Chapter 14: Wu Wan

After spending some time figuring out how to use the needle box, Chen Mobai finally reached the end of the two-hour period.

Without waiting for the Soul-鎮ing Incantation to sound, he simply opened the main door and walked out.

Outside the door, only the last group of unlucky students remained.

Chen Mobai didn't see any familiar classmates, which saved him the trouble of greeting anyone. He simply slung his backpack on and left the school.

Instead of going straight home, he used his student card to take public transport to a large, integrated raw materials market in the eastern part of the city.

Chen Mobai's mother worked at a talisman paper factory, and he had been taken there to play for several years when he was young, making him very familiar with the small factory's operations.

The owner was a Tier 2 Talisman Master who ran a talisman shop in the city. To cut costs, he had opened his own talisman paper accessories factory. The large talisman paper sheets Chen Mobai cut were bought by his mother at an internal discounted price.

Although the talisman paper factory was not large, it was fully equipped and capable of producing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. However, materials like gold powder, which are rarely used for drawing talismans, were procured externally.

If Chen Mobai remembered correctly, the shop that supplied gold powder to the talisman paper accessories factory was located right here.

Cultivators generally have excellent memories. Chen Mobai asked three people and accurately found Wu's Gold Shop in a corner of the trading market.

“Hello, customer, how may I help you?”

As he entered, a young cultivator behind the counter, who had been holding a book, immediately stood up and greeted him with a smile.

“Do you buy gold here?”

Chen Mobai went straight to the point. Before coming, he had already checked the latest gold prices published on the Immortal Sect's website and was prepared to accept a slight loss if he sold it here.

However, the young cultivator didn't try to bargain down the price. After receiving the gold, he placed it on a specialized magic tool to measure its parameters, then offered a purchase price of 843 merit points, matching the market rate.

“The quality of your gold is quite good; it seems to have been refined with spiritual energy by a cultivator. Let's round it up to 850.”

Hearing this, Chen Mobai felt the owner was reasonable and immediately nodded.

After the transaction, seeing the additional 850 merit points in his account, Chen Mobai suppressed his inner excitement. As he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed the book the young cultivator had placed on the counter.

《Tier 2 Appraisal Master Exam — Predicted Questions》

“Boss, are you perhaps an Appraisal Master?”

Chen Mobai asked out of curiosity. It was well known that the Immortal Sect's certification exams were taken sequentially, tier by tier. Since the young man was studying Tier 2 Appraisal Master material, he must have already passed Tier 1.

“The exam questions from the year before last were relatively simple; I just barely passed.”

The young cultivator said modestly, then handed him a business card.

Proprietor, Wu's Gold ShopImmortal Sect Certified Tier 1 Appraisal Master

After reading it, Chen Mobai was filled with respect.

Most of the Immortal Sect's Hundred Arts professional certificates were officially issued only after rigorous selection and assessment.

A Tier 1 Appraisal Master certification meant having mastered most of the knowledge required to appraise magic treasures and artifacts below Tier 2, thus qualifying for registration and certification.

This young-looking owner, standing before him, was already qualified to issue appraisal certificates for all Tier 1 magic artifacts, and the results of his appraisals were recognized by all trading markets.

“Master Wu, I happen to have a magic artifact that my ancestor acquired during the Founding Wars. I found it when cleaning out the old family home during the winter break. As it’s very old, no one in my family has any recollection of it. Could you please help me appraise it?”

Chen Mobai took out the needle box from his backpack. Seeing this, Wu Wan’s previously smiling face instantly turned serious. He first took out a pair of disposable thin gloves from his cabinet and put them on before solemnly taking the item.

“Customer, for this magic artifact, would you prefer a preliminary appraisal or an in-depth appraisal?”

Wu Wan's words left Chen Mobai bewildered. Shouldn't an appraisal be a one-step process?

Realizing he was completely clueless, Wu Wan explained it to him.

It turned out that the appraisal of a magic artifact was divided into three levels.

The first level involves observation: determining the artifact’s tier, materials, and crafting method.

The second level requires specialized instruments to determine the artifact’s remaining lifespan and whether it has any hidden flaws.

As for the final, third level, it is the most demanding test of an Appraisal Master's ability. It requires reverse-engineering the artifact's refinement method and creating or deducing a spell formula that can perfectly unleash its power for the appraised artifact.

Naturally, the fees for the three stages of appraisal increased progressively.

“However, for general magic artifact appraisals, especially for Tier 1 artifacts, only the first level of appraisal is typically needed.”

Only after Wu Wan explained it clearly did Chen Mobai finally understand the intricacies involved.

Tier 1 magic artifacts have limited prices but the largest market share, with thin profit margins. Except for genuine premium items, most only undergo the first level of appraisal. Moreover, many shops only need an Appraisal Master's certification purely for selling purposes and wouldn't spend a lot of money on an in-depth appraisal.

Chen Mobai inquired about the price. Wu Wan, being a newly certified Appraisal Master with limited experience and insufficient points, offered a lower fee.

“Your magic artifact is a Tier 1 Mid-Grade item. I'll charge you 200 merit points for it.”

After handling it briefly, Wu Wan had a rough idea of the needle box’s tier and quoted a price that made Chen Mobai's heart ache.

That was enough to buy six Blue Arrow Talismans.

However, recalling his clumsy attempts at controlling the flying needles and the dangers of the Eastern Wilds where the Water Mansion was located, Chen Mobai gritted his teeth and agreed.

Once the price was agreed upon, Wu Wan took the needle box to a workbench in the corner of the shop and began the appraisal using his professional knowledge.

He first measured its spiritual energy intensity to confirm its tier.

“The refining method is a bit unusual, but judging by the overall spiritual energy fluctuations and materials, classifying it as a Tier 1 Mid-Grade magic artifact is accurate.”

Wu Wan then took out an A4-sized Immortal Sect standard certification card and filled in his appraisal results in the blank sections for tier and materials.

“The needle box was carved from a single piece of lodestone. If you want to know the specific type of lodestone and its origin, that would require a second-level appraisal.”

Chen Mobai immediately shook his head; there was no need for that.

“The flying needles appear to be made from a mixture of several metals that react strongly to magnetism. Even if you wanted a second-level appraisal for these, I wouldn’t be able to do it here, as it would require specialized instruments.”

“This artifact is quite ingenious; it doesn't require much spiritual energy.”

“The key to controlling and manipulating it lies in the needle box itself. As long as you can skillfully control magnetism, you can easily maneuver the flying needles.”

Wu Wan, as expected of a professional Appraisal Master, didn't even inject spiritual energy. Solely based on his knowledge, he accurately described the needle box's refining method and its operational secrets.

Chen Mobai felt a wave of embarrassment as he recalled how he had completely overlooked the needle box in the school's cultivation room, treating it merely as a storage container and continuously pouring spiritual energy directly into the flying needles.

No wonder his spiritual energy was depleted after only three minutes of control; he had thought it was due to his insufficient cultivation level.

It turned out his method was wrong. No wonder he was getting half the results with twice the effort.