The Grand Enshrined Elder's face was full of smiles. As long as Ye Fan passed the second round of selection, he would stand out and successfully join the treasure hunt team.
The Grand Enshrined Elder had high expectations for Ye Fan.
Based on Ye Fan's performance in the first round, the Grand Enshrined Elder had a premonition that Ye Fan had not yet shown his true strength. After all, considering his demonstrated appraisal abilities, his strength was far beyond that.
It was known that over the years, very few people had managed to put the Grand Enshrined Elder in a difficult position, yet Ye Fan had done so, which was enough to explain the situation.
Because of this, even if Ye Fan only knew a little martial arts, the Grand Enshrined Elder would try his best to get him to join the treasure hunt team.
Upon hearing the Grand Enshrined Elder's words, the Great Elder nodded with a smile and gestured to Wang Feng.
Wang Feng immediately understood and stepped forward with a smile, saying, "Everyone, please take a short break. The second round of selection will begin shortly."
"The Wang family has prepared refreshments for everyone. Please wait a moment."
As he spoke, Wang family servants brought out food and drinks, including meat, desserts, fruits, and wine. The Wang family had indeed put a lot of effort into this selection.
Ye Fan maintained a smile and said to Jiang Zhong beside him, "Brother Jiang, this selection probably won't choose many people from the Gu family, especially those who try to pass off fake goods as genuine."
Ye Fan's gaze drifted backward.
Jiang Zhong nodded in silence, saying, "There's nothing strange about this. In the past, the Gu family held selections in Jiangnan City almost every year, but with little success. In fact, very few people could even pass the first round. In such a situation, the Gu family's impression of the antique circle in Jiangnan City was naturally not very good. Therefore, even if so many people passed the first round today, it is likely that only a meager two or three people will be selected in the end. There's nothing that can be done about it."
Jiang Zhong sighed. As the vice president of the Antique Association, they were the face of the antique circle in Jiangnan City.
However, the situation of the antique circle in Jiangnan City was indeed far too different from that of Hangzhou.
This was a fact that no one could refute.
Ye Fan also sighed, realizing that some things could not be changed by the efforts of just one or two people.
To change the Gu family's impression of the antique trade in Jiangnan City required years of dedication.
Only when there were more strong individuals, even enough to contend with them, would they shed their prejudiced views.
However, these were not things Ye Fan should be thinking about. Jiangnan City was not a place for him to showcase his talents. For him, it was merely a stepping stone.
His goals were much broader: Hangzhou, Southern Province, and even the entire Central Plains.
For Ye Fan, Jiangnan City was like a springboard, allowing him to leap into Hangzhou.
It had to be said that Ye Fan's ambitions were very grand. After all, having lived two lives, his thoughts and considerations were beyond those of ordinary people.
"The second round of selection tests martial arts. I'm afraid most of those who passed the first round will be eliminated. This is because they have been dealing with antiques for so many years and have rarely touched upon martial arts. Forget about martial arts; even walking a few more steps might leave them breathless. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them unskilled and ignorant of the world. Expecting them to achieve anything through martial force is simply a joke."
Jiang Zhong shook his head helplessly. The fact that he could say such things in this situation showed how disappointed Jiang Zhong was in the appraisers of Jiangnan City.
Seeing Jiang Zhong's demeanor, Ye Fan also sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Feng Xiao and the others wore grim expressions.
They never dreamed that Ye Fan could make a comeback and actually pass the first round of selection.
Furthermore, even those who had believed in him had successfully passed the first round.
It was known that the Gu family had held selections in Jiangnan City for many years, but no one had ever passed the first round. Therefore, people in the Jiangnan City antique circle had silently believed that passing the first round of selection was a great honor.
However, seeing others who were even inferior to them pass the selection, how could Feng Xiao be reconciled?
"Grand Enshrined Elder, this matter is probably not fair to us."
Feng Xiao suddenly stood up. This opportunity was very rare for the Feng family.
Moreover, if the Feng family was eliminated now, with the Wang family having already passed the first round, the gap between them and the Wang family would only widen. This was something Feng Xiao could not accept.
Upon hearing Feng Xiao's words, the Grand Enshrined Elder was slightly taken aback, then looked at him with a cold smile and said, "Young Master Feng, what do you mean?"
The Grand Enshrined Elder had long heard of Feng Xiao.
After all, he returned to Jiangnan City every year and was well aware of the prominent figures there.
In his impression, Feng Xiao was merely a useless second-generation heir.
Feng Xiao's face was somber as he said, "Grand Enshrined Elder, at the beginning, all of us agreed to let Ye Fan represent us. Now that Ye Fan has successfully passed the first round of selection, why do you say that we have been eliminated?"
Feng Xiao looked up at the Grand Enshrined Elder and questioned him coldly.
Even though he knew full well that the Grand Enshrined Elder was someone he could not afford to offend, he had to step forward now for the sake of his family's interests.
As soon as these words were spoken, those who had previously sided with him voiced their agreement.
"Young Master Feng is right. We all allowed Ye Fan to represent us. Why are those people passing the first round of selection now, while we are eliminated? If the Grand Enshrined Elder does not give us a reasonable explanation, I fear none of us will ever be reconciled."
"That's right, why are we eliminated? This is unfair."
"Please give us a reasonable explanation, Grand Enshrined Elder."
With a cacophony of voices, these people began to clamor, and the scene quickly became chaotic.
Jiang Zhong and Mr. Fu were furious. These people had truly reached the pinnacle of shamelessness.
"Do you still have any shame? As people in the antique circle, I am truly ashamed for you."
Jiang Zhong berated them angrily.
"You abandoned Ye Fan, and when he lost favor, you no longer used him to represent you. Now, you have the audacity to say such things. Can you truly be so shameless for the sake of profit?"
Mr. Fu was enraged, his body even trembling slightly.
If it weren't for his status, he would have wanted to rush forward and slap these people.
However, these people paid no attention to Jiang Zhong and Mr. Fu's scolding.
Their eyes were fixed on the Grand Enshrined Elder. At this moment, they had long since cast aside all pretense of shame.
The Grand Enshrined Elder suddenly let out a cold laugh, his smile filled with disdain.
In the appraisal profession, the Grand Enshrined Elder was already a figure of immense attention, standing at the pinnacle. He held these people in utter contempt.
Now, with their shameless behavior, the Grand Enshrined Elder despised them even more.