Chapter 1: No Money, No Exit (Part 1)

In the distance, Lin Yiming saw a man who appeared to be in his thirties standing in front of his house. Dressed in a gray athletic outfit, his well-defined muscles were clearly visible, and he carried a broad-bladed sword on his back.

It turns out to be a water-repellent bead. This man is indeed fortunate to possess such a treasure

"One hundred taels? Kid, are you trying to rob me!" The man raised his thick eyebrows dramatically and said, "You take one look and want one hundred taels of silver; where is such a good deal! Don't even mention one hundred taels, there isn't even a single coin!"

If others do not give me money, I will simply strike that person down. But you, you are not me; I am a warrior, and you are nothing.

The man surveyed the room with his eyes, and the voice of the young man began to resonate in his ears

The man hesitated for a moment upon hearing the voice, but ultimately took out his treasure. After all, he had come, and since the other party wanted to see it, he decided to show it to him.

Lin Yiming smiled inwardly at the other person's actions. Over the past six months, as his fame grew, so did the number of treasures he appraised, and the people he encountered increased significantly. He had seen many individuals like the man before him, and he had long since become accustomed to it.

The color of this bead is not the common shade of blue, but rather a very, very pale blue, and it is further adorned with finely carved elongated patterns.

Please wait a moment, I will go and appraise the treasure for you

The man looked at Lin Yiming with a face full of disdain and said dismissively: "If it were an appraiser from the city, I would pay whatever amount they asked. But you, I simply won't give you any money, and what can you do about it? Coming to this godforsaken place of yours is already a huge favor to you all."

Lin Yiming quickened his pace slightly and walked up to the man, raising his hand to gesture towards the door inside: "Esteemed guest, thank you for your patience. Please, come in."

The only consolation is that within the sect, I understood the reason for my inability to channel energy in just one year

Warriors, one can also become a warrior oneself...

Water-repellent beads

Among those appraisers, which one does not have various treasures in their room that are used to assist in identification, yet are incomprehensible to them? This young man has some here, but it seems too few. Many items that are commonly seen in the rooms of other appraisers are simply not found here.

Others believe that they cannot harness energy and assume that they lack the qualifications of a martial artist, but only they themselves know that the reason is that they are a time traveler

To authenticate an item, the appraiser must rely on their mental strength to enter the treasure. As long as the mental strength is sufficient, images of the events that the item has experienced over the years will appear in their mind. By observing these images in their mind, they can ascertain the purpose of the authenticated item

On a country path shaded by lush trees and fragrant grass, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, with a round face and a lively demeanor, was running while shouting loudly. His clear voice attracted the barking of several dogs from the village, and even a half-grown clumsy dog, with its tongue hanging out, was bouncing along behind him.

I am originally a person of Earth, yet my soul does not belong to this world and is rejected by it. The entire world does not acknowledge my existence; how can I draw the external spiritual energy into my body?

The young boy's face revealed a look of joy; he indeed had not come to the wrong place, but...

Upon entering the room, the man increasingly doubted that this young boy could identify his treasure

Lin Yiming entered the quiet room at the back, holding a *picture* book with beads, and immediately locked the door behind him. His eyes fixed on the beads as a stream of mental energy flowed out from his mind, gradually pouring into the beads like flowing water

In Nanlin Village, there is a modest house with front and back yards, which serves as the place where he appraises treasures for others

An appraiser requires a very high level of mental strength, which increases with age. Can such a young boy truly be an appraiser

Lin Yiming took the bead, placed it in front of him, and carefully examined it under the sunlight streaming in from outside the door

"Are you the appraiser?" The man widened his eyes, looking at the young boy in front of him with some disbelief. He had heard that the appraisers here were quite young, but this was too young, wasn't it? The boy looked to be only around sixteen or seventeen years old. An appraiser is not the same as others.

In the distance, he could faintly see a familiar figure standing on a small hill.

In the past, I was also valued by the sect and regarded as a genius to be cultivated. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long; since I ascended the mountain, I have been unable to successfully channel my energy for six years.

Soon, as Lin Yiming's mental energy entered it, an image emerged in his mind

Certainly, although it is merely observation, appraisers also require tools. Even for the same item, the resistance encountered varies depending on the angle from which the mental energy enters. These tools are used to assess the force, determining from which angle the mental energy encounters the least resistance when entering the appraisal object

Opposite Lin Yiming, the man’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he snatched the Water-Repelling Pearl from Lin Yiming’s hand. He certainly understood the value of the Water-Repelling Pearl; treasures with such special functions are generally of astronomical worth

"A major client has arrived." Little Tiger, having run too quickly, took a few deep breaths before hurriedly saying, "Someone has come to the shop to appraise a treasure. Uncle Li next door said that he is a martial artist and a major client, and he asked me to hurry and find you."

