Dacheng, a renowned dragon-carving master who followed the rule of “Dragon-Carving Without Eyes.”
  • During a poetry gathering, a proud painting grandmaster attempted to complete the dragon by adding pupils.
  • Ordinary ink would not adhere, but after studying the inkstone and infusing it with his artistic spirit, the painter eventually succeeded.
  • Once the dragon gained eyes, it gradually developed a spirit and began absorbing Killing Intent from the world.
  • The inkstone’s owner became increasingly envious and uneasy while using it, eventually recognizing that something was wrong and submitting it for appraisal at the Treasure Fair.
• Chen realizes that the real source of the problem is not merely the Killing Intent or the spirit, but the dragon’s eyes. Giving the carving eyes allowed it to become spiritually “alive.”
• He refrains from erasing the eyes because the owner values the completed dragon and might object. Instead, Chen subtly modifies the eyes and adds a tiny finishing dot, merging the carving and painting techniques.
• This refinement preserves the dragon’s beauty while preventing it from gathering Killing Intent and developing another consciousness.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates caution, insight, and technical mastery. He tests the inkstone through divination before acting and correctly identifies the nature and weakness of its spirit.
• His understanding of spiritual attacks deepens: he recognizes that Spirit Manifestation into a Sword contains not only spiritual power but also killing aura and Sword Intent, making it especially effective against souls and consciousnesses.
• Chen also displays restraint and diplomacy. Rather than simply destroying the dragon’s eyes, he finds a solution that protects both the owner’s wishes and the inkstone’s safety.
• The inkstone’s spirit is shown to be a newly formed, instinctive entity—curious and defensive rather than deliberately evil. Its violent nature comes from the Killing Intent sustaining it.
• Wang Dacheng, the carving master, is characterized by wisdom and experience through his practice of never adding eyes to dragon carvings.
• The painting grandmaster is talented but arrogant and competitive. His attempt to challenge the “Dragon-Carving Without Eyes” rule unintentionally causes the inkstone’s supernatural problem.
• The inkstone’s owner is proud of the completed carving but perceptive enough to notice its influence and seek help.

Significant Themes

• Creation and life: Artistic creation can gain a form of life when enough spiritual energy and intent are invested in it.
• The danger of completion: The dragon’s eyes symbolize the final touch that transforms a beautiful image into a living, potentially dangerous entity.
• Intent and consequence: Neither the carving master nor the painter intends to create a monster, but their artistic decisions produce unforeseen consequences.
• Balance between preservation and correction: Chen solves the problem without destroying the artwork, showing that restoration can be wiser than outright removal.
• Spiritual power and consciousness: Killing Intent is not inherently a moral evil, but when it becomes the foundation of a spirit, it naturally drives that spirit toward violence and predation.
• Artistic collaboration: Chen’s refinement succeeds by combining the carving master’s form with the painter’s finishing technique, producing a more harmonious result than either method alone.

Character Interactions

• The newly awakened dragon spirit confronts Chen, attacking him with Killing Intent, but Chen overwhelms it with the Killing Sword.
• Chen mentally reconstructs the conflict between Wang Dacheng’s cautious carving philosophy and the painting grandmaster’s prideful desire to add the finishing touch.
• The inkstone’s owner interacts with both artists by commissioning the dragon carving and later lending the inkstone to the painter for study.
• Chen ultimately acts as mediator between the two artistic traditions, subtly uniting their techniques while eliminating the supernatural flaw created when the dragon was given eyes.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun completes the appraisal of a writing brush or similar object. The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror rates it as a High-Grade Treasure and rewards him with the powerful Wind-Calling Rain-Summoning Technique.
• He recognizes the spell as one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang arts, historically important to imperial Celestial Masters because it could relieve drought, stabilize harvests, and prevent civil unrest.
• Curious to test it, Chen secretly casts the technique behind a rockery in Appraisal Hall. After exhausting his arcane power, he successfully summons a brief drizzle covering the entire hall. The rain lasts only three minutes and is limited by his current cultivation.
• Guards notice the strange, localized shower but do not realize Chen caused it. He returns to his room and restores his depleted arcane power by visualizing the Tai Shang Perception Scripture.
• After work, Chen visits the dining hall and secretly uses Empty-Handed Sleight to borrow low-grade objects from other appraisers. Through the Spirit Eye Technique and his mental power, he rapidly appraises and cleanses them before returning them.
• By observing the resulting appraisal visions, Chen learns numerous secret appraisal methods, including:

Treasure-Binding Grand Formation

Kui Star Manifestation

White Jade Baleful-Intent Absorption Method

Eight-Trigram Ghost-Repelling Method

• He completes seventeen rapid appraisals without creating any new Certified Appraisers or Appraisal Grandmasters, but gains extensive knowledge and several rewards.
• Three of the seventeen rewards contain Merit Golden Light: one, three, and five points. Combined with a previous point, Chen reaches ten points of Merit Golden Light, the chapter’s concluding milestone.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates growing confidence and ambition. Rather than merely accepting the Wind-and-Rain technique, he immediately tests it, showing his curiosity and willingness to experiment.
• His limited cultivation becomes clear: although he can master the spell, its effects remain modest. He responds to this limitation pragmatically rather than becoming discouraged.
• Chen becomes increasingly resourceful and secretive. He avoids collecting his appraisal fee to prevent trouble, hides his spellcasting, and covertly studies other appraisers without revealing his extraordinary abilities.
• His appraisal expertise expands dramatically. He now possesses not only powerful mental appraisal abilities but also a broad collection of methods traditionally guarded by veteran appraisers.
• His accumulation of Merit Golden Light suggests that he is steadily building toward a larger future breakthrough or reward.

Significant Themes

• Power depends on cultivation: Mastering a powerful technique does not guarantee equally powerful results; Chen’s weak current cultivation restricts the scale of his rainmaking.
• Knowledge as hidden strength: By observing others, Chen acquires secret techniques without formal instruction, emphasizing his ability to turn the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror into a tool for rapid learning.
• Caution and secrecy: Chen repeatedly conceals his abilities to avoid attracting attention, reflecting the dangers of exposing extraordinary power in a suspicious environment.
• Practical utility of supernatural power: The Wind-and-Rain technique is presented not only as combat magic but also as a tool for agriculture, social stability, and governance.
• Accumulation and preparation: The chapter focuses on gathering techniques, rewards, and Merit Golden Light, showing Chen steadily preparing for stronger cultivation and future challenges.

