Volume Two: Journey Through the State of Qi | Chapter 105: Appraising Treasures

"Alright, I'll try my best." After pondering for a long while, Zhang Heng decided to participate in the Imperial Capital Competition.

He was, after all, a hot-blooded young man. He, too, needed to temper himself through combat with his peers. He had also once fantasized about being a peerless master, roaming the world and righting wrongs in the name of justice.

But ever since arriving in this wondrous world, he had never once fought anyone in a true, blade-on-blade duel. Either he was being chased all over the place by others, or he crushed his opponents with overwhelming, absolute force.

He didn't even know what his own true strength really was. There was simply no sense of real experience to it.

This time, it wasn't just about completing the System's task. It was also about satisfying his own youthful arrogance, his desire to compete and prove himself.

Still, he couldn't guarantee he'd take first place, so "try his best" was about all he could promise.

One more thing—System Big Bro, what exactly is that black aura? Can you please tell me? Zhang Heng asked in a fawning tone.

On this question, Zhang Heng had already inquired many times before. Each time, the System either refused to answer or brushed him off with some excuse.

But the more it did so, the more it stoked Zhang Heng's curiosity.

He had thought that this time, having agreed to the System's demands, the System might be happy enough to tell him. But to his surprise, the System trotted out the same line.

*Drip. Detected: Host is too weak. For the safety of the host's life, this System will not answer this question.*

Fine then. If you won't say it, don't say it. This young master couldn't care less. Zhang Heng rose to his feet, pushed open the window, and gazed out at the bustling street below, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Since I've come to the Imperial Capital, I might as well see if there's anything interesting to do.

Walking along the street, Zhang Heng mulled it over, then thought of where he wanted to go.

After walking for a while, he suddenly spotted a shop called the "Treasure Appraisal Pavilion." Zhang Heng grinned slyly. You're it!

He hurried over.

The Treasure Appraisal Pavilion was, in simple terms, just like a pawnshop of ancient times. Cultivators could bring their treasures to exchange for spirit stones or other items. They could also use spirit stones to purchase whatever they needed.

But there was a catch: the goods inside were a jumbled mess, stuffed with all kinds of bizarre and odd objects. Without a sharp eye, one could easily be swindled.

The Treasure Appraisal Pavilion set clear prices and stated upfront that they did not know the uses of those items. Some people would spend a fortune on something, only to find it utterly useless. Others might spend just a few low-grade spirit stones and walk away with a rare treasure.

The mystery of it all depended entirely on one's own fortune.

For Zhang Heng, this was simply an unmissable opportunity! With his super cheat of a System, which knew everything and nothing escaped its knowledge, all he had to do was take a single glance and he'd know exactly what was useful and what wasn't.

Sure enough, big cities really did offer different service. The moment Zhang Heng stepped inside, a young woman came over to receive him. Though Zhang Heng's body showed no trace of spiritual energy fluctuation whatsoever, the woman still asked respectfully, "How may this young master be of assistance?"

"No need to bother with me. I'm just browsing," Zhang Heng said, then walked on in.

The shop's business was doing quite well—the place was packed with customers. Yet many cultivators stood before items they fancied, hesitating for a long time, never daring to make a move.

Tsk. Probably been burned too many times before.

This time, Zhang Heng was planning to keep a low profile... no—a high profile.

He had come to the Imperial Capital precisely to seek out powerful backers. The more presence he made for himself, the more real big shots he could get to know.

What's more, this was the Imperial Capital. With the Imperial Capital Competition about to be held, the city's management would certainly be stricter than usual. Even if Zhang Heng offended some big shot while showing off, no one would choose to make a move against him during the competition period.

And even if, worst comes to worst, someone did try to act against him, Zhang Heng wasn't afraid of them anyway.

So all Zhang Heng needed to do was keep showing off, without a single worry in the world.

Since fate has brought us together, consider this a gift of fortune from me to you. Zhang Heng laughed inwardly.

He walked deeper into the shop.

The first thing that caught his eye was a broken sword. It was pitch black all over, its tip long gone, leaving only the hilt and a short fragment of the blade.

Zhang Heng stepped forward, picked it up with a flourish, and pretended to examine it from every angle—while in truth, he was asking the System.

Hey, System Big Bro, I'm about to start showing off. Do me a solid, alright?

*Drip. Affirmative.*

This time, the System was surprisingly cooperative. It directly transmitted all the data on this item into Zhang Heng's mind.

A moment later, everything about this sword was clear in Zhang Heng's mind.

Zhang Heng gave a smug smile and deliberately announced in a loud voice, "The sword is a fine sword. Though it's only forged from ordinary black refined iron, it was crafted by a fifth-tier weapon smith. Its quenching and tempering methods are nothing short of perfect. In its complete state, it would rank as a mid-grade spiritual weapon. But alas, its base material is too poor, which is why it was shattered by external force. Now, it's of no use anymore."

His words drew curious glances from the crowd, but they quickly turned their attention elsewhere. This item was utterly ordinary; plenty of people knew of it. Nothing surprising there.

Seeing the others' reactions, Zhang Heng smiled faintly. Not enough, it seemed.

Next, Zhang Heng walked along, narrating as he went. Every item he laid eyes on, Zhang Heng promptly identified its origin and purpose.

"The corpse of a Seven-Star Ancient Worm. When alive, that thing was a rare and priceless spiritual pet, used to seek out high-grade spirit herbs and medicines. But once dead, it's useless—good for nothing but boiling into water and drinking."

"A high-tier martial technique, the Phantom Art. Even though it's a high-tier technique, it can only be used in conjunction with a corresponding mental cultivation method. Without the right method, this thing is nothing but a pile of scrap paper."

"A Qianqing Pill. Though it's a fifth-grade elixir, this one is clearly a substandard batch pill eliminated from production, likely refined by someone who just advanced to fifth-tier alchemist. Very little medicinal potency remains within it, though it can still compare to a second-grade elixir."

As he spoke on, every cultivator in the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion turned their eyes to Zhang Heng. They all knew this young man was no simple character.

Being able to identify one or two items just meant he knew a bit more than the average person. That wasn't worth getting worked up over. But if he could identify every single one—that was something else entirely. It would mean this man was a true master of the craft.

Some people slowly edged closer to Zhang Heng, waiting for him to find something good so they could snap it up immediately.

Seeing this, Zhang Heng said nothing more. He simply treated it as doing them a favor.

At that moment, Zhang Heng paused before a piece of scrap stone. The crowd lost interest—this stone was made of the most ordinary material, with a sword mark on it. Clearly worthless.

But Zhang Heng let out a sigh of admiration. "Now this is a good thing."

One sentence stirred everyone's emotions. They wanted to hear what Zhang Heng had to say about it.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Zhang Heng spoke slowly. "This is just an ordinary piece of rock, nothing remarkable. But the sword mark upon it is something extraordinary. It was left by the Sword Saint, Dugu Bai. It contains the Sword Saint's supreme sword intent. If one studies it carefully, one's mastery of the sword path can be elevated to an extremely high level."

The moment these words left his mouth, no one could remain calm. The Sword Saint, Dugu Bai! The number one figure on the path of the sword across the entire cultivation continent. His legends spanned the whole of that world. There were even rumors that the Sword Saint had already stepped into the Tribulation Transcendence realm, and few in all the world could rival him. Some even said that the Sword Saint's current battle prowess could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Four Great Sacred Masters.

Though some among them were not sword cultivators, they still wished to buy the stone—either to switch to the sword path themselves, or to sell it to other sword cultivators.