From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Ji Kun's expression changed repeatedly. He looked down at the jade pendant at his waist, then looked up at Lin Yan.

This is a fine piece of sixty-year-old bluish-white jade, but he didn't expect Lin Yan to be able to see the effects of this jade pendant. You know, this jade pendant looks ordinary. Even he himself was mistaken about it back then. It was his father who saw the extraordinary nature of this jade.

Ji Kun's earlier aggressive manner of slamming the table and cursing had completely vanished.

Seeing that his anger had subsided considerably, Lin Yan withdrew his hand and said in a calm tone, "I told you, I can't understand a single item in your shop. All these things are not as good as this jade pendant you're wearing."

Ji Kun's lips twitched, and he secretly sensed something was wrong.

This kid actually knows his stuff; he managed to spot all these fakes on the first floor.

Just as he was about to find a way to defend himself, footsteps sounded on the stairs leading to the second floor.

"Second brother, what's going on? Why is it so noisy?"

A middle-aged man in his forties came down from the second floor. Unlike Ji Kun, he was wearing a white long robe, had a thin face, and was holding a folding fan in his hand.

If it weren't for their strikingly similar appearances, it would be hard to believe that these two, one fat and one thin, are brothers.

"Big brother, someone's causing trouble here..." Ji Kun pointed at Lin Yan.

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man looked Lin Yan up and down, then quickly took two steps to stand in front of him and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Excuse me, are you General Lin Yan, the one who won the martial arts competition in the capital last month?"

Lin Yan was somewhat surprised. "You know me?"

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "I am Ji Qian, the owner of Jubaoyuan. The day of the martial arts competition, General, your one-sword strike that broke the Dharma Form was truly spectacular. I admire you greatly. My younger brother had no intention of offending you, and I hope you will forgive him."

Ji Kun was stunned. His expression gradually changed from surprise to fear. The young man in front of him was actually a general!

Lin Yan didn't notice Ji Kun's change and returned the greeting to Ji Qian, saying, "Master Ji, you're too kind."

Ji Qian stepped aside and gestured for him to come up. "The second floor is quieter, why don't you come up and have a seat? General Lin has always been interested in treasures when he visits our shop, I can introduce them to you."

Lin Yan nodded and followed.

The second floor is much smaller than the first floor, but the furnishings are much more exquisite. Each item on the display shelf has a small wooden plaque next to it, indicating the name and origin of the item.

The two sat down on the chairs, and Ji Kun poured Lin Yan a cup of tea.

"General Lin spent quite a while looking around on the first floor. Did you not find anything that suited your taste?"

Lin Yan did not answer, but instead asked, "Master, I don't know much about the treasure business, so I would like to ask you a few questions."

"Please speak, General. I will answer all your questions without reservation."

"Are there any distinctions in the grades of treasures in this world?"

Ji Qian was slightly taken aback, genuinely not expecting Lin Yan to ask such a question.

He put down his folding fan, took a jade pot from the antique shelf, and placed it in front of Lin Yan.

"General, look at this jade pot. It is made of top-quality Hetian jade, with exquisite craftsmanship, and it is two hundred years old. But this thing is ultimately just an ordinary object. It is only good in material and exquisite in craftsmanship, but it has nothing special about it. Such items are called treasures."

Ji Qian put the jade pot back, turned around and took out a short sword from a locked box. The scabbard was inlaid with several dark red gems.

"This short sword is different. It was forged by a famous sword-making master of our dynasty. The blade is mixed with black iron, and the hilt is inlaid with fire crystal. After injecting true energy, its sharpness can be increased by 30%. We call this kind of thing a Xuanbao."

Lin Yan took the short sword, placed his fingers on the blade, and silently activated [Appraisal].

This time I was lucky; it only took three attempts before a line of text appeared on the panel.

[Feedback: Weapon type, low-grade Xuanbao, its sharpness can be increased by 30% after infusing it with true energy, lasting for half an incense stick's time.]

It's exactly the same as what Ji Qian said.

Lin Yan remained calm, handed the short sword back, and then asked, "What about anything above the Xuanbao level?"

"Above the Xuanbao is the Lingbao," Ji Qian lowered his voice. "Lingbao transcends the realm of ordinary weapons. It is said that they possess spirituality, and once a Lingbao recognizes its master, it can resonate with the master in some way. The master can even control the Lingbao to attack with their will. Above that are magic treasures and immortal treasures, but these are not things that a small shop like ours can find. Magic treasures are said to be possessed only by sects like the Seven Great Immortal Sects, and as for immortal treasures... those are legendary items used by immortals."

Lin Yan silently memorized this information.

Treasures are categorized into five grades: precious treasures, mystical treasures, spiritual treasures, magical treasures, and immortal treasures. His [Suppressing Mountains] is a low-grade mystical treasure, which is neither the best nor the worst, but it is sufficient for his current stage.

"Master Ji, what good things do you have in your Treasure Gathering Source?"

Ji Qian pointed around: "To be honest, General, what I have on this second floor are mostly treasures, ranging from low-grade to high-grade. As for Xuanbao..." He walked to the corner, took out three items from a locked cabinet, and placed them in a row on the table.

A jade ruyi, a bracelet, and a bronze mirror.

"Besides the short sword you just saw, General, these three are also low-grade Xuan treasures. This Ruyi can help you focus your mind and spirit to aid in cultivation and reduce the risk of going into demonic possession. This mirror has the effect of revealing demons and can see through some illusions and disguises. As for this bracelet, it is quite powerful and can withstand a full-force attack from a peak third-grade cultivator."

Lin Yan's gaze swept over the treasures one by one, and the feedback from [Treasure Appraisal] appeared accordingly, which was almost identical to what Ji Kun had said.

Lin Yan pointed to the bracelet. "How much?"

Ji Qian held up two fingers.

"Two hundred taels?"

Ji Qian shook his head.

"Two thousand taels."

Lin Yan fell silent. A single Xuanbao treasure cost two thousand taels of silver, while the combined rewards from the emperor and the crown prince amounted to only about fifteen hundred taels.

"Too expensive." Lin Yan shook his head decisively.

Ji Qian was not surprised. He put the several Xuanbao back and locked them away, and said with a smile, "Xuanbao are priced like this. If the general thinks it is too expensive, you can also take a look at these treasures. You can buy very good ones for a hundred taels."

Lin Yan stood up, walked around the second floor, and began to perceive everything using [Treasure Appraisal].

【Jianbao (Beginner) (25/100)】

Lin Yan had sensed all the items on the display shelf. Most of them were mid-grade treasures, with only a few being high-grade treasures.

He was just about to pick out one or two nice-looking items to take back and study when his gaze suddenly fell on the bottom shelf of a curio cabinet in the corner.

There were a few dusty items there, looking like discarded items: a palm-sized inkstone, a worn-out incense burner, a cracked hidden sword, and a few strange stones.