Character Interactions

• Chen has little direct dialogue with others, but his actions affect the guards, who notice and discuss the unexplained rain without identifying its source.
• He covertly interacts with fellow appraisers by borrowing and returning their objects through Empty-Handed Sleight. Their unconscious reactions—occasionally mistaking his mental fluctuations for confusion and offering advice—allow him to remain unnoticed.
• The chapter also contrasts Chen with other appraisers: while they require lengthy preparations, protective formations, and careful procedures, his overwhelming mental power allows him to complete appraisals almost instantly.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun uses ten points of Merit Golden Light, gaining the equivalent of roughly one hundred days of cultivation. His total cultivation now approaches half a year, greatly increasing his arcane power and confidence in casting spells.
• He sets a new goal of reaching one full year of cultivation, which would require eighteen more points of Merit Golden Light. He believes continuous treasure appraisal may eventually lead him toward immortality.
• While preparing to appraise more treasures from the Moonlit Flower Boat, Chen remembers Lu Fengchun, the Appraisal Grandmaster who previously attempted to harm him through the killing intent hidden in a Dog-Head Chopper.
• Rather than killing Lu Fengchun directly with a spell, Chen summons Lü Xiu, the Red-Clad Female Ghost, and sends her after Lu using a portrait as a guide. He intends for Lu’s death to appear to be the work of a vengeful ghost, avoiding suspicion.
• Chen plans to conceal the Ghost-Repelling Talisman afterward so Lü Xiu will not be seen again around Appraisal Hall, further protecting his identity.
• He begins appraising a Tiger Descending the Mountain Painting. Although the inscription appears poorly written, the appraisal reveals that both the painting and calligraphy were created by the same eccentric artist, the Hermit of Tea Mountain.
• The painting is judged Superior Dharma Grade and rewards Chen with the Insect-Repelling Technique. When cast, the spell drives every mosquito and insect from the room for at least an hour.
• Just as Lü Xiu returns through the wall, a terrified cry of “Ghost!” rings out from elsewhere in Appraisal Hall, implying that her attack on Lu Fengchun has begun or been witnessed.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun: His confidence and ambition grow as he experiences the rapid benefits of Merit Golden Light. He becomes increasingly convinced that treasure appraisal can provide a path to immortality. At the same time, he shows strategic caution by disguising his revenge as a supernatural attack rather than using a traceable direct killing method.
• Lü Xiu: The Red-Clad Female Ghost is no longer completely bound as an earthbound spirit because of Chen’s Ghost-Repelling Talisman. She remains dependent on Chen’s control and cannot travel too far from him, but she now acts as his supernatural agent.
• Lu Fengchun: Though he does not appear directly, he becomes the target of Chen’s retaliation for his earlier attempt on Chen’s life.
• Hermit of Tea Mountain: Through the appraisal vision, he is revealed as a talented but eccentric artist who excels at painting, struggles with calligraphy, and freely uses his own valuable paintings as collateral despite their flaws.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation through accumulation: Chen’s power grows through steady treasure appraisal and the accumulation of Merit Golden Light, emphasizing patience, progression, and the long path toward immortality.
• Revenge and strategic deception: Chen seeks justice for Lu Fengchun’s attack but carefully manipulates appearances so that the death will seem supernatural and avoid linking back to him.
• Practical value of magic: The chapter contrasts grand ambitions such as immortality with the simple everyday usefulness of the Insect-Repelling Technique.
• Artistic talent versus personal weakness: The Tiger Descending the Mountain Painting reflects the tension between the Hermit of Tea Mountain’s exceptional painting ability and his poor calligraphy and reckless lifestyle.
• Hidden power and appearances: Chen’s ability to command a vengeful ghost is concealed beneath an apparently ordinary appraisal identity, reinforcing the importance of secrecy in his growing supernatural strength.

Character Interactions

• Chen directs Lü Xiu to pursue Lu Fengchun, creating a partnership based on mutual benefit: Chen helps her obtain revenge, and she assists him in eliminating an enemy.
• Chen maintains control over Lü Xiu through the Ghost-Repelling Talisman, which monitors her distance and condition.
• Although Chen does not personally confront Lu Fengchun, his indirect manipulation sets up a conflict between Lü Xiu and Lu that is meant to confuse everyone in Appraisal Hall.
• Chen also “interacts” with the appraised painting through his appraisal techniques, uncovering the true history and personality of its creator and receiving a spell as a reward.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A commotion erupts in the Appraisal Hall after a guard claims to have seen a Red-Clad Female Ghost near the Jia-numbered appraisal rooms.
• Chen Shaojun secretly stores the ghost, Lü Xiu, inside a Ghost-Repelling Talisman and pretends to be as surprised as everyone else.
• News spreads that Manager Sun has suffered a series of humiliating accidents caused by Chen Shaojun’s Bad-Luck Talisman, including falling into a lotus pond and later into a latrine.
• When the managers investigate Room Jia-5, they discover Appraisal Grandmaster Lu Fengchun dead by hanging. His death resembles the earlier death of Wu Yuan, convincing everyone that the ghost is responsible.
• Panic spreads through the Appraisal Hall. The chief steward and Mo Zhu-Xiang calm the crowd, while Mo promises to invite a Daoist practitioner to capture the ghost. Appraisal Grandmasters in the Jia rooms are allowed to leave for their safety.
• Chen questions Lü Xiu and learns that the ghost had remained invisible; only the guard’s Innate Ghost Eyes allowed him to see her.
• Fearing that a future investigation might expose him, Chen uses the Soul-Summoning Technique to summon Lu Fengchun’s soul. Lu begs for forgiveness and offers compensation, but Chen refuses to reconcile.
• Chen employs the Three-Soul Separation Technique, scattering Lu’s three souls and seven spirits and erasing his consciousness. This prevents Lu from revealing Chen’s involvement while avoiding the greater karmic burden of directly destroying the soul.
• Once the danger is contained, Chen resumes appraising treasures. He selects an Eight Steeds Painting and admires its vivid horses, varied expressions, and artistic quality.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun: Becomes more cautious and strategically minded. He recognizes the danger of underestimating extraordinary people and uses previously acquired techniques to eliminate evidence and protect himself. His concern with karma shows growing awareness of the long-term consequences of cultivation.
• Lü Xiu, the Red-Clad Female Ghost: Remains an unseen threat to the Appraisal Hall but is revealed to be under Chen’s control. Her accidental exposure results from the guard’s rare Innate Ghost Eyes rather than any carelessness on her part.
• Lu Fengchun: Revealed after death to be cowardly and opportunistic. He shifts from cursing Chen to begging for mercy, admitting jealousy and denying that he truly intended to harm him.
• Manager Sun: Suffers severe humiliation and misfortune from Chen’s Bad-Luck Talisman, forcing him to take leave.
• Mo Zhu-Xiang and the Appraisal Hall authorities: Attempt to restore order and prevent mass panic by promising supernatural assistance and permitting high-ranking appraisers to relocate.

Significant Themes

• Consequences and retribution: Lu Fengchun’s death and Manager Sun’s humiliations reflect the consequences of plotting against or mistreating others.
• Caution and hidden dangers: Chen learns that even seemingly safe plans can be exposed by rare abilities such as Innate Ghost Eyes.
• Karma and moral calculation: Chen deliberately chooses soul-separation over direct destruction to reduce karmic consequences, showing that power must be balanced with spiritual responsibility.
• Power through preparation: Previously learned techniques become essential tools for managing crises, emphasizing the value of accumulating knowledge and abilities.
• Fear and social panic: The Appraisal Hall’s reaction demonstrates how quickly supernatural rumors can destabilize an institution.

