Immortal Road.

Continuing the regular competition is pointless, as these people have already mastered the art of appraising seventh-grade items and can be said to know everything.

But while the seventh rank is the same as the immortal rank, they are two completely different levels, even though there is only one word difference between them!
"This treasure appraisal event will select a master appraiser of divine items. Can you guess which little guy will be chosen?"

As Immortal Yuanjian gave the order, a new batch of treasures were brought onto the stage. The rich immortal aura instantly spread, and the audience was captivated by it. Old Daoist Jinchi almost groaned in pleasure.

"It's hard to say. Your disciple Qiuyi has truly inherited your skills and may be able to stand out."

“Hey~ that’s not necessarily true. Your Immortal Sect’s Wenlingzi has double pupils, so she might have already comprehended some of the laws. She’s definitely the winner today.”

"Haha, you flatter me! That old fellow from Yibaolou, Lie Yunrou, is said to have obtained an extraordinary immortal treasure. She has never failed in all these years, so I guess we'll have to give up the spot to her!"

"Ah, there are so many talented people in the world, but unfortunately the Heavenly Court and the Heavenly Observation Division are holding onto the quotas. The Cloud Wind Immortal Realm is only giving us one spot. It's really tough on us kids."

"Isn't that right?"

The other True Immortals each had their own preferred candidates, but they all talked about other people's disciples.

However, the True Immortal who came to Jinque mentioned it casually, giving a meaningful look at the white-robed female cultivator who was number one in the order of the competition.

"Why isn't that old fellow from Yibaolou here? At such an important moment, he doesn't even offer his daughter any support?"

The patriarch of the Brocade Immortal Sect smiled broadly, and his words were thought-provoking.

"I heard recently that the old man is about to pass away. In order to secure a place among the immortals, he has been pulling strings and pleading everywhere, even going so far as to the Heavenly Court's Lingxiao Immortal Realm, spending a lot of money to make arrangements. He's probably on his way to the capital right now, so he has no time to concern himself with his youngest daughter's trivial matters."

"Oh? Is that really true!"

The others looked at each other, utterly shocked.

Even true immortals don't have endless lifespans; they will all pass away one day. When that time comes, all talk of freedom and unrestraint is just nonsense!
The premise is that you can survive!

Those who have joined the ranks of immortals face an inescapable limit to the Five Signs of Decay, which is their only chance to make amends. Before their death, they will do everything in their power to seek redemption.

"Disaster!"

The Golden Palace Immortal uttered only this one word.

Of the six people present, only Immortal Yuanjian was among the immortals, and that was due to his seniority in the Heavenly Mirror Bureau.

The competition within the Golden Palace is fierce, with a gathering of experts. Several departments are even intertwined with various factions of the imperial court, making the number of available positions even more scarce. Even someone like him, one of the few commanders in a region, is not qualified to be selected, let alone other independent cultivators and merchants.

"Hehe, it's not like there's no hope at all."

The immortal Yuanjian made a pointed remark, and as a member of the celestial class, he stroked his long beard and squinted his eyes.

"You must understand, things are different now than before. Money can make the devil turn the millstone. The Heavenly Court is waging war everywhere, exhausting its resources and spending lavishly. It is precisely at a time when it is short of money, owes wages, and has an empty treasury. Even selling official positions is done openly, let alone the quota for joining the ranks of immortals?"

"What?! Even spots in the Immortal Rank can be sold!"

Upon hearing this, the Golden Palace Immortal's face trembled violently, and he breathed heavily through his nostrils, clearly unable to hold back any longer.

He has served in the Imperial Court for so many years, doing his best to serve the court, yet he still doesn't receive any special treatment from his superiors.

But it would be truly ironic if an extremely wealthy businessman could buy a coveted position within the system simply because he has money!

"We don't know the situation yet. The higher-ups have only hinted at it. Let's wait for the owner of Yibaolou to return. We'll know the result when we ask him."

The immortals had no choice but to put the topic aside for the time being, each carrying their own worries.

The Heavenly Court's practice of selling official positions is already outrageous enough, and it has been criticized extensively over the years. However, if this door is opened for selling celestial ranks, then true chaos in the world may not be far off.
The competition offstage has already begun.

Lin Shan's number 43 was located in the middle and, as usual, blended into the crowd without attracting attention. But this time, with the appearance of the rare and precious treasure, he immediately stood out from the crowd!

A flash of light appeared from the miniature teleportation array, and a green fruit shaped like a human heart floated in the air, releasing a fresh fragrance of grass and trees.

He touched it lightly with his fingertip, and the reinforced panel changed color!

Previously, it was just a whiteboard presentation, but this time it has been transformed into a vibrant, colorful background.

[The Fruit of the Law]

Quality: Pure and Spiritual Elixir

Introduction: The crystallization of the laws of heaven and earth, the Law Tree bears fruit once every 100,000 years, containing a wisp of pure immortal law energy. After consuming it, there is a chance to improve one's own law grade. It is also the main ingredient of the Law Pill, used to refine the laws.

