Seeing the chilling gaze in Ye Fan's eyes, Lü Liang's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly understood. Brother Ye intended to resolve the issue once and for all.
This method was excellent. They could deal with them openly, leaving them with nothing to say and also silencing the others.
"Good, I'll arrange it immediately."
Lü Liang smiled and went off to make arrangements.
Watching those people swaggering, Ye Fan snorted, "Once these clowns are dealt with, the people behind the scenes should show themselves."
...
The format of this appraisal fair was simple, with four rounds. In the first round, two ancient artifacts were presented to discern their authenticity. Those who answered correctly would pass.
The second round also involved discerning authenticity, but without actual artifacts, only pictures of them. The difficulty increased significantly.
After all, when appraising ancient artifacts, one could only reach a more accurate judgment by seeing them in person. With only pictures, it would be impossible for anyone who wasn't a master appraiser.
The third round required participants to select four items from the same era and then arrange them chronologically based on their appraised dates. This was even more difficult.
The final round was a competition of the items each person brought.
The one who possessed the most precious item would be declared the victor.
After hearing the host announce the rules, Ye Fan couldn't help but smile.
"This competition method is quite interesting. It purely tests one's eyesight. If their skills are lacking, they'll be eliminated immediately."
Hearing Ye Fan's words, Dongzi beside him snorted, "This way of competing clearly has loopholes. The three major forces participating in this appraisal fair must already know the results of the first three rounds. It's as if they've directly qualified for the finals."
Dongzi was straightforward by nature. Some things, one could see but not say, but Dongzi couldn't help himself.
Ye Fan looked at Brother Dong with a wry smile. He naturally knew about this matter.
With the strength of the three major forces, it wasn't difficult for them to directly participate in the finals.
Moreover, this appraisal fair was jointly organized by these three families, so this was considered their privilege.
As Old Master Lei stepped onto the stage to announce the commencement of the appraisal fair, the annual, highly valuable appraisal fair finally began.
Soon, staff members brought up two boxes and placed them on the display platform.
The boxes were opened, revealing two iron swords.
The difference was that the iron sword labeled number one on the left was completely new, as if it had just been taken out of its packaging.
The iron sword labeled number two on the right, however, was covered in rust. Iron rust coated the sword's body, making it seem as if it would break at any moment.
Such a stark difference between the two iron swords surprised everyone.
Ye Fan even wore a wry smile.
This was too exaggerated to mislead people.
Ye Fan sat in the front row, in a seat close to the right. From his position, he could clearly see both artifacts.
The seating arrangement in the venue was deliberate.
In previous years, prominent families like the Wang family and the Feng family always sat in the front row. Since the Heavenly King's Mansion, the City Lord's Mansion, and the Antiquities Association did not participate, these major families were the undisputed favorites to win, and seating them in the front row was a matter of popular demand.
However, this time, with the participation of the three major forces, the Feng family and the Wang family were naturally pushed to the back.
But to everyone's astonishment, Ye Fan was seated in the front row, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiang Zhong, a first-level appraiser from the Antiquities Association.
Even Feng Xiao, the eldest young master of the Feng family, and Wang Feng, the eldest young master of the Wang family, could only sit in the second row. The implications of this made everyone ponder.
However, Ye Fan remained unconcerned.
With his abilities, it wouldn't be an exaggeration even if he sat on the stage.
Although he preferred to keep a low profile, he wouldn't belittle himself.
"Brother Jiang, who came up with this idea? Isn't the act too obvious?"
Ye Fan asked in a low voice.
Jiang Zhong, suppressing a smile, glanced sideways at Old Master Lei on the stage. "Besides Master, who else could have such means?"
Jiang Zhong had no doubt about Ye Fan's abilities. He could tell the answer to this first round with his eyes closed, so he spoke to Ye Fan without any reservations.
"Master said that many people come to the appraisal fair to mix the genuine with the fake. By eliminating such people in the first round, they can prevent them from causing trouble later. Therefore, this method was devised."
Looking at Old Master Lei on the stage with his serious expression, and then recalling the old man's sly smile, Ye Fan couldn't help but laugh.
He and Jiang Zhong spoke in very low voices, and he even leaned forward to speak to Jiang Zhong. Therefore, many people behind him who were paying attention to him immediately thought that Ye Fan was asking Jiang Zhong for the answers.
As a rising star and a first-level appraiser of the Antiquities Association, the first round was naturally not a problem for Jiang Zhong, so the suspicions of those people were not unfounded.
Feng Xiao gritted his teeth tightly and gave Chen Pangzi a look.
Chen Pangzi immediately understood and nodded heavily.
Chen Pangzi harbored a deeper hatred for Ye Fan. He had been tricked by Ye Fan at the factory and later had his lair exposed.
If it weren't for the Heavenly King's Mansion intervening, he would have died at the hands of the enforcement team.
Later, in the ghost market, Ye Fan had even openly humiliated him. All of this made him hate Ye Fan immensely, wishing he could cut Ye Fan into a thousand pieces to vent his anger.
Time passed quickly. Ten minutes later, everyone pressed the selection buttons in their hands.
Ye Fan considered this competition to be as simple as child's play, yet more than half of the participants had chosen incorrectly.
Old Master Lei sneered, "Those who chose artifact number two are eliminated."
As Old Master Lei's voice fell, the eliminated participants immediately began to exclaim.
"How is this possible? The number one iron sword is as good as new, how could it be an ancient artifact? Even judging by its condition, the number two iron sword should be the genuine one."
Shouts of protest rose from the crowd, with everyone arguing that they had been treated unfairly.
In response, Old Master Lei frowned slightly, his expression turning cold.
These people were clearly troublemakers. Even after losing, they were still chattering away.
At this moment, Chen Pangzi suddenly stood up. "Everyone, please lend me your ears."
Chen Pangzi's voice was loud, and the shouting crowd immediately fell silent.
"Everyone, although you chose incorrectly, it was based on your most genuine judgment. But just now, we saw someone stealing another's answer. Right in the front row, Ye Fan personally questioned Mr. Jiang. Such blatant cheating is truly shameful. Therefore, I hope Old Master Lei can ask Ye Fan to explain why the number one iron sword is genuine and the number two is a fake."
Chen Pangzi directly pointed his finger at Ye Fan, and as soon as he finished speaking, applause immediately followed.
Ye Fan frowned, not expecting that Chen Pangzi couldn't wait to make a move before he had even acted.
However, explaining something so simple made him feel rather displeased.
Old Master Lei glanced at Ye Fan and saw that Ye Fan's expression had darkened, indicating his displeasure.