Character Interactions

• The guards, managers, and appraisers collectively react with fear to Lü Xiu’s supposed appearance and Lu Fengchun’s death.
• Mo Zhu-Xiang reassures the frightened crowd and promises to summon a Daoist expert.
• Chen interrogates Lü Xiu to determine how she was seen and assesses the risks to his secret.
• Chen summons Lu Fengchun’s soul and listens to his curses, confession, pleas, and attempted promises of repayment before neutralizing him with the Three-Soul Separation Technique.
• The chapter ends with Chen alone, returning to his role as an appraiser and examining the Eight Steeds Painting.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun examines the Eight Steeds Painting with the Spirit Eye Technique and discovers eight currents of essence, qi, and spirit representing the painting’s spiritual vitality. These are being gradually eroded by accumulated Killing Intent, explaining why ancient treasures and artworks often lose their brilliance and are mistaken for worthless objects.
• He reflects on the deeper purpose of treasure appraisers: cleansing Baleful Intent so that neglected treasures can regain their original spiritual radiance.
• Chen uses the Divination Art, receives an auspicious result, and successfully purifies the painting.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror reveals that the painting was created by the renowned scholar Liu Yuan for Miss Mingyue, a courtesan and Two-Tailed Demon Fox whom Liu loved despite her nonhuman identity.
• The painting is graded Superior Dharma Grade, rewarding Chen with Divine Brushwork, a skill that allows his emotions to flow into anything he writes or paints, making the work emotionally infectious and potentially masterpiece-level.
• Further appraisals grant him:
  • Ten Spirit-Communing Pills

Go Grandmaster

Pouring Emotion into the Qin

• A physical treasure, the

Spirit-Energy Jade Pendant

• The jade pendant can store Chen’s mana or martial True Qi and instantly return it to him when needed, greatly improving his endurance in battle. He wears it at his waist but does not yet fill it, since he still needs his mana for continued appraisals.
• Chen then notices the mysterious conical object obtained from Wang Xinyuan. Its terrifying sharpness overwhelms his senses, and repeated divinations identify it as an omen of great misfortune. He concludes that he is currently incapable of appraising it and returns it to storage.
• Finally, he turns to three weapons awaiting appraisal: a dark-green longsword, a barbed black whip, and a massive double-headed battle axe.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun gains a deeper understanding of his profession, recognizing appraisers as restorers who rescue treasures from being forgotten or destroyed by accumulated Killing Intent.
• His growing mastery expands beyond treasure appraisal into calligraphy, painting, music, and Go. With Divine Brushwork, Go Grandmaster, and Pouring Emotion into the Qin, he becomes increasingly versatile and capable of establishing his own scholarly legacy.
• He also shows greater caution and judgment. Rather than recklessly examining the dangerous conical object, he trusts divination and his instincts, accepting that his current abilities are insufficient.
• Chen begins considering writing books, recognizing that his knowledge and artistic abilities could allow him to become a teacher, scholar, and founder of a lasting intellectual tradition.

Significant Themes

• The preservation and restoration of cultural treasures: Age can give artifacts depth, but it can also bury their spiritual essence beneath Killing Intent.
• Hidden value and perception: Treasures are often discarded not because they lack worth, but because their original brilliance has been concealed.
• The limits of ability: Chen’s progress is significant, yet the conical object reminds him that some powers remain far beyond his current level.
• Art as emotional transmission: Divine Brushwork presents writing and painting as vessels capable of conveying and even infecting others with the creator’s emotions.
• Love and misplaced devotion: Liu Yuan’s tragic affection for Miss Mingyue illustrates how talent and sincerity do not guarantee wise judgment.
• Prudence versus ambition: Chen’s decision not to appraise the dangerous object demonstrates restraint in contrast to reckless curiosity.

Character Interactions

• The most significant relationship discussed is between Liu Yuan and Miss Mingyue. Liu fell in love with her and repeatedly wished to become her intimate companion, unaware—or unwilling to accept—that his beloved was a fox demon.
• Chen reflects on Liu’s story with sympathy and mild exasperation, suggesting that affection should be tempered by awareness and discernment.
• Chen’s connection to Wang Xinyuan remains indirect but important: Wang’s former possessions, including the three weapons and the conical object, continue to shape Chen’s appraisal work. The terrifying nature of the sealed object also demonstrates Wang’s superior experience and caution as an appraiser.

Chapter Summary: “Killer Organization, Saintly Spirit Sword Art”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun appraises a dark-green longsword using his Spirit Eye Technique and discovers an intense Blood Baleful Intent, along with the former owner’s concealed martial will.
• His divination indicates that the sword poses only a moderate threat. When he begins the appraisal, the sword’s lingering intent suddenly releases multiple beams of Sword Qi in a venomous, surprise attack.
• Chen Shaojun calmly destroys the Sword Qi with the Baleful Severing Ruler and his Creation True Qi, demonstrating that he can defend against spiritual remnants through martial techniques rather than relying solely on spiritual power.
• He completely removes the sword’s Killing Intent and the former owner’s will, successfully finishing the treasure appraisal.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror reveals the sword’s history:
  • It was forged by the swordsmith Iron Three from Green Iron Goldstone for the swordsman Leng Shuang.
  • Leng Shuang was a Silver Token Rank killer of the Phoenix Sparrow Tower, a powerful assassination organization.
  • After Leng Shuang was killed in an ambush, the sword passed through several owners as spoils of war.
  • It was eventually sold by Phoenix Sparrow Tower to the Red-Clad Cult, which transported it near Shengjing City for use in the “Kill Five” plan.
• The appraisal rewards Chen Shaojun with the Saintly Spirit Sword Art, a powerful sword technique divided into four levels and containing twenty-two established sword moves, followed by the legendary Sword Twenty-Three and an even greater fourth-level strike.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun displays increasing confidence in both spiritual appraisal and martial combat. His Swordheart Clarity allows him to recognize the sword’s hidden attack pattern and defeat it effortlessly.
• His ability to combine spiritual power, divination, and genuine martial arts makes him far more capable than ordinary treasure appraisers, who might be seriously injured or killed by the sword’s counterattack.
• Chen Shaojun gains a deeper understanding of the dangerous forces operating within the Great Zhou Dynasty, particularly the hidden assassin organizations that influence events from the shadows.
• Receiving the Saintly Spirit Sword Art greatly excites him. Because of his extraordinary comprehension and Swordheart Clarity, he believes he can master the technique rapidly and potentially uncover its higher stages.

Significant Themes

• Hidden danger and deception: The sword appears ordinary but conceals murderous intent and a sudden spiritual attack. This mirrors the assassin’s style and reinforces the danger of underestimating seemingly harmless objects or people.
• The shadowy power structure of the martial world: Phoenix Sparrow Tower operates like a secretive sect, offering wealth, cultivation resources, manuals, medicines, and expert guidance in exchange for assassination work.
• Violence and consequence: Assassins kill for profit, but they can also become targets themselves. Leng Shuang’s death and the later death of his killer demonstrate the endless cycle of retaliation.
• Knowledge through appraisal: Chen Shaojun’s ability to trace the sword’s history exposes hidden connections among assassins, the Red-Clad Cult, and the “Kill Five” plan.
• Talent versus limitations: The Saintly Spirit Sword Art’s highest levels depend on comprehension rather than merely cultivation. Chen Shaojun’s exceptional sword insight gives him the potential to unlock abilities that ordinary warriors cannot.

