Jin Nation Academy.
Ye Ping was carefully reading the book.
His gaze was very serious.
The book in his hand did not contain many words, but Ye Ping was reading them almost word by word as he comprehended each word carefully.
He was afraid of missing out a single word.
It was a book called “Everything About Ancient Talismans”.
Those who specialized in talismans were rare among low-level cultivators, but for the powerful cultivators, talismans were very useful.
There were talismans for Soldier-Forming Beans and channeling lightning to kill enemies or even sealing the heavenly secrets.
The “Everything About Ancient Talismans” book was divided into two parts, with the first one being an introduction and explanation of talismans and their origin.
The second volume was about talismans. In other words, the first part was about theoretical knowledge while the second part contained 365 supreme talismans, making it extremely precious.
However, although the first part of the book contained only theoretical knowledge, there were three ancient talisman diagrams on the last few pages.
“Ancient Heavenly Soldier and Heavenly General Talisman”
“Ancient Spirit-Locking Talisman”
“Ancient Seventh Gold Ancient Thunder Talisman”
There were only three talisman diagrams in the first part of the book and the remaining 362 were in the second part of the book.
Ye Ping understood that the reason that his fourth Senior Brother did not give the second part of the book to him was mainly because he was worried that he could not digest it all.
Hence, Ye Ping carefully read the book and intended to learn those three talismans first.
According to Xue Zhuan, there were three realms in the field of talismans.
The first realm was drawing talismans.
The second realm was turning spirit into talismans.
The third realm was turning divinity into talismans.
The so-called talisman-drawing was the enhancement of a yellow talisman and a talisman brush with spiritual energy, and an infusion of spirit and energy to form a talisman.
Turning spirit into talismans was simpler as it was the condensation of spiritual energy that could be turned into talismans without needing any brush or yellow talismans.
The last one was even simpler as it would allow one to condense a talisman with their own thoughts.
Ye Ping studied carefully.
After a long time, he found some yellow talismans in the academy. Such yellow talisman was not considered precious. Besides, there was a talisman school within the Jin Nation Academy too.
After taking the yellow talisman and brush, Ye Ping raised his arm. In an instant, faint spiritual energy appeared on the talisman brush.
In fact, the refinement of ordinary talismans would require many things such as red ink, the blood of beasts, and other spiritual objects.
However, if one had abundant spiritual energy, they would not need such things.
Ye Ping closed his eyes.
In an instant, he started painting and a golden ray of light began to emit from the yellow talisman.
It was the Ancient Seventh Gold Ancient Thunder Talisman.
However, the talisman consumed one percent of Ye Ping’s spiritual energy, which was quite a large amount.
After all, one percent of Ye Ping’s spiritual energy was a little more than the total amount of spiritual energy that was contained in a cultivator who had reached the Major Perfection of Foundation Establishment.
A talisman appeared in front of Ye Ping.
The yellow talisman was originally soft but it became as hard as a token after spiritual energy was infused with it and a talisman diagram was drawn on it.
After drawing a talisman, Ye Ping intended to test it, so he headed straight to a large mountain behind the academy to test it.
The talisman paper was in Ye Ping’s hand.
It was soon thrown a thousand meters away by Ye Ping.
Boom.
There was a terrifying and deafening sound.
Above the sky dome, a golden bolt of lightning blasted downwards.
It was the Heavenly Thunder that was as thick as a bucket. The impact of its bombardment flattened the mountain.
The loud thunder also immediately drew the attention of everyone at the Jin Nation Academy.
“What’s happening?”
“Is there an earthquake?”
“Who’s disrupting my peaceful cultivation? Oh, it’s Senior Brother Ye, that’s fine then.”
“What’s going on? What’s going on?”
The students of the Jin Nation Academy spoke up and walked out one after another. Some were bewildered and some were resentful. However, after seeing Ye Ping’s figure, they all fell silent and returned to cultivate.
No one dared to say anything after finding out it was Ye Ping.
Ye Ping looked at the power of the ancient talisman and couldn’t help but be shocked.
The power of the Heavenly Thunder was indeed impressive. At the very least, cultivators in the early-stage of the Golden Core realm probably would not be able to resist it.
‘Very good, great.’
Ye Ping immediately pulled out a stack of ancient talismans and began refining them. Such things could really exert great effects during critical moments.
Ye Ping did not waste his breath either. Within four hours, he created hundreds of Ancient Seventh Gold Ancient Thunder Talismans.
