As a 4-star pinnacle appraiser, he had a deep understanding of the occupation. It was already formidable if one could determine who the painter was based on the brush stroke. To determine that the painting was drawn when the painter was drunk, and that he had removed the title and his own signature from it... Was this truly humanly possible?
Hall Master Sai wasn't the only one harboring such thoughts. Zhao Feiwu, Luo Qin, and the others were also dumbfounded by the sight before them. They stared fixedly at Zhang Xuan, determined to find out how he managed to deduce this much.
"Hehe!"
Meeting their gazes, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "Appraising isn't just about identifying a treasure and its origin. More importantly, one should guess the thoughts going through the mind of the creator, and only then can one gain a deeper understanding of an artifact!
"This painting may seem well-organized, but in truth, it's extremely inconsistent. One of the basics of painting is balance, but this painting is high on the left and low on the right, giving a feeling that it is tilted toward one side. Clearly, the person drawing isn't steady on his feet. It is very likely that he was lying on the paper. Also, look at this area, that area, and that area. It's clear those portions can only be drawn when one is lying down...
"Also, the bizarre birds have short wings, white beaks, black claws, black heads, and a slim body. It doesn't resemble White Purity Birds at all, and it is impossible to tell what species it is with a single glance!
"However, if one were to take a closer look, there are reeds and blooming purple flowers all over the painting. Those two are the favorites of White Purity Birds. And most importantly, every single of those birds has a stalk of grass in its beak!"
Zhang Xuan pointed.
And just as what Zhang Xuan had said, every single bird in the painting had a stalk of grass in their mouth.
"This grass bears a striking resemblance with Riverleaf Grass. The Riverleaf Grass contains lethal poison, and there isn't a single spirit beast that enjoys eating it. As such, it causes some confusion. However, what if these were White Jade Stem instead?
"The stems of the White Jade Grass resemble the Riverleaf Grass a lot, and there are even medicine suppliers intentionally mixing the two together to earn a larger profit margin... While the White Purity Bird wouldn't even touch the Riverleaf Grass, the White Jade Stem is its favorite food..."
"This..."
Hall Master Sai and Luo Qin's bodies froze.
The other party's words were logical and rational. By following his analysis, one can easily conclude that the birds were White Purity Birds.
"Now that we've confirmed the species of the bird, the rest is simple. If one pays careful attention, one can see that the painting is completed in a single breath. Unlike usual paintings, an outline wasn't drawn beforehand. As a talented painter who is capable of producing a work of the sixth level, how could he possibly neglect such fundamentals? More importantly... there are even traces of corrections being made to the birds! Following the previous line of thought, it can be deduced that this painting was done when the other party was in a drunken state!
"After deducing this much, it isn't that difficult to fathom its origin..."
Zhang Xuan's lips curled up.
He wasn't just spouting nonsense. As a painter with capability of 3-star and above, given that he knew the result in advance and the flaws listed in the Library of Heaven's Path, it wasn't too difficult for him to notice the various peculiarities with the painting.
Otherwise, it would be nigh impossible for one to link all of these peculiarities together.
"Th-this..."
Seeing how Zhang Xuan explained the entire matter calmly, everyone in the room was frenzied.
At this very moment, Hall Master Sai realized that the other party's appraising ability wasn't just slightly higher than his; the two of them weren't even on the same level.
"I must report it to the headquarter immediately. With his eye of discernment and capability, he should be qualified as a 5-star appraiser at the very least... or perhaps even higher!"
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Hall Master Sai made up his mind.
This fellow's capability had already surpassed the level within the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. He was in no way inferior even when compared to a 5-star appraiser.
Given how talented the other party was, he had to report the matter up swiftly so that he wouldn't be buried amidst dust.
"Alright, let's not delay the auction. Take it over!"
After he was done with his explanation, Zhang Xuan took a glance outside and saw that the entire auction hall had been alarmed by the commotion he caused. Thus, he shook his hands casually and sat back down.
"Yes!" Finally recovering from his shock, Luo Qin carefully rolled the painting, kept it, and backed out of the suite.
Not too long later, Elder Chen shocked voice sounded, "I believe everyone here witnessed the spectacle just a moment ago. A painting of the seventh level has been created, and all of us here were privileged to watch this phenomenal sight!
"The painting itself came from a grandmaster painter from eight hundred years ago, Wu Xuanzi, and another rising painter has bestowed it with a name and triggered a Spirit Euphoria, allowing it to make the breakthrough from the sixth level pinnacle!
"This is the very first seventh level painting created in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. It's a result of the perfect harmony between the older and current generations. I can't say for sure whether there'll be any more of such miracles in the future or not, but without a doubt, this is unprecedented in history!"
The more Elder Chen spoke, the more agitated he became. "And now, the owner of the painting wishes to auction it off. The starting bid will be 8000 spirit stones, and each increment must be no less than 1000. Let the bidding begin!"
"That painting is really up for sale? Great! I want it..."
"8000 spirit stones is the starting bid? It's a little expensive, but it'll be worth the price. Hurry up and inform the clan of the matter. Even if we have to mortgage our old residence, we've got to obtain it!"
"No matter the price..."
...
Hearing that the painting was up for sale, everyone below fell into a frenzy.
A painting of the seventh level had never appeared in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance before. If one could obtain a painting of such level, it would be worth if even if one had to go into bankruptcy.
Putting everything aside, it was highly likely that the price could increase by several folds when selling it in the future.
"I offer 9000!"
