Martial Marquis

"Those at the Qi Ocean Realm are called martial masters. According to Head Constable Xing, they are considered experts."

"It's a pity that even if I cultivate my martial arts to the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, it would be difficult for me to make a breakthrough and advance to the Qi Ocean Realm without a follow-up internal energy cultivation technique."

Chen Shaojun sighed helplessly in his heart.

Most of his martial arts came from the rewards of the Psychic Treasure Mirror.

Even though the Wire Fist Gallery had internal energy cultivation techniques, they were not true techniques. Furthermore, if he did not make any great contributions, Hong Zhankong would definitely not teach this technique to him.

Not to mention, in the eyes of others, he was only a beginner who was not even at the 1st Stage of the Body Tempering Realm…

In fact, even Chen Shaojun himself did not expect his martial arts realm to improve so quickly.

"It looks like I'll have to appraise more treasures next. I'll have to rely on the Psychic Treasure Mirror to obtain even more treasures."

Chen Shaojun always knew that the Psychic Treasure Mirror was his foundation. It was what he relied on to secure a good life in this world.

As for the internal energy cultivation technique…

Although he desired it, he was not in a hurry to obtain it.

Since he did not have an internal energy cultivation technique, he would have the time to cultivate the Supreme Sense Scripture.

Every time he visualized the Heavenly Cycle Stellar Array, there would be a trace of qi in his body. Although he did not know if this trace of qi was the Dharmic powers cultivated by cultivators, he knew that the functions of this qi were extraordinary. Moreover, it could definitely increase his strength.

After cultivating for the past few days, he had accumulated quite a bit of qi in his body.

He was also looking forward to the time when this 'qi' would accumulate enough to undergo a transformation.

After pondering for a while, Chen Shaojun waited until the qi and blood in his body, which were agitated from cultivating the Tiger Demon Body Tempering Fist, had calmed down. Then, he walked out of Appraisal Room No. 7.

"The Fish Essence Stone? I thought it was some beautiful jade."

"However, what exactly is this Fish Essence Stone?"

When Lin Qi received the treasure that Chen Shaojun had appraised and heard Chen Shaojun's introduction of the treasure, he revealed an expression of surprise. He then dipped his brush into some ink and registered it in an account book.

His calligraphy was delicate and elegant. Every stroke seemed casual, but there was a sense of vitality to it, leaving a deep impression on anyone who saw it.

Previously, Chen Shaojun had obtained the reward of dual talents in painting and calligraphy. Thus, his judgment of calligraphy was no longer the same as before. Naturally, he could tell that Lin Qi's calligraphy skills were much stronger than Shen Lang's.

"The Fish Essence Stone is actually the throat bone of a fish, but it's not common. Only those that have absorbed the spirit of the world and are about to become demons, or those that have already become demons, can produce the Fish Essence Stone. It can already be considered a miraculous stone."

"When it is worn, it can expel evil and exorcise sinister spirits. It can also invite comfort and wealth. It's actually more precious and practical than an ordinary piece of jade."

Chen Shaojun explained.

This knowledge wasn't a big deal. Apart from cleansing methods, pawnbrokers also had to have knowledge of many treasures.

The pawnshop also contained books on astronomy, geography, and various treasures.

His previous self had a dull personality and preferred reading. Thus, he had read almost all of the books in the pawnshop.

This was also one of the reasons why he could blurt out explanations of various treasures.

Of course, with the Psychic Treasure Mirror as evidence, the accuracy of his explanations was even higher.

Naturally, he would not reveal that the Fish Essence Stone could expel baleful auras when it was ground and used with water.

This information had already exceeded the scope of his understanding as an apprentice pawnbroker. If he did not want to provoke trouble, it was better to hide this knowledge.

"I've long heard that you have the best mastery of the Divine Vision technique and the best appraisal abilities among this batch of apprentice pawnbrokers. Now that I've witnessed your skills, you're indeed extraordinary."

Lin Qi looked at Chen Shaojun with surprise and praised him.

"Mr. Lin, you flatter me. I just read more books."

"As for the Divine Vision technique, it can only be attributed to luck."

Chen Shaojun's heart shook, and he hurriedly shook his head.

He knew that Lin Qi's identity was different. Furthermore, Lin Qi could sense that the Divine Vision technique he executed was not simple. Thus, he had to act humble and lowkey.

If the other party hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have answered at all.

"Luck? I don't believe in luck."

Lin Qi spoke inexplicably and didn't say anything else.

When Chen Shaojun saw the situation, he naturally did not stay for long. He took his tally from Xu Hongtao's hands and went into the shop. After apologizing to the shopkeeper, he headed for the Wire Fist Gallery.

He had to do the least that was expected. Even if he was pretending, he had to show his diligence in order for others to believe that there was a reason for the change in his demeanor.

…

The streets were crowded with people.

There were all kinds of shouting from people who were selling goods or asking for the price of goods.

There were even people singing opera and telling stories in the taverns and teahouses. Their melodious tunes were unique and pleasing to the ear. Some of the comments and stories about the pugilistic world were also fascinating and exciting, causing people to involuntarily stop in their tracks.

Chen Shaojun followed a few idlers at the entrance and listened to the story of the Martial Marquis barging into the enemy's forest alone. His mood could not help but surge.

He had long heard of the Martial Marquis. Ever since the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded, he was the only person who had been conferred the title of Martial Marquis. His battle achievements were illustrious and his martial arts skills were extremely high. He was a true martial saint and was one of the top existences in the world.

Meanwhile, the story of the Martial Marquis charging into the enemy's forest alone narrated how he single-handedly faced tens of thousands of Barbarian soldiers in order to cover the retreat of his subordinates during an expedition. He killed the Barbarian Marshal and five Barbarian Generals before finally escaping unscathed.

"The Martial Marquis is indeed worthy of being a martial saint. He is the best in the world."

"With such strength, there are probably not many people in the world who are stronger than him, right?"

"There is no doubt about the Martial Marquis's strength."

"However, there are still some people who are stronger than him."

"For example, the Dao lords in the Dao Alliance, the Demon Kings in the Demon Forest, the overseas giants, and the Barbarian King of the Barbarian Tribe are not weak either. There is also the Old Magus of the Ancient Mansa Kingdom. I even heard that there are a few veterans in the Great Zhou Dynasty… However, I believe that as long as the Martial Marquis is given time, they would be no match for him."

"After all, the Martial Marquis is only 49 years old."

"There is still a lot of room for growth."

"When martial artists practice martial arts, those at the Connate realm can live up to 150 years old. In that case, a martial saint at the Divine Profound Realm should be able to live to 300 years old, right?"

"At that time, the strength of the Martial Marquis would definitely be unfathomable."

"This is also why the Imperial Court made an exception and made him a Martial Marquis. Some senior experts even called him the most likely person in history to…"

…

When the storyteller finished this story, discussions immediately broke out among the audience. Everyone was full of praise for the Martial Marquis.

Chen Shaojun was listening intently. However, he did not expect the attendant at the tea stand to start chasing people away.

The group of idlers cursed. Thus, he had no choice but to leave.

He could actually continue listening.

He just had to enter the shop to drink tea and buy some snacks.

However, he did not bring any money with him today, so he could not be thick-skinned and continue to stay.

However, the story of the Martial Marquis had touched him deeply.

Initially, he was a little proud that he had broken through to the 8th Stage of the Body Tempering Realm in such a short period of time. The fact that he managed to kill the scar-faced murderer with two strikes also stroked his ego.

However, when compared to this Martial Marquis… he understood that he was still far from being his match nor from the apex.