Enhancement required: 1024 points

Lin Shan was astonished. This was the first time he had ever seen such a rare and precious celestial treasure that could actually enhance one's laws, and there were even higher levels beyond the laws?

Looking at the green fruit floating and sinking in front of him, full of immortal energy and crisp and juicy, he really wanted to swallow it in one gulp, but there were six true immortals watching above, and this was not the way to die. He could only hold back and copy the appraisal results into the jade slip first.

Looking up again, the people around me were still deep in thought, each one carefully observing, some even holding appraisal tools but not daring to poke them, for fear of breaking them!
There's no way around it; these are rare and precious items. If we break even one, we couldn't afford to pay for it even if we sold them all.

But there are also some formidable teams, such as the aforementioned favorites to win the championship.

Qiu Yibai glanced at it only once and recognized the object in front of her without hesitation;

Wenlingzi's eyes are wide open like a double pupil, and there are no secrets in her eyes. The mysterious veil of the rare and precious product is removed, and its internal components and structure are completely exposed, allowing us to reverse the process of its efficacy from the source.

Lie Yunrou then took out a mirror, which seemed to be a treasure for appraising objects. She could diagnose anything with great accuracy just by looking into it.

In addition, seven or eight people, after careful consideration, wrote their guesses into the jade slips.

This time, each person was given thirty breaths, which was a huge extension, but it was of little use to those who didn't understand. In the end, in order not to hand in a blank paper, they could only guess.

A flash of light appeared on the teleportation array on the platform. After sending away the Law Fruit, another object arrived. It was an ordinary gray stone with a patch of moss growing on it, which gave people a feeling of being dazed and having their souls pulled away!
He lightly touched it with his fingertip, and the enhancement panel instantly provided the result.

Time Moss

Quality: Pure and ethereal treasure

Introduction: This strange plant, imbued with faint traces of the laws of time, can be used as an elixir of immortality, extending lifespan by a thousand years upon direct consumption. It can also be used to craft time-related magical artifacts, altering the flow of space to accelerate the aging of individuals or objects. When used in time-based arrays, it can expedite the growth cycle of medicinal herbs. Furthermore, it is the main ingredient in Time Pills, slowing down one's own time flow and allowing for the release of magical abilities or surprise attacks in a shorter timeframe.
Enhancement required: 1024 points

The effects of Time Moss are numerous; the panel lists dozens of ways to enhance it!
Lin Shan spent a considerable amount of time copying it, and was shocked to find that this item had such extraordinary effects, yet it was just a very ordinary Qingling Immortal Item. How dare the Tianjian Division send it to the junior contestants like this? Aren't they afraid of being careless and ruining it during the appraisal?

Everyone around frowned, looking at the various magical objects in front of them with worry, and had no choice but to start making things up when the time came.

The top seeds, on the other hand, remained in control, and some were even faster than Lin Shan, displaying an extremely unbelievable performance!
This was the first time Lin Shan had experienced what it was like to be a top student, but those other people always made him feel pressured, and he couldn't help but start to have doubts. He could recognize all the seventh-tier spiritual items, but could they also guess all the rare immortal treasures? That would be too incredible!
After ten rounds of verification, the eleventh round has ended.

The several true immortals on the stage have all taken notice of this person.

"What is the background of Number Forty-Three, that he was able to guess everything correctly?"

"Look at the answer from Time Moss. Dozens of effects are listed in great detail. Even a true immortal might not know them all. What makes him, a Void Realm cultivator, so capable?"

"Hiss~ This kid is extraordinary. He probably has a powerful background. Someone, go and investigate this kid behind the scenes."

"It looks like there's going to be another favorite to win this year's championship."

This round was incredibly brutal; only 30% of the participants got more than half of the questions right, while the other 70% were all eliminated!

By sheer coincidence, the person who passed the test was one of the original top ten predicted candidates, who squeezed into Lin Shan's group.

The group of people placing bets outside all had strange expressions, because they had predicted before the match that there were only three favorites to win the championship.

The top ten were generally known to each other, but Lin Shan, the dark horse, emerged unexpectedly, disrupting the original plan and leaving both the bookmakers and gamblers somewhat bewildered.

Before the competition started, each player had odds, and the odds for betting on number 43 were very high because no one was optimistic about Lin Shan.

Make it into the top ten and you get 2 to 1!

"I won! Did I really guess right?"

Looking at the results, Jinchi Daoist was surprised to find that Lin Shanzhen had won and rushed into the top ten. It was like a windfall!
The dealer next to him tossed him a seventh-grade spirit stone.

"Why do you post whatever you want? The principal is only fifty sixth-grade spirit stones. What's wrong with doubling it for you?"

Old Taoist Jinchi deflated. His initial capital was the buyback price after fishing with friends, and it was also a key part of his start-up capital. Fortunately, Lin Shan did not take it away.

