Upon seeing the actual items, these individuals were suddenly enlightened, and they all dejectedly lowered their heads.
Facts spoke louder than words; there was no need for further explanation.
Feng Xiao stared coldly at Ye Fan's back, his gaze filled with resentment.
"Ye Fan, I will make you pay the price."
This time, once again cornered by Ye Fan, Feng Xiao had no choice but to swallow his pride.
In the second round, only a little over ten people managed to pass, and these were basically individuals with true skills and knowledge.
Moreover, apart from the four families in the first row, the rest were almost all major clans. Kuai Shu Ge.
The Wang family and the Feng family were indeed among them.
Tian Bao Ge, Fatty Chen, was also present.
However, Fatty Chen was still affiliated with the Feng family, blindly following Feng Xiao's lead, thus he was not a threat.
Elder Lei swept his gaze across the faces of the people below, then smiled and said, "The third round is about to begin. To have reached this stage proves that all of you are elites in the antique appraisal industry. Allow me to say a few words: the antique circle not only requires exceptional eyesight and meticulous patience but also high moral character. Earning money through antiques is human nature, but if one resorts to low, despicable, and underhanded dealings for the sake of profit, then they are worse than pigs and dogs. The antique circle in Jiangnan City has been chaotic for too long, and we cannot allow those who exploit and plunder to further muddy the waters."
Elder Lei's voice was not loud, but his tone was very solemn.
At this moment, Elder Lei's eyes were filled with deep emotion, and his expression was grave.
Hearing Elder Lei's words, even Ye Fan was slightly moved.
The old man had dedicated his entire life to antiques, and his passion for them was so great that he could not tolerate any imperfection.
However, not everyone was convinced by Elder Lei's words. Feng Xiao, for instance, scoffed at them.
"Business is about making money, about profit. One can use any means necessary; that is business."
Zhao Dong, standing beside him, also wore a look of disdain.
"This third round has even higher requirements for appraisers. Not only must they accurately identify the items, but they must also determine the specific year of their production based on the details."
As he spoke, Elder Lei waved his hand, and soon, several assistants came up carrying wooden boxes.
There were four boxes in total, and upon opening them, they revealed four porcelain pieces.
The four porcelain pieces were similar in quality, all white glazed blue and white, with flared mouths, bulging bellies, and ring feet. Under the lamplight, they emitted dazzling rays of light.
"The Antique Association has really invested heavily; they've brought out four such treasures."
Ye Fan couldn't help but smile.
Jiang Zhong, standing beside him, lowered his voice and said, "These items were not provided by the Antique Association, but by the City Lord's Mansion. City Lord Li personally sent people to bring them, saying they were to add some brilliance to this appraisal convention."
Jiang Zhong's words indeed made Ye Fan pause. He hadn't expected City Lord Li to be so generous; it was beyond his expectations.
However, Ye Fan quickly understood. The reason City Lord Li was willing to part with these items was likely because he had something to ask of the Antique Association.
This time, the City Lord's Mansion was also participating in the appraisal convention. If the esteemed City Lord's Mansion were to be eliminated in even one round, wouldn't it become a laughingstock if word got out?
Moreover, losing face here would also have a significant impact on business. After all, this appraisal convention represented the capabilities of the various antique forces in Jiangnan City.
Who wouldn't want to do business with stronger forces?
Therefore, to ensure success, City Lord Li must have pleaded with the Antique Association, and he already knew the answers to the first three rounds.
"Truly cunning," Ye Fan thought to himself with a smile.
Seeing the dismissive smile on Ye Fan's face, Jiang Zhong knew that Ye Fan had guessed correctly, and he smiled, saying, "This is not a secret. It's only natural. However, if one intends to win the championship through such means, it's impossible. To win here, one must demonstrate true skill, not resort to schemes and tricks."
Ye Fan had long known that Jiang Zhong was a straightforward person.
However, within his straightforwardness, there was also a hint of cunning, which surprised Ye Fan.
"Brother Jiang, who is representing the Heavenly King's Mansion this time?"
Although Zhao Dong was participating in this appraisal convention, he was not representing the Heavenly King's Mansion but Tian Bao Ge.
The Heavenly King's Mansion had sent someone else, who was seated on the other side of the first row.
He was a middle-aged man, but Ye Fan did not recognize him.
"It's Elder Lu, the Grand Administrator of the Heavenly King's Mansion. He is also a Level One Appraiser and was once very famous in Jiangnan City. Later, for some reason, the Heavenly King's Mansion managed to recruit him."
Jiang Zhong spoke in a low voice, and it was evident that he had investigated Elder Lu thoroughly.
Ye Fan nodded faintly. So that was it. The Heavenly King's Mansion was indeed powerful enough to recruit such a senior appraiser.
As for the methods they used, Ye Fan could vaguely guess. It was likely nothing more than money.
In this era, money could move mountains and fill seas. For absolute profit, it was understandable that Elder Lu would sell his conscience.
Jiang Zhong, Elder Lu, and others did not need to look; they directly made their choices, having been pre-selected to advance directly to the fourth round, and they had no reservations.
Ye Fan, after a brief glance, had already formulated a plan.
These four porcelain vases were all from the mid-Qing Dynasty. Judging by the intrinsic quality of the vases themselves, it was impossible to make a determination. This was because during the mid-Qing Dynasty, the firing techniques were similar. Only in the later period, when national strength weakened, did the firing techniques decline.
This fourth round would be very difficult for the Wang and Feng families. With their abilities, it would not be easy to determine the ages of the four porcelain vases.
Several elders continuously examined the pieces, sweat even breaking out on their foreheads.
Although appraisal was not physically demanding, it was extremely draining mentally.
It was even more difficult for those items that were not easily identifiable.
The appraisers trained by these families, although they had ranks, were not like Ye Fan, who had experienced great storms.
Seeing the elder beside Wang Feng with a somber expression and a look of difficulty in his eyes, Ye Fan knew that the Wang family would have a hard time in this round.
In the previous two rounds, even if they didn't know the correct answer, they could still make a random choice and had a fifty percent chance of passing. But here, the probability of guessing correctly was minuscule.
Helplessly, Ye Fan let out a wry smile and then quietly turned his head, beginning to wink at Wang Feng.
Seeing Ye Fan turn his head, Wang Feng looked up. When he saw Ye Fan winking, Wang Feng was slightly taken aback but immediately understood.
The corners of his mouth curved into a smile, and he nodded gratefully at Ye Fan.
Time quickly passed. The duration of this fourth round was the same as the previous two, ten minutes.
Elder Lei's intention was clear: to use this third round to eliminate all those who were not competent enough.
This way, the true powerhouses of this appraisal convention could be identified.