His thoughts, as audacious as they were, left Ye Fan with nothing but a cold sneer.
Elder Chen turned to Elder Lei, "Continue with the second round. I will definitely ruin his reputation."
It was clear he was prepared to go all out.
Seeing Elder Chen's furious demeanor, Elder Lei could only offer a wry smile.
He then proceeded to select another item from the remaining collection.
Soon, a chest was brought out.
This chest was larger than the previous items, and its size alone indicated it was not a small object like a jade pendant.
"Teacher, this is likely a porcelain artifact. You are an expert in porcelain appraisal, and even Elder Lei pales in comparison to you in this area. Therefore, Ye Fan is bound to lose this time," the middle-aged disciple flattered Elder Chen.
Elder Chen, shedding his previous dejected state, was now beaming with confidence.
"Shameless," Ye Xuanxuan remarked with disdain from the side.
Jiang Zhitao sneered, "If there weren't people like him, how would the boss's might and dominance be showcased?"
It was a mystery how this fellow’s mind worked; his thought processes were truly peculiar.
Glancing at Jiang Zhitao, Ye Xuanxuan had a look of sudden realization, "You're right, he's just the foil that highlights my brother's brilliance."
With these two together, even Ye Fan was left speechless. They were truly a peculiar pair.
The chest was quickly opened, and indeed, it contained a porcelain artifact.
This piece of porcelain stood half a meter tall and was divided into three sections: a flared mouth, a gradually concave neck, a flat, bulging belly in the middle, and a footed base with carved petals at the bottom.
Despite its age, the porcelain artifact remained bright and lustrous, completely undamaged, and showed no signs of wear.
Elder Lei nodded in admiration. The quality of the item presented at the appraisal convention was a testament to the owner's significant background.
After a moment of appreciation, Elder Lei smiled and announced, "The time limit is still ten minutes. Please proceed."
Having passed the first round of competition, he was now completely at ease regarding Ye Fan.
If Ye Fan could even appraise the jade pendant that he and Elder Chen had both misjudged, then appraising a piece of porcelain like this was certainly within his capabilities.
Elder Chen, with a face full of smiles and brimming with confidence, cast a challenging glance at Ye Fan before slowly stepping forward to begin his appraisal.
In contrast, Ye Fan remained completely unfazed by Elder Chen's provocation, even letting out a yawn.
He then leisurely approached the item.
However, the moment Ye Fan saw the porcelain vase in the chest, he froze.
"How can this be?"
He couldn't help but exclaim, his expression changing drastically.
Seeing Ye Fan's sudden change in expression, Elder Lei was taken aback and quickly stepped forward, "What's wrong?"
Ye Fan, however, waved him off, signaling that he was fine.
He then squinted his eyes and began to examine the porcelain artifact meticulously.
Ye Fan's unusual behavior made everyone around him hold their breath.
The middle-aged man, his eyes darting around, seized the opportunity to speak, "Is he pretending not to understand the item and deliberately acting this way? So that he has an excuse when the results are announced."
"If he can't figure it out, he should just concede. Why go through all this charade?"
"It's normal for someone with your eyesight not to understand this item. So I advise you not to force yourself. This will only waste everyone's time."
This man's attempt to disrupt Ye Fan was undeniably insidious.
But Ye Fan merely cast a cold glance at him, offering no further words.
In the field of appraisal, a truly skilled appraiser would be unbothered by interference.
Clearly, Ye Fan was such an appraiser.
His gaze was indifferent, completely unaffected by the middle-aged man's words.
Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd began to whisper and point at Ye Fan.
Although Ye Fan had won the previous round, many, like the middle-aged man had suggested, believed it was merely a stroke of luck.
Elder Chen's reputation, on the other hand, was built over many years, honed through countless appraisals.
Such a reputation was not something Ye Fan could easily compare to.
"Elder Chen is an expert in porcelain appraisal. I once witnessed him appraise a Tang Dynasty porcelain artifact that all other appraisers couldn't identify. His divine skill at the time earned him thunderous applause."
"Once Elder Chen unleashes his expertise, Ye Fan is doomed to lose."
"This time, he won't get lucky again."
These same individuals began to attack Ye Fan once more.
In their minds, regardless of Ye Fan's true abilities, daring to act so arrogantly towards Elder Chen meant he deserved to be targeted.
Hearing their words, the middle-aged man's lips curled into a triumphant smile.
However, he still looked at Elder Chen with a hint of doubt, fearing any unexpected turn of events that might put him in an awkward position.
This time, Elder Chen's appraisal was even faster, concluding in just six minutes.
"Although it was somewhat challenging to appraise, as long as it's porcelain, there's nothing old man can't discern," Elder Chen said with a confident smile, looking at the middle-aged man.
Seeing Elder Chen's demeanor, the middle-aged man finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Teacher, as I said, you will surely win this competition."
To their surprise, Ye Fan this time also withdrew his gaze, closely following Elder Chen. He then looked at Elder Chen with a cold expression, "This time, does Elder Chen wish to gain the initiative?"
In the first round, Elder Chen believed that if he appraised first, Ye Fan would have fewer opportunities. This was what was meant by seizing the initiative.
However, he hadn't expected his appraisal to be wrong. Therefore, Elder Chen had learned his lesson and said with a faint smile, "Young people should have drive. I will give you the opportunity to appraise first."
He also wanted to see how much Ye Fan could understand, then "pick up" on any missed details and defeat Ye Fan decisively, regaining his honor.
Seeing the cunning glint in Elder Chen's eyes, Ye Fan let out a cold laugh.
"In that case, I shall begin first."
Saying this, Ye Fan walked up to the porcelain vase and stated with a smile, "This porcelain vase is an artifact from the mid-Ming Dynasty, likely imperial kiln craftsmanship. Since Ming Dynasty porcelain craftsmanship was already mature, the glazing and colors of this piece are truly first-class."
Ye Fan praised it with genuine admiration.
Throughout the thousands of years of ancient history, the Ming Dynasty was renowned for its outstanding porcelain craftsmanship, which is why Ming porcelain stood in a class of its own when it came to sales.
"Indeed, this is a Ming Dynasty artifact. Ye Fan, everyone here knows what you've said. If that's all you know, then hurry up and concede. Don't waste everyone's time."
The middle-aged man scoffed dismissively.
Hearing the middle-aged man's words, Ye Fan frowned, a trace of cold hostility entering his eyes.
This scoundrel had interfered with him repeatedly, proving to be quite insidious.
He had let the man off the hook several times before, yet the man still hadn't learned his lesson. Did he truly think Ye Fan was easy to bully?