Chapter 475: Bronze Hammer

"Three thousand spirit stones? And not even a big one?" Elder Chen nearly fainted.

He could barely scrape together that many spirit stones by emptying his entire savings, but doing so would almost bankrupt him. So much for a single bet! "Are you crazy?" he thought.

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

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

"You don't?" Everyone was speechless.

He had spoken with such glee, making them think he possessed thousands, even tens of thousands, of spirit stones. To have nothing... and still dare to bet so confidently? His audacity was truly astounding!

Zhao Feiwu, standing nearby, also slapped his forehead.

He had witnessed this fatty's fearless, clueless demeanor many times before, but he never expected him to directly challenge a four-star appraiser to a bet... especially when he had no money!

"My word, you're bold!"

"Truly, a master reflects his servant..."

He couldn't help but shake his head.

Sun Qiang, this fatty's young master, was a troublemaker who seemed to revel in chaos, daring to openly reprimand Pavilion Master Sai without fear of being beaten to death. Now, this guy seemed even more audacious. He truly wondered where these eccentrics came from.

"No money? Then what are you betting with?" Elder Chen's face was ashen.

"I don't have it, but Pavilion Master Sai does. It's only three thousand spirit stones; he'll lend them!" The fatty, Sun Qiang, smiled faintly.

Pavilion Master Sai, who had been watching the spectacle from the side, was caught off guard as the "flames of war" suddenly turned on him. He nearly coughed up blood.

He had indeed offered to lend Zhang Xuan money, but that was merely a polite gesture to forge a connection. Yet, this master and servant pair! One tried to borrow three thousand and failed, and now the other wanted to borrow three thousand for a bet... "I was just being polite, and you actually took it seriously?"

"Do you have to be so devious?"

"I..."

Just as he was about to explain, before he could even utter a word, the fatty in front of him waved his hand. "Even if Pavilion Master Sai is stingy and doesn't care about Young Master's kindness to him, it's fine. Young Master Zhao Feiwu will certainly lend it to me. Three thousand spirit stones are nothing for a young master like him, right?"

"..." Zhao Feiwu was speechless.

"I'm just an innocent bystander; why has the trouble turned to me again...?"

Pavilion Master Sai's eyes rolled back in his head.

"What do you mean I'm stingy and ungrateful for Zhang Xuan's kindness? Didn't I give him a Soul Calming Herb? And despite his nonsense, I even wasted a hundred spirit stones to let him enter the Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets..."

"Is that not repaying his kindness?"

Just as the two wanted to interject, Sun Qiang waved his hand again. "See, they haven't objected, which proves that three thousand spirit stones are nothing to them! Don't worry, if I lose, I'll definitely be able to pay. The crucial thing is you... You weren't just being confident with your words earlier, but actually chickening out now, were you? A four-star appraiser, yet you can't even produce this small amount of money and dare not bet? How disgraceful..."

"You..."

To be scorned by a mere servant! Elder Chen's face was livid; he was practically exploding with rage.

"What's with the 'you this, I that'? If you really don't dare, then fine. But, you should control your mouth and not spout nonsense. Our Young Master's talent is unmatched; a small Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets is nothing to him!"

Hmphing, Sun Qiang lifted his head, full of confidence in Zhang Xuan.

"Fine, I'll bet with you!" Seeing the fellow's increasingly arrogant attitude, Elder Chen could no longer restrain himself.

Logically, it was beneath him, a dignified four-star appraiser, to argue with a servant. But this fatty was simply too outrageous.

His tone was frivolous, his attitude arrogant, and especially now, his expression was utterly disdainful... It was as if he, a four-star appraiser respected everywhere he went, was being treated like a shameless beggar.

He could tolerate being scorned by a five-star appraiser, a four-star master teacher, or even a pavilion master. But to be scorned by a servant whose cultivation was only... well, very low, was something he simply could not stomach!

"Good, anyone else dare to bet? Do none of you believe our Young Master can pass? Now's your last chance to bet; otherwise, you'll miss out!"

Seeing that his opponent was so provoked he agreed, Sun Qiang chuckled, looking around. His face, eager for profit, was fully revealed.

Everyone was speechless, seeing that this fellow wasn't content with just betting against Elder Chen, but wanted to bet against everyone else too.

"Look, the Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets has begun..."

Sun Qiang loudly egged them on, trying to entice a few more people into betting, when he heard a voice from the crowd. He looked up at the wall directly in front of them and saw the light growing increasingly bright, as if a formation inside had been fully activated.

Inside the formation.

Stepping through the gate, it felt less like entering a room and more like a garden. Flowers bloomed profusely, a subtle fragrance filled the air, and a stream flowed gently from afar, its waters tapping against rocks with a "ding-dong!" sound, like a musical score.