Character Interactions

• Chen Shaojun confronts the lingering martial will of Leng Shuang through the sword. Though Leng Shuang is dead, his instinctive killing style survives in the weapon and attacks Chen Shaojun.
• The swordsmith Iron Three creates the weapon for Leng Shuang, but Leng Shuang cruelly uses Iron Three’s blood to activate the blade instead of paying him.
• Leng Shuang’s enemies ambush and kill him, taking the sword as spoils. Later, another Phoenix Sparrow Tower assassin kills those enemies, showing the organization’s reach and the recurring revenge between killers and their targets.
• Phoenix Sparrow Tower eventually sells the sword to the Red-Clad Cult, linking the assassin organization to the larger conspiracy surrounding the “Kill Five” plan.
• Chen Shaojun’s immediate reaction to the Saintly Spirit Sword Art is enthusiasm and curiosity, though the cramped appraisal room and the disturbance outside prevent him from fully practicing it.

Chapter Summary: The Immortal Masters Arrive, Five-Powers Daoist Reappears

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun appraises three weapons:
  • A long whip, containing strong traces of its former owner’s will and battle history. It is appraised as a Low-Grade Treasure and rewards him with the White Python Whip Technique.
  • A heavy battle axe, filled with even stronger Killing Intent and remnants of numerous martial auras. After successfully dispelling them, Chen appraises it as a Mid-Grade Treasure, receiving the complete Heavenly Dipper Thirty-Six-Route Axe Technique.
• Chen recognizes that the axe technique is an exceptionally powerful, complete martial inheritance, potentially stronger than the incomplete version of the Saintly Spirit Sword Art he currently possesses.
• After finishing his appraisals, Chen stores the weapons and spends the night cultivating the Tai Shang Perception Scripture, maintaining his habit of daily cultivation despite having Merit Golden Light as a shortcut.
• The following morning, the Appraisal Hall remains shaken by the previous night’s haunting. The ghost’s attack on Lu Fengchun and Manager Sun’s humiliating fall into a cesspit become the main topics of conversation.
• Chairman Mo Zhu-Xiang brings two renowned Daoists from Clear Spring Daoist Temple to deal with the Red-Clad Female Ghost:
  • Guanshan Daoist, the plump master of the temple.
  • Five-Powers Daoist, his thin and dignified junior brother.
• Chen recognizes Five-Powers Daoist as the same cultivator who previously helped Zhang Gao evade the little ghost. He becomes cautious, remembering that the Daoist might potentially trace supernatural disturbances back to him.
• The two Daoists search the Appraisal Hall using a Yin-Seeking Compass, examining areas of concentrated yin energy. They eventually locate the densest source near an artificial rockery.
• Guards uncover an ancient, long-sealed well beneath large stones. The Daoists suspect that the Red-Clad Female Ghost may be hiding there or may have originated from it.
• Five-Powers Daoist explains that wells naturally accumulate yin energy. If someone dies unjustly inside one, lingering resentment can combine with the accumulated yin to create a Vengeful Ghost. Fierce Baleful Intent could further transform it into an even more dangerous evil entity.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates his growing mastery of appraisal techniques. Even weapons saturated with Killing Intent and multiple martial auras cannot overwhelm his perfected Divine Gaze Technique.
• He gains three powerful martial arts in succession, but his reaction shows increased composure and discernment. He is pleased by the complete axe inheritance yet remains aware of his personal preference for swordsmanship.
• Chen continues to cultivate diligently rather than relying entirely on Merit Golden Light, reinforcing his patience, discipline, and long-term approach to spiritual advancement.
• His caution increases when Five-Powers Daoist appears. Chen recognizes that other cultivators possess the ability to detect or investigate supernatural energy, so he conceals his own cultivation through the Spirit-Hiding Technique.
• Guanshan Daoist is introduced as confident and experienced, readily assuring Chairman Mo that the ghost will be easy to handle.
• Five-Powers Daoist appears calm, knowledgeable, and methodical. His explanation of wells and ghost formation establishes him as the more observant and theoretically informed of the two.
• Mo Zhu-Xiang shows concern for the Appraisal Hall but is also occupied with the upcoming Treasure Auction, leaving the haunting to the Daoists.

Significant Themes

• Accumulation and perseverance: Chen’s continued daily cultivation emphasizes that genuine strength requires sustained effort, even when shortcuts are available.
• The value of complete inheritances: The complete axe technique is contrasted with the incomplete higher forms of the Saintly Spirit Sword Art, highlighting the difference between possessing a powerful foundation and having access to an entire perfected system.
• Hidden danger beneath ordinary appearances: The ancient well lies concealed beneath an artificial rockery, symbolizing how dangerous supernatural forces may remain hidden within seemingly familiar places.
• Yin, resentment, and transformation: The chapter develops the supernatural rules governing how unjust death, lingering resentment, accumulated yin, and Baleful Intent can combine to produce increasingly powerful ghosts.
• Caution and concealment: Chen must remain alert around experienced Daoists, demonstrating the importance of hiding his true abilities in a world where cultivators can detect unusual spiritual fluctuations.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen and the appraised weapons: Chen confronts the wills and Killing Intents embedded in the whip and axe, using his Divine Gaze Technique and Baleful Severing Ruler to overcome them.
• Mo Zhu-Xiang and the Daoists: Mo sincerely asks Guanshan and Five-Powers Daoists to resolve the haunting, while they confidently promise to handle it.
• The Daoists and the Appraisal Hall staff: The Daoists direct the guards to excavate the rockery, while managers and appraisers watch anxiously and question their conclusions.
• Chen and Five-Powers Daoist: Though they do not directly interact, Chen recognizes the Daoist from their past connection and quietly monitors him while concealing his own cultivation.
• Guanshan and Five-Powers Daoist: The pair work together in searching for the ghost, with Guanshan providing confidence and Five-Powers offering detailed spiritual analysis.

Chapter Summary: “Is There Really a Ghost? Peril with Promise”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An ancient, long-sealed well is discovered to contain an enormous amount of Yin Baleful Intent. The Daoists suspect that a Vengeful Ghost—or even a Ghost King—may be inside.
• Guanshan Daoist and Five-Powers Daoist decide not to open the well immediately. They establish a formation to drain and weaken the Yin energy, planning to confront the entity at noon, when sunlight and Yang energy are strongest.
• Chen Shaojun uses the Spirit Eye Technique and confirms that a terrifying presence is indeed sleeping within the well. Its aura seems at least as powerful as the Red-Clad Female Ghost’s, possibly stronger.
• Before the scheduled ghost extermination, Chen returns to the Appraisal Hall and is presented with an Eighteen Arhat Bracelet, a Buddhist artifact that appears pure and harmless.
• Divination twice produces the result “peril with promise,” despite the bracelet radiating benevolent Buddhist light.
• During appraisal, Chen discovers that the bracelet’s divine radiance strengthens spiritual power but also attempts to influence his mind, encouraging him not merely to believe in Buddha but to become loyal and submit to Buddha.
• Recognizing this as a form of spiritual control similar to the Red-Clad Cult’s Conversion Art, Chen severs the connection and destroys the hidden influence through spiritual force.
• The appraisal is completed, and the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror begins revealing the bracelet’s history.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun becomes increasingly cautious and perceptive. He recognizes that dangers may be hidden beneath seemingly benevolent appearances and refuses to sacrifice his independence for greater spiritual power.
• His spiritual strength has grown substantially: he is able to defend himself, identify the bracelet’s mental influence, and destroy the embedded divine aura.
• Chen’s concern about the ancient well shows his growing awareness of supernatural threats and his instinct to investigate matters beyond their surface appearance.
• Guanshan Daoist and Five-Powers Daoist are portrayed as experienced and prudent cultivators. Rather than acting rashly against a possible Ghost King, they rely on formations, timing, terrain, and the power of the midday sun.
• The unnamed guards and appraisers display a mixture of fear and curiosity, eager to witness the Daoists’ abilities but relieved that the ghost extermination will not occur immediately.