"10,000!"
"11,000!"
...
The price rose swiftly.
"This..." Seeing the frenzy below, Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes in shock.
Given how Hall Master Sai could only produce three thousand spirit stones, he thought that 5000 would be the limit already. Never in his dreams did he expect to see the price soar to beyond 10,000.
"Just like Elder Chen and the others, I spent most of my money on the collection of treasures. As such, I don't have many spirit stones on me. Besides, I'm only an individual while they represent an entire power or a prestigious clan..."
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Noticing Zhang Xuan's doubt, Hall Master Sai smiled bitterly.
Logically speaking, given how lucrative appraising was as an occupation, these 4-star appraisers should possess immense wealth. At the very least, they should be able to match up to those bidders below.
But unfortunately, they spent all of their wealth collecting treasures. As such, their liquid assets were severely limited. Three thousand was already the limit of their wealth.
Furthermore, the clan that those bidders below could have thousands of years of history behind them. The wealth that a clan could accumulate over such a long period of time was astonishing. While Hall Master Sai and the others would find it hard to take out 10,000 spirit stones, to those below, it only meant a short moment of financial difficulty. As long as they managed to find a buyer for it, not only would they recoup their losses, they would even earn a huge profit.
...
Within a suite in the auction hall.
A young man was currently seated right in front of the window. He carried a majestic and lofty aura reminiscent of a noble dragon.
Standing behind him was an elder. Even though he was completely motionless, his very presence felt like an endless abyss, leaving one unable to determine the depth of his strength. It was likely that his cultivation was superior even when compared to Jin Conghai.
"A seventh level painting? Interesting!"
Looking at the [Rousing from a Drunken Dream] that Elder Chen took out, the eyes of the young man gleamed.
The elder bowed.
"Young master, are you interested in it?"
The young man nodded.
"A seventh level painting is a valuable treasure even to the elders of the sect. If I manage to buy it, it'll surely be extremely useful to my supporting occupation as a painter."
"Alright, I'll buy it then!"
Nodding his head, the elder prepared to offer a price.
"There's no rush to it. We can make our offer after the commotion below dies down." The young man waved his hands casually.
"Yes!" The elder hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Just that... I'm afraid that if the price reaches way too high, we might not have sufficient spirit stones to take down the Soulless Metal Humanoid..."
"The Soulless Metal Humanoid is linked to the soul oracles. As long as we take some useful information back to the sect, my standing will surely surge greatly... Once I earn the recognition of the Master Teacher Pavilion, it'll just be a matter of time before I become the number one expert of the younger generation."
The young man chuckled, "But... there's no need to worry about it. I've already looked into the matter regarding the Soulless Metal Humanoid, and the fellow auctioning the item doesn't seem to intend to sell it for spirit stones."
"He isn't selling it for spirit stones?"
The elder was taken aback.
If a person took an artifact out for it to be auctioned, shouldn't the purpose be profit? To refuse spirit stones as payment, what did that mean?
"I heard that fellow's longevity is reaching its limit. As long as his bottleneck continues to confine him, it'll be futile no matter how much spirit stones he has in his possession. Seems like you got it. Indeed, what he wants is a Tutelage Jade Token; the higher grade it is, the better it is," the young man said.
Even though spirit stones were valuable, there was a limit to what they could do.
If one's cultivation was stuck at a bottleneck, one's longevity would remain at a standstill. If so, it would just be a matter of time before one was reduced to dust... Once one died, what use would money be?
One might as well trade it for Tutelage Jade Tokens. In the off chance that one managed to achieve a breakthrough, one could even extend one's longevity. In any case, it was way better than hoarding spirit stones.
Besides, with a higher cultivation, it was much easier to earn money.
No matter where one went, strength was still the most important factor one needed to possess. Everything else was just secondary.
"If he only needed Tutelage Jade Token, then this matter is indeed easy to settle... Young master is a talented master teacher yourself. To guide a cultivator from this kind of small place and help him achieve a breakthrough shouldn't be too difficult!"
Upon coming to a realization, the elder smiled.
"Of course. After all, I'm aiming for the top five places in the Master Teacher Tournament this time around!"
The young man declared confidently.
"Young master possesses unparalleled talent. Regardless of whether it's your Soul Depth or your understanding toward martial arts, you are far superior to the others. I think that even the first three places won't be too difficult for you!" the elder said.
"First three... It'll be hard to say. Those few aren't easy to deal with. However, I'm not afraid of them. Let's see who will get the upper hand then!"
The young man's expression turned grim for a moment before he shook it off and turned his attention back to the auction hall. "Alright, it's about time. Make an offer! Right, I still have some uses for spirit stones so don't waste them."
"Yes!"
The elder nodded.
At that moment, the price had already come to a standstill. Before such a price, the affluent clans and powers had no choice but to back off.
"20,000 calling once. 20,000 calling twice. Is there anyone who can offer a price higher than this? If not, this Rousing from the Drunken Dreams will be going to this friend from the Suite 14..."
Elder Chen scanned the surroundings.
...
"20,000 spirit stones? To think that a painting could fetch such a price..." Zhang Xuan's eyes glowed when he heard the final price below.
"Indeed, it seems like no one else can compete with that anymore. 20,000 spirit stones... This is truly a huge sum!" Sun Qiang nodded excitedly.
Before the duo could finish their words, the voice of an elder sounded.
"Wait a moment, I offer 21 4-star Tutelage Jade Tokens. Our young master will be taking that painting!"