Chapter 458: Bronze Hammer

"Three thousand spirit stones? Why not go bigger?"

Elder Chen nearly fainted from shock.

He could scrape together that many spirit stones if he emptied his coffers, but doing so would practically bankrupt him.

Betting that much on a wager—are you insane?

"Three thousand spirit stones... Do you even have that many to wager?" Seeing his old friend's embarrassment, Elder Lu stepped forward to bail him out.

"Of course I don't!" The fatty shook his head.

"You don't?" The crowd was speechless.

He was talking so cheerfully, as if he controlled thousands or tens of thousands of spirit stones, but he didn't have any... and still dared to make a bet, saying it so confidently? His nerve was way too thick!

Zhao Feiwu, standing to the side, slapped his forehead.

He had seen this fatty's reckless, fear-nothing attitude many times before, but he never expected him to directly challenge a four-star appraisal master to a bet... and on top of that, he had no money!

Jeez, you're really something!

"Like master, like servant..."

He couldn't help shaking his head.

This fatty Sun Qiang's young master was a troublemaker who feared nothing, publicly reprimanding Pavilion Master Sai without fear of being beaten to death. Now this guy seemed even more ruthless. He really wondered where these freaks came from.

"If you have no money, why make a bet?" Elder Chen's face turned ashen.

"I have no money, but Pavilion Master Sai does. Three thousand spirit stones is nothing—he'll lend it to me!" Fatty Sun Qiang smiled slightly.

"..."

Pavilion Master Sai, who had been watching the excitement from the side, never expected the flames to suddenly turn on him. He nearly spat blood.

He had said he would lend money to Zhang Xuan, but that was just polite talk to build a connection. This master and servant pair—one asked to borrow three thousand and failed, and now this one wanted to borrow three thousand to bet... He was just being courteous, and they took it seriously!

Could they be any more of a pain?

"I..."

Just as he was about to explain, before he could get a word out, the fatty waved his hand: "Even if Pavilion Master Sai is stingy and doesn't care about the kindness my young master showed him, that's fine. Young Master Zhao Feiwu will surely lend it to me. Three thousand spirit stones should be nothing to him, right?"

"..." Zhao Feiwu.

I'm just here for the ride—how did the fire land on me again?

Sect Leader Sai even rolled his eyes.

What did she mean by calling me stingy and ungrateful for Zhang Xuan's kindness? Hadn't she given him a calming herb? She had even gone so far as to waste a hundred spirit stones, allowing him to enter the Winding Stream...

Wasn't that repaying a favor?

Just as the two were about to interject, Sun Qiang waved his hand again: "See, they didn't object, which means three thousand spirit stones are nothing to them! Don't worry, as long as you lose, they'll definitely be able to pay up. The key is you... you weren't just talking big earlier, were you? Actually too scared to follow through? And you call yourself a Four-Star Treasure Appraiser—can't even come up with such a small amount, afraid to bet. How embarrassing..."

"You..."

Unexpectedly looked down upon by a servant, Elder Chen's face turned ashen, nearly exploding with rage.

"What's with all the 'you' and 'I'? If you really don't dare, then forget it. But you'd better watch your mouth and stop spouting nonsense. Our young master is unmatched in talent; a mere Winding Stream is nothing to him!"

With a snort, Sun Qiang lifted his chin, full of confidence in Zhang Xuan.

"Fine, I'll bet with you!" Unable to bear the man's increasingly arrogant attitude, Elder Chen could no longer hold back.

Logically, as a dignified Four-Star Treasure Appraiser, losing his temper with a servant was inexcusable, but this fat man had gone too far.

His tone was flippant, his attitude arrogant, and now he wore a look of utter contempt... as if he, a Four-Star Treasure Appraiser who commanded respect wherever he went, were nothing but a shameless beggar.

He could endure being looked down upon by a Five-Star Treasure Appraiser, a Four-Star Master Teacher, or even the sect leader, but being looked down upon by a servant whose cultivation was only, only... anyway, very low—that he simply could not swallow!

"Good! Anyone else want to bet? Don't any of you believe our young master can pass? Now's the time to bet, or you'll miss the boat..."

Seeing the other party angrily agree, Sun Qiang grinned and looked around, his merchant's profit-seeking nature fully displayed.

"..."

Seeing that this guy wasn't satisfied with just betting with Elder Chen but wanted to bet with everyone else, the crowd was left speechless.

"Look, the Winding Stream is starting..."

Sun Qiang was loudly inciting, trying to see if he could trick a few more people into betting, when a voice rang out from the crowd. He looked up at the wall in front and saw the light growing brighter, as if some formation inside was being fully activated.

...

Inside the formation.

Stepping through the gate, it felt less like entering a room and more like stepping into a garden, where clusters of flowers bloomed and a faint fragrance assailed the nose. A stream flowed slowly from afar, its water striking rocks with a 'ding-dong' sound, like a musical movement.

The stream meandered, forming an arc ahead, just enough for a person to stand.

