Chapter 455: Exact Information on the Soul-Less Golden Man

Withered Leaf Tea, also known as Withered Glory Tea, is the greatest specialty of the Hongxu Swamp in the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance.

The tea grows in the swamp; for only one month out of the year it is alive, and the rest of the time it is no different from a dead tree.

Leaves like new, branches like dead; one alive, one dead, one withered, one glorious—hence its name.

Once this tea is fried and brewed into water, it gives one the sensation of experiencing the four seasons, extremely refreshing, and is one of the most famous teas in the entire Ten Thousand Nations Alliance.

However, the Hongxu Swamp is extremely dangerous; even a Mortal Transformation Realm expert could be swallowed and find it very difficult to escape. Moreover, the tea leaves are only available for one month, with low yield, so not many people can truly taste it.

"Right, this place is rich in Withered Leaf Tea, and also... Withered Leaf Snakes!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Mm!"

Everyone nodded.

The Withered Leaf Snake is a spirit beast that feeds exclusively on Withered Leaf Tea leaves. It contains potent venom; even a Mortal Transformation Tier 3 expert bitten by it would die easily.

"Could it be... the venom of a Withered Leaf Snake? No, although the Withered Leaf Snake's venom is fierce, its poison has a strong odor and carries a special snake saliva that is immediately noticeable. This emerald bamboo is smooth and new, without any trace..."

The old man couldn't help but speak.

The Withered Leaf Snake was extremely terrifying; even Mortal Transformation Realm experts had to be careful. If its saliva were present, it should be identifiable.

"It's not snake saliva, but... this emerald bamboo is the nest of a Withered Leaf Snake. That is to say, this smooth and neat bamboo pole has Withered Leaf Snakes crawling over it every day."

Zhang Xuan's expression turned serious.

"Ah..."

Hearing this, the attendant holding the book immediately turned pale with fright and nearly fell over.

He had been tending this bamboo every day, wiping it from time to time. The thought that snakes often coiled on it made him panic and feel nauseous.

"In this way, the leftover excrement of the Withered Leaf Snake will more or less stick to the emerald bamboo, and over the years, it will be absorbed by the vegetation into the depths of the leaf veins!"

Ignoring everyone's discomfort, Zhang Xuan continued: "These things usually don't show themselves, and are even completely invisible, having no effect on people. But once they encounter an open flame or heat, they will reveal themselves, causing great harm to any life that touches them!"

"If you only use the bamboo as a formation base to set up an array, the impact is minimal, and it can still be used. But if you refine it into a pill, that won't do. Once the toxin is exposed and accidentally ingested, even a Mortal Transformation Tier 3 expert would die on the spot, beyond the help of any deity! Hence the saying, 'If you want to refine an Emerald Linglong Pill, say you bought a fake!'"

Zhang Xuan explained.

"So that's how it is!"

Everyone finally understood, and looked at the young man with admiration.

To see at a glance the toxicity hidden in this emerald bamboo—how profound must one's understanding of plant attributes, habitat, and origin be to achieve that!

"Impressive!"

The old man also clenched his fist.

Not to mention anything else, just this insight alone made him feel inferior.

"Young master, your talent is remarkable; you have opened my eyes. Since you have a particular fondness for [Calming Grass], I will give it to you as a token of thanks!"

Waving his hand, the old man said.

"Teacher..."

Liu Chang was stunned.

Just now, when this fellow offered five hundred gold coins to buy the Calming Grass, he thought the guy might have a problem with his brain. Now he realized that the other had long anticipated this scene, anticipating that the teacher would give the item away.

This was something bought for 500 spirit stones just now, and now he was giving it away... Wasn't that too generous?

Even if he pointed out that the emerald bamboo was fake, it shouldn't warrant such a big gesture.

"Could it be... impossible! How could he have seen through even this?"

Suddenly, remembering something, his whole body stiffened and trembled uncontrollably.

He knew why the teacher was so generous.

An appraiser only had three chances to make a mistake in his lifetime. If he exceeded three, he would be disqualified and fall from grace.

The teacher had appraised countless items and had already reached the limit of three mistakes. If he made another mistake, he would face this situation!

In other words, if the other party had not stopped him and allowed him to take this emerald bamboo to have a pill refined, it was foreseeable that even if he didn't get poisoned, he would lose his appraiser qualification.

Having held a high position for years, he had offended and made enemies of countless people. If he lost his status, he would likely be hunted down. That is to say... the other party had saved the teacher's life. Not to mention the Calming Grass bought for 500 spirit stones, even if it were worth more, he would still be willing to pay.

But... the teacher breaking the three-mistake rule was only known within the appraiser circle, and unless one was close, no one knew. How did this fellow know? And how was he so certain that the teacher would give the item in gratitude?

Combined with the experience of buying things on the first floor earlier...

Could it be that this fellow looked young but was actually a supreme master of appraising?

Guessing in his heart, he hurriedly looked at the young man not far away, wanting to see if it matched his conjecture, when he saw the young man with a righteous expression: "Such a precious gift, I really dare not accept it. Sun Qiang, give this senior 500 gold coins, and we'll buy the item. We can't let senior suffer a loss!"