After drawing hundreds of ancient talismans, Ye Ping put them into the emerald gourd.
Immediately afterwards, Ye Ping did not leave and instead took out the insights given to him by Lin Bei and started reading again.
The method of talismans required slow and careful study. He couldn’t rush things.
For now, he was done reading the “Everything About Ancient Talismans” book, and he would slowly study the remaining ones.
Immediately afterwards, Ye Ping began reading the “Three Thousand Great Dao Treasure Appraisal”.
Xue Zhuan specialized in talismans.
The fifth Senior Brother, Lin Bei, specialized in something else.
He specialized in treasure appraisal.
The Three Thousand Great Dao Treasure Appraisal was a book of insights that were created based on the characteristics of countless treasures.
There were a lot fewer words than the “Everything About Ancient Talismans”.
However, each word was precious.
“Talents are everywhere, however seldom can they be recognized.”
“There are endless treasures in this world but there are very few people who can evaluate them.”
“What is treasure appraisal? Others don’t know what treasure appraisal is.”
“True treasures have three main characteristics”
“The first characteristic is ordinary. The more inconspicuous something looks, the more mysterious it is. Hence, the more ordinary they are, the more precious. Back in the day, I saw an ordinary token in the market and everyone thinks that it’s an ancient token that dates back to a long time ago. However, I had a discerning eye and I could tell at a glance that this thing is not ordinary.”
“In the end, I bought it at a high price and found out that it’s indeed the token that was needed to open the ancient emperor’s treasure vault, which is invaluable and could be worth the wealth of a country. So, Junior Brother, you have to bear in mind that you will always see treasures in your life, but you must be discerning and look out for treasures that don’t look like treasures. You might be in for a surprise.”
“However, you must remember. The guideline of treasure appraisal is to buy the best treasure with the least amount of money. Otherwise, if you buy it at a high price, you will not only be at a huge loss, others will suspect you too.”
That was the first paragraph of the opening chapter. Ye Ping was in awe and full of praises after reading it.
As a fan of novels, Ye Ping fully understood Lin Bei’s intentions.
Indeed, the real treasures were all old in age and were naturally lackluster. However, although they seemed ordinary, they contained a universe.
If treasures could be identified at a glance, there would be no need for treasure appraisers. It was not like everyone was a fool.
Treasure appraisal was all about evaluating treasures that others dropped because the more ordinary they were, the higher the value.
He inhaled sharply.
Ye Ping suddenly couldn’t help but think of four words.
The Dao of simplicity.
Indeed, it was the Dao of simplicity. Ye Ping was a little shocked and the art of treasure appraisal also had that meaning. ‘Fifth Senior Brother is indeed worthy of being a supreme expert.’
At the thought of this, Ye Ping couldn’t help but flip to the second page and continued reading the second attribute.
“The second characteristic is that there are flaws. Since ancient times, there have been changes, countless battles, and fatal calamities. Many treasures had been buried in the world over the years and the more precious treasures must have experienced a great war. There had been battles of life and death, so how could the treasures be perfect?”
“Speaking of which, I have to cite an example. There was once where I found a copper fragment in a market, and at that time, all the cultivators felt that the fragment did not have any value. However, I felt that it must have extraordinary value.”
“In the end, I bought it at a high price and the people in the market, as well as countless treasure appraisers, all mocked me but I remained calm. After I brought it back to study it, I discovered that the copper fragment was one of the fragments of the ancient immortal weapon, the Eight Trigrams Cauldron. As long as the remaining 9,999 fragments are gathered, the Eight Trigrams Cauldron can be restored.”
“So, Ye Ping, if you find some fragments, remember to observe more. They might be a supreme treasure, and since ancient times, there have been at least 365 immortal artifacts in the world of immortal cultivation. Treasure appraisers have only one goal in their lives, and that is to search for the pearl of the ocean and to obtain an immortal artifact. Ye Ping, good luck.”
That was the second paragraph.
After reading it, Ye Ping admired Lin Bei even more.
Those words were the quintessence.
After thinking about it carefully, he felt that Lin Bei’s words were all true.
Since ancient times, there have been many treasures that were owned by experts. However, there had been many fights and there might be a life and death battle at every turn.
In the case of life and death battle, who cared if the treasure would be damaged or not? They would just go all out.
In the end, people died and the treasures were turned into various pieces of debris.
