"What did you say?"
As President Feng finished speaking, Zhao Shixin's expression changed drastically.
Everyone present also gasped, finding it utterly impossible.
"Hahaha, President Feng, you haven't been tricked by this kid, have you? What qualifications does this kid have to be ten thousand miles ahead of me?"
"If he truly had such great ability, wouldn't he be able to replace you as the president of the Tianjiang Antique Association?" Zhao Chen couldn't help but laugh and say.
He felt that President Feng must be joking, or perhaps he had been fooled by that kid.
President Feng's expression remained unchanged as he said seriously, "Young Master Zhao, you must not be arrogant or complacent. What you said earlier is correct: this young man is indeed qualified to hold the position of president of the Antique Association."
"His treasure appraisal skills are already far beyond mine. Today, I also want to take this opportunity to properly introduce this young man to everyone."
"What?"
The crowd was once again astonished!
This kid's treasure appraisal skills were even higher than President Feng's? How was that possible?
Zhao Chen couldn't help but laugh and say, "President Feng, you must have been deceived. There are very few people in all of China whose treasure appraisal skills can surpass yours. How could this kid possess such strength?"
"If Young Master Zhao is unconvinced, you can have a competition with Mr. Li. If you win, I will definitely betroth Xiaoqing to you today," President Feng said very seriously.
"Is that true?"
Zhao Chen's face lit up with joy. He never expected such a stroke of luck!
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Xiaoqing also nodded decisively and said, "That's right. If you can really win against Brother Li Yang, I will willingly marry you. However, if you lose, you are not allowed to bother me again."
"No problem, it's settled then!"
Zhao Chen promised confidently and walked straight to Li Yang, saying, "Kid, how do you want to compete with me? I'm willing to accompany you to the end today."
"You set the rules, so you won't renege on your bet after you lose," Li Yang said dismissively.
"I renege? What a joke. I, Zhao Chen, have not fallen to the point of being unable to afford to lose. Since you don't trust me that much, then I'll set the rules. I happen to have a peerless treasure with me."
"If you can identify its origin, then you win. But if you can't, you have to admit defeat obediently," Zhao Chen said, looking at Li Yang with a stern gaze, provocatively.
"Then it's settled."
Li Yang responded with disdain and quickly took out a purple jade plate from his person.
When everyone saw this item, their eyes widened instantly, and they felt incredibly surprised!
"Isn't this the purple jade compass that appeared at the largest auction in North Province before?"
"This treasure was auctioned for fifty million yuan at the time. I remember it was bought by a wealthy boss. How did it fall into Young Master Zhao's hands?"
"Everyone, please remain calm!"
Zhao Chen smiled broadly. After everyone quieted down, he continued to explain, "This item is the congratulatory gift I intend to present to President Feng today. After the last auction, I spent eighty million yuan to acquire it."
"Today, coincidentally, this kid wants to make a bet with me, so I'll show him something. I guarantee he won't be able to discern the origin of this compass. Even if I tell him it's real, he won't know which dynasty it belongs to."
"That's right. At the auction at the time, the origin of this compass was questioned by countless experts. I was also present, and even I couldn't figure out its origin."
"Li Yang is careless this time. He definitely won't be able to appraise its origin."
Several appraisers present shook their heads, believing the outcome was already decided.
Even if Li Yang were given a day and a night, he wouldn't be able to appraise this item.
President Feng frowned. He didn't expect Zhao Chen to use such a devious method. This was not a treasure appraisal competition at all, but deliberate torment.
Just as he was about to speak up to help Li Yang, Li Yang smiled indifferently and shook his head, saying, "You use such childish tricks and still have the nerve to compete with me?"
"To tell you the truth, I have already appraised this purple jade compass. It's just a fake, not a compass made of purple jade at all, but a modern imitation."
"Haha, how ridiculous!"
Zhao Chen burst into laughter and shook his head, saying, "Kid, you really don't blush when you lie. The material of this purple jade is from genuine raw stones from the Mossi Sha mine. You don't even understand jade, yet you have the face to say you can appraise treasures?"
"Haha, this young man is indeed all show and no substance. How can someone who doesn't recognize jade appraise the authenticity of treasures?"
"President Feng, it seems you've been deceived this time. This kid has no real skills and cannot appraise treasures at all."
The appraisers present all mocked Li Yang.
Only President Feng's expression was profound, and he remained silent.
He knew that Li Yang never misidentified a treasure. Since he said this jade was fake, it was most likely indeed fake.
However, this jade was the finale of the largest auction in North Province. Could it be that a fake was auctioned?
This was definitely not normal!
"Kid, you have lost now. You called this solid genuine item a fake. Are you willing to admit defeat and fulfill our bet?" Zhao Chen said triumphantly, looking at Li Yang.
"Who told you I was wrong?"
Li Yang smiled calmly and shook his head, saying, "You don't recognize treasures yourself, and you're not humble enough to learn. Then let me teach you how to appraise jade today."
"If it were purple jade, the luster of the jade should be matte, not a glint. Also, the reason for this glint is that the jade has been tampered with."
"This piece of jade is pitted and uneven on the surface. It looks like carved patterns, but in reality, it's to hide some secrets."
"If you look closely with a magnifying glass, you'll see that the uneven pits of these carved patterns are all hiding tiny needle holes. And only the outer layer of this jade is real; the jade in the center has been completely swapped."
"So, even if it was once a genuine item, if it has been tampered with artificially, can it still be considered genuine? What you bought for eighty million yuan is just an empty shell."
"Impossible!"
Zhao Chen said with absolute certainty, "Kid, stop talking nonsense. How could we not see the needle holes on this jade?"
"Moreover, this jade was appraised by countless authoritative treasure appraisers at the auction. We even weighed the jade, and there were no problems!"
"You dare to boast that it's a fake, you arrogant scoundrel!"