Chapter 45: Getting Rich Through Picking Up Bargains
The heavy doors of Wanxiang Pavilion slowly opened, and Fang Li was almost dazzled by the dazzling jewels that poured out from inside.
Beneath the dome several meters high, rows of heavy sandalwood shelves are neatly arranged, on which various treasures are categorized and displayed in an orderly manner.
The magical artifacts shimmered with a soft glow, the spiritual materials exuded a hazy mist, and ancient books and jade slips were piled up like mountains. The air was filled with the exotic fragrance of thousand-year-old spiritual wood and the sandalwood scent of ancient scrolls and ink.
Even though Fang Li was somewhat prepared, she was still taken aback by the scene.
"Wow! Is this the foundation of a major sect? It's like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden!" she exclaimed inwardly, trying her best to maintain her composure.
Master Qingxuan walked with his hands behind his back, his silver beard slightly swaying. He smiled and waved his sleeve at Fang Li beside him, saying with unparalleled arrogance, "Disciple, today you may choose one or two items from the Myriad Manifestations Pavilion as a belated apprenticeship gift. If there is anything that catches your eye, feel free to take it."
Fang Li's eyes lit up instantly! Her money-grubbing nature was activated! The little devil in her heart was already rubbing his hands together frantically.
"Just pick one? Great! We'll definitely pick the most valuable one! Quick! Scan! Which one's the most expensive?!"
[The system immediately responded: Host, rest assured! The system's treasure appraisal service is honest and trustworthy! Beep beep beep! Treasure-hunting radar is scanning at full speed! Coverage area: the first to third floors of the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion! Comparing with the database... Beep! Prioritizing the elimination of flashy but impractical decorations... Beep! Evaluating spiritual energy fluctuations and potential value...]
Fang Li suppressed her excitement and followed behind Master Qingxuan, her eyes scanning the rows of shelves with keen insight.
Flying swords, jade bracelets, pagodas, bronze mirrors... all sorts of magical treasures shimmered with light, dazzling the eyes.
She tried hard to suppress the urge to touch it, listening to the system's live updates as she walked:
[“To the left front, in the middle of the third shelf, that dark-colored Xuan Turtle Shield has decent defensive capabilities, but it's too bulky! Eliminated!”]
[“Second row from the right, that jade gourd? It can capture low-level demonic beasts, but its function is useless! Eliminated!”]
[“Straight ahead! Those twin Soul-Chasing Rings! Tracking and locking function... Insufficient attack power! Eliminated!”]
Tongzi is as picky as someone buying vegetables at a market.
Fang Li's heart also rose and fell with it.
Just as she passed a relatively secluded corner, where shelves were piled high with items that looked dusty, lacked spiritual energy, and were even damaged, resembling a heap of junk, Tongzi's voice suddenly rose:
"Host! Look! To the left front! On the third floor! That inconspicuous sandalwood box! Yes! The one covered in a thick layer of dust!"
Fang Li's heart pounded! Her gaze locked onto the location indicated by the system: a palm-sized, dusty, old rosewood box.
She walked over quickly, and under the slightly puzzled gaze of Master Qingxuan, she carefully brushed away the dust from the lid of the box and opened it.
A talisman brush lay quietly inside.
The penholder was a dark bronze color, bearing the marks of time. The bristles at the tip were worn so badly that their original color was almost unrecognizable. The spiritual energy fluctuations were as weak as a candle flickering in the wind. It looked ordinary, even a bit shabby.
"Tongzi, are you sure? This thing... looks like a fire poker?" Fang Li was a little doubtful, her fingers itching to touch it but hesitant to do so.
Master Qingxuan leaned closer for a look, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Eh? This brush... has been sitting here for years, untouched. My disciple certainly has a keen eye." He picked up the brush and examined it closely: "This brush is made of unusual material, neither wood nor metal, but unfortunately, the internal spiritual patterns are severely damaged, its spiritual energy almost completely depleted, making it no different from an ordinary brush. You really want to choose it? There are several newly forged 'Flowing Light' and 'Flying Star' brushes over there, all of superior quality."
