The treasures in the second tier likewise sparked no controversy among the assembled experts. With everyone's keen eyes, sorting the second-tier items posed little difficulty.
Moreover, the second-tier treasures they had selected were all pieces that everyone could more or less agree on without dispute.
As for items that were contentious or too obscure to judge, they had been set aside rather than lumped into the second tier.
When the second-tier selection was complete, everyone discovered there were a full fifty-two items—more than they had anticipated.
Still, no one was particularly bothered by the second-tier treasures. A few extra pieces were nothing to be surprised about.
What everyone cared about most was that a full twenty-four treasures still remained. This number had already exceeded their previous upper estimate for the first tier.
They had said earlier that there would be at most twenty first-tier treasures.
Yet here there were a full twenty-four!
How were they supposed to rank these?
Most importantly, several of the treasures were ones that most of the people present simply could not identify. Even one as well-traveled and knowledgeable as the Emperor in the Well did not dare offer a rash opinion.
Han Qianzhan and Su Huanzhen also knew that when it came to discerning eyes, they could not match Master Dongye.
Perhaps now it would fall to Young Lord Zhen and Master Dongye to make the final call.
"Young Master," Han Qianzhan said, "among these remaining treasures, are there any that stand out as truly exceptional? If so, perhaps we could select a few and designate them as transcendent grade."
Master Dongye mused for a moment. "Truly exceptional—that is a difficult line to draw. Young Lord Zhen, this humble monk's eye is limited. How should we define transcendent grade?"
Master Dongye had assumed Jiang Chen was testing him and grew cautious, tossing the hot potato right back.
Jiang Chen smiled. "I have my eye on three of them. I would designate those three as transcendent grade, and the remaining twenty-one as first tier. What does everyone think?"
The Emperor in the Well spoke up with a reminder. "Young Lord Zhen, are you selecting three because they are genuinely superior, or are you worried that the count has exceeded the upper limit and you're being forced to carve out a new category?"
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Naturally, it is because they are genuinely superior. If five were truly outstanding, I would pick five without hesitation."
Master Dongye looked somewhat surprised. "Young Lord Zhen, you are that certain? That exactly three treasures stand out above the rest?"
In truth, Master Dongye was a little unconvinced. A monk ought not stir up idle competitive thoughts, but Master Dongye was ultimately a martial cultivator, and the desire to prove himself was not so easily suppressed.
Besides, he had always been confident in his own eye for treasures. He had no objections whatsoever to the twenty-four being rated as first tier. He could even see that one or two of them had a slight edge over the others. But to say with certainty that exactly three were transcendent grade? He still had his doubts.
He suspected that this Young Lord Zhen was simply putting on an air of mystery to elevate his own reputation as an appraiser.
Jiang Chen smiled. "Let me bring out the three treasures first, and we can examine them all together in detail. My word alone is not enough—I need everyone to agree."
As he spoke, Jiang Chen reached into the group of twenty-four first-tier treasures and, one by one, withdrew the three he had marked as transcendent grade.
Of these three treasures, the first was a jade slip. Ancient, arcane runes were carved into its surface, dense and nearly impenetrable to the eye.
No one present had been able to appraise this item. Yet the jade slip itself was clearly no ordinary object, which was why, when sorting the other tiers, no one had dared to classify it along with the rest. They could not decipher it, and feared that lumping it in might cause them to overlook something remarkable.
So they had left it to the end. Everyone understood this tacitly; no one had pointedly mentioned the item. Obviously, no one wanted to reveal their ignorance in front of the others, preferring to wait until someone else spoke up first.
Now that Jiang Chen had singled out the jade slip, a ripple of surprise ran through the crowd, mingled with burning curiosity.
This jade slip—Young Lord Zhen had picked it out specifically. Could he actually recognize what it was?
It had to be said: every last person was consumed with curiosity.
Of the remaining two, one was a type of spiritual medicine. When this particular herb was selected and Su Huanzhen saw that Jiang Chen had chosen it, her slender brows furrowed ever so slightly.
Master Dongye's lips twitched as well, clearly disapproving of Jiang Chen's choice to elevate this particular spiritual medicine above the others.
Watching this from the side, the Emperor in the Well could not help but break into a quiet sweat on Jiang Chen's behalf. He himself did not recognize this spiritual medicine either, but judging by the expressions of Su Huanzhan and Master Dongye, they apparently did—and they clearly did not agree with the decision to rank it above the other treasures.
Jiang Chen paid no attention to their expressions. He reached out and selected the third treasure.