As a 4-star pinnacle appraiser, Zhang Xuan had a deep understanding of the occupation. It was already an incredible feat for an appraiser to be able to deduce the identity of the painter through the strokes and the unique characteristics of the painting. Yet, to be able to tell that the painter had made a mistake while he was drunk, even destroying his own name and inscription... Was this really something that could be seen through by an appraiser?
Master Sai wasn't the only one who had such thoughts. Zhao Feiwu and Luo Qin were dumbfounded as well. They stared fixedly at Zhang Xuan, wanting to know how he knew so much.
"Hehe!"
Noticing their gazes, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "Appraising isn't just about determining the era of an artifact. More importantly, it's about gauging the other party's intentions. Only then will we be able to gain a deeper understanding of the artifact!"
"This diagram looks neat, but it's actually not. Everyone knew that the most important factor in appraising a painting was symmetry. However, this painting was high on the left and low on the right, giving off a feeling that it was tilted to the left. It was obvious that the painter could not stand steadily and was probably lying on the paper. Look at this spot, this spot, and this spot. You can see that it's most suitable to lie down … "
"Also, the White Fair Bird that you are doubting has short wings, a white beak, black claws, a red head, and a skinny body. It's completely different from the White Fair Bird in reality. At first glance, it's indeed impossible to tell what species it is!"
"But if you look closely, there are reeds everywhere in the painting, and there are even purple flowers blooming. These two things are the favorites of the White White Birds. Most importantly, one of the birds had a blade of grass in its mouth! "
Zhang Xuan pointed.
Sure enough, everyone saw a white bird with a blade of grass in its beak.
"This stalk of grass is ninety percent similar to the Cattail Leaf Grass. The Cattail Leaf Grass is extremely poisonous, and no spirit beast likes it. That's why it's misleading to humans. But what if this is the White Jade Root?"
"The root of the White Jade Grass is similar to the Cattail Leaf Grass. In fact, some medicinal herb suppliers even intentionally pass off the fake as the real one … The White Pure Bird doesn't come into contact with the latter, but the root of the White Jade Grass is its favorite …"
"This …"
Master Sai and Luo Qin both stiffened.
The other party's analysis was flawless. Based on this analysis, it was easy to tell that the other party was the White Fair Bird.
"After confirming the species of the bird, the rest is simple. Upon closer inspection, one would realize that the painting was done in one go. It wasn't the most common drawing, but a direct expression of one's inner thoughts. As a painter capable of producing a painting of the sixth level, how could he possibly neglect the most basic of problems? Most importantly … there were traces of tampering on the birds? Coupled with our previous deductions, it's easy to guess that he was drunk! "
"After deducing so much, it should be easy for me to figure out their names and origins …"
Zhang Xuan's lips curled up as he explained.
Zhang Xuan wasn't spouting nonsense. As a 3-star painter and above, it was much easier for him to analyze the flaws in the painting given by the Library of Heaven's Path.
However, if one didn't know the answer, it would be almost impossible for one to figure this out just by observing.
"This, this …"
Everyone in the room was driven mad when they saw him speak with confidence and composure, which was reasonable and well-founded.
Only then did Master Sai realize that the other party's appraisal skills were indeed more than twice as good as his. They weren't on the same level at all.
"We have to report this to the headquarters immediately. Given his eye of discernment and capability, he must be at least a 5-star appraiser, or perhaps … even higher!"
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Zhang Xuan made up his mind.
The standard of the person before him had already surpassed the limits of the League of Nations. Even a 5-star appraiser could only be on par with him.
Such a genius must be reported to the headquarters as soon as possible so as to prevent a pearl from gathering dust.
"Alright, let's not delay the auction any further. Bring it over to the auction!"
After explaining, Zhang Xuan glanced at the entire auction hall, and upon seeing that everyone's gazes were gathered on him, he waved his hands.
"Yes!" Only then did Luo Qin recover from his shock. Lifting the painting with both hands, he left the room.
Not too long later, Elder Chen's astonished voice sounded from the auction stage. It seemed as though even he couldn't believe his own eyes. "I believe everyone here has seen the scene just now. A painting of the seventh level has been born, and all of us here have witnessed this glorious moment!"
"The painting itself was created by Grandmaster Painter Wu Xuanzi from eight hundred years ago. Nominated by a new grandmaster painter, it triggered a Spirit Euphoria, allowing it to achieve a breakthrough from the sixth level pinnacle!"
"A painting of the seventh level, the very first painting of the League of Nations to appear on the seventh level. This is the result of a perfect collaboration between the predecessors and successors. While it might not be impossible to replicate this, it is definitely unprecedented!"
Elder Chen's voice grew more and more agitated. "Right now, the owner of the painting intends to auction it off. The starting bid is 8,000 spirit stones! Every increment must be at least 1,000 spirit stones. Let the auction begin! "
"This painting is really for sale? Great, I want to buy it … "
"A starting bid of 8,000 spirit stones? Even though it's expensive, it's worth it. Hurry up and inform our clan to pawn our properties to buy it! "
"No matter what price we have to pay …"
…
Upon hearing that the painting was going to be auctioned off, a huge commotion broke out, and everyone fell into a frenzy.
A painting of the seventh level had never appeared in the League of Nations before. It was worth it even if they were to sell it off!
Putting everything aside, if they were to resell it, the price could very well double.
"I offer 9,000 spirit stones!"
"10,000!"
