The Art of Chaotic Divinity

Chapter 137: Moonlight Water Essence!

At that moment, Ouyang Rui had already sent people to take Ouyang Yu and his father away. Taking a deep breath, he performed a fist-and-palm salute to Ling Feng with a remorseful expression and said, "Godlike Physician Ling, I must apologize for my earlier offense. On behalf of Treasure Pavilion, please accept our sincerest apologies. This Treasure Appraisal Convention had been tampered with, but thanks to your sharp eyes, a grave mistake was avoided."

Ling Feng nodded slightly. "It was just a small gesture, no need to be polite."

"Ehem..." Liu Xudong stood on the side, hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and stepped forward to ask, "Young friend, I still have a question. Would you mind if I seek your advice?"

"Oh?" Ling Feng turned to look at the president of the Treasure Appraisal Guild and flashed a faint smile. "President Liu, feel free to ask."

Although Liu Xudong tended to act superior due to his age, he was not entirely unreasonable. In the end, he recognized his mistake and did not stubbornly refuse to admit it.

For this reason alone, this old gentleman deserved respect.

With a grave expression, Liu Xudong slowly picked up the nameless black iron piece chosen by Ouyang Jing, and inquired, "I've witnessed your appraisal skills, young friend. However, despite over fifty years of experience in appraising various treasures, I fail to discern anything remarkable about this black iron."

Not only Liu Xudong, but the other esteemed appraisers nearby too perked up, eager to hear Ling Feng's insight.

"Um..." Ling Feng had no idea what made this black iron extraordinary. He relied solely on his Eye of Emperor to perceive a faint glimmer of spiritual essence emanating from the black iron, which was even brighter than that of the Eight Treasures Wishing Ring chosen by Ouyang Yu.

However, if asked to specify what it was that made it so special, Ling Feng would undoubtedly be at a loss for words.

Nevertheless, at that moment, he cleared his throat lightly and spoke with a serious expression, "President Liu, you might consider scraping off the rust on the surface of this iron piece and examining it closely."

"Ru... rust?" Liu Xudong seemed visibly taken aback. "Young Ling Feng, are you suggesting that this black substance on the surface of the metal is merely rust?"

"Just scrape it off and see for yourself," Ling Feng said nonchalantly.

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Liu Xudong drew a deep breath and retrieved a bronze dagger, cautiously scraping the surface of the black iron piece. However, despite removing a fine layer of powder, the underlying material remained dark, with hardly any discernible difference.

At that moment, Liu Xudong furrowed his brow once more, utterly perplexed by the nature of this strange material.

Several senior appraisers from the Treasure Pavilion also gathered around, earnestly examining the object.

Yet, even after scrutinizing it for a while, this group of elderly gentlemen, all well past their prime, remained completely unable to discern any unusual qualities in the black iron.

"Young Ling Feng, perhaps you could enlighten us personally," Liu Xudong said, his face flushing slightly as he fist-and-palm saluted Ling Feng.

"Ah?" At that moment, the host, Ouyang Rui, appeared to have a sudden revelation. Stepping forward, he took the black iron piece and examined it in his palm with a serious expression for about half a minute before finally nodding in understanding. "I understand now!"

"What is it?" Liu Xudong and the other elders looked at Ouyang Rui in astonishment. Ouyang Rui was a highly respected appraiser within the Treasure Pavilion, so his words carried considerable weight.

"President Liu, my nephew once came across a mineral in an ancient text called black-flame gold. This black-flame gold is a premium material required for refining high-grade treasures. It is mainly found in the desolate ancient territories of the far north, and few people within our Tianbai Empire are aware of this metal."

Ouyang Rui held the Wuyan Gold in his hand, his expression serious as he continued, "A piece of black-flame gold this size is likely worth no less than a mid-tier spiritual treasure of the fourth rank."

"So it's black-flame gold?" Liu Xudong slapped his forehead, shaking his head with a wry smile. "I thought I knew better, but I made a hasty judgment!"

Liu Xudong looked ashamed as he bowed deeply to Ling Feng once again. "Godlike Physician Ling, you truly deserve the title of master appraiser!"

"Senior, please refrain from such remarks. The art of appraisal is vast and profound, and there is much for both of us to learn. Remaining stagnant will only hinder our progress."

Ling Feng sighed inwardly and swiftly extended his hand to help Liu Xudong up. Fortunately, Ouyang Rui figured it out, or Ling Feng wouldn't have known how to bluff his way through.

"Godlike Physician Ling truly is extraordinary!"

"To display such humility and composure at a young age is truly admirable!"

The audience below expressed their amazement repeatedly, and Ling Feng's stature suddenly rose even higher.

