Chapter 472: Precise News of the Soulless Golden Man

Withered Leaf Tea, also known as Wither-Flourish Tea, is the greatest specialty of the Hongxu Swamp in the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance. The tea grows in the swamp and is alive for only one month of the year. The rest of the time, it is indistinguishable from a dead tree. Its leaves appear new, while its branches look dead, embodying a cycle of life and death, withering and flourishing. This is how it got its name.

When this tea is roasted and brewed, it offers the sensation of experiencing all four seasons, bringing extreme refreshment. It is one of the most famous teas in the entire Myriad Kingdoms Alliance. However, the Hongxu Swamp is extremely dangerous; even powerful cultivators in the Transcendent Mortal realm are highly likely to be swallowed up and unable to escape. Furthermore, since the tea leaves are only available for one month, the yield is very low, meaning very few people actually get to taste it.

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

"Yes!" Everyone nodded.

The Withered Leaf Snake is a spiritual beast that exclusively feeds on Withered Leaf Tea leaves. Its body contains potent venom, and even a cultivator at Transcendent Mortal 3-dan would easily die from a single bite.

"Could it be… Withered Leaf Snake venom? No, that's not right. While the Withered Leaf Snake's venom is potent, it has a strong odor and a distinctive snake saliva that makes it easily visible. This jade bamboo, however, is smooth and pristine, without any traces…”

The elder couldn't help but speak.

Withered Leaf Snakes are very fearsome; even cultivators in the Transcendent Mortal realm must be cautious. If there were any snake saliva, it should be discernible.

"It's not snake saliva. Rather, this jade bamboo is a Withered Leaf Snake's habitat. In other words, what appears to be a smooth and clean bamboo stalk has Withered Leaf Snakes crawling over it daily.”

Zhang Xuan's expression was grave.

"Ah…” Upon hearing this, the young attendant holding the book immediately turned pale with fright and nearly fell over. He had been tending to this bamboo for days, wiping it now and then. The thought of snakes constantly coiling on it immediately made him feel uneasy and nauseated.

"In this way, the Withered Leaf Snakes’ excrement, left after they feed, will more or less stick to the jade bamboo. Over the years, this will be absorbed by the plant deep into its leaf veins!”

Ignoring everyone's discomfort, Zhang Xuan continued, "These substances don't usually show, are completely imperceptible, and have no effect on people. However, once exposed to open flame and heat, they become evident, causing great harm to any life that comes into contact with them!”

"If this bamboo were merely used as a formation base, the impact would be minimal, and it could still be used. But it's unusable for refining elixirs. When the toxins appear and are accidentally ingested, even a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan cultivator would die instantly, beyond salvation! This is why the saying goes, 'If you're refining a Jade Exquisite Elixir, you've bought a fake product!'"

Zhang Xuan explained.

"I see!” Only then did everyone understand, looking at the young man with renewed admiration.

To discern the hidden toxicity in this jade bamboo at a glance, one must possess a profoundly deep understanding of the plant's properties, habitat, and origins!

"Amazing!" The elder also clenched his fist.

Leaving aside everything else, this discernment alone made him feel inferior.

"Young master, your talent has truly opened my eyes. Since you have a particular fondness for the Tranquilizing Grass, I shall give it to you as a token of my gratitude!”

With a wave of his hand, the elder said.

"Teacher…” Liu Chang was stunned.

Just now, this fellow offered five hundred gold coins for the Tranquilizing Grass, and Liu Chang thought there was something wrong with the other party's head. Only now did he realize that the person had already anticipated this scene, expecting his teacher to give it away. This was something just purchased for 500 spirit stones. To give it away immediately… wasn't that a bit too generous? Even if he pointed out that the jade bamboo was fake, it wouldn't warrant such a grand gesture.

"Could it be… no, that's impossible! How could he have seen through even that?”

Suddenly, recalling something, Liu Chang's body stiffened and trembled uncontrollably.

He knew why his teacher was being so generous.

An appraiser only has three chances to make a mistake in their lifetime. Exceeding three mistakes would lead to disqualification and a fall from grace. His teacher had appraised countless treasures 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 hadn't intervened and allowed them to take this jade bamboo to someone for refining medicine, it was foreseeable that even if no one was poisoned, his teacher would lose his appraiser qualification. Having held a high position for years, his teacher had offended countless people and accumulated many grudges. If he truly lost his status, he would very likely be hunted down. This meant… the other party had effectively saved his teacher's life. Let alone the Tranquilizing Grass purchased for 500 spirit stones, even if its value were far greater, he would still be willing to give it away.

But… the fact that his teacher had already used up his three mistakes was only known within the Appraiser Guild; no one outside of close confidants would know. How did this fellow know? And how could he be so certain that his teacher, out of gratitude, would give this item away?

Combining this with the experience of buying items on the first floor earlier…

Could it be that this fellow, despite his youthful appearance, was in fact an unparalleled master appraiser?

With this thought in mind, Liu Chang hastily looked at the young man not far away, wanting to see if his conjecture was true. He then saw the young man, with a righteous expression, say, "Such a valuable gift, directly given, I, Zhang, would truly not dare to accept it. Sun Qiang, give this senior 500 gold coins. We'll buy the item; we mustn't let senior suffer a loss!”

"Pfft!” Just moments ago, he had wondered if this was a master, but upon hearing these words, Liu Chang's body swayed, and he nearly vomited blood.

Damn!

