One day, while gracefully gliding above a peaceful village, the majestic eagle descended to a low altitude, its keen eyes locked onto a group of gentle poultry. Its intent was to seize a few unsuspecting prey when, all of a sudden, an arrow sliced through the sky with deadly precision, finding its mark—the eagle's eyes.
With a jolt of excruciating pain, the eagle's once-piercing gaze was extinguished. The unfortunate eyeballs tumbled through the air, eventually finding their resting place in a quiet courtyard. As the years passed, subjected to the elements and the relentless passage of time, these discarded orbs underwent a transformative process. Infused with the essence of the earth, they gradually morphed into delicate round beads, their inner energy pulsating with a hidden power, waiting to be discovered.
Fate intervened when a young man stumbled upon these mysterious beads. Intrigued by their lustrous appearance, he carefully collected them and began to cleanse them daily. As he did so, a subtle change began to manifest in his own eyes, their shape growing rounder and more captivating. However, the boy's physical well-being deteriorated, haunted by relentless nightmares that plagued his restless sleep.
Eventually, the boy's father became aware of his son's predicament. A shrewd merchant and seasoned trader, he possessed a certain level of knowledge that sparked recognition upon seeing the beads. Recognizing their potential, he wasted no time in dispatching two of the beads to the renowned **** shop, a place where their true worth could be unveiled.
As the merchant delved deeper into the history surrounding these enchanting beads, their past came alive in the recesses of his mind. A vivid tapestry of events unraveled, intricately woven with the lives of those who had come into contact with the beads. Simultaneously, the expert appraisal and evaluation of the Tongling Baojian, the shop's resident treasure specialist, was unveiled.
With a profound understanding, the appraisal declared the true nature of these extraordinary artifacts—the Goshawk's Eye, a medium-grade mortal treasure. Possessing the power to enhance one's eyesight, endowing the beholder with unparalleled sharpness of vision, and even capable of mending afflictions that plagued the eyes, this wondrous creation had the ability to transform water into a veritable elixir of the spirit—a healing spring of unparalleled potency.
"Unexpectedly, this bead was fashioned from the eyes of a formidable goshawk," Chen Shaojun realized, his astonishment growing. "Moreover, its status as a treasure has elevated it to the middle rank of ordinary artifacts."
As he pondered the revelation, he found solace in its plausibility. After all, the goshawk was renowned for its nine-day flight endurance, its hunting prowess marked by ferocity and ruthlessness. With a single strike of its talons, it could shatter solid rocks—clearly, a creature far from ordinary. Naturally, its eyes would possess a distinct and exceptional quality, rendering them a coveted item in the realm of treasures.
In addition to this unexpected revelation, Chen Shaojun was also rewarded with a spell from Psychic Baojian—the esteemed treasure specialist.
The spell, known as Spirit Eyes, granted him the ability to perceive the inherent aura present within all things. It allowed him to gauge their strength and weakness, enabling him to assess their value and potential dangers. Armed with this invaluable skill, he could navigate the world with an advantage, seeking opportunities while skillfully evading potential pitfalls.
Though lacking the martial prowess of a true martial artist or the mystical energies of a Taoist, Chen Shaojun's acquisition of the spiritual eye technique ignited a newfound excitement within him. He yearned to utilize this newfound ability to its fullest potential, eager to explore the world through the lens of his spiritual sight.
Fortunately, both the spiritual eye technique and the divine vision technique can be activated through the power of the mind, although the casting methods differ slightly.
It is worth noting that Spirit Eye serves as an auxiliary blessing spell, enhancing eyesight, while God's Vision, though also employing the eyes, is fundamentally an offensive mystery. Its purpose is to cleanse identified objects of malevolent spirits and restore their original essence—clearly setting it apart from Spirit Eye.
With the Spirit Eyes technique employed, the room came alive with various Qi energies, each distinct and discernible. However, the most prominent manifestation was the goshawk's eye resting on the table before him. It emitted a radiant white light, coalescing but not dissipating, its ethereal strands hinting at a count of four.
"Four strands of aura? Does it signify the medicinal potency contained within this goshawk's eye?" Chen Shaojun pondered, a tinge of confusion coloring his thoughts. Yet, he realized that the exact potency of the eye's medicinal power held little relevance to him.
Every treasure within the pawnshop, before coming into his possession, would first pass through the hands of official authorities and undergo a meticulous registration process.
