The Art of Chaotic Divinity

Chapter 132: The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend!

After a brief period of time, all of the guests seated themselves according to the outcomes of the treasure appraisal.

The host also took his position on the elevated platform, signaling the official start of the Treasure Appraisal Convention.

Standing at the center of the platform, a middle-aged man in his early forties addressed the audience with a hearty smile. "I am Ouyang Rui. I extend a warm welcome to all esteemed guests at the Treasure Pavilion. This edition of the Treasure Appraisal Convention will deviate slightly from tradition. In the first round, our younger generation from the Ouyang family will compete to be the most qualified heir."

"How intriguing! Deciding the family's succession during a Treasure Appraisal Convention reflects the distinctive style of the Ouyang family."

"I've heard about this. While it's framed as a competition among the younger members, it's essentially a showdown between Ouyang Jing of the main branch and Ouyang Yu of the grand elder’s branch. The others are just going through the motions."

"Hehe, let's observe before commenting further."

The audience murmured, and Ouyang Rui smiled as he clasped his fists. "First, I'd like to thank everyone for attending the Treasure Appraisal Convention hosted by the Treasure Pavilion. The rules are the same as usual: one hundred treasures will be presented, and each person will select the one they consider the best within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Then, I and two senior appraisers will evaluate the items.

“Naturally, to ensure fairness, the two senior appraisers will not be affiliated with the Ouyang family.”

With that, Ouyang Rui made a gesture and produced a shiny silver ring, smiling faintly. "The reward for the first round is this silver storage ring. Although it's only a semi-finished silver storage ring, the space inside is more than three times larger than that of an ordinary bronze storage ring."

"To the young members of the Ouyang family, listen carefully. Whoever picks the best treasure will not only become the heir but also receive this silver storage ring."

"Great stuff!"

Ouyang Yu's eyes sparkled with anticipation, confident he had already manipulated the competition to ensure his victory.

Ling Feng rubbed his nose bridge in disbelief, astonished by the Treasure Pavilion's remarkable collection, which could effortlessly produce such a valuable item as a silver storage ring.

Up until now, he only possessed a single bronze storage ring.

"Alright, let the first round of treasure appraisal commence!"

Ouyang Rui clapped his hands lightly, prompting a group of servants to enter and carefully place trays onto the display platform.

Compared to the treasures seen in those secluded halls before, the quality of these items had evidently risen; all of them were of third-grade or higher.

However, the closer the quality, the harder it became to discern superiority.

From the observation seats, seasoned appraisers squinted, firming their resolve inwardly. Soon, many of them furrowed their brows as the quality of many treasures was too closely matched, making it difficult even for them to easily distinguish between them.

"It's indeed a contest worthy of the Ouyang family's heirs. The difficulty is no small matter. I've counted at least eight pieces of third-grade high-tier treasures. Among them, several could be said to have reached the threshold of fourth-grade rarities. The young heirs of the Ouyang family will have to ponder deeply this time."

"Indeed." Another middle-aged man with a square face nodded. "Several items have great potential to confuse. Without sufficient experience and knowledge, it's easy to make mistakes."

Below the stage, discussions ensued, and the six younger members of the Ouyang family began observing and selecting among the hundred treasures.

While making his selection, Ouyang Yu exchanged a subtle glance with an elder seated in the main area. Upon receiving a slight nod from the elder, Ouyang Yu smiled faintly. He then feigned a casual search around the surroundings before decisively seizing a seemingly inconspicuous jade finger ring.

"Wow!" In the sky-tier VIP seat, a white-bearded elder took a sharp breath and nodded subtly. "This Ouyang Yu is quite impressive. In a short time, he found an almost impeccable third-grade high-tier treasure. It contains a miniature spiritual gathering array and can also be used to calm the mind. Undoubtedly, this treasure is crafted by a master!"

"It appears that Ouyang Yu is undoubtedly the chosen heir this time."

Upon hearing the elder's words, many spectators exclaimed in surprise.

"My goodness, that's Mr. Liu Xudong, the president of the Treasure Appraisal Guild. Now that he's spoken, it seems there's no suspense in this competition."

With narrowed eyes, Ling Feng smirked subtly. While others couldn't discern it, his Eye of the Emperor was remarkably sharp. Even without activating the Heavenly Dao Eye, his powers of observation far surpassed those of ordinary people.

Ouyang Yu's success wasn't based on his abilities at all; it was due to the guidance he received from the elder in the main seat that he found that jade finger ring.

This was clearly cheating!

"Ouyang Yu, Ouyang Yu, now that I've caught you red-handed, do you still dream of becoming the heir? Dream on!"

Ling Feng sneered inwardly, maintaining a composed expression as he continued to observe the competition.

Originally, Ling Feng had no stake in the selection of the heir for the Treasure Pavilion. However, since Ouyang Yu had conspired with Jia Lang to cause trouble for him, Ling Feng couldn't just let Ouyang Yu have his way.

Seeing that Ouyang Yu had already chosen his treasure, the other Ouyang family juniors became nervous. Among them, only one young man, with a resolute appearance, remained calm. He formed a strange hand gesture, and then his eyes flashed with a faint golden light as he surveyed the treasures on the display stands.

"Look at Ouyang Jing's eyes! It is said that Ouyang Jing had a peculiar encounter in his early years, ingesting some kind of exotic fruit, which bestowed upon him a pair of divine treasure-appraising eyes. I never thought it was true!" exclaimed a chubby middle-aged man in the audience.

"What extraordinary divine treasure-appraising eyes! No wonder Ouyang Jing is so confident."

A murmur of admiration and envy swept through the crowd, with even Ouyang Yu showing a hint of envy as he furrowed his brow.

Ling Feng pursed his lips. It seems that Ouyang Jing is indeed a formidable contender.

Suddenly, Ouyang Jing's eyes brightened with excitement as he hastened towards a golden jade bowl, reaching out to grab it.

"Uh-oh!"

Ling Feng's brow furrowed in concern; if Ouyang Jing laid hands on the golden jade bowl, he would surely lose the competition outright.

Although the golden jade bowl appeared to brim with vitality on the surface, it couldn't deceive Ling Feng's discerning eyes. In reality, the bowl was superficial; its internal material lacked any spiritual essence whatsoever.

Under the scrutiny of the Heavenly Dao Eye, no detail could evade observation.

"Since I can't let Ouyang Yu have his way, why not extend a little favor to Ouyang Jing?"

Ling Feng's eyes narrowed, a curve forming at the corner of his lips as a plan took shape in his mind.

After all, the enemy of one's enemy is a friend. Helping Ouyang Jing a bit, just to ruffle Ouyang Yu's feathers, wouldn't be a bad idea.

On the appraisal stage, Ouyang Yu caught sight of Ouyang Jing heading towards the golden jade bowl, and a smirk of calculated success flashed in his eyes.

As soon as Ouyang Jing picked up the golden jade bowl, he would seal his defeat in the competition entirely.

From that moment on, Ouyang Yu would be the chosen heir of the Treasure Pavilion!

Unaware of the impending trap, Ouyang Jing's fingers were on the verge of touching the golden jade bowl.

However, due to a sudden jolt, Ouyang Jing trembled, a flicker of alarm crossing his gaze as he scanned his surroundings.

Just as he was about to seize the golden jade bowl, a faint voice whispered in his ear, "If you want to lose the competition, go ahead and pick up that broken bowl!"

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