Significant Themes

• Danger hidden within benevolence: The Buddhist bracelet appears sacred and harmless, yet conceals an attempt to control the user’s beliefs and will.
• Freedom of thought and personal identity: Chen values retaining his own mind more than gaining spiritual power. Submission to an external force would mean losing his true self.
• Caution and preparation: Both the Daoists dealing with the well and Chen appraising the bracelet demonstrate that supernatural threats require patience, preparation, and careful investigation.
• Appearances versus reality: The ghostly well may contain a far more powerful entity than expected, while the seemingly pure Buddhist artifact proves dangerous.
• Power with a price: The bracelet can genuinely enhance Chen’s spiritual strength, but its benefit comes attached to spiritual manipulation, making the reward inseparable from the threat.

Character Interactions

• The two Daoists coordinate their preparations and explain to the steward and guards why the well should be handled at noon rather than immediately.
• The guards and appraisers react to the Daoists’ warnings with nervous anticipation, wanting to observe the exorcism while keeping their distance from the Yin energy.
• Chen silently observes the Daoists and the well but avoids questioning the Red-Clad Female Ghost about the entity inside because the Daoists are nearby.
• During the appraisal, Chen’s spiritual power comes into contact with the bracelet’s divine aura. What initially feels like a beneficial interaction becomes a struggle against the artifact’s attempt to reshape his beliefs.
• Chen ultimately overcomes the bracelet’s influence, preserving his autonomy while gaining the experience and insight needed to recognize similar threats in the future.

Chapter Summary: “A Vast Game of Chess”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter explains the Buddhist School’s decline after Great Buddha Temple backed the wrong claimant during the imperial succession struggle three hundred years earlier. The Great Zhou Dynasty retaliated with the Buddhist Suppression War, destroying Great Buddha Temple and forcing Inch Mountain to retreat behind sealed mountain gates.
• Although publicly weakened, the Buddhist School adapted by operating indirectly. It cultivated relationships with wealthy and influential families through blessed Buddhist artifacts, including statues, bracelets, and jade pendants.
• These artifacts contained the consciousness of Buddhist masters and subtly influenced their owners, gradually increasing their devotion to Buddhism. In return, powerful families donated resources, while the Buddhist School offered martial arts, spells, and religious teachings.
• Chen Shaojun appraises an Eighteen Arhat Bracelet, blessed by Master Yunhui of Light Temple and intended as a birthday gift for the mother of Chen Xiuzhi, a third-rank official. Because Chen Xiuzhi is deeply filial, he insists that the item be verified as safe before it reaches his mother.
• Through the appraisal vision, Chen realizes that the Buddhist School has been conducting a vast, long-term strategy: building influence among powerful households and quietly accumulating strength throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.
• The bracelet receives a High-Grade Treasure ranking, rewarding Chen with the Sitting-in-Oblivion Scripture.
• Chen immediately cultivates the scripture and discovers that it strengthens spiritual power by allowing him to sense and absorb mysterious points of energy—described as pure thoughts, dark matter, or spiritual particles—floating between heaven and earth.
• This breakthrough pleases Chen because his spiritual power had previously stalled after the Divine Gaze Technique reached its limit. He hopes the new method will eventually give him enough strength to appraise the mysterious conical treasure that currently lies beyond his ability.
• Chen then appraises another jade pendant. It is rated Mortal Grade, Upper Rank, and rewards him with the skill Imitation.
• Imitation allows Chen to reproduce handwriting, expressions, movements, and even martial-arts techniques with remarkable accuracy, though copied techniques may lack their original spirit or deeper essence.
• Encouraged by two useful rewards in succession, Chen decides to continue appraising treasures. Another item is brought to him as the chapter ends.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun becomes more aware of the Buddhist School’s hidden political and religious influence. His appraisal visions deepen his understanding of the broader power struggle within the cultivation world.
• He makes an important advancement in spiritual cultivation by learning the Sitting-in-Oblivion Scripture, overcoming the stagnation caused by the limits of the Divine Gaze Technique.
• Chen’s curiosity and ambition regarding the mysterious conical treasure intensify. He now sees spiritual cultivation as a possible route to appraising it in the future.
• His playful and practical personality appears in his enthusiastic assessment of the Imitation skill, imagining its uses in forgery, performance, and martial arts.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and long-term strategy: The Buddhist School demonstrates how a weakened faction can survive by influencing society from within rather than confronting its enemies openly.
• Religion as political and economic influence: Buddhist faith is presented not only as spiritual belief but also as a means of building networks, securing resources, and gaining access to elite families.
• Cultivation through resources and connections: The chapter emphasizes that advancement depends on methods, wealth, companions, and land, with no sect entirely independent of worldly support.
• Spiritual energy and the nature of faith: The Sitting-in-Oblivion Scripture suggests that faith, thoughts, and incense may all originate from a similar form of mental energy, though uncontrolled faith can contain dangerous distractions.
• Growth through appraisal: Chen’s ability to appraise treasures continues to provide both knowledge and practical power, gradually expanding his capabilities.

Character Interactions

• Chen’s appraisal indirectly reveals the relationship between the Buddhist School and Chen Xiuzhi, whose devotion to his mother leads him to submit the bracelet for inspection.
• The Buddhist School interacts with wealthy households through blessed artifacts, religious guidance, and the exchange of spiritual teachings for donations and political access.
• Chen interacts with the Appraisal Hall’s servants, who collect the completed item and deliver new treasures for examination.
• His primary ongoing interaction is with the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, which judges artifacts and grants him cultivation methods and supernatural abilities.

Chapter Summary: The Treasure Fair Was About to End?