Hence, damaged objects were indeed likely to have extraordinary origins.
Ye Ping remembered it.
He then turned to the next page.
He looked at the third characteristic.
“The third characteristic is inconspicuousness. The more precious a treasure is, the more likely it is to be in inconspicuous places, such as a street stall or in a small auction house. Large trade unions have their professional treasure appraisers and anything would be put through countless tests by them until it is determined that it cannot be a treasure. It will then be sold at a high price, so it’s almost impossible to get any treasures from a large trade union. Even if you do, it’ll only be because of luck, so don’t waste time in the large trade unions.”
“Speaking of which, I have to mention this. Back then, I had once attended a grand banquet of the Ten Nations and I saw a stone at a small stall. Everyone thought that it was an ordinary stone but I knew that the stone contains a supreme treasure. Indeed, after I sliced it open, I discovered the mysteries within it.”
“So, Ye Ping, you must remember that ordinariness, flaws, and inconspicuousness are the key clues to finding treasures. Comprehend the remaining ones well and I hope that you can one day become the greatest and most noble treasure appraiser in the world.”
“Of course, the three points that I mentioned can only be comprehended by ordinary people, but if you do manage to, don’t think that I’m fabricating nonsense. Sometimes, a supreme secret manual can only be understood by a supreme person. Do you understand?”
——-
At the thought of this, Ye Ping couldn’t help but say slowly, “Ah, Senior Brother, I’m enlightened.”
Ye Ping had really comprehended it. In the past, he was imagining it, but now, he had completely comprehended it.
It struck a note within him.
To be honest, Ye Ping can’t wait to find a cultivator bazaar to verify his skill in treasure appraisal.
However, Ye Ping bore with it.
He continued to look at the content at the back.
The rest of the content was a description about the division of treasures.
In the world of immortal cultivation, all treasures could be divided into five major grades.
Dharma Artifact: Artifacts that can carry Dharmic powers and are mostly suitable for Qi Refinement cultivators.
Spirit Artifact: Contains an array and an artifact with some spirituality, mostly suitable for Qi Refinement cultivators.
Treasure Artifact: The treasure of artifacts, contains incredible power, mostly suitable for Golden Core realm cultivators.
Dao Artifact: Contains Dharmic Dao and a unique sentience, mostly suitable for cultivators at the Nascent Soul realm and above.
Immortal Artifact: Contains the complete laws and the ability to destroy heaven and earth. Those who have yet to transcend the tribulation cannot touch it.
Those were the five grades of treasures in the world of immortal cultivation.
There were two types of immortal artifacts, namely supreme-grade immortal artifacts and ancient immortal artifacts.
The 365 immortal artifacts that Lin Bei mentioned in the book referred to the supreme-grade immortal artifacts.
The immortal artifacts were the best of the best as they could kill immortals and suppress them. However, almost all of them disappeared over the numerous years. It was said that each of the five dynasties had a supreme-grade immortal artifact. There were also supreme-grade immortal artifacts in the holy lands in the world.
Once those supreme-grade immortal artifacts were awakened, they would have the ability to sink a country’s land and a mere thought of it would cause a country like the Jin Nation to be destroyed.
As for the ancient immortal artifacts, they were known as immortal artifacts bred out of heaven and earth which were undoubtedly full of myths and legends.
The Three Thousand Great Dao Treasure Appraisal contained numerous records of supreme-grade immortal artifacts and ancient immortal artifacts. Ye Ping finished reading them seriously as he was afraid that he would miss an immortal artifact if he saw it one day.
After carefully reading it, the sky turned bright again.
At this moment, Ye Ping was full of excitement.
All he could think about now were supreme-grade immortal artifacts and ancient immortal artifacts.
There were 365 supreme-grade immortal artifacts and a total of ten ancient immortal artifacts.
However, the ancient immortal artifact was too far away. Ye Ping wasn’t greedy and just hoped that he could get a supreme-grade immortal artifact one day.
It was morning.
While Ye Ping was still thinking about it, Li Yu came.
He had arrived two hours earlier to see Ye Ping.
“Master, the array formation has been set up. Shall we leave at seven?”
Li Yu walked over, all smiles.
“Why are you so happy? Are you also going to participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament?”
Seeing the smiling Li Yu, Ye Ping was a bit curious as he felt that his smile was rather strange.