"11,000!"
…
The price immediately soared.
"This …" Seeing the frenzied crowd below, Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes in bewilderment.
He thought that it would be impossible for an appraiser like Master Sai to take out 3,000 spirit stones, so 5,000 spirit stones should be his limit. Never in his dreams did he expect the price to soar to more than 10,000 spirit stones.
"I'm in the same situation as Elder Chen and the others. The money I have on me has all been spent on treasures, so I don't have many usable spirit stones left. Besides, I'm just a single person while they represent a powerful clan … "
Seeing through Zhang Xuan's doubts, Master Sai explained with a bitter smile.
Logically speaking, those who possessed the occupation of an appraiser and could earn money swiftly should be of great wealth.
However, it was a pity that he had spent most of his money on treasures, so he didn't have much money left in his hands. Taking out 3,000 spirit stones was already his limit.
On the other hand, those below him were different. Their clans and powers had accumulated their wealth over several thousand years, so they had an astounding amount of wealth. While he might not be able to take out 10,000 spirit stones, to those people, it would only be a slight blow to their foundation. As long as they could find a way to sell the painting, not only would they be able to recoup their losses, they would also be able to earn a huge profit.
…
In a private room in the auction hall …
A young man was seated in front of the window. He exuded a dignified aura.
Behind him stood an elder. Even though he didn't display his cultivation, he felt as though he was an unfathomable abyss. Most likely, he was even stronger than Jin Conghai.
"A painting of the seventh level? Interesting! "
Seeing Elder Chen bring out [Rousing From a Drunken Dream], a glint flashed across the young man's eyes.
"Young master, are you interested?" The elder bowed.
"A painting of the seventh level can be considered as a treasure even in the sect. If I were to buy it, it would surely be of great help to my supporting occupation." The young man nodded his head.
"Alright, I'll buy it then!"
The elder nodded his head and prepared to make a bid.
"Wait a moment. Let's wait for them to finish their bids first." The young man waved his hands grandly.
"Yes!" The elder hesitated for a moment before saying, "Just that … I'm afraid that the price will go too high and the spirit stones we brought with us won't be sufficient to purchase the Soulless Metal Humanoid …"
"The Soulless Metal Humanoid is related to the occupation of soul oracles. If I can obtain some useful information regarding it and bring it back to the sect, my standing will surely soar, and I'll gain the respect of Mingshi Tang … It's just a matter of time before I become the number one expert of the younger generation."
The young man chuckled lightly. "However … there's no need to worry about this. I've already looked into the matter regarding the Soulless Metal Humanoid. The fellow who is auctioning it doesn't seem to be interested in selling it in spirit stones."
"Not interested in selling it in spirit stones?"
The elder was taken aback.
Wasn't selling it for money? What did he mean by not selling it in spirit stones?
"I heard that fellow's lifespan is coming to an end. As long as his cultivation is unable to break through the bottleneck, spirit stones are useless no matter how much he has. If I'm not mistaken, what he wants is a Tutelage Jade Token, and the higher the tier, the better." The young man said.
Even though spirit stones represented wealth, once it reached a certain level, it would become nothing more than a bunch of numbers.
Unable to achieve a breakthrough in one's cultivation and unable to extend one's lifespan, it was only a matter of time before one turned to dust and disappeared from the world … When one was already dead, what was the use of having money?
One might as well exchange it for a master teacher's Tutelage Jade Token. If one could make use of this opportunity to achieve a breakthrough, it would be much better than just a few spirit stones.
Furthermore, as one's cultivation increased, wouldn't it be easier for one to earn money?
No matter where one was, strength was the most important factor. Everything else was just a mere worldly possession.
"If it's just a Tutelage Jade Token, things will be much simpler … Young master is a talented master teacher himself, so it shouldn't be too difficult for him to offer pointers to an insignificant figure in this place!" The elder came to a realization and smiled.
"Of course. I'm determined to get into the top five in this Master Teacher Tournament!"
The young man said confidently.
"Young master's talent is unparalleled. Be it in terms of Soul Depth or comprehension of martial arts, they far surpass that of ordinary cultivators. In my opinion, not only will you be able to get into the top five, you might even be able to get into the top three!" The elder said.
"Top three … It's hard to say. Those few aren't easy to deal with. However, I'm not afraid of them either. Let's see who's in the best condition then!"
The young man's expression turned grim for a moment before he waved his hands. Turning to the auction hall, he said, "Alright, it's about time. Right, I still have some use for spirit stones, so don't waste them. "
"Yes!"
The elder nodded.
At this moment, the bids had already been called. Even though there were quite a few wealthy clans and powers in the auction hall, they had no choice but to stop before such a price.
"Twenty thousand spirit stones going once, twenty thousand spirit stones going twice. Is there any higher bid than this? If there isn't, I'll sell this Drunken Dream to my friend in Suite 14 … "
Elder Chen scanned the surroundings.
…
"Twenty thousand spirit stones? To think that a painting could be sold for so much money … "Looking at the rising bids below, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.
"Indeed, it seems like there's no one else competing for it anymore. Twenty thousand spirit stones, this is much faster than … clearing the trials to earn money!" Sun Qiang nodded excitedly.
Before the duo could finish their words, the voice of an elder sounded.
"Hold it for a moment, 21 4-star Tutelage Jade Tokens. Our young master will be buying this painting!"
(Today is the day everyone's monthly votes and recommendation votes go wild!)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
