Volume 2: Wandering in the State of Qi, Chapter 107: Primordial Mirror

Zhang Heng extended his left hand and casually waved it before Bai Chen's eyes. "Old sir, do you understand now?"

After the old man clearly saw the object in Zhang Heng's hand, his heart was profoundly shocked, and his face instantly bloomed with smiles as he nodded repeatedly. "This old man now understands."

"Then, old sir, shall we continue our business negotiations?"

"Yes, yes." The old man said nothing more this time.

Of course, what could he say? The item in Zhang Heng's hand was the Heart-Protecting Sword, the protective sword of Sword Saint Dugu Bai. This young man most likely had a close relationship with the Sword Saint senior.

The protective artifact of Sword Saint Dugu Bai might not be recognized by others, but the chief of the Appraisal Pavilion, after all, was immersed in this art year-round and probably had some understanding.

Zhang Heng truly had no way out; there was nothing on him that could attract the chief of the Appraisal Pavilion. Thus, he could only resort to tough measures to force their hand.

"Old sir, I will not take advantage of you. The words I spoke earlier about assisting the Appraisal Pavilion in appraising treasures still hold true." Since this was cooperation, he could not push them too far.

"Since the young brother possesses such ability, this old man happens to be unfamiliar with a certain object and asks that the young brother offer some guidance."

With that, Bai Chen summoned a maidservant and whispered instructions into her ear.

Zhang Heng returned to his seat, picked up the teacup from the table, and sipped it slowly.

Not long after, the maidservant returned, bearing an object in her hand. Zhang Heng looked closely, and it was precisely the bronze mirror he had seen downstairs.

Bai Chen held the bronze mirror in his palm, observing it repeatedly as he explained to Zhang Heng: "This bronze mirror was obtained by me a hundred years ago in a forbidden realm. For a hundred years, I have employed countless methods without ever discovering its use. I only know that the material of this bronze mirror is extraordinarily rare, indestructible, comparable to a world's spiritual treasure. Even with all my strength, I cannot harm it in the slightest."

With a regretful smile, Bai Chen returned the bronze mirror to the maidservant and gestured for her to present it to Zhang Heng, speaking in a deep voice: "The young gentleman is knowledgeable and accomplished; you must surely understand something of it. I hope you will enlighten this old man."

The maidservant sought to hand the bronze mirror to Zhang Heng, but he refused.

Observing this, Bai Chen presumed that Zhang Heng knew nothing of the bronze mirror's significance.

It was also understandable; no matter how learned Zhang Heng might be, he was still young and had limited experience, so ignorance was only natural.

Yet even if Zhang Heng truly knew nothing, he would still need to treat him with respect, for the Heart-Protecting Sword in Zhang Heng's possession proved that he held a deep connection with Sword Saint Dugu Bai. Thus, he naturally deserved courteous treatment.

Zhang Heng did not overthink it; he merely believed it mattered little, as the system would know what it was without inspection.

At this moment, Zhang Heng spoke.

"Old sir Bai, this bronze mirror is called the Qian Yuan Mirror. It is a genuine world's spiritual treasure, born from the heavens and earth. Once activated, it can manifest a mirrored realm, trapping cultivators within it. The stronger the holder's spiritual power, the more authentic the manifested world becomes. As long as the spiritual power is sufficient, even the supreme tribulation-crossing great experts at the pinnacle can be confined within it."

The more Zhang Heng spoke, the more excited Bai Chen became. According to his description, this bronze mirror was unquestionably the mightiest restrictive magic treasure.

He had nearly sold an unparalleled treasure. Fortunately, due to the bronze mirror's exceptionally special material, the Appraisal Pavilion had offered an extremely high price. Others also lacked knowledge of its uses, so it had remained unsold here for many years.

Should anyone purchase it, he would have suffered a great loss.

"Old sir Bai, do not rejoice too soon." Zhang Heng continued.

