Chapter 256 Advanced Appraisal Art
Du Gaoge was stunned. “The assessment for blacksmiths?”
“That’s right.”
“Hehe, Master Ou, which level’s assessment would you like to take?” Du Gaoge asked in a deep voice and continued, “The assessment’s application is already closed, but the masters who are in charge of it should be able to do the Yi Pavilion a favor.”
Ou Yangming pondered. Although Yan Yuanhua told him that he could meet Master Wu Hongxi if he earned the title of an Intermediate Blacksmith, he did not want to see the master from afar. The young fellow wanted to discuss and exchange views on smithing skills with Master Wu Hongxi.
The smithing skill that was displayed on the longsword was extremely mysterious. In particular, the balance in the weapon was handled perfectly. Even if Ou Yangming closed his eyes at the moment, he could clearly recall the intense shock that he felt when he first saw the longsword.
Perhaps Master Wu Hongxi could not smith magic tools, but the way he handled the details on pieces of Fine Grade equipment was an eye-opener for Ou Yangming.
Therefore, Ou Yangming wanted to meet the master properly with equal status.
“I’d like to participate in the assessment for Superior Blacksmiths.” Ou Yangming finally made his decision.
“Superior?” Du Gaoge was stupefied, and he had a strange look on his face. ‘I can’t believe that this young fella is an Advanced Blacksmith.’
An Advanced Blacksmith was not considered top-notch in the capital, but Du Gaoge vaguely understood it when he looked at Ou Yangming’s youthful face once more.
‘Perhaps Changlong County’s head shopkeeper values this fella’s future.
‘He’s already an Advanced Blacksmith at such a young age. If he’s further qualified to be a Superior Blacksmith, he might be noticed at the Myriad Treasure Meet.’
Du Gaoge smiled more earnestly when he thought about that, and he quickly fawned over the young fellow. “Master Ou, you’re young, but you’re already an Advanced Blacksmith; you truly have boundless prospects!” Ou Yangming shrugged and noted, “Shopkeeper Du, you misunderstood; I’m not an Advanced Blacksmith.”
Even though Du Gaoge had trained to maintain his composure as the Yi Pavilion’s shopkeeper, his smile still froze for a brief moment. He twitched his mouth and asked, “Master Ou, if you’re not an Advanced Blacksmith, could you be… An Intermediate?” He mumbled, “It’s against the law for an Intermediate Blacksmith to directly take the assessment for Superior Blacksmiths…”
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming still shook his head and said, “I’m not an Intermediate Blacksmith either.”
Du Gaoge’s voice came to an abrupt end, and he inhaled deeply to suppress his anger. “Master Ou, what exactly is your level? Hehe, have you not taken any assessment before?” He jokingly asked the last question.
Who knew, Ou Yangming nodded and expressed, “Shopkeeper Du, you’re right; I’ve never taken the Blacksmith Level Assessment.”
Du Gaoge’s lips trembled violently as he looked at Ou Yangming in disbelief.
If it was not because he was certain Ou Yangming’s jade pendant was given by the head shopkeeper from Changlong County, he would almost suspect the young fellow was stirring up trouble on purpose. “M-master Ou, are you saying that this is your first time taking the blacksmith assessment, and you’d like to attempt the Superior Assessment?”
Ou Yangming smiled. “Yes, that’s what I meant. Thanks for the trouble, Shopkeeper Du.”
Du Gaoge’s eyes looked a little gloomy, and he cursed, ‘Why the heck should I take the trouble! Even if I take the trouble, I can’t do it!’
As he glanced at Ou Yangming, his thoughts were completely different from before.
‘Who’s that ridiculous head shopkeeper from Changlong County? Does he know what the Blacksmith Assessment is?’
Du Gaoge’s temples twitched a little, but he finally managed to hold back his rage. “Master Ou, there’s something I’d like to ask —why did the head shopkeeper from Changlong County recommend that you participate in the Myriad Treasure Meet?”
It was actually quite impolite of him to raise the question, but he was enraged by Ou Yangming’s performance earlier, and he could not suppress his doubts anymore.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming seemed to be unfeeling. He smiled faintly and answered, “I have some skills in appraisal art, and I’m somewhat experienced in choosing raw gemstones. Hehe, perhaps that’s why Head Shopkeeper Lin invited me to come.”
“Appraisal art, and raw gemstones.” Du Gaoge’s eyes lit up, and he grinned. “I see, hehe. Master Ou, our store happens to have a batch of unappraised equipment and some raw gemstones. If it’s not too much trouble, can you evaluate them too?”
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. “Shopkeeper Du, are you trying to test me?”
Du Gaoge immediately replied to the young fellow, “Master Ou, you’re kidding me. You’re a distinguished guest, who was recommended by the head shopkeeper from Changlong County, so why would I think of doing that? But… The Blacksmith Assessment isn’t a trivial matter, and I have no idea how many people are paying attention to it, so…” He stretched out the word and looked meaningfully at Ou Yangming. Clearly, he was trying to say, ‘If you’d like me to do something for you, convince me with your skills.’