"I wouldn't dare accept it, I can't let senior suffer a loss”… To say that so righteously, how shameless can one be? 500 gold coins – what's the difference from paying nothing at all? Is this really what a master should do?

He hastily looked at his teacher and saw him sway as well, as if a mouthful of fresh blood was stifled in his chest. The teacher's face was ashen with frustration as he said, "Young master, I am genuinely grateful. The money… is not necessary!”

"Senior, there's really no need to be polite with me!" the young man insisted. "500 gold coins… I can still afford that!”

"…” Liu Chang.

That amount of money—you could pick up a piece of trash on any battlefield and it would be worth that much. Of course, he could afford it…

Knowing that continuing to argue would surely lead to dying of frustration, the elder reluctantly accepted the gold coins, putting them into his storage ring, and said, "I see that this young master is extremely knowledgeable in the field of appraisal. May I ask… who is your master? Are you perhaps also an appraiser?”

Liu Chang also eagerly pricked up his ears.

To discern a problem that even his teacher couldn't see at a glance, this person must have already reached an unfathomable level in appraisal. To be able to cultivate such a young appraiser, he also wanted to know who this divine person was.

"My young master is Master Teacher Zhang Xuan, and his teacher is Master Teacher Yang Xuan,” Sun Qiang said, stepping forward and introducing him with a proud expression.

"Master Teacher?” The elder's expression straightened; only then did he realize, and he became solemn with respect.

Liu Chang was even more startled. Earlier, he had held many opinions against this person. If he had known this identity earlier, he would never have dared. Although appraisers earned a lot of money, there was still a significant difference between them and Master Teachers. It's like the difference between a lottery winner and a government official; no matter how much money one had, it was insignificant before this 'number one' profession. Moreover, the appraisal skills of this Master Teacher before them, not to mention surpassing Liu Chang, were no lower than, and quite possibly higher than, his teacher's.

"So you are a Master Teacher. No wonder you possess such discerning insight. This old man was disrespectful; I apologize for any earlier oversight, please forgive me!”

Recovering himself, the elder cupped his fist and said, "My name is Sai Xiaoyu; I'm a few years older. You may simply call me Brother Sai from now on. The title 'senior' is truly more than I deserve!”

With the other party's appraisal skills being no less than his own and being a Master Teacher, the elder immediately felt a desire to befriend him.

"Sai Xiaoyu? Could it be… Pavilion Master Sai of the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion?” Hearing this name, Zhang Xuan felt nothing, but Zhao Fei, startled, couldn't help but speak.

As a princess of the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, and having loved reading since childhood, she had some knowledge of the most powerful individuals in various guilds within the territory. It was said that the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion was named Sai Xiaoyu, a peak 4-star appraiser. He had appraised countless treasures throughout his life, and even the Alliance Leader's Manor had specifically invited him, treating him as an honored guest. She had originally thought such a person would be unfathomable and impossible to meet. She never expected that he had just been lectured by Zhang Xuan and even implicitly conned out of a Tranquilizing Grass…

"The position of Pavilion Master is merely due to the kindness of many old friends, hardly worth mentioning!” Seeing that his identity had been recognized, Sai Xiaoyu smiled and shook his head.

"So you are the Pavilion Master, that's excellent!” Understanding the other party's identity, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but speak, "I heard… Honghai City obtained a Soulless Golden Figure. Is this news true, and where is this item?”

He had come to Honghai City specifically for this item. Since this person was the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion, if the news was true, he would certainly know.

"A Soulless Golden Figure? So, Brother Zhang came for this!” Pavilion Master Sai understood and smiled. "Indeed, such an item exists, and it's right here in the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion. It will be auctioned tonight.”

"Tonight?” Zhang Xuan clenched his fists, then his face filled with embarrassment. They had arrived in Honghai City already in the afternoon, and after all this commotion, it was almost dark. An auction tonight meant the auction would begin very soon, didn't it? He… didn't even have a single spirit stone on him. Wanting to participate in an auction without money meant he probably wouldn't even get past the entrance and would be directly expelled. One must know that some large auction houses require a financial verification before entry. Otherwise, if anyone could enter and deliberately drive prices up or down, the market would become chaotic.

"Indeed, it's in one hour. If Brother Zhang is interested, I can reserve a private room for you!” Sai Xiaoyu said.

"Many thanks then, Brother Sai!” Nodding gratefully, Zhang Xuan then asked, "What's the approximate price range for this Soulless Golden Figure? If I truly want to buy it, how many spirit stones would it cost?”

It's best to inquire first to prepare in advance.

"The Soulless Golden Figure is an item left behind by Witch Soul Masters, so its exact price is hard to say. Our Treasure Appraisal Pavilion estimates its value at 1500 spirit stones. However, at auction, it will surely at least double in price. I'm afraid it will require 3000 spirit stones to acquire it!” After explaining, Sai Xiaoyu looked at him with a smile and asked, "So, Brother Zhang wants to make a bid?”

"I am somewhat interested, it's just… I don't have enough money on me…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly.

"Not enough?” Sai Xiaoyu chuckled. "That's alright. I, your elder brother, have some savings and can lend you some to cover the difference. How much more do you need, younger brother? Just say the word.”

"Lend some? That's wonderful!” Zhang Xuan's face was full of gratitude, "I still need 3000 spirit stones. Can you… lend them to me?”

"…” Sai Xiaoyu.

"…” Liu Chang.

"…” Everyone.