First Taste of Skill

Lin Mo walked through the alleys of the antique market, his right eye still able to see the halos around objects. He realized that this ability didn't seem to require deliberate activation—as long as he opened his right eye, he could see those strange lights.

"I need to find a place to test this ability," Lin Mo thought.

He came to a relatively secluded corner where a few stalls were selling some inconspicuous trinkets. Lin Mo decided to test his ability here.

He walked up to a stall whose owner, a middle-aged man in his fifties, was dozing off. The stall displayed some copper coins, jade pendants, porcelain bowls, and other items.

Lin Mo scanned these items with his right eye and found that most had no halos, with only a few showing faint glows. Among them, one copper coin had the brightest halo, appearing a pale gold.

Lin Mo picked up that copper coin and examined it closely. It was a "Qianlong Tongbao," looking no different from other copper coins, but Lin Mo's right eye told him this coin was no ordinary piece.

"Boss, how much is this coin?" Lin Mo asked.

The stall owner opened his eyes, glanced at the coin in Lin Mo's hand, and said lazily, "Fifty."

Lin Mo was secretly delighted—the coin's halo was very bright, so it should be quite valuable. But he didn't show it and continued, "Can you make it cheaper?"

The owner waved his hand impatiently. "Fine, fine, take it for thirty."

Lin Mo took out thirty yuan, handed it to the owner, and picked up the coin, his heart full of anticipation. His right eye swept over the coin again, and a stream of information flooded into his mind:

"Qing Dynasty Qianlong Tongbao mother coin, genuine, market value approximately twenty thousand yuan."

Lin Mo almost cried out! A mother coin! This was the prototype used to cast circulated coins—extremely rare and highly valuable! And he had only spent thirty yuan!

"Is this... is this what they call a bargain?" Lin Mo's heart raced with joy.

Suppressing his excitement, he continued searching for other valuable items at the stall. Soon, he found another jade pendant with a faint golden halo.

"Boss, how much is this jade pendant?" Lin Mo asked.

The stall owner looked at the pendant and said, "One hundred."

Lin Mo's heart stirred—the pendant's halo was dimmer than the coin's, but it should still have value. He took out one hundred yuan and bought the pendant.

His right eye swept over the pendant again, and information flowed into his mind:

"Republic of China Hetian jade pendant, genuine, market value approximately three thousand yuan."

Lin Mo grew even more excited—he had scored another bargain! Bought for one hundred, sold for three thousand, a net profit of two thousand nine hundred!

"This ability... is incredibly powerful!" Lin Mo marveled.

He continued browsing the antique market, scanning every stall with his right eye. He found that most items were fakes, with only a few being genuine, and none of particularly high value.

"It seems real treasures aren't so easy to come by," Lin Mo thought.

Just then, he came across a stall selling old books. The stall was filled with various used books and calligraphy scrolls, looking quite unremarkable. But Lin Mo's right eye told him there was something special here.

He scanned carefully and found that a tattered thread-bound book actually had a layer of bright golden halo!

Lin Mo picked up the book and saw that it was a copy of the Compendium of Materia Medica. It looked very worn, with its cover almost falling off.

"Boss, how much is this book?" Lin Mo asked.

The stall owner, an elderly man in his sixties, looked at the book in Lin Mo's hand and said, "That one? Fifty."

Lin Mo's heart pounded wildly—the book's halo was extremely bright, so it should be very valuable! He took out fifty yuan and bought the book.

His right eye swept over the book again, and information surged into his mind:

"Ming Dynasty first edition of the Compendium of Materia Medica, genuine, market value approximately one hundred thousand yuan."

Lin Mo almost fainted! One hundred thousand yuan! He had only spent fifty yuan to acquire a古籍 worth one hundred thousand!

"This... this is like manna from heaven!" Lin Mo was ecstatic.

He suppressed his excitement and continued looking through the stall. But soon, he felt his right eye starting to sting and his mind growing weary.

"It seems using this ability consumes mental energy," Lin Mo thought. "I can't overuse it."

He decided to stop for now and find a place to sell these treasures. He remembered there was a shop called "Jubao Zhai" in the antique market that specialized in purchasing antiques and had a good reputation.

Lin Mo arrived at Jubao Zhai and pushed the door open. The shop was elegantly decorated, with various antiques and calligraphy pieces displayed around. Behind the counter sat a middle-aged man in his forties, reading a newspaper.

"Boss, do you buy items?" Lin Mo asked.

The middle-aged man looked up, glanced at Lin Mo, and said flatly, "I do. Let me see."

Lin Mo took out the copper coin, jade pendant, and book from his pocket and placed them on the counter.

The middle-aged man picked up the copper coin, examined it carefully, and his eyes lit up. "Qianlong Tongbao mother coin? Not bad. I'll give you eighteen thousand."

Lin Mo was secretly pleased—although it was two thousand less than the market price, it was still quite good.

The middle-aged man then picked up the jade pendant, looked it over, and said, "Republic of China Hetian jade pendant, average condition. I'll give you two thousand five hundred."

Lin Mo nodded. This price was acceptable too.

Finally, the middle-aged man picked up the Compendium of Materia Medica, flipped through it, and his expression turned serious. He carefully examined a few pages, then looked up at Lin Mo. "Young man, where did you get this book?"

Lin Mo's heart tightened, but he remained calm. "I picked it up from a used book stall."

The middle-aged man gave Lin Mo a deep look and then said, "This is a Ming Dynasty first edition of the Compendium of Materia Medica, very precious. I'll give you ninety thousand. What do you say?"

Lin Mo's heart soared—ninety thousand! Plus the copper coin and jade pendant, that made one hundred and ten thousand five hundred! He had only spent one hundred and eighty yuan, and earned one hundred and ten thousand!

"Deal!" Lin Mo said.

The middle-aged man nodded, took out a stack of cash from under the counter, counted out one hundred and ten thousand five hundred, and handed it to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo took the money, his heart full of excitement. This was the first time in his life he had earned so much money! And this was just the beginning!

"Good eye, young man," the middle-aged man said. "If you find any more good items, bring them to me first. My name is Li Ming. Here's my card."

Lin Mo took the card and nodded. "Got it, Boss Li."

He walked out of Jubao Zhai, looking at the cash in his hands, his heart full of emotion. Half a year ago, his business had failed, leaving him with two hundred thousand in debt, and his life had hit rock bottom. Now, in less than half a day, he had earned one hundred and ten thousand!

"The Golden Eye... is truly my chance!" Lin Mo thought.

He decided to go home first, repay his parents and sister, and then continue hunting for bargains in the antique market. He knew this was only the beginning—his life would change from today onward!

Just as Lin Mo was about to leave the antique market, he suddenly felt someone staring at him. He turned around and saw a man in a black trench coat standing not far away, looking at him with a dark gaze.

Lin Mo's heart tightened, and he quickened his pace to leave the antique market.

What he didn't know was that the man in black took out his phone and dialed a number. "Boss, the target has appeared. The ability has awakened."

A low voice came from the other end of the line. "Good. Keep watching. Don't alert him."

"Yes." The man in black hung up and continued following Lin Mo.