The enthusiasm of the independent cultivators on-site was slowly ignited.
The number of registrations continued to climb. Originally, half an hour had been allotted for sign-ups, but because the crowd's excitement proved far too intense, another half hour had to be added.
Seeing how eagerly and passionately the independent cultivators were participating, the titans seated in the honored-guest section silently marveled at Young Master Zhen.
They had to admit — this Young Master Zhen truly possessed the Midas touch. Independent cultivators were notoriously difficult to engage, and getting them to participate actively was an enormous challenge.
Yet this Young Master Zhen had managed it.
The appraisal segment didn't seem like a particularly earth-shattering move at first glance. But this Young Master Zhen had, through sheer force of will, turned it into something entirely new.
He had loosened the cultivators' suspicions, drawn them in, and fired up their enthusiasm to a remarkable degree.
There was no denying it — Young Master Zhen knew how to stir things up.
When the registration period ended after a full hour, a batch of independent cultivators still wanted to sign up. Unfortunately, the deadline had passed.
The cultivators who had failed to register were filled with bitter regret. If only they had gone to sign up earlier instead of dawdling and hesitating — how could they have missed the window?
Soon, the treasures collected from the submissions were tallied.
The total came to over thirty-six hundred items.
Jiang Chen was genuinely stunned. He had underestimated the crowd's passion. He had expected perhaps a few hundred to a thousand pieces at most, and if even one or two genuine treasures could be found among them, that would justify the segment and generate enough buzz.
He never imagined the sheer volume would be this enormous.
This meant the odds of uncovering real gems in this segment were considerably higher. In an instant, Jiang Chen found himself brimming with anticipation.
"Ladies and gentlemen, all of the submitted treasures have been gathered here. Let me reiterate the rules of this 'Eye for Gems' appraisal event. I will conduct it with absolute impartiality. I will neither exaggerate nor diminish any item's worth. I will report each treasure's true value as accurately as possible."
"Of course, providing a detailed appraisal of every single item is clearly impractical. We will sort these treasures into five tiers. The first tier is the highest — at most ten items, certainly no more than twenty. The second tier follows — at most fifty items, no more than a hundred. The third tier holds a hundred items, no more than two hundred. As for the fourth and fifth tiers, I can only offer my apologies."
Jiang Chen laid out the appraisal rules in detail.
The independent cultivator world certainly held its share of treasures, but not everyone could have one. Although over thirty-six hundred items had been submitted, those that could truly qualify for the first tier would be exceedingly rare — one in a thousand at best.
"Gentlemen, would you like to say a few words as well?" Jiang Chen handed the floor to the four titans.
Grand Emperor Jingzhong smiled faintly. "Then this old man will say a few words."
"Everyone, I trust you've all heard of Young Master Zhen's reputation by now. I am
Grand Emperor Jingzhong enjoyed even greater popularity among independent cultivators than the Peerless Emperor. His words immediately drew a thunderous wave of cheers.
"I am
Han Qianzhan knew this was about supporting Young Master Zhen, so naturally he could not steal the spotlight. His remarks were deliberately concise.
Su Huanzhen added: "In all the Glass Kingdom City, there are only two people I truly admire. One is the Peacock Emperor, and the other is Young Master Zhen. What I admire about the Peacock Emperor is his character and magnanimity; what I admire about Young Master Zhen is not only his character, but his vast and profound knowledge. Therefore, I trust this appraisal event he has organized, and I am more than willing to participate."
Master Dongye of the Temple of Heavenly Sound spoke next: "This humble monk, Dongye of the Temple of Heavenly Sound, swears by the Buddha's name to act with absolute fairness and transparency, and will in no way permit any selfish bias."
After the four had declared their positions, the cultivators who had entered the appraisal felt an additional weight lift from their hearts — a reassurance they deeply needed.
In an instant, their anticipation grew even more intense.
Of course, many of them were well aware that their so-called treasures were unlikely to qualify for the first tier. Placing in the second tier would already be a fine result.
When Jiang Chen saw that all four titans had made their statements, he smiled faintly. "Let us begin."
The first step of the appraisal was to eliminate the fifth-tier items. These could no longer be considered treasures. Calling them filler was perhaps a bit harsh, but they certainly possessed no extraordinary value.
A quick sweep allowed the judges to single out over two thousand "treasures" for elimination. To ensure no hidden gems slipped through the cracks, each item was reviewed individually.
All five judges agreed: these over two thousand items belonged squarely in the eliminated category.
One person might overlook something. Two people might as well. But three, or even five, could never all miss the same thing.
Thus, the over two thousand items were assigned to the fifth tier.
While not exactly worthless, they held no significant value.
Next came the elimination of fourth-tier items. Out of the original thirty-six hundred, with the two thousand fifth-tier pieces already removed, another thousand-plus were quickly identified and sorted into the fourth tier.