While there were doubts about Ling Feng's title as a "young genius" before, witnessing his abilities first hand left no room for doubt: Ling Feng could indeed be regarded as a young grandmaster!

Ouyang Rui carefully stowed away the piece of black-flame gold, his face suffused with ecstatic delight. With just a single remark from Ling Feng, this extraordinary treasure was spared from obscurity, like a pearl emerging from the dust.

At that moment, Ouyang Rui regarded Ling Feng as nothing short of a revered ancestor of the Ouyang family, if not even higher in stature.

"In this case, the black-flame gold undoubtedly deserves the first place," Ouyang Rui declared with a hearty laugh.

"Jing'er, tonight's champion of the appraisal event belongs to you," he continued, his voice filled with pride.

"Thank you, Uncle. Thank you, Big Brother!"

Ouyang Jing's heart swelled with joy. Today, he truly encountered a great benefactor in his life. To witness such a turnaround in fortune was truly humbling!

Soon after, Ouyang Rui swiftly restored order. The Treasure Appraisal Convention resumed, with everyone returning to their seats to observe the next round of treasures.

After about an hour, the appraisal event concluded successfully. Ling Feng, without a shred of doubt, emerged as the undisputed "Master Appraiser" among all the guests.

With a cheerful smile, Ouyang Rui instructed his attendants to bring forward the prizes for the top three winners of the appraisal event.

The first-place reward was the Moonlight Water Essence, a spiritual object with water attribute. Though not as prestigious as the Earth-Fire Crystal, it was highly suitable for water-based cultivators.

The second-place reward, as it turned out, was precisely what Ling Feng had set out for on this journey: the Spirit Replenishing Marrow.

As for the third-place prize, it was a medium-grade treasured sword known as the "Dust-Cutting Sword."

"Ling Feng, as the well-deserved first-place winner of this appraisal event, the Moonlight Water Essence belongs to you."

With a sweeping gesture, the host Ouyang Rui directed his attendants to present the tray containing the "Moonlight Water Essence" to Ling Feng.

"Hold up!"

Ling Feng interjected, raising his hand. "Mr. Ouyang, actually, the purpose of my visit was for the Spirit Replenishing Marrow. I would like to offer the Moonlight Water Essence to the second-place winner in exchange for it."

"Gasps!"

As this statement emerged, another wave of commotion swept through the audience.

The Spirit Replenishing Marrow, though undoubtedly valuable, paled in comparison to the Moonlight Water Essence, a coveted treasure sought after by countless martial practitioners!

Perhaps only Lin Xian'er had some inkling of the backstory. Ling Feng's upheaval at the Iron Blood Alliance was to seek justice for a friend.

Therefore, acquiring the Spirit Replenishing Marrow was solely an act done for his friend.

"How could someone with such strong loyalty and integrity possibly be a bad person?"

Lin Xian'er bit her lip, disregarding her father's earlier warnings. She trusted her instincts and firmly believed in Ling Feng's integrity as an upright man.

"Um... I suppose that could work."

Ouyang Rui looked somewhat incredulous as he glanced at Ling Feng on the appraisal platform. Although the Moonlight Water Essence was worth several times more than the Spirit Replenishing Marrow, it was surprising that Ling Feng was willing to exchange it for the Spirit Replenishing Marrow.

"The second-place winner of the appraisal, President Liu, just needs to agree, and the exchange can proceed," Ouyang Rui added with a smile.

"No need," Liu Xudong rose slowly, gesturing with his hand as he bowed to Ling Feng. "Today, Young Ling Feng has touched me deeply. These are all precious items, and the Spirit Replenishing Marrow can be considered a gift from me to you."

"Uh..." Ling Feng pondered for a moment without pretending to be unaffected. Obtaining a water-based spiritual item and completing the second spiritual infusion would be immensely beneficial for him. It was impossible for him not to be tempted.

"Well then, I must thank you, President Liu, for your generosity," Ling Feng bowed deeply to Liu Xudong, finding the old man quite interesting.

"No need," Liu Xudong interjected after observing Ling Feng's martial arts movements. "You've demonstrated a preliminary manifestation of water essence in your punch just now. If you can successfully infuse the Moonlight Water Essence, I believe you will undoubtedly progress further. The Moonlight Water Essence holds no utility for me; it's better suited to support young talents like yourself."

"President Liu is truly noble!"

"Elder Liu's integrity shines through!"

Immediately, a large group of guests praised Liu Xudong's behavior, washing away any lingering embarrassment from before.

He remained the respected President Liu, worthy of admiration!

Ling Feng smirked. Regardless of whether Liu Xudong's intentions were genuine or not, he had achieved his goal and gained tens of thousands of crystal coins plus a water attribute spiritual item, the Moonlight Water Essence.

Only one word could describe this feeling, Satisfying!