If he dared to succumb to greed and attempt to steal the ink, he would undoubtedly be pursued and apprehended within a single night. The consequences would be dire, leading to imprisonment by the government—an outcome from which there is no escape, only certain death.
Afterward, Chen Shaojun cast his gaze elsewhere, surveying the array of artifacts around him. Although many possessed traces of spiritual energy, they lacked the cohesion and radiance of the goshawk's eye—no convergence of ethereal strands or luminous white light. Instead, they displayed only faint and elusive hints of spirituality. Clearly, the manifestation of spirit silk was not something that occurred with every object.
Perhaps, this disparity was the distinction between treasures and ordinary items?
"The aptly named spirit eye technique truly holds incredible power," Chen Shaojun marveled. "It grants me the ability to perceive the essence of everything and accurately evaluate the worth of treasures. If employed prior to appraisal, it can even provide a means to avoid disadvantages and preemptively identify potential dangers."
Deep in thought, Chen Shaojun contemplated how best to utilize the spiritual eye technique to maximize its effects. However, he couldn't help but feel a hint of helplessness, for the casting of this technique required a substantial cost.
With his mental strength, Chen Shaojun knew that he could sustain the divine vision spell for a maximum of ten seconds. He had to make every moment count.
"Five seconds," he muttered to himself. "That should be sufficient."
Exiting appraisal room No. 7, Chen Shaojun made his way to the warehouse. Upon arrival, he noticed that an apprentice from the court had already completed the appraisal of a treasure, diligently recording the details in a ledger.
The apprentice, Du Hao, was a tall young man whom Chen Shaojun had encountered the day before. They exchanged greetings, and Chen Shaojun patiently awaited his turn.
Meanwhile, Chen Shaojun couldn't help but overhear Xu Hongtao, the demolition man, boasting about his past experiences with a group of fellow workers. In the pawnshop, the atmosphere was rather relaxed when there were no pressing matters at hand. Conversations flowed freely, without strict supervision.
Having spent half a year in this environment, Chen Shaojun had already grown accustomed to Xu Hongtao's exaggerated tales. He estimated that he had heard about 70% to 80% of them. Whenever Xu Hongtao spoke, Chen Shaojun could predict that the story would revolve around their gang leader's solo expedition to the Tianshi Temple in Shaotuoshan.
As Chen Shaojun patiently waited for his turn, he mentally prepared himself to utilize the spiritual eye technique during the appraisal process, seizing any opportunity that presented itself.
The other party described the encounter as thrilling, but Chen Shaojun eventually realized that it was merely a clash between two jealous gang leaders, each attempting to outdo the other. The brief confrontation confirmed this suspicion, as both leaders retreated without inflicting serious harm, unwilling to leave the other behind.
In the end, both the Thunder gang, to which Shaotuoshan and Xu Hongtao belonged, and their rival gang were reduced to ashes by the iron fist of the government. It became evident that the government wielded true power in this world.
However, Chen Shaojun's curiosity about martial arts persisted. Unable to contain himself, he inquired, "Uncle Xu, I'm curious about the level of your gang's leader. What state has he reached?"
"Our leader was an exceptional figure in his prime," Xu Hongtao proudly replied. "With a single swing of his knife, thunder roared in the depths of the sea, and with a gunshot, mountains shattered into rocks. One of the knives belonged to our leader, Shen Jinglei. He was the ninth-ranked high-grade martial artist in the real-life Qihai Realm."
Although Xu Hongtao's current role was merely that of a spoiler at Lin's pawnshop, his early years in the gang were the most exhilarating time of his life.
Shen Jinglei, their gang leader, was also the person Chen Shaojun admired the most in his life.
"The ninth stage of the Qihai Realm? A top-tier martial artist?" Chen Shaojun's heart trembled with excitement.
These martial arts realms and the titles of martial artists reminded him of the passionate years when he first delved into martial arts masterpieces.
"Uncle Xu, since you know martial arts, can you please enlighten us on the general divisions of martial arts?" Chen Shaojun inquired, his curiosity piqued. He wasn't the only one intrigued; even Du Hao couldn't resist joining in and asking for information.
Xu Hongtao chuckled and replied, "It's rare to see your interest. I'll gladly share some knowledge with you. Martial arts are divided into five realms: body refining, qihai, congenital, spiritual gang, and Shenxuan.