As he approached, a formation was instantly activated, and a leaf floated over from the depths of the stream.

On the leaf lay an oddly shaped object, an irregular octahedron, impossible to discern at a glance.

"This must be the treasure to be appraised..."

Activating his Eye of Insight, he found he couldn't see through it, and Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up involuntarily.

As expected, it was a treasure that had stumped even four-star masters. Even the Eye of Insight, which was superior when examining objects, had no clue.

Flowing goblets along a winding stream—the so-called 'goblet' was actually a wine cup, a term used by literary men. They would sit by the stream, and the goblet would float along the water; wherever it stopped, that person would compose a poem and drink.

The treasure was heavy and naturally could not float on water like a wine cup, so leaves of the purple-tung tree were used to carry it.

These leaves were very light, floating on water, and could bear the weight of one or two people without any problem. Therefore, the Flowing Goblets of the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion were also called Flowing Leaves.

"What the hell is this?"

The leaf had not yet reached him, so he could only observe the shape and appearance of the treasure before him.

It was the size of a watermelon, dark purple all over, and looked as if it were cast from some special metal.

After looking carefully twice more, Zhang Xuan couldn't help shaking his head.

He had never read any books on treasure appraisal and knew little about the profession; he could only make a rough judgment.

If so many skilled appraisers couldn't identify it, how could he, who had never appraised anything before, possibly understand?

"Forget it!"

He stopped thinking about it and stopped looking at the object. He casually picked up the paper and brush prepared on one side, waited for the leaf to come before him, and reached out to touch it.

Hum!

A book appeared in his mind.

The reason he dared to challenge the Flowing Goblets was mainly because he had the Heavenly Dao Library as his backing; otherwise, with his meager appraisal skills, he wouldn't be able to recognize even half a treasure, let alone a whole one.

He opened the book, picked up the brush, and wrote on the paper.

"Bronze Hammer, three thousand years ago, belonging to Duanmu Yiguang, a five-star artifact smith. Forged from thirteen rare ores including purple-gold iron, hundred-battle silver, and clear-dust sand, tempered for forty-nine days..."

...

While Zhang Xuan was writing furiously inside, the people outside were staring at the wall, looking tense.

Sun Qiang was going around making bets, but no one paid him any attention. Everyone wanted to see whether this youth, not yet twenty, could appraise a treasure and successfully pass.

"Judging by the time, the first treasure should have reached him by now. Do you think he can succeed?" a appraiser in the crowd couldn't help asking.

"Succeed? Are you kidding? Pavilion Master Sai has challenged the Flowing Goblets several times and hasn't recognized a single one, which shows how difficult it is. How could a nobody like him succeed?"

"Not to mention anything else, just look at that arrogant servant of his. Would a real appraiser be so cocky?"

"It's hard to say. Making a bet shows he has confidence..."

...

The crowd lowered their voices and buzzed with discussion.

The appraisers present were all at least around thirty years old. They found it hard to accept that someone under twenty was challenging the Flowing Goblets.

"Don't worry. If the treasures in the Flowing Goblets were so easy to identify, they wouldn't be used as the standard for the five-star appraiser exam!"

Seeing Elder Chen also staring at the wall nervously, Elder Lu walked over and comforted him.

He, too, was not optimistic about this Zhang Xuan.

He had also challenged the Flowing Goblets. The treasures that appeared were not only hard to identify but also had too little time to observe—at most ten breaths before they floated past. How could anyone identify an unfamiliar treasure in such a short time?

"Worried? What's there to worry about? He's just an ignorant fool. We don't even know if he's a real appraiser, and he dares to boast..."

Elder Chen snorted. Just as he was about to continue, his whole body shook as a bell sounded.

Dong!

The sound pierced through the walls, as if ringing in the depths of the soul.

"A bell? Did he fail?"

"That's not right. The bell only rings after all treasures have been appraised, indicating failure. By now, he should have only seen the first treasure. Even if the bell were to ring, it wouldn't be time yet!"

The crowd was stunned, all confused.

In the Flowing Goblets, the bell ringing signified failure—not a single treasure identified.

But this Zhang Xuan had only just entered and should have seen only one treasure. Why was it over?

"I've heard that if the first treasure isn't identified and no words are written, it's automatically judged as no answer, leading to immediate failure!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it happened before. I've read about it in books!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone's faces turned strange.

Even if the challenger couldn't confirm what the first treasure was, he could at least guess roughly and write a range. If he really wrote nothing and was judged a failure, that would be truly embarrassing!

Clatter!

Everyone turned to look at Sun Qiang, their eyes full of sympathy.

No need to think—this guy was going to lose badly this time.

Clang!

Before it was over, the sound of a teacup falling to the ground was heard.

Then they saw Pavilion Master Sai trembling all over, his face pale.

"That's not... a bell, but... the spiritual resonance of the treasure. That means he not only identified it but also gained the recognition of the treasure's spirit!"