Chapter 37 - Dharma Artifact

"Does that mean that this copper cauldron is actually a furnace used in alchemy?"

Chen Shaojun was in disbelief.

After all, this was the first time he had appraised a treasure related to the cultivation world.

Furthermore, this was a furnace used in alchemy. It could be used to refine spirit pills.

Even if its grade wasn't high, all treasures related to the cultivation world were precious treasures.

This copper cauldron was definitely extremely valuable.

Unfortunately…

He did not know alchemy, and the copper cauldron did not belong to him.

Ding!

Then, the Psychic Treasure Mirror determined the grade of the item.

It was a Green Copper Elixir Cauldron, a Middle-Grade Magic item. It could gather fire and stabilize the medicinal properties of its contents, increasing the success rate of forming pills by 5%…

"It's a Middle-Grade Magic item. Not bad."

Just as he was feeling satisfied, a vast amount of information appeared in his mind.

It was the appraisal reward.

It was a copy of Hui Neng's Book of Alchemy.

"Hui Neng's Book of Alchemy?"

"I remember that the Dharma name of the first master of the copper cauldron, the old monk, was Hui Neng."

"Could this be the alchemy book that he wrote?"

"I didn't expect the reward from the Psychic Treasure Mirror to be this."

Chen Shaojun was slightly taken aback. He had just mumbled that he did not know alchemy. In the end, he was immediately awarded this book by the Psychic Treasure Mirror. It really surprised him.

As he received the information that was contained in Hui Neng's Book of Alchemy, he quickly understood.

It was a complete inheritance of alchemy knowledge.

Of course, it was not necessarily impressive, but it definitely contained very basic alchemy techniques.

Not only did it explain in detail the things to take note of when refining pills, but it also explained the method of controlling fire, splitting the pills, and the hand seals that had to be executed to obtain the pills.

In short, with this alchemy book, Chen Shaojun could already consider changing his profession and becoming an alchemist.

The only thing that made him feel helpless was that there were no impressive pill formulas recorded in it. There was only a prescription for strengthening one's spirit. It was called the Dragon Tiger Energy Pill.

"The ingredients for the Dragon Tiger Energy Pill are not difficult to find, but there is something that makes me feel helpless."

"They're expensive."

"They're too expensive."

"I have to gather the genitals of a tiger, the gall bladder of a red snake, and a 50-year-old ginseng… One set of ingredients will cost at least 1,000 taels of silver."

Chen Shaojun was still eager to give it a try, but he could only give up at this moment.

He had no choice.

After all, he was too poor.

Even if the pawnshop gave him 100 wen for each appraisal, and he appraised five times a day, he would only earn seven and a half taels of silver a month. He was still far from 1,000 taels of silver.

"However, this prescription is definitely good stuff."

"It has both 'dragon' and 'tiger' in its name. Could it be a powerful medicine for both men and women? That's a huge market."

Chen Shaojun was prepared to make this pill when he had money in the future.

Would he use it? Well, he usually didn't need it… But if he sold it, he would definitely be popular among the rich and powerful.

Then, Chen Shaojun began to appraise the second treasure.

The second treasure was a metal Buddha statue. From the surface, it seemed to be made of brass. However, its weight suggested otherwise. It should contain some pig iron.

He did not think too much about it.

Chen Shaojun lit a candle and burned some incense.

He cast the Divine Vision technique.

After a series of procedures…

The appraisal was complete.

Many scenes of the Buddha statue's journey appeared in his mind.

The experiences of the Buddha statue were similar to that of the copper cauldron. The difference was that the Buddha statue had 300 years of history. It had witnessed the rise and fall of the temple where the monk Hui Neng resided.

Then, Chen Shaojun learned that the temple was called the Fang Yuan Temple. It was originally founded by an old monk named Fang Yuan. It could be considered a temple that cultivated both Buddhism and martial arts.

Thus, its inheritance included both martial arts techniques and Buddhist techniques.

