Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments

Chapter 770: Chapter 290: Appraisal, True Monarch Can Ye Sorts Out the Truth

With the start of the new year, Tinglang Island had regained some of its liveliness.

However, still feeling the effects of the recent gales, most of the visitors were local cultivators, so the island wasn’t crowded.

The Treasure House inside the Feiye Commerce Association was thus relatively quiet. After all, it handled high-value trades, auctions, and appraisals, so it rarely saw casual visitors.

So when Xiao Chen arrived, he was immediately given an enthusiastic welcome.

"This way upstairs, Senior!"

"I’m a senior Appraiser with the Feiye Commerce Association. If you don’t mind, I can handle the appraisal of your items."

"Kuang is also in today. Please wait a moment; I’ll go get him now."

It didn’t take long for Xiao Chen to see Kuang Ruihong.

The man was still wearing the same gray robe, but he looked somewhat older and less vigorous than when they had met last year.

"Ah, it’s you, Xiao."

Kuang Ruihong seemed a little surprised upon entering, but he also appeared to liven up. "You must have found something good. Allow me to be the first to congratulate you."

This wasn’t hard to guess.

After all, people usually only visit an Appraiser to have something appraised. There’s rarely another reason.

"I wouldn’t go so far as to say congratulations are in order. I just have a few items I’m not sure about and was hoping you could take a look."

Xiao Chen, ever direct, immediately took out the two Talisman Treasures he had acquired.

Kuang Ruihong’s eyes swept over the two items, but he didn’t rush to handle them.

Instead, he asked, "You haven’t told me what you need, Xiao. Are you looking to identify them, judge their quality, or get a price estimate?"

"To be perfectly honest, I haven’t done much research in the areas of Spiritual Artifacts, Talisman Treasures, or Arrays."

"If you want an accurate price for different Talisman Treasures, we may need to bring in Master Yan from our Commerce Association."

"Master Yan is an old hand, so confidentiality won’t be an issue."

Xiao Chen waved his hand. "There’s no need to go to all that trouble. I’m mainly here to identify them; the price isn’t particularly important."

’He probably wouldn’t sell these items anyway. Since he planned on using them himself, the price wasn’t a key factor.’

"I understand. Please give me a moment."

Kuang Ruihong nodded in understanding. Only then did he pull on a pair of gloves and begin to carefully examine the structure of the Talisman Treasures.

Although he claimed not to be an expert on Talisman Treasures, identifying their type and class wasn’t difficult. Many such items followed fixed standards, and one could discern the patterns after seeing enough of them.

So, it only took him about ten breaths.

Kuang Ruihong placed the two Talisman Treasures back on the table. "These two are easy enough to recognize. They’re typical Defensive Talisman Treasures."

"The first is a replica of the Seven Treasures Guiyuan Spirit Light Umbrella. Judging from the workmanship alone, it should be a Fourth-Class Talisman Treasure."

"However, the Seven Treasures Guiyuan Spirit Light Umbrella is an Earthly Fiend Treasure, so a replica’s practical effect is considered one class higher. It’s perfectly fine to treat it as a Fifth-Class Talisman Treasure."

"As for this second one, I couldn’t identify its origin."

"Judging by its quality alone, it should be a Fifth-Class Talisman Treasure. What’s strange is that the Spirit Patterns on this silk handkerchief are quite unfamiliar."

’Of course it’s unfamiliar,’ Xiao Chen thought. ’It’s most likely from the Sea Race.’

Xiao Chen had suspected as much, so he wasn’t the least bit surprised by the result.

All he cared about was the Talisman Treasure’s class, so he was relieved to hear it was a Fifth-Class.

"I see. I have a few other items here. Could you please take a look at them as well?"

Xiao Chen nodded, put away the two Talisman Treasures, and took out three strange stones and the Ink-Colored Iron Token.

To aid in the identification, he proactively offered some clues. "These two on the left are from different relics. They’re both old items."

"The two on the right are from the Sea Race. Just do your best to identify them."

A flicker of curiosity clearly showed in Kuang Ruihong’s eyes at the mention of the Sea Race.

However, he reined in his curiosity and began to inspect the items one by one.

Since he was now dealing with Ancient Artifacts and Spiritual Objects from the Sea Race, his examination was exceptionally meticulous, and it naturally took much longer.

The first golden Spirit Ore alone took him a full half-hour.

While he worked, Xiao Chen sipped his tea and waited, taking the opportunity to look around at the room’s decor.

The Quiet Chamber was quite well-furnished.

In addition to the table and chairs, there was a pair of exquisite hanging scrolls and several vases filled with fresh, vibrant flowers.

Through the uncannily lifelike eyes of the goshawk in the *Flying Eagle Striking Water Painting*, the scene within the Quiet Chamber was being transmitted in real-time to the third floor.

On the table where True Monarch Can Ye usually kept his tea set, there was now a Water Curtain condensed from Spiritual Power.

"So that’s Xiao Chen?"

Across the tea table, a young girl, barely in her teens, stared at the Water Curtain.

"Yes, Miss."

True Monarch Can Ye nodded.

"Hmm, he’s handsome enough, but he doesn’t look very strong, does he?"

The girl sounded a little doubtful. "He’s not short, but he isn’t especially tall either."

"All in all, he doesn’t look like a Body Refining Cultivator."

True Monarch Can Ye agreed. "That part is indeed strange. His build is virtually identical to that of a normal person, yet his Qi Blood is dozens of times stronger than an ordinary cultivator’s."

"That’s exceptionally rare."

"But the world is a vast place; there will always be exceptional individuals. Perhaps he possesses some kind of special constitution."

True Monarch Can Ye was always quite open-minded about such things.

The world of cultivation is simply too vast. Even a True Monarch’s knowledge is ultimately limited.

However, the girl’s eyes lit up. "The latest intelligence report mentioned that a Great Demon from the Sea Race used transformation to pose as an Evil Cultivator, infiltrated the Compassion Sea, and attacked several Zen Masters."

"This Xiao Chen’s Qi Blood is so abnormal... You don’t think he could also be a transformed Great Demon, do you?"