The stream meandered, forming an arc directly in front, just wide enough for a person to stand.

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

On the leaf lay a strangely shaped item, an irregular octahedron, making it impossible to discern what it was.

"It seems this is the treasure to be appraised..."

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

It was indeed a treasure capable of stumping a four-star master teacher. Even with his Eye of Insight, which was superior for appraising items, he still had no clue.

"Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets" (Liushang Qushui) refers to a traditional literary gathering. A "shang" is actually a wine goblet. Scholars would sit by a stream, and a goblet would float down to them; whoever the goblet stopped in front of would compose a poem and drink wine.

Since the treasure was too heavy to float like a goblet, it was carried on the leaves of a Purple Tung tree.

These leaves were very light and could float on water, easily supporting the weight of one or two people. Therefore, the Appraiser Hall's "Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets" was also called the "Winding Stream of Flowing Leaves."

"What exactly is this?"

The leaf hadn't reached him yet, so he could only observe the treasure's shape and appearance.

It was about the size of a watermelon, dark purple all over, and appeared to be cast from some special metal.

After another close look, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head.

He hadn't read any books on appraisal and didn't know much about the profession, only understanding things vaguely.

If so many expert appraisers couldn't figure it out, how could he, someone who had never appraised anything, possibly understand?

"Forget it!"

He stopped thinking about it and stopped observing the item. He casually picked up the prepared paper and brush from the side, quietly waited for the leaf to reach him, and then reached out to touch the item.

A book appeared in his mind.

He dared to challenge the Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets primarily because he had a reliance; otherwise, with his meager appraisal skills, he wouldn't even recognize half a treasure, let alone a whole one.

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

"Bronze Hammer. Item of the five-star artifact forger Duanmu Yiguang, from three thousand years ago. Forged over forty-nine days, created from a fusion of thirteen rare ores, including Violet Gold Iron, Hundred Battles Silver, and Dust-Cleansing Sand..."

While Zhang Xuan was writing furiously inside, everyone outside was watching the wall, their faces tense.

No one paid attention to Sun Qiang's attempts to find more people to bet with. Everyone wanted to see if this young man, not yet twenty, could appraise a treasure and successfully pass the challenge.

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

"Succeed? What a joke! Pavilion Master Sai has attempted the Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets several times and hasn't recognized a single item, which shows its difficulty. How could a nobody like him succeed?"

"Setting everything else aside, just look at that servant's arrogance. Would a true appraiser be so conceited?"

"It's hard to say. Daring to bet shows confidence..."

The crowd lowered their voices, discussing animatedly.

The youngest appraisers present were already around thirty years old. They found it hard to accept that someone under twenty was attempting the Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets.

"Don't worry," Elder Lu said, walking over to console Elder Chen, who was also looking tensely at the wall. "If the treasures in the Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets were so easy to identify, it wouldn't be used as the assessment standard for a five-star appraiser!"

He also didn't have high hopes for Zhang Xuan.

He had also attempted the Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets before. Not only were the treasures difficult to identify, but the viewing time was also extremely limited. At most, an item would flow past within ten breaths. How could anyone successfully appraise an unfamiliar treasure in such a short time?

"Worry? What is there to worry about? He's just an ignorant fellow, not even a recognized appraiser, yet he dares to boast so shamelessly..."

Elder Chen snorted, about to continue speaking, when suddenly his whole body trembled as a bell rang out.

The sound pierced through the wall, echoing as if from the depths of their souls.

"A bell? Did he fail?"

"No, that's not right. The final evaluation and the ringing of the bell (indicating failure) only happen after all treasures have been appraised. By current estimations, he's barely finished with the first item. Even if a bell were to ring, it's not time yet!"

Everyone was stunned and confused.

In the Winding Stream of Flowing Goblets, the ringing of the bell signified failure—that not a single treasure had been identified.

But Zhang Xuan had just entered, and he should have only seen one treasure. How could it be over already?

"Reportedly, if the first treasure isn't identified and no writing is left behind, it's automatically deemed an unanswered challenge, leading to an immediate failure!"

"There's such a rule?"

"Yes, it's happened before; I've read about it in records!"

Someone in the crowd exclaimed this, and everyone's expressions immediately turned peculiar.

Even if a challenger couldn't precisely identify the first treasure, they could at least guess its general category and write a range. If failing to write anything at all meant immediate failure, that would be truly embarrassing!

*Clatter!*

Everyone turned to look at Sun Qiang, their eyes filled with pity.

No doubt, this guy had lost terribly this time.

Then, a teacup clinked as it fell to the ground.

Immediately afterward, they saw Pavilion Master Sai trembling uncontrollably, his face pale.

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