Lin Yiming chuckled at himself and slowly walked towards the village

However, this spherical treasure before me requires no judgment, for the resistance encountered by mental energy entering from any direction—front, back, above, below, or to the sides—is the same.

This treasure of mine is so unique that even the renowned appraiser in town cannot identify what it is. The young man before me, although reputed to have exceptional insight and has never encountered a treasure he could not appraise, is so young that who would believe he could identify my treasure

On a small hill, a boy who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old heard a sound, shook his head as if being pulled back from deep thought, and looked down at the boy below. A radiant smile suddenly appeared on his face: "Little Tiger, what’s the matter? Why are you running so fast?"

Little Tiger saw Ming Ge's eyes momentarily dazed and sighed inwardly. Although Brother Yi Ming always wore a smile in the village, appearing to live happily, everyone in the village knew that deep down, Brother Yi Ming must be feeling very lost

Six years ago, the name Lin Yiming, known as Brother Yiming, had already resonated throughout the surrounding areas. At that time, he was the pride of the entire Nanlin Village. Who would have thought that later, due to his inability to harness energy, he was driven out of the mountain gate? What a pity!

Lin Yiming, after a brief moment of reminiscing, came back to his senses. Looking at the little tiger in front of him, who seemed even more sorrowful than himself, he raised his hand to gently pat the little tiger's head and said with a soft smile: "Little Tiger, everyone has their own destiny. Although I cannot become a martial artist, I can still engage in appraisal."

Lin Yiming opened his eyes, holding the water-repelling bead as he walked out of the quiet room. He softly said to the person who had come for identification: "This is a water-repelling bead. Within a distance of three zhang, water will automatically avoid this bead. Even an ordinary person carrying this bead can cross rivers and enter the sea, impervious to all waters"

Suddenly recalling something, the joy on the young man's face vanished in an instant. He sighed inwardly and quickly ran to the foot of the small hill. Raising his hand towards the figure on the hill, he vigorously waved his arm while shouting, "Ming Ge'er, come down quickly, it's time to return to the shop."

Lin Yiming smiled gently, yet in his heart, he sighed, reflecting on how a person's fate is truly filled with twists and turns

In the remaining five years, I have been continuously reading. Although I have not resolved the issue of drawing in qi, I have read many books. Perhaps due to my background as a time traveler, my mental strength is inherently much stronger than that of others, which has led me to become an appraiser

A bead, the size of a baby's fist and entirely translucent blue, appeared before Lin Yiming

On Lin Yiming's clean face, his long eyebrows remained relaxed, and the smile on his face did not fade as he said: "So, you think I am easy to bully and don't want to pay?"

Having said that, Lin Yiming looked up and down at the man before him, sighing inwardly. He wondered what kind of fortune this man had encountered to obtain such a treasure. The Water-Repelling Pearl is indeed a rare gem; among the treasures he had appraised in the past six months, the Water-Repelling Pearl was undoubtedly one of the finest.

Ming Ge'er is indeed here

In a short while, the young man ran out of the village

Perhaps this is one's fate, destined to never become a powerful warrior

Guest, what item would you like to have appraised? Please bring it for inspection

I remember when I was young, I was determined to become a strong figure in the world of books, but in the end, I was driven away from the mountain gate

The man looked at the young face of the boy before him and sighed inwardly, realizing that this trip would be in vain once again. As for those bastards who told him that the appraisers here were exceptional, he vowed to teach them a good lesson when he returned, for leading him to this remote and impoverished place.

One would not typically find water-repellent beads in ordinary places; could it be that this fellow has just returned from some ruins

Gently extending a palm, Lin Yiming smiled and said, "This esteemed customer, the fee is one hundred taels of silver." His appraisal fee was not fixed; it varied according to the value of the treasures being appraised. The lowest appraisal fee for a treasure was twenty taels of silver, while the highest, which he was currently charging, was one hundred taels. He had collected the one hundred taels appraisal fee a total of three times.

One cannot speak in such a manner. If it were not for my appraisal, you would not even know the value of this treasure, and you might even recklessly attempt to use it and damage it. It is only natural for an appraiser to charge a fee for evaluating treasures, as clients pay for this service. The fee I am asking is not arbitrary; it is based on the value of the treasure. If you were to go to the city for an appraisal, the fee would only be higher.

In the boundless sea, a figure with an indistinct appearance, whose features are completely unclear, advances forward while holding this orb, and wherever he passes, the seawater automatically parts.

Ming Ge'er, Ming Ge'er

Lin Yiming spoke as he walked into the adjacent room. The appraiser's assessment of the treasures must not be disturbed by anyone. If someone intentionally interrupts, the lighter consequence is a failed appraisal, while the more severe outcome could inflict psychological trauma on the appraiser, potentially leading to madness or even death due to the mental harm inflicted.

Lin Yiming moved to the side of the man and whispered softly, "Guest, consider this: if you appraised a treasure for someone and they did not pay you, how would you feel?"