Seeing the hesitant expressions on the faces of the crowd below, the Great Emissary sighed inwardly. These people had come with the hope of striking it rich. Relying on them to find treasures was simply a joke.
Only Ye Fan wore a faint smile.
The appraisal of these five ancient artifacts was indeed challenging. Two of them, in particular, were from the same era and had similar textures, making them even harder to distinguish.
Therefore, differentiating them completely would likely trouble many.
The Great Emissary was momentarily stunned and his gaze fell upon Ye Fan's face.
This young man, around twenty years of age, had clear features and his eyes were filled with confidence. Moreover, he showed no signs of difficulty, appearing very sure of himself. When had such a rising star emerged in Jiangnan City?
He beckoned to the Grand Elder, who immediately understood and hurried forward.
"Brother Wang, who is that young man?" he whispered into the Grand Elder's ear.
Following the Great Emissary's gaze, the Grand Elder's face lit up with joy.
"That is the Ye Fan I mentioned to you, the most outstanding young man in Jiangnan City's antique industry. His treasure appraisal skills are so exceptional that even a Level One Appraiser would feel inferior," the Grand Elder said in a low voice, his tone filled with praise for Ye Fan.
The Great Emissary looked at the Grand Elder with surprise.
He and the Grand Elder had grown up together; their friendship spanned decades. This was also why the Gu family chose to stay with the Wang family when they came to Jiangnan City.
It was also the reason why the Heavenly King's Mansion dared not easily make a move against the Wang family.
However, in all their years of knowing each other, he had never heard the Grand Elder praise a junior so highly.
Even when the Grand Elder had mentioned Ye Fan before, it had been brief, never such a firm endorsement.
Sensing the Great Emissary's gaze, the Grand Elder smiled faintly, "You'll know soon enough."
The Great Emissary smiled and nodded, his gaze returning to Ye Fan, captivated by the Grand Elder's mysterious yet confident expression.
At this moment, Ye Fan had finished appraising all five items and closed his eyes to rest.
He was unconcerned with how others performed; it was a matter of mindset.
If it were anyone else who had gained an advantage, they would likely have become arrogant by now.
The Great Emissary greatly approved of Ye Fan's calm demeanor.
Below, the crowd had already begun to whisper amongst themselves. Many who had come with a stroke of luck were looking around, trying to find answers.
Unfortunately, in such a setting, no one was willing to share their hard-earned findings with others.
Helpless, these individuals could only resort to guesswork, ultimately arriving at incorrect answers.
The Great Emissary had long since grown disappointed with these people and shook his head in resignation.
Regardless of the place, there would always be these ill-behaved individuals who were merely making up the numbers.
Over the years, the Gu family had continuously sought to recruit talented individuals for their use.
However, they consistently encountered this situation, which greatly troubled the Great Emissary.
But there was no other way; such was human nature. Very few people could truly be selfless, solely focused on the pursuit of treasure.
Therefore, despite the Gu family's continuous efforts in talent selection over the years, their gains had been meager.
The Gu family members seated further back also wore expressions of disappointment.
Especially the young man, Gu Ping, his eyes held disdain, and he let out a soft snort through his nose.
"A bunch of useless people. I've said it before, there are no talents in Jiangnan City, yet the Great Emissary still insisted on coming here. It's just a joke."
Gu Ping's face was filled with disdain. As the second most important direct descendant of the Gu family, he was extremely arrogant. Within the Gu family, very few could catch his eye.
He did not even hold the Great Emissary in high regard.
On this occasion, the Great Emissary had not wanted to bring him along, but the Old Patriarch had insisted that he come out and gain some experience, so the Great Emissary reluctantly brought him.
However, not only had he failed to learn humbly, but he had also been full of nonsense.
The Great Emissary's three disciples standing nearby offered obsequious smiles. They dared not speak carelessly to the Second Young Master. Even as he now mocked their master, they could only listen in silence.
Gu Lao, seated in front, also heard Gu Ping's words and could not help but frown slightly.
The Great Emissary also had a poor impression of this Second Young Master. As a direct descendant of the family, he was constantly plotting and scheming, not seeking the prosperity of the family. Such a person was unworthy of being a direct descendant of the Gu family.
However, the Old Patriarch seemed to regard this Second Young Master with special favor, which made the Great Emissary quite helpless.
Although the Gu family had a legacy spanning a thousand years, there were still many factions operating in the shadows. Among these, the Second Young Master represented a distinct faction.
His thoughts drifting further afield, the Great Emissary chuckled wryly in resignation, and finally turned his head back, continuing to observe the performances of the crowd below.
Time passed quickly. Wang Feng smiled and asked everyone to provide their answers.
But many people frowned, their faces etched with distress.
Only Ye Fan smiled and gave his answer.
The Great Emissary's eyes immediately lit up, and a smile curved his lips.
"I have long heard of a rising star in Jiangnan City, our young friend Ye. Seeing you today, young friend Ye, you have indeed exceeded expectations. However, merely answering the question does not mean you have passed. You still need to explain the detailed conditions of these five ancient artifacts. Are you prepared, young friend Ye?"
The Great Emissary paid little attention to anyone else, his focus now entirely on Ye Fan.
Upon hearing the Great Emissary's words, Ye Fan smiled gracefully.
"I am willing to discuss this with you, Great Emissary."
"Presumptuous."
"Bastard."
"Spouting wild talk."
Hearing Ye Fan's words, the Great Emissary's three disciples all rose to their feet and berated Ye Fan angrily.
Ye Fan's expression immediately turned grim.
"What do you think you are, boy, to speak to the Great Emissary like that? Do you think you are worthy of standing alongside the Great Emissary? Utterly absurd."
"The appraisal of antiques knows no distinction between noble or low, it is a matter for joint discussion. If you, sir, do not even understand this, you have already disgraced yourself. As a disciple of the Great Emissary, your master has not yet spoken, and you are already overstepping your bounds. This is filial impiety. As an appraiser, to be so arrogant and to arbitrarily distinguish between noble and low is disloyalty. Someone like you, who is disloyal, unfilial, and unbenevolent, dares to speak wildly again, truly laughable."
Ye Fan did not back down at all; his words were even quite forceful.
This demeanor earned Ye Fan rounds of applause from the people of Jiangnan City.
Although they wished to join the Gu family, they were, after all, people of Jiangnan City. Everyone in the Gu family, except for the Great Emissary, was arrogant, and they had long since grown displeased with them.
Therefore, when Ye Fan spoke up in rebuttal, they naturally applauded him.
There was also another reason: these people already knew their chances of joining the Gu family were slim. Since that was the case, why should they continue to humble themselves?
Those who cheered were the ones who had not provided the correct answers. As for those who had narrowly passed, they remained silent, watching Ye Fan coldly.
Human nature, at this moment, was laid bare for all to see.