If you want to repay it now, you can simply return this seventh-grade spirit stone, and the debt will be settled.

But he refused and insisted on continuing to bet!
"I bet, I bet number 43 will make it into the top three!"

what?
The people around him were looking at him like he was a ghost. The top three had already been chosen. What made you think that kid could compete with the other geniuses?
The bookmaker's eyes darted around:
"Top three? You old codger, make it clear, are you betting on first, second, or third? Or just the top three?"

I'm betting on him to be in the top three.

Jin Chi Lao Dao was not confident that Lin Shan could break in, but he wanted to take a gamble because the odds for Qiu Yi Bai, Wen Ling Zi, Lie Yun Rou and others were too low.

"Alright, then I'll open a separate betting account for you!"

The dealer grinned maliciously and announced this to the group of people around him.

"Number 43 is in the top three, the odds are 9 to 1, who's next?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances. What kind of black market trading system is this? It can even add accounts on the fly. Are you sure you're not going to run off with the money?
Given their absolute confidence in the original three, none of them participated in this bet, except for Old Daoist Jinchi, who staked his only seventh-grade spirit stone.

With odds of 1 to 9, if Lin Shan makes it into the top three, he will receive ten seventh-grade spirit stones, including his principal and interest!

"Okay, I'll grant your wish."

The bookmaker, in a moment of kindness, created a new betting pool just for him.

Looking at the audience, after one round of elimination, only ten people remained.

Apart from the four people who were all judged by outsiders, the others were kept on the scene because they had more than half of the points. In particular, when they saw that number 43 had a perfect score on the leaderboard, they all looked at him with disbelief!
Who exactly is this person, that he can be ranked on equal footing with three favorites to win the championship?
Lin Shan remained calm, his eyes lowered as he gazed at the table.

He was actually wondering to himself, how could so many experts in the appraisal industry be found in Xiaorong City of Yunzhou? How could people at the Void Realm stage be able to appraise celestial treasures?
Aside from relying on the enhanced panel, he knew nothing about appraisal. He was completely ignorant of professional skills, appraisal methods, appraisal tools, as well as theoretical knowledge such as structural speculation, material analysis, and efficacy judgment!
The vast amount of knowledge required in the appraisal industry, and the hard work required to become a qualified appraiser, is unimaginable to outsiders.

At the same time, he also had to face the scrutiny of six True Immortals. This invisible pressure made him extremely uncomfortable, and he didn't even dare to look them in the eye.

Fortunately, the next round of the competition has begun.

The miniature teleportation array on the platform lit up, and one after another, rare and precious celestial treasures reappeared around it.

Lin Shan still lightly touched the screen with his fingertips, under the gazes from all directions. Even with the focus on him, he still quickly recorded the enhancement panel's appraisal results into the jade slip.

After thirty breaths, the next item is changed.

After this round of ten items ended, three more people were quickly eliminated!
He had thoroughly understood all the seventh-tier spiritual items, but he couldn't identify all the rare and precious immortal items. This was because immortal items were more or less mixed with interference from the laws of nature, and many of their structures and materials were prone to errors in deduction, which led to incorrect identification results.

These people looked regretful, but they were completely convinced.

The game has now entered its fifteenth round and beyond.

Now, only four people are left standing!

And on the leaderboard, everyone has a perfect score!
In other words, they didn't misjudge any of the rare and precious items in the next five rounds; they identified them all perfectly.

One or two items is luck, but fifty items is absolute skill!

If this were placed in the Celestial Appraiser certification exam of the Celestial Bureau, it would be a sure pass. However, the difficulty lies in the fact that the number of Celestial Appraisers is limited and is linked to the opportunity to join the ranks of immortals. It is not something that can be obtained simply by passing the exam.

In this treasure appraisal competition, all of the top four were young people; the older generation had all been eliminated!

This shows that talent still holds an overwhelming advantage.

"Alas, a thousand years ago, I was defeated by the previous generation's prodigy, and this time I've been defeated by a young man. It seems I'm destined to never become a Celestial Grade Appraiser. No amount of hard work can ever catch up to innate cultivation. I have no choice but to accept it."

A veteran appraiser left the competition in disappointment, leaving behind only a sigh that resonated with his peers.

Many of them have participated in the competition more than once, but each time they are crushed by the current generation of prodigies, and they have gotten used to it over time.

Fortunately, the bottom six of the top ten, determined by the points leaderboard, will also receive rewards.

The question of which of the four young players remaining on the field will make it into the top three, and who will be eliminated, has become the focus of everyone's attention!

They both got full marks and never made a mistake. Their scores remained tied. When will the winner be decided?
"Continue the game."

The immortal Yuanjian gave the order: if no one can be determined to win, then keep competing until someone makes a mistake.

"Go and retrieve the celestial treasures from the Imperial Treasury and enhance the strength of these little ones!" (End of Chapter)