Unfortunately, its prosperity from 300 years ago had declined along the way. In the end, it was destroyed by a group of red-robed people.

Then, the Psychic Treasure Mirror determined the grade of the item.

It was a Low-Grade Magic item.

Although this Buddha statue had a longer history and a higher status than the copper cauldron, it was tainted with some Buddhist aura and gained a more Buddhist nature. To people who believed in Buddhism, it was naturally precious, but to ordinary people, it would not be taken seriously.

Therefore, its grade wasn't high and was one grade lower than the copper cauldron.

Then, the reward appeared…

It was the Diamond Sutra.

"A Buddhist scripture? Are you asking me to cultivate my body and mind to become Buddha?"

Chen Shaojun was a little unhappy.

Logically speaking, the reward for appraising a Magic item should not be poor.

However, after receiving some information about the treasure, Chen Shaojun quickly put away his unhappiness.

This Diamond Sutra was different from traditional sutras. Once it was read, it could immediately eliminate distracting thoughts, suppress frustration, calm one's mood, and calm one's mind… It was a classic Buddhist sutra for severing thoughts and providing blessings.

It was definitely a good item.

The third treasure was also a Buddha statue.

After following the appraisal procedures, it was determined to be a Middle-Level Magic item. It was a level higher than the Buddha statue from before.

His reward was the Great Strength Vajra Palm.

He had received the Diamond Sutra and the Great Strength Vajra Palm. They were both related to Buddhism.

Chen Shaojun accepted them silently. He only hoped that when he used them in the future, others would not treat him as a monk.

Of course, when he met a monk, he had to try his best to hide these items.

The Diamond Sutra was still alright. After all, it was usually used when one calmed down in private. However, the Great Strength Vajra Palm was one of the ultimate Buddhist techniques. It was not easily taught to outsiders. Thus, if he used it without a valid reason, it was very easy to get into trouble.

However, even with such concerns, Chen Shaojun was still very excited.

That was because he finally had an offensive martial arts technique.

He could finally unleash his full strength at the 8th Stage of the Body Tempering Realm.

It was not like before where he could only use brute force despite having a body full of blood and qi.

Right after that, Chen Shaojun took out the last treasure.

It was a golden lacquer bowl.

This should be the golden alms bowl that was used by monks to solicit donations. It might have been frequently sanded, so its surface was very smooth. However, there was a faint crack at the bottom of the golden alms bowl and it looked as if it would shatter at any moment.

However, even if the bowl did not look good, it contained the most baleful aura out of these series of treasures.

Even though it had been cleansed three years ago, the golden alms bowl still contained over seventy wisps of baleful aura. Thus, one could see how extraordinary it was.

Chen Shaojun lit a candle and burned some incense.

Chen Shaojun used the Divine Vision technique.

The continuous appraisal of treasures had greatly exhausted his mental strength. Chen Shaojun had only cleansed the treasures of their baleful aura for a short while, but he already felt out of strength.

This was because he had exhausted too much of his mental strength and could not replenish it in time.

If this continued, even though Chen Shaojun's spiritual strength would prevent the baleful aura from entering his body, it would not be easy to appraise treasures either.

However, he did not panic at all.

He stretched out his hand, grabbed a ruler, and swung it forward.

Pu!

The connection between the baleful aura and Chen Shaojun's willpower was instantly severed.

This ruler was the Baleful Breaking Ruler.

It could disrupt baleful auras and save any pawnbroker who was in danger while appraising treasures.

After resting for a while, Chen Shaojun felt much better and started appraising again.

This time, he successfully cast the Divine Vision technique.

As the last wisp of baleful aura was cleansed, the Psychic Treasure Mirror appeared in his mind.

The Psychic Treasure Mirror was currently tracing the source of the treasure.

"This is actually a Dharma artifact?"

"It's a Dharmic artifact that could truly unleash a special ability?"

"It's the weapon that the old monk Fang Yuan used 300 years ago?"

Information related to the golden alms bowl appeared in Chen Shaojun's mind, and he couldn't help but be shocked in his heart.