Chapter 1820: Arrogant Treasure Appraiser

"Appraiser?"

Zhang Xuan's eyebrow twitched. Recruiting doctors, poison masters, or even people with special abilities, that's understandable. But an appraiser... what could they possibly do?

The Nine-Tiered professions established by the Master Teacher Pavilion—high, middle, and low—don't form a complete system among the Muted Spirits, nor do they have corresponding guilds. However, the legacy of these professions persists, and many possess such abilities. It's just that they are far less refined than on the Master Teacher Continent. Appraisers belong to the ordinary professions among the lower nine tiers. They offer no help in treating injuries, so why recruit such people? Could there be a mistake?

"Yes, I didn't believe it either. I sent people to inquire several times before confirming it! After the Spirit Emperor returned, he's been living in seclusion, but he hasn't recruited any doctors—only appraisers!" Liu Yang said.

"He's severely injured, but instead of seeking a doctor, he's looking for an appraiser... Could it be that he's getting an an appraisal of the cost of his injuries?" Such an unusual occurrence suggests something amiss. Even hearing it firsthand, it seemed incredible. Immediately, images of several appraisers popped into Zhang Xuan's mind, standing beside the bed, looking at the Spirit Emperor Chen Lingo.

"Oh, this injury is good! It's worth at least eight hundred top-grade spirit stones!""More than that! Look at this wound—it was left by an ancient sage tens of thousands of years ago. Its shape is unique, and the cut has a special pattern. It definitely shouldn't be sold for anything less than ten thousand top-grade spirit stones...""You think you can buy it for ten thousand? You must be dreaming! Even wounds from ordinary ancient sages fetch a higher price than this, let alone this one..."The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

"Regardless of his purpose, I have to go and see..." Shaking his head and casting aside the jumbled thoughts in his mind, Zhang Xuan said.

"Teacher, what's your plan?" Liu Yang asked.

"Since he's recruiting appraisers, there must be a place where these appraisers are assessed, right? Take me to see it!" With the Mortal Emperor slain, the Spirit Emperor was now the Muted Spirit Race's foremost emperor. If his palace announced recruitment for appraisers, it would surely attract countless individuals. Not everyone who came could possibly pass the assessment. Given that, it was the perfect opportunity to go and observe, and perhaps acquire an identity in the process.

"There is indeed an assessment place. I can take you there, Teacher..." Liu Yang nodded."No need. Your current status is sensitive, attracting a lot of attention. It will be safer if I go alone!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Alright!" Liu Yang didn't insist. As the successor most valued by the Mortal Emperor Chen Yong, he had long been closely watched by agents of the Spirit Emperor and Star Emperor. Taking someone out now would indeed cause considerable trouble.

Leaving the quiet room, Zhang Xuan headed in the direction Liu Yang had indicated. It was a merchant guild that sold treasures. To enter the Spirit Emperor's palace, one first needed genuine skill, and this place, with its countless treasures, was the ideal location for an assessment.

Disguised as an ordinary Muted Spirit, Zhang Xuan blended into the crowd and entered. The guild was bustling. Although it was less grand than human establishments, the treasures themselves were no less impressive. There were various rare medicinal herbs and saint beast skeletons, many of which Zhang Xuan couldn't even name.

"No wonder so many people risk coming here. These medicinal herbs definitely have greater potency than those on the Master Teacher Continent..." Zhang Xuan nodded as he walked. Wu Kuang and the others certainly hadn't risked coming to the Muted Spirit Race just for fun. Although the quantity of herbs here was scarcer than on the Master Teacher Continent, having been exposed to the Blood Moon and the aura of slaughter, their medicinal properties were much more potent. It was like vegetation growing in a desert—stronger vitality. However, while these items were extremely valuable to others, they weren't particularly significant to him. After observing for a while, he continued in the direction Liu Yang had mentioned.

"If I say this item is scrap, then it's scrap. What, do you dare question my judgment?" He hadn't walked far when an unpleasant voice sounded. Turning his head, he saw an old man standing in front of a stall, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze cold.

"Sir, I truly obtained this Green-leaf Yellow after risking my life countless times, and I even lost a hand because of it... There's absolutely no exaggeration!" A middle-aged man spoke, full of anxiety. Following the sound, Zhang Xuan indeed saw that the man's left hand was missing, and the injury hadn't fully healed even now.

"Every merchant says that! How miserable they are, and then they embellish its origin. There's no need to show off your meager skills in front of me." The old man's expression remained unchanged. He raised an eyebrow and flicked his sleeve: "Green-leaf Yellow and Broken-word Grass are extremely similar, but their prices differ by who knows how many times. This plant of yours is clearly Broken-word Grass, and you're trying to pass it off as something else... Believe it or not, I'll report you right now and have you arrested for selling fake medicine!"

"I really didn't sell fake medicine..." The one-handed disabled man's face turned pale with fright upon hearing the threat of arrest.

"Alright, considering your difficult circumstances, and though this fake medicine is worthless, I'm kind-hearted enough to buy it from you for two Dayong coins!" After speaking, he flicked his finger, and two coins rolled onto the ground. Dayong coins were gold coins issued by the Mortal Emperor Chen Yong, with limited purchasing power; ten were needed to buy one low-grade spirit stone. Two Dayong coins were practically a handout.

"Two coins... My Green-leaf Yellow could sell for at least two hundred thousand..." The one-handed man looked anxious. A genuine Green-leaf Yellow could fetch over twenty Dayong coins, but he was only being offered two. The difference was immense.

"What's with all this nonsense? My master is an appraiser personally assessed by the Spirit Emperor! If he says it's Broken-word Grass, then it's Broken-word Grass! If you keep talking nonsense, believe it or not, we'll overturn your stall, and no one would dare say a word!" Seeing him about to argue further, a servant behind the old man snorted coldly.

Although the appraiser profession wasn't considered very high-ranking, in merchant guilds, their word was absolute law. If they declared your item genuine, then even if it was fake, it was considered genuine. If they declared it fake, then even if it was real, it was considered fake. On the Master Teacher Continent, due to guild restrictions, appraisers only had three chances to make a mistake in their lifetime. Here, however, with no such limits, they had become figures of universal awe within merchant guilds.

"It seems this fellow doesn't want to spend money but still wants to seize the other party's Green-leaf Yellow..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. Although he didn't know much about the Muted Spirit Race's medicinal herbs, as an appraiser, he could easily discern a herb's spiritual essence and potency. The medicinal herb the old man was trying to seize had potent effects and was definitely worth more than two Dayong coins.

Evidently, this appraiser knew this and deliberately used "Broken-word Grass" to deceive the seller, intending to forcefully acquire it. In fact, such incidents—where treasures were deliberately misidentified as fakes to trick sellers, then bought at a low price and sold at a high one—were common in his previous life, let alone here. Everyone around understood what was happening, but no one dared to say anything. They were afraid that this appraiser would come over and arbitrarily misidentify their own goods, making them unsellable.

"Since that's the case, and I happen to need an identity, you'll do..." Originally, Zhang Xuan had planned to continue forward to see if he could find an opportunity at the Spirit Emperor's appraiser assessment location. But upon seeing this fellow, he smiled faintly and stopped. After all, he needed to find someone, and since this guy was so brazenly bullying others, Zhang Xuan felt no moral compunction.