Du Gaoge might not necessarily have the guts to do this to another honored guest with the jade pendant, but Ou Yangming was too young, and he sounded reliable. As such, Du Gaoge was suspicious.
“Okay.” Ou Yangming chuckled and stood up firmly. “Let’s go.”
“Judging from the look on his face, could he actually be skilled?’ Du Gaoge was startled and nervous. Despite that, he cast aside his curiosity and brought the young fellow to a storeroom.
This was an important place in the Yi Pavilion, where those without a certain status could not come near at all.
When they entered the storehouse, two burly men followed behind them. The men followed them openly, which was obvious that they were there as supervisors.
Du Gaoge went to a huge table and pointed at the scattered pieces of equipment on it. “Master Ou, please.”
Ou Yangming smiled. He had not encountered such a situation for a long time, and he somehow missed it.
“Shopkeeper Du, according to what I know, the Yi Pavilion has a rule where three appraisers have to appraise every piece of equipment to decide their grades and ranks,” he uttered casually. Du Gaoge laughed and responded, “It’s fine. We’re only trying, so we don’t have to follow the standard closely.”
Ou Yangming shook his head and wondered in bewilderment, ‘Why isn’t the system at the capital’s important place not as strict as the prefecture’s? If this goes on for long, isn’t the Yi Pavilion afraid that they’ll ruin their reputation?’
While he thought, he conveniently picked up a small round shield. A luster flashed in his palm, and while nobody noticed the red color, he had already perceived the small shield’s attributes.
“This is a Good Grade Rank Three, but its durability is lacking. It’s probably because it was used for a long time but wasn’t repaired.”
After Ou Yangming put down the small round shield, he took another short blade and played it in his hand for a while before he stated, “This is a High Grade Rank Two dagger. Its model is rather strange, so I’m guessing it was custom made.”
Du Gaoge’s face twitched a bit. “Master Ou, you have a good eye.” Ou Yangming put down the dagger and picked up a long whip. It was then when he saw through the corner of his eye Du Gaoge and the two men leaned back almost at the same time. They did not move significantly, but their movements were uniform.
Ou Yangming expressed after some thought, “This is a good whip. It’s of Fine Grade Rank Five, as well as a bit of Power attribute; it’s truly a great whip!”
Du Gaoge nodded, and the look of doubt in his eyes disappeared.
Ou Yangming tossed away the long whip and identified the items on the table at a faster speed. Each time he got it right, Du Gaoge and the two men seemed friendlier.
At last, Ou Yangming pointed at the last item on the table and said, “I don’t need to see this.”
Du Gaoge was struck dumb. “Why?”
Ou Yangming laughed. “If I’m not mistaken, this is of High Grade Rank Five.”
Due Gaoge and the two other men were surprised. “Master Ou, how did you know?”
“These pieces of equipment didn’t just arrive not long ago; they’re specially kept here to test appraisers like me.” Ou Yangming scoffed.
“Master Ou, you’re mighty indeed. I can’t hide anything from you.” Du Gaoge smiled bitterly. There were a total of twenty pieces of equipment on the table, and it was quite a coincidence that there were one each from Common Grade Rank One to Fine Grade Rank Five. If Ou Yangming could not notice anything fishy, he did not have to stay in the trade anymore.
“Master Ou, normally, we’ll be able to roughly tell one’s skill after one appraises three to five items, but…” Du Gaoge bowed at Ou Yangming as he spoke apologetically. He then continued with a bitter smile, “You appraised everything so fast and didn’t make a mistake, so I forgot to stop you.”
Ou Yangming tensed up a little. ‘I was only able to finish the task so quickly because I cheated with the Military Fire, whereas a real appraisal master can’t even complete it so fast. Looks like I have to be more careful in certain aspects in the future.’
Du Daoge’s face had changed a while ago. He smiled apologetically and said, “Master Ou, your appraisal art is so great that it’s superior to Advanced Appraisal Art. Hehe, I heard you also have a unique understanding of raw gemstones too. Can you show us a thing or two?”
“Shopkeeper Du, are you going to perform stone-cracking on the spot if I choose a raw gemstone?” Ou Yangming stared at Du Gaoge.
Du Gaoge’s eyelids twitched for a moment before he finally expressed, “Master Ou, you’re kidding me. Based on your appraisal art alone, you’re already qualified to be the Yi Pavilion’s distinguished guest. Please take a rest outside while we run the errand for you.”
The two burly men behind him exchanged glances and seemed rather disappointed. However, after witnessing Ou Yangming’s marvelous and quick appraisal technique, they dared not slack at all.
One who was capable would be respected wherever one went.
Du Gaoge returned to the VIP room after half an hour and noted, “Master Ou, it’s impossible for you to directly participate in the Superior Blacksmith Assessment, but you may take the Official Blacksmith Assessment. If you perform well, perhaps you’ll even earn the title of a Rudimentary Blacksmith.”