"This Qian Yuan Mirror is indeed a supreme treasure, yet it requires a specific secret technique to activate. Without that technique, it is merely an ordinary bronze mirror, at best a rather sturdy one."

"Old sir, when you obtained it, was there a secret technique accompanying it?" Zhang Heng inquired.

"This? No." Bai Chen deflated.

"Then there is no recourse." Zhang Heng shrugged helplessly.

"Young brother, you are knowledgeable and accomplished, and no one knows everything. Could you perhaps tell this old man the usage method of the Qian Yuan Mirror?"

"Old sir, to be frank with you, I do not know its method of use." Zhang Heng smiled, for he truly did not.

Zhang Heng rose and offered Bai Chen a light bow, then said, "Since there is nothing further, I shall take my leave. Should anything arise, I will notify Old sir Bai in advance."

Bai Chen made no attempt to stop him and replied, "Please do as you wish." Then he lowered his head once more to study his precious object.

He always felt that Zhang Heng knew the accompanying secret technique, yet because Zhang Heng did not mention it, he dared not obstruct him. Within the world, few could withstand Dugu Bai's wrath.

He, certainly not.

Zhang Heng descended to the first floor. All the cultivators within the Appraisal Pavilion, upon seeing him come down, instantly renewed their interest and quietly gathered around him.

This Appraisal Pavilion handled matters efficiently, directly assigning four beautiful maidservants to stand guard beside Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng thought that since the Appraisal Pavilion managed affairs so adeptly, he saw no reason to continue taking advantage of them.

Zhang Heng began to examine the items within the Appraisal Pavilion, intending to find something useful. Yet after inspecting everything, he discovered nothing suited him and was greatly disappointed.

The others had followed Zhang Heng the entire time, yet they heard nothing more from him, which left them bitterly disappointed.

Suddenly, Zhang Heng ran toward the entrance with an excited expression and carefully picked up the broken wooden stick lying there, examining it carefully several times.

Zhang Heng spoke. He excitedly addressed the young girl beside him, "Beautiful sister, I wish to purchase this wooden stick. How many spiritual stones does it require?"

The maidservant was momentarily stunned by the question. After all, it was merely an ordinary stick, and there were many available. Why was Zhang Heng so enthusiastic?

The cultivators who had been purchasing items in the Appraisal Pavilion saw this and hurried over to Zhang Heng's side.

A man who knew everything, even invited by the chief of the Appraisal Pavilion to drink tea, looked down on all the goods in the Appraisal Pavilion yet was uniquely fond of this wooden stick. It could be imagined that the stick must be extraordinary.

Just as the maidservant did not know how to respond, a domineering voice rang out.

"I want this wooden stick."

The crowd immediately dispersed, and a tall young male cultivator stepped forward.

The onlookers whispered and speculated, for they all recognized the man. Tian Yu Mountain Manor's young manor lord, Wu Ba, twenty-eight years old, at the seventh stage of the Elemental Core realm. He was truly a young prodigy, most likely to claim the top three spots in the Imperial City Grand Competition.

Wu Ba strode domineeringly toward Zhang Heng, pointed at him, and said disdainfully, "Boy, give me that stick, and you can scram."

Zhang Heng was enraged and spoke coldly, "Do I know you? Don't try to get close."

Then he turned to the maidservant and said, "Beautiful sister, how many spiritual stones is this thing worth?"

Before the maidservant could answer, Wu Ba stepped in first and declared, "No matter how many spiritual stones he offers, I will double it."

The maidservant was puzzled: why were these two fighting over an ordinary wooden stick? Could it truly possess something unusual?

"You deliberately came looking for trouble, didn't you?" Zhang Heng turned and glared at him angrily.

"Boy, treasures are matched with heroes. You are a useless waste with no cultivation. Taking it is useless. Hurry up and get lost!"

Wu Ba was arrogant, never once meeting Zhang Heng's gaze. In his eyes, Zhang Heng was nothing but trash. If not for being inside the Appraisal Pavilion, he likely would not have endured the patience to waste words with him.