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun receives a heavily rusted bronze plaque bearing the partially visible words, “To be opened personally.”
• He asks the attendant to deliver treasures in larger batches rather than one at a time, explaining that his spiritual power now allows him to appraise multiple low-Killing-Intent items simultaneously.
• The attendant reveals that the Treasure Fair officially ends that day, though the Appraisal Hall still has several days’ worth of treasures to examine.
• Realizing that the Fair provides an unusually rich supply of high-grade treasures, Chen Shaojun becomes determined to appraise as many items as possible before the opportunity disappears.
• He appraises the bronze plaque using the Spirit Eye Technique and Divination Art. The divination proves auspicious, but removing the plaque’s rust triggers a concealed blade radiance.
• Chen Shaojun easily destroys the weakened blade attack with his Baleful Severing Ruler and completes the appraisal.
• The plaque is revealed to be a challenge letter from Situ Nian to Tang Fanglian, inviting him to battle at Flying Crane Mountain after both had comprehended the mysterious martial “Domain.”
• The appraisal vision reveals that the letter never reached Tang Fanglian. The messenger opened it out of curiosity, accidentally triggering the hidden blade radiance and dying instantly.
• Decades later, an impoverished father and son sold the bronze plaque to a pawnshop, from which it eventually entered the Treasure Fair’s Appraisal Hall.
• The Heaven-Piercing Treasure Mirror rates the plaque as a Low-Grade Treasure and rewards Chen Shaojun with the powerful sword technique Eight Swords Flying Together.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates increasing confidence in his appraisal abilities. He recognizes that his spiritual power has grown enough to process several treasures at once and seeks to maximize his efficiency.
• His priorities remain practical: he is far more concerned with obtaining appraisal rewards than with political events such as the Red-Clad Cult’s planned attack on the Fifth Prince.
• His combat strength is also shown to have advanced significantly. At the Qi Sea Realm’s sixth stage, he effortlessly neutralizes the concealed blade radiance.
• Chen Shaojun’s curiosity about the challenge letter develops into admiration for the two martial masters, though he ultimately feels greater sympathy for the unfortunate messenger.
• He gains another formidable martial art, Eight Swords Flying Together, and immediately recognizes its immense potential despite its demanding requirements.

Significant Themes

• Curiosity and its consequences: The messenger’s death illustrates the danger of meddling with objects connected to powerful experts. The chapter emphasizes that curiosity can have fatal consequences.
• Lost intentions and the passage of time: A challenge letter meant to initiate a legendary duel remains undelivered for decades, showing how human plans can be derailed by chance.
• The value of opportunity: Chen Shaojun realizes that the Treasure Fair’s abundant, high-grade treasures are a rare resource and feels urgency to exploit the remaining appraisal period.
• Power concealed within ordinary objects: The rusted bronze plaque appears insignificant, yet contains a deadly attack and records the ambitions of extraordinary martial artists.
• Growth through appraisal: Chen Shaojun’s increasing strength and collection of powerful techniques show how his appraisal work directly fuels his cultivation and future potential.

Character Interactions

• Chen Shaojun negotiates with the attendant, persuading him to deliver treasures in batches to improve appraisal efficiency.
• He reflects on how other appraisers reject difficult treasures, while those items are often redirected to him because of his superior abilities.
• The bronze plaque preserves the interaction between Situ Nian and Tang Fanglian: Situ Nian respectfully challenges Tang after comprehending the martial Domain.
• The messenger’s careless curiosity creates the central tragedy, preventing the letter from reaching its intended recipient.
• Chen Shaojun mentally contrasts the grand ambitions of the two martial masters with the ordinary father and son who later mistake the plaque for a valuable bronze object.

Chapter Summary: “Another Tenfold Draw, Fox Borrowing the Tiger’s Might”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun reflects on his main limitation: although he possesses many powerful martial arts and spells, his martial True Qi and arcane power are still insufficient to use them fully.
• He identifies two ways to increase his strength:
  • Spirit-Sealing Stones, which can rapidly improve martial cultivation.
  • Merit Golden Light, which can directly increase his arcane cultivation. Each point is equivalent to roughly ten days of cultivation.
• Chen considers two future sources of Spirit-Sealing Stones:
  • A small cultivators’ exchange opening in about ten days.
  • A secret black market in Shengjing opening in about twenty days.
• A servant brings him ten more treasures to appraise. Most are jade objects, tea sets, calligraphy, and paintings, with relatively light Killing Intent.
• After using divination and confirming an auspicious result, Chen performs another tenfold appraisal draw. He successfully eliminates the Killing Intent from all ten treasures and receives ten rewards.
• The rewards include:
  • Spirit-Communing Pills
  • Qi-Nourishing Pills
  • Eight points of Merit Golden Light
  • Lu Ban’s Shipbuilding Art
  • Great Thunderclap Palm
  • Iron Sand Palm
  • Minor Cloud-Rain Technique
  • Fox Borrowing the Tiger’s Might
  • Nightglow Technique
• Chen is especially pleased with the eight points of Merit Golden Light, though he decides to save them rather than immediately use them to increase his arcane cultivation.
• After cultivating the Sitting-in-Oblivion Scripture and Tai Shang Perception Scripture, Chen hears the meal bell and leaves the appraisal room.
• He notices the other appraisers and two Daoist priests gathered around the ancient well beneath the artificial rockery. The formation has drained much of the well’s Yin energy, reducing its former cold and sinister aura.
• Chen prepares to inspect the well with the Spirit Eye Technique, leaving the chapter on a developing supernatural mystery.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun continues to grow more powerful and resourceful through appraisal rewards, but he remains aware of the gap between his abilities and his limited cultivation base.
• His strategic thinking is evident in his decision to delay using the Merit Golden Light until he has accumulated enough for a more substantial breakthrough.
• He becomes increasingly confident in his ability to appraise large numbers of treasures, successfully completing a tenfold draw despite the combined Killing Intent.
• His personality shows a playful and slightly mischievous side when he anticipates using Fox Borrowing the Tiger’s Might to frighten stronger opponents by imitating the aura of a superior expert.
• He also gains practical ambitions beyond combat, viewing Shipbuilding Art as a possible means of earning a living.

Significant Themes

• Accumulation and patience: Chen’s strength grows through repeated appraisal rewards, but he understands that saving resources for a major breakthrough may be wiser than using them immediately.
• Power versus cultivation: Possessing many techniques is not enough; Chen must also build the internal power necessary to wield them effectively.
• Cleverness over brute strength: Fox Borrowing the Tiger’s Might allows Chen to intimidate enemies by exploiting appearances rather than directly overpowering them.
• Practical value of knowledge: Several rewards are useful outside combat, including shipbuilding, farming, illumination, and medicinal support.
• Mystery and supernatural danger: The ancient well and its diminishing Yin energy remain an important unresolved threat.

Character Interactions

• Chen interacts briefly with the servant who delivers and collects treasures, carefully limiting how quickly he appraises them so as not to arouse suspicion.
• He mentally evaluates the potential usefulness of each reward, especially discussing how the pills, techniques, and spells could support his future cultivation and survival.
• At the chapter’s end, Chen observes the gathered appraisers and the two Daoist priests monitoring the ancient well, setting up his closer involvement with the well’s mysterious supernatural forces.

