Chapter 1821: Ling Emperor Palace

The appraiser, having bested the other party, wasted no words and walked out with his head held high. Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and followed closely.

After leaving the shop and walking for a while, Zhang Xuan saw him enter an alley. He then flicked his finger. The arrogant appraiser's vision went black, as if he had suddenly fallen into another world. His body swayed, and he fainted. Zhang Xuan was now at the Great Perfection of the Immortal Realm, so dealing with an appraiser at the Saint 6th or 7th Realm was effortless.

"Soul Search!"

Not bothering with pleasantries, his spiritual power immediately invaded the other party's mind. The next moment, Zhang Xuan had a complete grasp of his identity and background. To infiltrate the Spirit Emperor's palace, simply disguising himself with a random identity would certainly not work, as the other party would definitely conduct a thorough investigation. Zhang Xuan's purpose in coming here was not for an assessment, but to find a real person and impersonate him. This way, no matter how thoroughly they investigated, there would be no flaws.

"Wu Tao, an appraiser from Kaiyong City... he has already passed the Spirit Emperor's test and was about to go to the Spirit Emperor's palace. This is perfect; it saves a lot of trouble..."

Through the soul search, he quickly learned all the details about this guy. He smiled and lightly waved his palm. *Whoosh!* The arrogant Otherworldly Demonic Tribe appraiser and his subordinate immediately turned into dust, completely vanishing from this world. Meanwhile, the items representing his identity appeared in Zhang Xuan's palm.

"To the Spirit Emperor's palace!"

The disguise talisman shone, and Zhang Xuan's body underwent a transformation. In the blink of an eye, he looked exactly like Wu Tao; even his closest relatives wouldn't be able to distinguish him. Only then did Zhang Xuan breathe a sigh of relief. He then walked towards the Spirit Emperor's palace, following the directions from the other party's memory.

He handed over the token representing his identity, and it was checked seven or eight times to confirm he was indeed the person. Only then was he able to enter successfully.

"Appraiser Wu Tao, please come this way..."

Soon, a guard came forward to greet him. Through the other party's memory, Zhang Xuan hadn't found the Spirit Emperor's reason for inviting appraisers; it seemed that Wu Tao himself didn't know either. He immediately looked at the guard in front of him and lowered his voice, "May I ask why the Spirit Emperor has summoned us here? I'd like to be prepared in advance and strive for a better performance."

After speaking, he handed over a top-grade spirit stone. The guard did not accept it. Instead, he said coldly, "Just do as you're told. We don't need your cleverness here!"

"Yes, yes!" Zhang Xuan quickly nodded. "I'm just trying to make friends, nothing else. I hope you'll accept it, brother..."

"Hmm!" After a moment of hesitation, the guard took the spirit stone into his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he put it into his ring. "Don't let it happen again!"

After saying that, he continued walking forward. As he walked, his voice came out in a low tone: "The reason we called you here this time is for you to calculate the precise value of each treasure. There can be no mistakes, and you can no longer exaggerate like you do outside. Otherwise, if you get killed, don't blame me for not warning you!"

Zhang Xuan quickly nodded. Although appraisers could accurately assess the precise value of treasures, they also often attached some special value based on the identity of the treasure's owner, which made the appraisal less accurate. For example, when painting shrimp: between an ordinary painter and Qi Baishi, even if the works were so indistinguishable that the artists themselves couldn't tell them apart, their prices would still differ by tens or hundreds of times. The other party's words were simple: whatever it's worth, that's what it's worth, without any added value.

"Just remember that. I'll take you there first. As for what tasks will be assigned, I'm just a servant, so I'm not clear..." The guard said that and then fell silent. It seemed he only knew this much.

"Thank you!" He took out another top-grade spirit stone and handed it over. Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed. Judging by the other party's tone, it seemed they were really called here for appraisal... Inside the Temple of Confucius, Zhang Xuan had seen with his own eyes how heavily this Spirit Emperor was injured. The fact that he didn't perish on the spot indicated his profound accumulation. Now, back in his lair, instead of seeking healers, he actually summoned appraisers... It baffled him completely.

Following behind, not long after, they arrived at a spacious palace. The shelves in the hall were filled with various treasures, and many appraisers were moving among them, carefully appraising.

"After entering, start with the first treasure. Once you've appraised it, place your estimated value into the corresponding box. No communication or talking is allowed. If discovered, you will be executed without mercy!" As they entered the room, another guard came forward to greet them. He exuded a cold, stern aura.

Knowing it was the rule here, Zhang Xuan didn't say much. He nodded and followed behind the guard to the shelves displaying the treasures. In front of the treasures, there was indeed a box, somewhat similar to a ballot box. Only written items could be put inside. Special seals were carved around it, so divine sense could not probe it, and thus, he couldn't see what others had written.

"To summon so many appraisers, and have each of them appraise the same treasures... Could this still be a test?" He looked up and forward and saw that the appraisers who had arrived earlier had already finished appraising the treasures here, placed their estimated values into the boxes, and continued forward. In other words, every treasure here had to be appraised by every single person. As for how the price would be determined, that would depend on each individual's ability.

After thinking for a while, he couldn't figure it out. Zhang Xuan knew it wasn't a time for hesitation. He walked up to the first treasure. It was a dark, black ore. At first glance, its material couldn't be distinguished. Zhang Xuan gently touched it with his palm, and a book appeared in his mind.

"Falling Star Stone, a specialty of the Southern Abyss, possesses the ability to pacify inner demons..."

The book recorded the stone's specific value and flaws. After finishing reading the content, Zhang Xuan didn't rush to write. Instead, he pretended to study it for a moment. Only then did he take out a blank card and wrote down the calculated price. The units of measurement were naturally Great Yong Coins and top-grade spirit stones. He placed the card into the box and walked forward.

The next item was also an ore, its quantity very rare, and its price was not much different from the Falling Star Stone he had just appraised. After walking for a while, he noticed that five consecutive treasures were all stones. Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed. Appraising stones wasn't difficult; as long as one had enough knowledge, it was easy to know their value. However, a series of stones whose prices were all very similar—what exactly was the other party doing?

After ten more items, there were some rare plants. Some were fresh, others were old and had long since dried up, making their appraisal very complex. Zhang Xuan, disguised as Wu Tao, knew his capabilities, so he intentionally slowed down his pace. For some plants, he pretended he couldn't appraise them, taking out a book to examine it carefully, as if trying to find the answer within.

"Alright, that's all for today. Everyone, please go back and rest. We'll continue tomorrow..." After an unknown period of time, a voice rang out. Immediately, a middle-aged man came to the center of the hall.