“Master what are you saying? If I participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament, I’d be bringing shame to the Jin Nation.”
Li Yu knew clearly how capable he was.
“Why are you smiling so merrily then?”
Ye Ping was rather shocked.
“Master, you can’t blame me if I tell you. There’s going to be a literary exam in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament this time.”
“This resulted in great confusion and many rich people placed their bets on the person whom they think can clinch first place in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament. The odds for the Jin Nation is relatively high at 1:4, so I bet on Jin Nation winning.”
Li Yu stated the reason for his joy.
Ye Ping was rather shocked.
“You can bet on that too?”
Ye Ping was really a little surprised.
“Master, that’s no big deal, you just need someone to start the bet. Twenty years ago, there were people betting on which of the nine princes of the king would become the crown prince of the Chen Nation.”
Ye Ping was flabbergasted after hearing Li Yu’s words.
“That works too? How much did you bet?”
Ye Ping was rather shocked.
“Master, I didn’t bet much, just a few million.”
Li Yu looked a little embarrassed.
“A few million? Inferior-grade Spirit Stones?”
Ye Ping asked curiously with composure.
However, Li Yu shook his head and then answered.
“Superior-grade.”
After hearing his words, Ye Ping couldn’t help but size Li Yu up.
“How much have you embezzled? Li Yu, as the Crown Prince, you might need to spend Spirit Stones on dressing up, but a million superior-grade Spirit Stones is almost as much as the tax revenue of a province accumulated over several years.”
“As a Crown Prince, you have to set an example and stay away from corruption. Do you understand?”
Ye Ping looked extremely serious.
He would usually just ignore whatever Li Yu usually went up to, but since this concerned principle, Ye Ping had to stop him.
Everyone in this world except the Crown Prince could be greedy.
However, at this moment, Li Yu instantly pulled a long face.
“Master, you’re wrong, how can I be such a treacherous person? I might idle about usually but I’ll never have a corrupt character.”
“Master, these Spirit Stones belong to me and all the scions in Jin Nation. I can’t afford tens of thousands of Spirit Stones alone, what more a few million.”
Li Yu explained.
Ye Ping was slightly relieved to hear his words.
After all, if Li Yu was really that kind of person, he might have to consider expelling him.
“How many Spirit Stones did you bet?”
Ye Ping asked.
“I? I didn’t place any bets, I just instigated them to bet, and if they win, I’ll take 40%, but don’t worry, Master, I won’t shortchange you. I’ll give you half of the 40%.”
“In short, I’ll put in some effort and everyone gets to eat.”
Li Yu said seriously.
When Ye Ping heard this, he could not help but smile bitterly and look at Li Yu.
“How will you account for it if I don’t come in first place?”
Ye Ping asked.
“I’ll just take it that I owe them a favor. There are risks involved in bets in the first place. Besides, those scions will spend their Spirit Stones on fooling around if they have any. They might as well bet with me, and if we win, we’ll earn together. If we lose, we’ll just get to work.”
Li Yu seemed nonchalant.
Ye Ping did not say anything either. After all, those were Li Yu’s personal matters.
However, after that, Ye Ping continued to ask.
“Li Yu, let me ask you something, is there a grand bazaar at the Ten Nations Grand Tournament?”
Ye Ping asked.
Since he read the Three Thousand Great Dao Treasure Appraisal, Ye Ping was now craving for more. If not for his lack of capital, Ye Ping was not even willing to participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.
“Bazaar? Do you mean a treasure fair?”
Li Yu frowned as he soon understood what Ye Ping meant.
“Yes, yes, a treasure fair. Will there be one?”
Ye Ping nodded.
“Of course. The Ten Nations Grand Tournament is a great event, and there’ll naturally be cultivators selling all sorts of strange and exotic treasures. You can definitely get some. However, the only troublesome thing is that such events will be the liveliest at noon but the stalls will close by evening.”
“The assessment of the tournament is extremely difficult and it’s possible for it to last up to three days and three nights. Hence, you’ll easily miss the event.”
Li Yu said.
Hearing this, Ye Ping could not help but frown slightly.
Some time later, Li Yu could not help but remind.
“Master, let’s go now, shall we? It’s almost time.”
“Okay.”
Ye Ping nodded and left the Jin Nation Academy with Li Yu without saying much.
At the same time, in a dark place.
A voice slowly sounded.
“Is someone there?”
It was Su Changyu’s voice.
