At this moment, Old Zhang looked perplexed. "Since it's confirmed not to be Fluorescent Resin, wouldn't buying it be a loss for you?"

"A small amount of money; if I lose it, I lose it. I can afford the loss," Wang Guan said dismissively. "More than the monetary loss, I'm more concerned with what this thing actually is."

"Not bad, you've certainly matured. It seems you've been tempered by experience."

Instantly, Old Zhang praised him. "Nowadays, over ninety percent of collectors are looking to strike it rich by finding major bargains. That's the elementary stage, born of human nature, and it's understandable."

"Mmm."

Wang Guan nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing. There was no need to hide it; when he first entered the collecting circle, his goal was quite clear: to use his special abilities to make money.

"However, only when the granaries are full can people learn propriety. After weathering the great storms, some collectors distinguish themselves, or after accumulating a little, they naturally develop higher pursuits," Old Zhang chuckled. "They no longer care much about money, but rather enjoy the pleasure of collecting, starting to genuinely love these objects. This is the intermediate stage. Having this realization means you've reached the benchmark."

"The community has gained another true collector; that’s certainly worth celebrating."

As he spoke, Old Zhang raised his teacup and smiled. "Wang Guan, keep it up."

"I won't let you down, Elder Zhang," Wang Guan returned the smile graciously, seeing no need for modesty in such a matter.

"Speaking of which, Elder Zhang, what is the advanced stage?"

At the same time, Fang Mingsheng asked curiously, "The advanced stage must be that of the great collectors, right?"

"You are correct," Old Zhang nodded. "At the advanced stage, it's no longer just about liking antiques, but starting to study them. Studying the origins, causes, and development of antiques, then summarizing and classifying them into a field of knowledge."

Wang Guan strongly agreed. A truly great collector isn't defined by how extensive their collection is or how many treasures they possess, but by their attitude towards the pieces—whether they treat them as mere decorations or genuinely delve into their history.

"We've wandered off-topic. Let's return to the matter at hand," Old Zhang said, smiling. "You mentioned that this resinous substance cannot be ground away, correct?"

"Yes," Wang Guan affirmed. "It’s as tough and resilient as a rubber band, or perhaps more like chewed gum that refuses to dissolve."

"I see," Old Zhang mused thoughtfully, then smiled. "Whether this is Fluorescent Resin or not, the first thing I must tell you is that the method of grinding it with an inkstone is fundamentally wrong."

"Ah?" Wang Guan was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"It means verifying something with the wrong method will certainly yield the wrong answer."

Old Zhang shook his head. "That professor you mentioned. He likely saw a scrap of information somewhere in a book and simply assumed that Fluorescent Resin could dissolve directly into ink. That's quite laughable."

"It isn't?" Wang Guan felt a mix of surprise and joy; if it wasn't, that would be the best outcome.

"It's not that simple," Old Zhang laughed. "The ancients placed the utmost importance on compounding and blending. Tang Dynasty tea, or Song Dynasty He Xiang (blended incense), are perfect demonstrations. How could something capable of making calligraphy brilliant be handled with a simple grinding process?"

As is widely known, the method of drinking tea in the Tang and Song dynasties was markedly different from modern practices, which followed the methods that became popular during the Ming and Qing eras—a simple infusion or steeping, focusing only on the inherent flavor of the leaves. But in the Tang and Song, the process was rather elaborate: tea leaves were boiled together with ingredients like scallions, ginger, jujubes, orange peel, Zhuyu (Asiatic dogwood fruit), and mint, sometimes even with added salt. One can only imagine how complex the resulting flavor profile was—it might not have been unpleasant, but the mouthfeel would surely seem incredible to someone accustomed to modern tea. Of course, one can also imagine the progression: starting with tea as medicine, then evolving to chewing the leaves like a wild vegetable, and finally developing it into a beverage. Each step was a major breakthrough, making the significance of the boiled tea method understandable.

It was the same with He Xiang. Initially, fragrant plants were used individually. After long development, the ancients learned to blend various botanicals, forming unique He Xiang mixtures that have been passed down to this day.

And just as Old Zhang said, whether boiling tea or blending incense, the process was one of careful blending and tempering—absolutely not just forcefully mixing several unrelated things together.

However, how to blend them was the key.

At this moment, Wang Guan quickly inquired, "Elder Zhang, do you understand the blending methods?"

"Of course," Old Zhang replied confidently. "Go fetch me a teaspoon... an iron one, and I'll run a small experiment. If this is truly Fluorescent Resin, it will be immediately obvious."

"Got it!"

Hearing this, Wang Guan dashed to the kitchen and brought back a stainless steel teaspoon. After presenting it to Old Zhang, he hurried to ask, "Do you need anything else?"

"Do you have a lighter?" Old Zhang casually asked. Taking the spoon, he then wrapped the handle end with a strip of cloth. He then cut a small amount of the resinous substance into the spoon from the box, added a few drops of clean water, and the preparations were complete.

