Chapter 473: Flowing Goblets and Winding Water

Three thousand spirit stones should be enough to buy the Soulless Golden Man. You’re borrowing this much, so it seems… you don’t have a single spirit stone.

Zhao Feiwu and Jin Conghai were utterly dumbfounded.

No wonder this guy always used gold coins to buy things, unafraid of being beaten to death. They had thought he was skilled and daring, wanting to prove something… So this was the truth of it!

He didn't have a single cent, yet he dared to come and buy the Soulless Golden Man… They both felt like they were about to faint.

“Cough, cough!” Sai Xiaoyu coughed, almost choking on his own words because of this guy. “Brother Zhang Xuan, is it true that… you don’t have a single spirit stone?”

“None!” Without hesitation, Zhang Xuan nodded. The dozen or so spirit stones he had were all used up on the journey, leaving him completely penniless. Although he had tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, in gold coins, they were worthless here. It was true to say he was dirt poor.

“This…” Sai Xiaoyu’s face flushed crimson, almost suffering an internal injury from holding back his frustration at such a blunt reply. He had offered to lend money to ease the atmosphere and subtly befriend the other party, but he hadn’t expected Zhang Xuan to take it seriously and immediately ask for three thousand…

Good heavens! Even the Master of the Appraisal Hall didn’t carry that many spirit stones, especially not after just buying two thousand spirit stones worth of items and giving him a Spirit-Calming Herb… You shouldn’t take advantage of wealthy people like this!

“None? Well, in that case, does your Appraisal Hall have any activities for making money quickly?” Seeing the other party’s expression, knowing they certainly couldn’t produce the money, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head. In truth, he was just speaking casually; he hadn’t actually expected to buy the Soulless Golden Man just by borrowing money. Moreover, he and the other party had only met by chance and didn’t have a deep relationship.

“Making money quickly? You want to earn money now, and then… attend an auction an hour later, and still buy the Soulless Golden Man?” Sai Xiaoyu and the others almost spat blood. His imagination was too wild! If spirit stones were so easy to earn, why would they bother running around looking for treasures to make a profit? If such a good opportunity existed, they would have rushed to it long ago; why would they wait for him?

“Yes, I must earn three thousand spirit stones before the auction!” Zhang Xuan nodded. He had to earn that much money within an hour to buy the Soulless Golden Man. Otherwise, he would have come in vain, and the hope of awakening Lu Chong would be lost.

“There’s really no way; three thousand spirit stones is a truly enormous sum…” Seeing him confirm his incredibly naive idea, Sai Xiaoyu shook his head helplessly. Even when they selected and purchased treasures, they only earned a meager profit margin. To accumulate three thousand spirit stones would take him, personally, at least several years, provided there were sufficient treasures and willing buyers. If those two conditions weren’t met, there was no chance of making money. Sometimes, many treasures would even get stuck in their hands, unable to be sold. To earn three thousand in one hour… even in a dream, you wouldn’t imagine that!

“Teacher…” Before he could finish speaking, Liu Chang’s voice rang out. Sai Xiaoyu turned to see his student looking hesitant. “That… perhaps there is a way for someone to earn that much in a short time!”

“That? Are you talking about… the Flowing Goblet Challenge?” Sai Xiaoyu’s whole body trembled, and then he let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “It’s impossible for anyone to complete that! The Appraisal Hall has been established for so many years, and no one has ever succeeded…”

“But if you want to earn three thousand spirit stones in an hour, that’s the only way. As for anything else… I really can’t think of one!” Liu Chang scratched his head. While the Appraiser profession was lucrative, it wasn’t like robbery where spirit stones just poured in. Appraisers only charged a certain percentage of the profit for their services. Most items brought for appraisal were worth only dozens of spirit stones, and rarely over a hundred, making the profit margins extremely thin. Besides, not many people came in a day, as no one wanted to spend extra money. Therefore, trying to accumulate three thousand spirit stones in an hour through normal appraisal was indeed a pipe dream, completely impossible.

“This…” Sai Xiaoyu hesitated. He knew his student was right. Even if the Appraiser profession was profitable, three thousand spirit stones was definitely a huge sum, not something that could be obtained overnight.

“What’s wrong? Is there really a way? What does 'Flowing Goblet Challenge' mean?” Zhang Xuan, having overheard their conversation, looked over.

“The Flowing Goblet Challenge is a test in our Appraisal Hall for evaluating five-star Appraisers. If you pass, you can receive the accumulated rewards from the Appraisal Hall over many years, which is now approximately… over five thousand spirit stones…” Seeing that Zhang Xuan had heard, Sai Xiaoyu had no choice but to explain.

“A test?” Zhang Xuan was puzzled. “There are rewards for evaluating high-level Appraisers?” He had been evaluated as a Master Teacher, Beast Tamer, Calligrapher-Painter, and Physician… but he had never heard of receiving rewards for evaluating higher-level professions. This was the first time he’d heard of making money from a professional evaluation. If that were the case, he really should try to become an Appraiser.

