Jiang Chen shifted his gaze from the rogue cultivator to the Spirit Medicine resting in the jade box.
The aura of this particular herb was noticeably superior to the Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi that Cheng Qian had presented. At first glance, divine light shimmered about it, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth blazed within — it gave off an air of invigoration that seemed to promise anyone who so much as breathed near it another three to five years of life.
Jiang Chen's eyes drifted back to the man. "You don't mind if I pick it up for a closer look?"
"Not at all." The fellow was remarkably composed and magnanimous.
Jiang Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the Spirit Medicine and studied it in detail. With his level of expertise, appraising a single herb was naturally no great challenge.
However, the moment the Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi touched his palm, Jiang Chen felt an indescribable sense of something being off.
It was indeed a Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi — of that there was no doubt. But this particular specimen was somewhat peculiar. By the density of its spiritual energy alone, it appeared to be at least six thousand years old.
Yet judging by the luster, the texture, and every other telltale detail, Jiang Chen estimated its actual age to be roughly one thousand years.
The discrepancy left him momentarily puzzled, but then a thought flashed through his mind: "Could it be…?"
With that suspicion in place, Jiang Chen lifted his gaze and looked deeply at the cultivator.
"My friend, this is a Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi," he said, nodding casually, betraying nothing. "Are you looking to trade it directly to Peacock Sacred Mountain, consign it for auction, or simply have it appraised?"
The man smiled faintly. "I was hoping the Young Lord Zhen could offer me an estimate of its value."
Jiang Chen chuckled. "I already explained the value of Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi during yesterday's appraisal session. Would you like me to go over it again?"
The man shook his head. "My Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi is clearly superior in both quality and appearance. Surely the Young Lord Zhen wouldn't try to shortchange me?"
Jiang Chen smiled again and cast another glance at the herb.
"An ordinary person might be fooled. But this specimen is roughly a thousand years old at most — it's not meaningfully better than yesterday's."
"Impossible! Look at the spiritual energy, look at the luster — how is it not far superior to yesterday's? Young Lord Zhen, you're not trying to deliberately lowball me, are you?" The man's composure was beginning to crack.
"I'm sorry, but that is my conclusion. If you believe your Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi is truly superior, you're welcome to have someone else appraise it. In my assessment, this herb is a thousand-year specimen — period. No external tampering can make a thousand-year herb worth the price of a six-thousand-year one. That's simply not realistic."
Jiang Chen was blunt and unapologetic about it.
He had seen enough to realize that this man had likely never come here to trade at all.
The cultivator sneered repeatedly. "To think the famous Young Lord Zhen was nothing more than this. Fine, fine — my mistake for coming to the wrong place with the wrong goods."
Without another word, the man snatched up the jade box and strode toward the exit, muttering as he went. "There are plenty of masters at this Rogue Cultivator Assembly. If you can't recognize quality, someone else will."
Jiang Chen watched him leave with a cold smile, making no move to stop him.
"Jiao Yun, follow him. See whether he tries to get someone else to appraise it. If he does, report back to me immediately."
Jiao Yun nodded and waited until the man was well out of sight before setting off after him. As an Emperor realm cultivator, tailing a single person was child's true.
Sure enough, the man left Jiang Chen's area and headed straight for the Heavenly Sound Temple's trading zone — it was clear he intended to seek out Master Dongye.
The moment Jiao Yun saw the man enter the Heavenly Sound Temple's section, he turned around and hurried back to Jiang Chen. "Young Lord Zhen, that fellow went straight to the Heavenly Sound Temple's trading zone. He appears to be looking for Master Dongye to appraise it."
During the previous day's appraisal session, Jiang Chen had invited several distinguished figures — Master Dongye of the Heavenly Sound Temple, the rogue cultivator heavyweight Emperor Jingzhong, Han Qianzhan, Sect Master of the Summer Rain Heavenly Sword Sect, and Su Zhenhuan, Dean of the Ancient Cicada Academy, among others.
Among them, Master Dongye was unquestionably the one with the sharpest eye.
"Let's see what Master Dongye has to say," Jiang Chen said, his tone indifferent. "This man didn't come with good intentions — he's here to cause trouble, plain and simple."
"Young Lord, who cares? If he's really here to make a scene, just throw him out," said one of the Huashan brothers. The Jiao twins had always favored direct action over idle discussion.
"Heh — if I threw him out, he'd go around telling everyone how terrible the Rogue Cultivator Assembly is. I can't let him have that satisfaction. Let's see what kind of scene he makes. Master Dongye cultivates the Vajra Dharma Eye — surely he won't be fooled by such a clumsy trick."
Though Jiang Chen said this, he still harbored doubts about whether Master Dongye would be able to spot the deception.
The Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi in question wasn't simply a matter of faked age. The technique used was remarkably sophisticated — far beyond ordinary forgery.
If Jiang Chen's own eyes and experience hadn't been as extraordinary as they were, even he might have struggled to identify the problem with this particular herb.