Chapter Summary: “Duel of Arts (Please Subscribe)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun realizes that the entity sealed inside the ancient well is not a ghost, as everyone had assumed, but a female zombie. This discovery reveals that many of Guanshan Daoist’s and Five-Powers Daoist’s anti-ghost formations may be ineffective.
• After completing appraisals in the dining hall, Chen notices that his Merit Golden Light has increased from eight to fifteen points, bringing him closer to the eighteen points needed to advance his arcane cultivation by one year.
• The two Daoists begin their assault by removing the stone sealing the well and using a spirit talisman to provoke the creature inside.
• The monster briefly emerges but retreats from the intense midday sunlight. Guanshan and Five-Powers then recognize that it is a powerful Black Zombie, somewhere between the Bronze-Armored and Silver-Armored stages.
• Realizing the danger, Guanshan orders everyone to retreat while Five-Powers replaces the ineffective arrangements with a Five-Thunder Formation.
• A passing cloud weakens the sunlight, allowing the zombie to leap fully from the well. Drawn by the living crowd’s blood and vitality, it attempts to escape and attack.
• Guanshan intercepts it with fire talismans, flames, and a magically controlled Peachwood Sword. Although these attacks slow and knock the zombie back, they fail to injure it due to its formidable defenses. The zombie repeatedly changes direction and continues trying to break through.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates his expertise in corpse-related cultivation by immediately identifying the creature as a zombie and accurately judging its level. He remains calm and observant rather than panicking.
• His growing Merit Golden Light gives him a clear personal goal: reaching eighteen points to improve his arcane cultivation.
• Guanshan Daoist shows leadership and combat skill. Despite the unexpected threat, he quickly changes tactics, protects the crowd, and personally holds off the zombie.
• Five-Powers Daoist responds obediently and efficiently, dismantling the old formations and preparing the Five-Thunder Formation.
• The surrounding appraisers initially underestimate the danger, but the guards recognize the threat and force them to retreat.
• The zombie is portrayed as an intelligent, instinct-driven creature. It understands that remaining in the well means death and immediately seeks an opportunity to escape and feed.

Significant Themes

• The danger of mistaken assumptions: The Daoists prepared extensively to fight a ghost, but their misidentification leaves them poorly equipped to handle a zombie.
• Preparation versus adaptability: Although the original formations are unsuitable, the Daoists quickly adapt their strategy, emphasizing the importance of responding to changing circumstances.
• Escalating supernatural power: The detailed hierarchy of zombies highlights how drastically strength increases between stages and establishes this creature as a major threat.
• Human curiosity versus survival: Many appraisers move closer to watch the battle despite the danger, showing how curiosity and false confidence can override caution.
• Sealed evil and delayed catastrophe: The zombie’s long confinement allowed it to grow stronger, suggesting that threats hidden or ignored may become far more dangerous over time.

Character Interactions

• Chen silently evaluates the Daoists’ preparations and abilities, choosing not to interfere because he believes they may still be able to win.
• Guanshan takes command of Five-Powers, instructing him to establish the Five-Thunder Formation while Guanshan confronts the zombie directly.
• The guards intervene on behalf of the Daoists by pushing the spectators back and maintaining a safer perimeter.
• Guanshan directly engages the zombie with talismans, flames, and his Peachwood Sword, but the creature’s armor-like body withstands the attacks and continues seeking escape.

Chapter Summary: In the End, He Had Still Become What He Once Hated

Key Plot Points and Events

• Guanshan Daoist attacks the Bronze-Armored Zombie with his Peachwood Sword, but the zombie dodges and charges toward the gathered appraisers.
• The zombie’s body proves impervious to ordinary weapons. It knocks away several guards and kills two appraisers by draining their blood.
• During the chaos, Chen Shaojun notices a hairpin that had fallen from the zombie’s head. He discreetly picks it up and stores it for later appraisal.
• Sunlight weakens and burns the zombie, allowing Guanshan Daoist to drive it into the open and trap it temporarily with an array.
• Five-Powers Daoist completes a Five-Thunder Formation and repeatedly strikes the zombie with lightning. Guanshan Daoist finishes it with a powerful flame technique, reducing its body to ash.
• Afterward, the appraisers discuss the danger of the zombie, which was revealed to be a powerful Corpse King nearly comparable to a Silver-Armored Zombie.
• Five-Powers Daoist demands additional payment from the Appraisal Hall, arguing that the danger and casualties far exceeded the originally described threat of a Vengeful Ghost.
• The Daoists agree to remain overnight in case the actual Vengeful Ghost appears.
• Chen Shaojun returns to his appraisal room and takes out the hairpin, preparing to examine it.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates calmness and resourcefulness during the attack. Rather than panicking, he notices and secretly retrieves a valuable object from the battlefield.
• His knowledge of the Taiyin Corpse-Refining Art lets him understand the zombie’s weaknesses better than the Daoists, despite his lower cultivation.
• He recognizes that his large collection of spells gives him versatility, but he also admits that he lacks powerful direct combat techniques and still cannot match the Daoists’ battle prowess.
• Chen reflects on how he has become an appraiser despite once strongly rejecting the profession. He ultimately convinces himself that appraising treasures still serves his original goal of becoming stronger.
• Guanshan Daoist displays excellent sword-control skills and contributes decisively to trapping and burning the zombie.
• Five-Powers Daoist reveals himself to be both a capable formation user and a shrewd negotiator, immediately using the battle’s danger and casualties to demand higher compensation.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge versus raw cultivation: Chen’s specialized knowledge and varied spells compensate for his lower realm, showing that preparation and understanding can rival greater power.
• Preparation and adaptability: The Daoists are powerful but initially caught unprepared because they expected a Vengeful Ghost rather than a zombie. Their limited options make the battle more difficult than it should have been.
• Power and self-justification: Chen questions whether he has betrayed his original ideals by becoming an appraiser, then reframes his work as a means to pursue strength.
• Transformation and irony: The title reflects Chen’s realization that, despite his former dislike of appraisers, he now instinctively collects treasures for appraisal.
• Human vulnerability: The appraisers’ fear and the deaths caused by the zombie contrast sharply with their earlier leisurely attitude, emphasizing how quickly apparent safety can collapse.