"Pfft!"

Just as he was thinking whether this was a master, hearing these words, Liu Chang's body swayed and he almost spat blood.

Damn it!

"Dare not accept, can't let senior suffer a loss"... said with such confidence, how shameless!

500 gold coins—what difference did it make from paying nothing?

Was this what a master would do?

He quickly looked at the teacher, who also swayed, as if a mouthful of blood was stuck in his chest, his face turning green with depression: "Young master, I am truly grateful. The money... is unnecessary!"

"Senior, you really don't need to be polite with me!" The young man insisted: "500 gold coins... I can still afford it!"

"..." Liu Chang.

With that little money, picking up any piece of junk from a battlefield would be worth that much; of course he could afford it...

Knowing that if they continued to haggle, he would surely die of depression, the old man had no choice but to accept the gold coins and put them into his storage ring, saying: "I see that this young master is very knowledgeable about the art of appraising. May I ask... who is your teacher? Are you also an appraiser?"

Liu Chang also pricked up his ears.

Seeing at a glance a problem that even his teacher couldn't spot, this person had reached an unfathomable level in appraising.

He also wanted to know who could have trained such a young appraiser.

"Our young master is the master teacher Zhang Xuan, and his teacher is Master Teacher Yang Xuan." Sun Qiang stepped forward and introduced with pride.

"Master teacher?"

The old man's expression turned serious, and he immediately showed respect.

Liu Chang was even more startled.

He had held a grudge against this person before; if he had known this identity earlier, he would never have dared.

Although appraisers made a lot of money, they were still quite different from master teachers.

It was like the difference between a lottery winner and a government official; no matter how rich, they were nothing compared to this top profession.

Moreover, this master teacher's appraising skills were not inferior to his, and even surpassed his teacher's.

"So you are a master teacher. No wonder you have such insight. I have been remiss. Please forgive my earlier neglect!"

Recovering, the old man cupped his fists: "I am Sai Xiaoyu. I am a few years older; you may call me Brother Sai. The title 'senior' is undeserved!"

Since the other's appraising skill was not inferior to his own and he was also a master teacher, the old man immediately developed a desire to befriend him.

"Sai Xiaoyu? Could it be... the Appraisal Pavilion's Pavilion Master Sai?"

Hearing this name, Zhang Xuan had no reaction, but Zhao Feiwu was startled and couldn't help asking.

As a princess of the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance, she had loved reading since childhood and knew something about the strongest figures in various guilds within the territory.

It was said that the Appraisal Pavilion's Pavilion Master was named Sai Xiaoyu, a peak Four-Star appraiser who had appraised countless items. Even the Alliance Lord's Mansion had specially invited him and treated him as an honored guest.

She had thought such a person was unfathomable and hard to meet, but never expected that he had just been taught a lesson by Zhang Xuan and even had a Calming Grass swindled from him...

"The position of Pavilion Master is just a courtesy from many old friends; it's not worth mentioning!" Seeing his identity recognized, Sai Xiaoyu smiled and shook his head.

"So you are the Pavilion Master. That's wonderful!"

Understanding the other's identity, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help asking: "I heard... that Honghai City has obtained a Soul-Less Golden Man. Is this news true, and where is this item?"

He had come to Honghai City precisely for this item.

Since this man was the Appraisal Pavilion's Pavilion Master, if the news was true, he would surely know.

"Soul-Less Golden Man? So Brother Zhang came for this!"

Pavilion Master Sai understood and smiled: "Indeed, there is such an item, and it is right here in the Appraisal Pavilion, to be auctioned tonight."

"Tonight?"

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists, then looked embarrassed.

They had arrived in Honghai City in the afternoon, and after all this fuss, it was almost dark. If the auction was tonight, didn't that mean it was about to start?

He... didn't have a single spirit stone on him.

Without money, trying to attend the auction would likely get him thrown out before he even got through the door.

You see, some large auction houses first require a capital verification before entry; otherwise, anyone could go in and deliberately bid up or down, causing chaos in the market.

"That's right, it's in one hour. If Brother Zhang is interested, I can reserve a private room for you."

Sai Xiaoyu said.

"Then thank you, Brother Sai!"

Zhang Xuan nodded gratefully and then asked: "What is the approximate price of this Soul-Less Golden Man? If I want to buy it, how many spirit stones would I need?"

He needed to find out first so he could prepare in advance.

"The Soul-Less Golden Man is an item left by a Soul Shaman; the specific price is hard to say. Our Appraisal Pavilion's estimate is 1500 spirit stones, but at auction, it will likely double. I'm afraid you'll need 3000 spirit stones to secure it."

After explaining, Sai Xiaoyu looked at him with a smile: "What, Brother Zhang wants to make a move?"

"I am somewhat interested, but... I don't have enough money on me..."

Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly.

"Not enough?" Sai Xiaoyu laughed: "That's not a problem. I have some savings; I can lend you some to make up the difference. How much are you short? Just say the word."

"Lend me some? That's great!"

Zhang Xuan said with full gratitude: "I'm short 3000 spirit stones. Can you... lend them to me?"

"..." Sai Xiaoyu.

"..." Liu Chang.

"..." Everyone.