"...Let me look," Wang Guan scratched his head. He didn't smoke and certainly didn't carry a lighter around.

However, Fang Mingsheng was faster. With a slight wave of his hand, a nearby attendant immediately presented a high-end, stylish, and exquisite lighter. Its shining metal casing was inlaid with several diamonds; its exquisite design made it less a lighter and more a luxury item intended to flaunt wealth.

Old Zhang paid it no mind. Taking the lighter, he clicked it once, and with a drip-drip sound, a plume of blue-green flame tinged with yellow rose up.

"Wang Guan, let me teach you something," Old Zhang said with a smile. "Pure brute force won't work on colloidal substances; you need a harmony of water and fire."

As he spoke, Old Zhang moved the blue-green flame beneath the spoon. Under the intense heat, the few drops of water in the spoon quickly boiled, and the resinous substance, which refused to dissolve under any amount of pressure, immediately began to melt into a liquid at a visible rate.

"Snap!"

In an instant, Wang Guan slapped his forehead, exclaiming, "Stupid! I didn't even think of such a simple trick."

"Simple?" Old Zhang chuckled. "It is indeed quite simple, but it proves a saying: what is difficult for the unskilled is easy for the skilled. Don't underestimate this procedure. If I hadn't pierced this veil, you probably wouldn't have figured it out no matter how hard you racked your brain."

"That's true," Wang Guan profoundly agreed. The so-called ultimate techniques are often just like this: if someone doesn't explain it, you'll never understand. It’s like the engineer who draws a line on a malfunctioning machine; the chalk to draw the line costs only one yuan, but knowing where to draw the line requires ninety-nine hundred and ninety-nine yuan. Don't call it expensive; that's simply the skill they possess, earning money through their ability.

While Wang Guan was reflecting, the resinous substance in the spoon had completely melted. Old Zhang then extinguished the lighter and carefully examined the viscous substance—now liquid—in the spoon, bringing it close to his nose to sniff the aroma. A look of contemplation crossed his face.

"Elder Zhang, how is it?" Wang Guan leaned in to look. The liquid substance was transparent, carrying a hint of white tinged with cyan, resembling egg white.

"There's no odor, which rules out the possibility of it being a chemical adhesive," Old Zhang analyzed. Wang Guan nodded in agreement; after all, no matter how good a chemical adhesive was, it couldn't conceal a distinct chemical smell, only varying degrees of intensity.

"...Wait!"

Just then, Old Zhang's eyes flashed, or perhaps a reflection appeared in them. In that brief flicker, he suddenly stood up and hurried to the window.

"Elder Zhang, what are you..."

Everyone was certainly astonished, about to ask what was happening, but then fell silent. Because at this point, no further questions were needed. At that moment, Old Zhang held the spoon up to the sunlight, and everyone could see a shimmering, crystal-like scattering of light specks resembling starlight drifting out. Of course, since there wasn't much substance in the spoon, these star-like points weren't dazzling, but they were exceptionally clear and easily discernible, allowing everyone to see with absolute clarity.

"It really is Fluorescent Resin?" After a long moment, Wang Guan’s face lit up with joy.

"You see it yourself, can it still be fake?" Old Zhang was also very happy. Personally verifying and excavating an object that has been extinct for a thousand years is inherently a delightful experience.

"That's wonderful, thank you, Elder Zhang." Wang Guan offered his heartfelt gratitude.

"No need to thank me. Even without me, if you had asked Ling Xi later, he would have told you what to do," Old Zhang waved his hand. "Congratulations, you’ve acquired another treasure."

"It’s just an ordinary item," Wang Guan said modestly. "Other than emitting light, it has no other function."

"You, you're just being coy after benefiting," Old Zhang laughed and chided him. "If you look down on it so much, why not just give it to me?"

"Heh heh," Wang Guan smiled but remained silent, an unmistakable refusal.

"Wang Guan, don't think I'm joking," Old Zhang said solemnly. "This is a rare treasure; you absolutely must not treat it lightly. Find a master calligrapher, properly blend the resin with the ink, and have him create a piece of work. That work will immediately increase in value by a hundredfold, and after flowing through decades or a century, it will become a priceless artistic treasure."

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Zhang." Wang Guan’s eyes shone; he felt this suggestion was brilliant.

"If some famous calligraphy masters knew you possessed something like this, they would surely flock here to fight over it, and you could send anyone away if they offered less than ten million," Old Zhang said calmly. "Don't think the price is exaggerated. You must know that works created by dissolving the resin into the ink are legendary sacred writings where every character shines and radiates light."

"Of course, even the best things have some flaws," Old Zhang shook his head with regret. "Everything has two sides; this is unavoidable."

Wang Guan, who had been delighted, suddenly grew alarmed and urgently asked, "What flaws?"

(To be continued)