[Host! This is it! Don't listen to your master!] The system shouted urgently in my mind.
[The scan revealed faint residual fluctuations of 'Ruyi Gold Pattern' inside this pen! Although severely damaged, the style and energy of this pattern are extremely similar to the 'Thousand Machine Pen,' a semi-ruined ancient treasure recorded in the database! Repairing it would be a huge profit! Let's take the gamble!]
Upon hearing "antique treasure" and "a huge profit," Fang Li's greedy heart instantly took over!
She gripped the old talisman brush tightly, her eyes resolute: "Master, this is the one I choose!"
Master Qingxuan was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, his eyes filled with even more admiration: "Excellent! You are not greedy for worldly things, and you have a discerning eye to recognize treasures! Although your spiritual energy is weak, who can predict the course of fate? Perhaps this item is truly destined for you." The more he looked at his little disciple, the more pleasing he became.
Fang Li was overjoyed: "The system is reliable! I've successfully snagged a bargain! Master is so generous! (Greedy smile)"
"That's right! With this system in hand, one is worth two! Host, you should visit the warehouse more often in the future; you'll get rich by finding bargains!" The system said smugly.
Fang Li suppressed a laugh and bowed solemnly to Qingxuan, saying, "Thank you, Master!"
"Is this pen enough?" Master Qingxuan asked. "You can choose any treasures in the Myriad Manifestations Pavilion. Why not take more?"
Fang Li's eyes lit up instantly: "Can we really choose a few more items?"
Master Qingxuan was amused by his little disciple's undisguised greed: "Of course."
Fang Li immediately perked up and ran to the area where the books were stored, carrying back a thick stack of books. On top of it was "Detailed Explanation of Basic Rune Arrays," and below it was a thick stack of blank rune papers.
"Master, I want these too!"
Master Qingxuan looked at the extremely basic "Detailed Explanation of Talisman Arrays" with a somewhat complicated expression.
His little apprentice has a sharp eye for choosing magical artifacts, but when it comes to choosing classical texts, he's surprisingly pragmatic.
In the shadows of a corner of the Wanxiang Pavilion, Xie Chen leaned against the display shelf, his fingertips twitching slightly.
He gazed at the old talisman brush in Fang Li's hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"The Thousand-Machine Brush? Junior Sister is quite fortunate..." He muttered to himself, his fingers lightly calculating a few times: "Hmm, the cause and effect are already determined."
Fang Li held her newly acquired baby, smiling so broadly that her eyes disappeared from her teeth.
The talisman brush may be old, but it's an ancient treasure! The book may be basic, but it's exactly what she needs! The talisman paper may be ordinary, but there's plenty of it!
Master Qingxuan couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle as he looked at his little disciple, who seemed to have gotten a great deal.
"Now that you've made your choice, go back and cultivate diligently. Mo Yun, you escort Junior Sister back to Yi Xing Peak."
Mo Yun, who had been silent the whole time, nodded in agreement: "Yes."
Fang Li quickly stuffed her treasures into her storage bag and happily followed her senior brother Mo Yun outside.
Dusk had already fallen outside the Wanxiang Pavilion. As Fang Li walked, she couldn't help but touch her storage bag, her mouth stretching to her ears in a wide grin.
The system mentally boasted: [“How about it, host? Isn’t my treasure appraisal ability amazing? I snagged a bargain right away!”]
"Awesome! Absolutely amazing!" Fang Li mentally gave a huge thumbs-up: "Tongzi, you're my god!"
"That's right!" the system said proudly. "But host, you need to repair the Thousand-Mechanism Brush quickly. Right now, its spiritual power is weak, and it's not as useful as a regular talisman brush."
"How do we fix it?"
"Uh... there's no relevant information in the database, the host will have to figure it out themselves."
Fang Li stumbled and almost fell.
"Are you kidding me, System? You can't fix it yourself, so you expect me to take on this mess?"
"Ahem, anyway, it's definitely a good item. If it's fixed, it'll be a huge profit; if it's not... well, just keep it as a collectible!"
Fang Li screamed like a groundhog inside her! She looked up at the sky speechlessly.
She knew this system was unreliable!
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