Eye of the Sky: Start by picking up leaks from street stalls

A poor young man stumbles into an extraordinary ability—the power to appraise treasures at a glance—and soon discovers that a bowl he bought for twenty-eight yuan is actually a missing Ming dynasty Xuande official kiln piece. That discovery sets him on a new path, moving through antique shops, stone markets, and auction houses, building a reputation in the world of collecting. Lin Chen, a former handyman at an antique shop, is let go by a scheming manager. On the same day, he gains a strange gift: his left eye can tell real from fake, and his right eye can trace an object’s origins. A battered porcelain bowl? It’s a Ming Xuande blue-and-white dragon-patterned official kiln bowl, worth 120,000 yuan, and it sells immediately. A pile of worn copper coins? They turn out to be Northern Song dynasty Chongning Tongbao pieces, valued at millions. While others rely on luck, Lin Chen relies on sight. From street stalls to ghost markets, auction houses to overseas returns, he shows up wherever treasures might be found. Su Wanqing, the owner of Jubaozhai, offers him a position as chief appraiser with a yearly salary of one million. A wealthy heiress asks him to examine a family jade pendant—and then invites him home to meet her parents. Even seasoned appraisers acknowledge his sharp eye at such a young age. Lin Chen just waves it off, saying he’s simply lucky. But those around him know better—luck doesn’t explain how he keeps finding treasures every day. This is a story about collecting, about spotting overlooked valuables, and about rising from nothing. It follows Lin Chen as he uses his eyes to climb, step by step, from poverty to the top of his field.