“There are rewards, but these are… bounties accumulated over many years,” Sai Xiaoyu said, seeing through Zhang Xuan’s thoughts and continuing with a hint of helplessness.

“Bounties?” Zhang Xuan blinked, and the others also looked over. Although Zhao Feiwu had read many books, this was an internal rule of the Appraisal Hall, and he was unaware of it.

“Yes, while the Appraisal Hall has many Appraisers, our… manpower is limited, and constrained by our ranks and discernment, there are still many treasures that we cannot identify. These treasures have been appraised by generations of Appraisers, but no one has ever been able to provide the most accurate results.”

“Some predecessors, in order to resolve their doubts, paid out of their own pockets to offer bounties, inviting true experts to examine them, and also encouraging future generations to study diligently and solve the mysteries early. Unfortunately… no one has ever succeeded. As time passed, the bounties grew, accumulating to over five thousand spirit stones.” Sai Xiaoyu explained. Appraisers are different from other professions; they charge for identifying treasures. So, these bounties were set up, and as they accumulated, the rewards grew larger. But unfortunately… it’s not easy to identify treasures that even numerous predecessors couldn’t recognize!

“There’s such a thing?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened. This was somewhat similar to the Physicians’ wall of unsolved cases. No matter how strong a guild or how many specialized professionals it had, there would always be unsolved problems.

“Indeed! Over these many years in the Appraisal Hall, countless talented Appraisers have tried, but unfortunately, none have succeeded!” Sai Xiaoyu shook his head. It wasn’t that he hadn't thought of this method earlier; it was just too difficult. Even he, the most formidable Appraiser in the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, was powerless, let alone others.

“Unsuccessful? If no one knows what these treasures are, how do you confirm success or failure?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously. If these treasures were unidentifiable by all predecessors, how could they confirm if later generations’ answers were correct? Even if they couldn’t identify them, merely writing down a name or attribute would be impossible to judge.

“When a treasure reaches the spirit grade, it gains sentience. As long as the description is correct, it will certainly be acknowledged. Furthermore, we are all official Appraisers. Even if we cannot identify a treasure, if someone states its characteristics, it’s quite easy to verify whether they are correct or not!” Sai Xiaoyu explained helplessly. Any Appraiser would understand this, yet this person in front of him was still curious. Was he truly more formidable than even himself in appraisal?

“That makes sense…” Zhang Xuan finally understood. As a skilled Appraiser, even if one couldn’t pinpoint the exact nature of a treasure, if someone described its characteristics, one could still verify its accuracy. What kind of Appraiser would one be without even that ability?

“Alright, take me to see it. I want to try!” Knowing this method could quickly earn money, Zhang Xuan made up his mind.

“Brother Zhang, don’t be hasty. Let me finish speaking before you make your decision!” Seeing him so eager, Sai Xiaoyu looked at him.

“Understood!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“To participate in this challenge, there are rewards, and naturally, there are stakes. Each challenge requires a deposit of one hundred spirit stones! Of course, I can pay this deposit for you; you won’t need to prepare it.” Sai Xiaoyu said.

“One hundred spirit stones?” Zhang Xuan was surprised. There was indeed no such thing as a free lunch in this world. He had thought he could participate for free, but it seemed that wasn't the case. And rightly so; if there were no restrictions, every Appraiser would want to try, and the entire Appraisal Hall wouldn't be able to do anything else.

“Not only that, the time limit for appraisal in this challenge is extremely strict!” Sai Xiaoyu continued. “The Flowing Goblet Challenge, as the name suggests, involves having treasures sent down a winding stream. You only have about ten breaths of time to observe and verify them before stating the treasure’s name and origin!”

“Ten breaths to state its origin? How is that possible?” Zhang Xuan said nothing, but Zhao Feiwu, beside him, widened his eyes. Appraisers required various observations, including using magnifying crystals, examining patterns, and scrutinizing the entire object. Each treasure took a long time to appraise, and even familiar ones needed several confirmations before an answer could be given. To determine the answer in about ten breaths—the time it took for the treasure to float by—was simply terrifying! And this was for treasures that no one had ever been able to identify?

“Before observing, are there any hints or information available?” Zhao Feiwu asked further. If there was information, one could prepare mentally and immediately find the key points, which might make it easier.

“No! The reason no information is provided is to avoid misleading the appraisal!” Sai Xiaoyu said. If they knew what it was, someone would have passed this challenge long ago. Without knowing the specific type of treasure, even incomplete information could easily mislead judgment, ultimately preventing a correct answer.

“That’s true…” Zhao Feiwu’s brows furrowed deeply. The Flowing Goblet Challenge sounded like a quick way to make money, but… it was simply too difficult. Let alone a four-star Appraiser, even a five-star would probably find it far from easy. Just as he was about to dissuade the young man in front of him from cherishing such unrealistic hopes, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. “Alright, I’ll take on this Flowing Goblet Challenge. I’ll borrow one hundred spirit stones from you first, and when I succeed, I’ll repay you double!”