Important Character Interactions

• The zombie attacks the appraisers while Guanshan Daoist and the guards attempt to stop it.
• Guanshan Daoist and Five-Powers Daoist combine swordsmanship, formations, lightning, sunlight, and fire to destroy the zombie.
• Five-Powers Daoist negotiates with the Appraisal Hall manager, using the casualties and the zombie’s unexpected strength to justify a larger payment.
• The manager agrees to the increased cost but insists that the Daoists remain to guard against the possible appearance of the true Vengeful Ghost.
• Chen remains mostly separate from the others, observing the battle, analyzing the Daoists’ methods, and secretly taking the fallen hairpin for appraisal.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun examines a blackened hairpin recovered from the Bronze-Armored Zombie. Using divination, he determines that it is auspicious to appraise.
• He employs the Divine Gaze Technique to purge the hairpin’s immense Killing Intent, which had accumulated from decades spent beside the Zombie in a sealed well.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror reveals the hairpin’s history:
  • Seventy years earlier, the wealthy Bo family’s illegitimate daughter, Qing’er, fell in love with Zhang Yong, a poor tenant and firewood carrier.
  • Zhang Yong once rescued Qing’er from drowning in the family pond, leading to mutual affection.
  • The First Madam opposed the relationship and arranged Qing’er’s marriage to a wealthy merchant’s disabled, foolish son.
  • Qing’er wanted to elope, but Zhang Yong hesitated because of his obligations to his parents and fear that he could not protect her in a dangerous world.
  • After Qing’er rejected the arranged marriage, the furious First Madam struck her. Qing’er hit a stone step and died.
  • To conceal the killing, a servant framed Zhang Yong for abducting her and hid her corpse in a sealed well.
  • After seventy years of accumulating yin energy and resentment, Qing’er transformed into the Zombie later discovered by Daoists.
• The hairpin, a Golden Crane Hairpin, had been given to Qing’er by her father as compensation for her suffering and years of neglect.
• The appraisal ends with the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror awarding Chen Shaojun a Superior Dharma Grade treasure: the Matchmaking Thread.
• The Matchmaking Thread can rapidly intensify mutual affection between a man and woman for three days, though it cannot replace emotional intelligence or genuine romantic skill.
• Chen Shaojun jokes that he is still too young to need it and stores it away.
• When afternoon appraisals begin, Chen Shaojun starts cultivating the Sitting-in-Oblivion Scripture. He then considers whether he can draw spiritual energy from beyond his normal range, potentially allowing continuous cultivation.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates growing confidence and mastery. The Zombie’s Killing Intent, once potentially dangerous, is now easily eliminated by his spiritual power.
• His appraisal abilities also show increasing depth: he does not merely identify the hairpin but uncovers the tragic human story behind it.
• Chen has become more mature and detached from simplistic ideas of justice. Rather than demanding punishment for the Bo family, he recognizes that life is shaped by accidents, hidden causes, and delayed consequences.
• He remains humorous and somewhat self-aware, joking about being “still a child” despite his obvious maturity and supernatural abilities.
• His curiosity and ambition as a cultivator are emphasized when he begins experimenting with improving the efficiency and continuity of his spiritual-energy absorption.

Significant Themes

• Hidden histories within objects: The hairpin preserves the story of Qing’er’s love, death, and transformation, showing how ordinary objects can contain entire lives.
• Love versus social class and responsibility: Qing’er and Zhang Yong genuinely love one another, but class differences, family obligations, and fear prevent them from escaping together.
• Oppression within family structures: The First Madam’s authority and the rigid hierarchy of the Bo household leave Qing’er powerless despite being Master Bo’s daughter.
• The consequences of resentment and injustice: Qing’er’s wrongful death and burial create the conditions for her transformation into a Zombie.
• Ambiguous morality and delayed justice: Chen questions whether the Bo family’s charity truly reflected goodness and whether a wealthy, respectable household could remain morally sound after covering up murder.
• The unpredictability of life: Chen reflects that life is shaped by “one accident after another,” with fortunes and tragedies emerging from unexpected events.
• Love and human ability: The Matchmaking Thread can create opportunity and attraction, but lasting relationships still depend on personality, conduct, and emotional understanding.

Character Interactions

• Qing’er and Zhang Yong: Their relationship begins after Zhang rescues her from the pond. Their mutual affection grows despite their class difference, but Zhang’s hesitation disappoints Qing’er and prevents their escape.
• Qing’er and the First Madam: Their confrontation represents the conflict between personal desire and rigid household authority. The First Madam’s anger escalates into a fatal act of violence.
• The First Madam and her servant: After Qing’er’s death, the servant helps construct a false story blaming Zhang Yong and hiding the body, revealing the household’s willingness to protect its reputation through deception.
• Master Bo and Qing’er: Although Master Bo appears charitable, his relationship with Qing’er is distant and shaped by her illegitimate status. His later gift of the hairpin suggests pity, but not necessarily genuine protection.
• Chen Shaojun and the appraised object: Chen treats the hairpin not merely as a treasure but as evidence of Qing’er’s life, responding with sympathy and philosophical reflection.
• Chen Shaojun and the Matchmaking Thread: He views the treasure humorously and decides not to use it, while the narration emphasizes that even magical assistance cannot guarantee romance.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun experiments with using his spiritual power to draw surrounding spiritual particles into his cultivation cycle. The method works, doubling the amount of spiritual particles he can absorb, but it places heavy strain on his mind and can only be sustained for about one incense stick.
• He alternates between this spiritual-power cultivation and the Tai Shang Perception Scripture. The latter helps restore his mental fatigue while also increasing his arcane power.
• After recovering, Chen Shaojun receives ten treasures to appraise. He identifies two as carrying relatively heavy Killing Intent and sets them aside, choosing to perform an eight-treasure appraisal instead.
• He confirms the remaining treasures are safe through the Spirit Eye Technique and Divination Art, receiving an auspicious result before using the Divine Gaze Technique.
• The appraisal successfully dissolves the treasures’ Killing Intent and produces several rewards, including pills, martial techniques, medical knowledge, pear-planting knowledge, and three points of Merit Golden Light.
• The new Merit Golden Light brings his total to eighteen points. Since each point represents ten days of cultivation, he uses them to gain the equivalent of six additional months of arcane cultivation, bringing his total experience to one year.
• He tests his improved power with the Fireball Technique. Although the spell itself remains unchanged, he realizes that his greater cultivation allows him to channel more arcane power into it and greatly increase its strength.
• More importantly, he discovers that reaching one year of cultivation has enhanced his understanding of spell structures. He can now perceive ways to simplify and improve the Fireball Technique and other spells.
• Chen Shaojun uses his daily question opportunity with “Money Can Move the Gods” to resolve his doubts. He learns that one year, ten years, one hundred years, and similar milestones are cultivation thresholds corresponding to major Daoist realms. Each threshold causes accumulated experience to transform and produce a major leap in understanding and power.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun becomes more efficient and experimental in his cultivation, devising a method to increase spiritual-particle absorption despite its mental cost.
• His spiritual power, arcane power, and treasure-appraisal abilities all improve steadily.
• Reaching one year of cultivation marks a major breakthrough. He gains not only greater reserves of power but also improved insight, spell comprehension, and casting efficiency.
• He remains cautious while appraising treasures, refusing to become careless even when the objects appear relatively harmless.
• His lack of formal guidance becomes more apparent. He recognizes that he understands many techniques intuitively but often lacks a deeper explanation of why they work, prompting him to seek answers through his supernatural questioning ability.

Significant Themes

• Accumulation and breakthroughs: Long-term cultivation builds toward thresholds where stored experience suddenly transforms into dramatic advancement.
• Power balanced by limitation: Chen’s new spiritual-particle method is effective but constrained by mental exhaustion, emphasizing that greater power comes with risks and costs.
• Knowledge as a form of strength: Advancement improves not merely raw energy but also insight, comprehension, and the ability to refine techniques.
• Self-guided cultivation: Chen’s progress comes through experimentation, observation, and supernatural assistance rather than traditional mentorship.
• Caution and discipline: Even seemingly ordinary treasures are examined carefully because hidden Killing Intent can pose serious danger.

Character Interactions

• Chen interacts indirectly with the attendants who exchange the appraised treasures, selecting and sorting the items before beginning his next appraisal.
• His primary “interaction” is with Money Can Move the Gods, whose answer clarifies the meaning of cultivation thresholds and explains the sudden improvement in his spell understanding.
• Chen also engages in an internal dialogue with himself, weighing the advantages and dangers of his cultivation method and reflecting on the value of having a knowledgeable master.