Wang Guan wasn't a three-year-old child, so naturally, he wouldn't easily fall for the peddler's sales pitch.

"Fine, take your time looking around. If you see anything you like, just give me a shout," the vendor replied, turning his attention to other potential customers.

Wang Guan looked up and around, realizing the makeshift stall of ceramic shards wasn't small. Furthermore, quite a few people, around his own age, were browsing the collection of antique porcelain fragments.

Those who frequent antique stalls to hunt for treasures come with a myriad of motives, resulting in a highly complex clientele. From antique dealers, seasoned collectors, and academic experts to ceramics enthusiasts, students from art schools, visiting tourists, and those just looking for a bit of excitement—all sorts could be found there.

In the past, most of these individuals were viewed as easy marks by the stall owners and vendors. However, now, with the general improvement in living standards and the explosive spread of information, common scamming tactics had gradually become widely known.

No one was an idiot; everyone understood that ninety-nine percent of the items in the antique market were fakes. It was certainly not easy to be deceived anymore. This is why so many stall owners and peddlers occupied themselves with playing chess or mahjong. Essentially, people nowadays weren't easily fooled, so business had become somewhat sluggish.

In contrast to this, the market for fragmented antique porcelain remained vibrant and bustling.

Everyone knew that these shards couldn't possibly be counterfeit to any significant degree. Even if someone was misled, at worst, they would have overpaid slightly for a cheap item. At least the material itself was guaranteed to be genuine.

This was especially true for tourists visiting the 'Porcelain Capital' who naturally wanted souvenirs. However, they were self-aware; knowing their own limited appraisal skills meant they couldn't confidently judge a whole antique piece, so buying a shard was the safer bet.

It was for this very reason that the market for antique porcelain fragments had flourished.

Otherwise, historically unearthed ancient porcelain fragments, often lacking significant cultural relic value, would simply be reburied back into the earth. Thus, in a sense, bringing these pieces into the market was a form of turning waste into treasure.

However, at this moment, Wang Guan also harbored a slight worry: given the severe damage to these shards, he questioned whether they could serve as a trigger for his strange ability. With a tinge of apprehension, Wang Guan walked to the area of Song Dynasty shards the vendor had indicated, gently squatted down, and without hesitation, picked up a broken piece of porcelain.

Instantly, Wang Guan felt a faint ripple of energy flow within his palm.

Yet, this peculiar sensation was extremely brief, flashing past in an instant. Had Wang Guan not been keenly concentrating with bated breath, he might have entirely missed it. But he also realized that this faint feeling was nowhere near as intense as when he touched the porcelain bowl at the Jigu Zhai, nor did the shard emit any light.

Perhaps because the piece was broken, the sensation was much more diffused.

Wang Guan secretly speculated, thought for a moment, and then simply scooped up several fragments into his hand. He immediately felt wisps of energy moving within his palms. However, these too disappeared quickly.

"What's going on?"

Wang Guan frowned, placed the shards back down, and then began gently touching them one by one across the ground. On almost every piece, he felt a similar sensation—waves of subtle airflow surging within.

After a while, Wang Guan began to discern a pattern. The shards varied in size; the larger pieces yielded a relatively more noticeable feeling, while the smaller ones were almost negligible.

At this point, it was confirmed: he truly possessed an extraordinary ability. Wang Guan’s face lit up with joy; if he hadn't been in such a public place, he might have burst out laughing.

Managing to suppress his elation, Wang Guan was not entirely satisfied. He knew that this strange ability still held potential for deeper exploration, especially since his experience at Jigu Zhai had already proven that point.

"It looks like I really need to make a trip to an antique shop."

Wang Guan mused thoughtfully. He had tried multiple times, grasping handfuls of shards, yet there were no significantly obvious reactions, nor did any light appear on the porcelain. Therefore, the only way to verify his power was to go to an antique shop and hold a complete antique piece.

Having made up his mind, Wang Guan carefully set down the shards he was holding and was about to withdraw and leave when his hand accidentally brushed against a piece of celadon-colored porcelain. That single touch sent a jolt, like static electricity, through his fingers.

"Huh!"

Sensing something unusual, Wang Guan quickly picked up that particular celadon shard. As soon as it settled in his hand, a relatively strong current of energy immediately drilled through his hand and into his body, moving swiftly until it reached his eyes.

Simultaneously, Wang Guan felt a slight stinging numbness in his eyes. He quickly shut them, and when he reopened them, he immediately saw that the celadon shard in his hand was emitting a faint, subtle glow.

Wang Guan was certain this was not an illusion.

"It's really not a dream..." Wang Guan felt a mixture of pleasant surprise and shock, realizing at the same time that this celadon shard could not be an ordinary fragment.

Composing himself, Wang Guan was further astonished to discover that within the stall, there were more than twenty other shards that resonated with the one in his hand, flashing with intermittent light that was both blue-green and white.

"Could it be that all these scattered pieces belong to the same porcelain object?"

A thought sparked in Wang Guan's mind, leading him to this natural deduction. However, just as he prepared to gather those shards, a sudden, sharp stinging overwhelmed his eyes, accompanied by dizziness and a sensation of the world going dark, which swept over him again.

His head spun, and tears began to stream down his face, flowing uncontrollably like water from an opened sluice gate. Wang Guan hastily covered his eyes, and after a while, his vision slowly stabilized.

"It seems using this ability has certain limitations..."

After a moment, Wang Guan wiped away the tears and opened his eyes. Seeing that his vision was unaffected, he let out a long sigh, feeling a mix of relief and lingering fear.

After resting briefly, his eyes gradually cleared. A distinct idea formed in his mind: he must buy all the shards that had glowed earlier.

Anything capable of triggering his strange power and emitting light was surely out of the ordinary.

If he missed this chance now, he would surely regret it later.

Wang Guan had clearly noted the locations of those scattered shards and remembered them generally. But instead of immediately searching for them, he called the vendor over and asked casually, "How much for this thing?"

"Oh, this is exquisite, top-grade Qinyou from the Song Dynasty; it's not cheap," the vendor glanced at it, not examining it closely, and immediately flashed a simple, honest smile, stating earnestly, "This piece of Qinyou is a masterpiece on my stall. The price will likely be a bit higher compared to the other fragments."

The vendor wasn't foolish. Seeing that Wang Guan had fiddled around the stall for over ten minutes before finally selecting this shard, it was clear he intended to buy it, and the vendor certainly wouldn't pass up the chance to gouge a bit.

Although Wang Guan lacked extensive bargaining experience, he certainly wasn't a sheep ready for the slaughter. Hearing the vendor’s words, he immediately put down the celadon shard, looked up, and asked, "How much higher?"......................This new book is still young, but feel free to collect it and let it fatten up. Please recommend it.