Treasure Speculation

“Is the Master Mo Yang you all speak of that incredible?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

To be capable of inciting the agitation of so many people and causing them to go into a frenzy, who was this Master Mo Yang? Just what kind of magical abilities did he possess?

“Yes, he is extremely incredible!” Reverence could be heard from the vendor’s tone. “He is an expert appraiser!”

“Appraiser?” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

Appraiser and gourmet were both special occupations. However, the former was a Middle Nine Paths occupation.

This occupation might not be as glorious as apothecaries, blacksmiths and formation masters, but it was capable of sending innumerable people into hysteria.

That was because they were able to tell whether an item was a treasure or not just by looking at it. In the field of 【Treasure Speculation】, they possessed golden fingers that made them an existence similar to the God of Gambling. Many people would follow behind them reverently the moment they appeared in public.

Treasure speculation was a commercial activity similar to Earth’s rock speculation. There were some ancient treasures whose original radiance was buried under the cloak of rock and faunas. Just by the outer appearance itself, the most one could do was to identify what the artifact was. It was impossible to tell the tier of the treasure and the specifications of it.

Its true form would only be revealed when the exterior of the artifact was cleaned!

There were many treasure dealers who chose not to clean up these treasures and sell them in such a form instead. This was similar to the concept of rock gambling. After which, the buyer would purchase the artifact based on their discernment ability and intuition and clean up its exterior afterwards.

If they were lucky, it might turn out to be a supreme treasure, which would make them millionaires in an instant. On the other hand, it was also possible for them to go bankrupt after investing greatly on some useless object!

Heaven on one side and hell on the other.

It was due to the unreasonable unpredictability of the game that many people were obsessed with it, sometimes even going crazy over it.

Appraisers were capable of ascertaining whether a treasure was real or not. Those who were more capable were even able to make a judgment on an artifact before it has been tidied up. Thus, even though the occupation was only of the Middle Nine Paths, the charms of it had attracted many to walk on such a road.

After all, it was the Midas’s touch. As long as they thought that it was a treasure, people would buy it no matter how expensive they were.

“This Master Mo Yang arrived here seven days ago. It is rumored that he is an incredible appraiser from some other kingdom. However, back then, no one paid him any notice!”

The vendor introduced Master Mo Yang excitedly. “The first day, when someone wanted to buy a wine bottle-like object that costs about 100 gold coin, Master Mo Yang tried to persuade him otherwise. However, that person refused to listen and in the end, after wiping it clean, it was proven that there is a problem with the object and it wasn’t worth a single gold coin!

“The second day, Master Mo Yang persuaded a fighter to spend 200 gold coins to buy a treasure. That person refused to believe him, so he didn’t buy it. Thus, Master Mo Yang bought it himself and after it was wiped clean, it turned out to be a mortal pinnacle weapon! It is something that cannot be bought even with several thousand gold coins! He profited several dozen folds in an instant! That filled the fighter with so much regret that the thought of suicide even crossed his mind…

“By the third day, he was already very famous. There were many people who wanted his guidance on what they should buy. However, only a lucky lad was granted that opportunity. He advised him to buy a small jade bottle that is worth 500 gold coins! At that moment, many people thought that he had erred. No matter how incredible that jade vase was, it couldn’t possibly be worth such a sum… Who knew that the moment it was opened, six tier 6 pills were found inside! Someone even offered to buy that vase for 10000 gold coins on the spot!”

The vendor’s eyes lit up, “That is to say, a profit of twenty-fold! That is too incredible! The next few days, he came by the market every day and he only advised a single person on each day. Even so, the person that he chooses is certain to strike it rich! Many people went frenzied over this. Thus, they started to camp here from day to night, hoping to win his favor, so that he would offer them his pointer! Now that he’s here again, it is not abnormal for those people to be so agitated…”

“Amazing!”

Hearing the story of Master Mo Yang, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up as he nodded his head in approval.

[To be able to appraise the true worth of a treasure under a layer of moss and silt, his eye for discernment must be extraordinary.]

“Un, that’s right. I possess the Library of Heaven’s Path, so does it mean that… I am able to do it as well?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

The Library of Heaven’s Path allowed one to see through the true nature of things just by coming into contact with it. Other people might need some luck in treasure speculation, but he didn’t need such a thing!

“There is an easy way for me to strike it rich!”

Upon such thoughts, Zhang Xuan was unable to calm his agitated heart.

In rock speculation, before buying a rock, others would need to study the various aspects of the rock to deduce whether jade would come out of it. However, Zhang Xuan was different. Just by touching the artifact with his hands, the Library of Heaven’s Path in his mind would automatically generate an answer for him. Purchasing the artifact after knowing the answer, it would be a simple matter for him to profit out of this trade!

It just happened that his wage was low and he didn’t have much money. So, this was a good opportunity for him to give it a try to earn a sum!

Following the directions given by the vendor, Zhang Xuan soon arrived at the hall where treasure speculation was conducted.

As he expected, the sight in here wasn’t much different from rock speculation. All kinds of treasures were placed on an elevated platform and every single one of them was thickly covered by a layer of moss, silt, rust and rock. It was already a difficult task to make out the shape of the artifacts, needless to say, appraise its value.

“Let me give it a try first!”

It was true that Zhang Xuan was unable to discern between them just by sight alone. Although Zhang Xuan suspected that the Library of Heaven’s Path was able to peer into the true nature of the artifact, he was unable to ascertain it. Thus, to verify his theory, he casually touched an artifact that was about the size of a human’s head.

Weng!

His mind jolted and a book appeared in the library.

“Ornamental Vase, forged by a 1-mo craftsman from Southern Kiln. Flaws: It has cracks on it and could shatter at any moment…”

The description of the artifact was compiled into a book.

“Despite being massive, it turned out to be a trash!” Zhang Xuan commented impassively as his eyes glittered in excitement.

Just as he thought! As long as he came into physical contact with it, he was able to receive a detailed introduction on the artifact. Thus, he need not fear no matter how well-hidden these treasures were, he would surely be able to identify them accurately!

He casually touched a few of the larger artifacts before him and realized that none of them were of great value. He continued on with a dozen of the artifacts by the sides, but they weren’t really valuable either. Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head. It was no wonder the sellers of these artifacts were able to profit out of it and that appraisers were so well-received, the probability of a true treasure appearing among them was way too low!

“Ah, master, please give me some pointers!”

“I am willing to pay you for your advice!”

“Master, I’m begging you…”

…

Just as he was randomly touching the treasures casually, piercing screams echoed outside the hall as the sought-after Master Mo Yang walked over.

The eyes of those chasing behind him were crimson red, and they looked as though they have gone mad.

“Master, as long as you offer me your pointer, this young girl will obey every single command of yours…”

“Master, I am willing to bear your babies, as long as you guide me…”

There were even women who were sticking close to him, trying to seduce him with their physical charms.

Zhang Xuan was flabbergasted.

[He is way too popular! It seems as though with but a single word of Master Mo Yang, countless girls will be willing to serve him tonight.]

“I will be leaving Tianxuan Royal City tonight. In order to show my gratitude for the warmth everyone has welcomed me with, I will appraise for five people today! You all need not vie over it. There is a chance for everyone who is fated with me!”

Upon reaching the treasure speculation hall, Master Mo Yang stopped.

This Master Mo Yang had a snowy-white beard, which exposed his advanced age. Yet, his skin was smooth and shiny without a single crease on it, probably because he maintained his skin diligently. His eyes have an aura of superiority, making one feel inadequate in comparison. As such, no one was willing to meet his gaze.