With that, these people had no more grudges. The words had gone this far, and they had no choice but to withdraw silently.
Watching more than half of the people leave, Elder Lei's gloomy expression gradually faded.
"Next is the second round, judging the authenticity of an item based on a picture. This item is in the box. After you make your choice, I will take out the item for you to judge for yourselves."
This was done to ensure fairness.
As for Ye Fan and those in the first row, they had no objections.
To them, these were all trivial tricks that couldn't stump them.
Even those behind them who were worried in their hearts had no choice, as their abilities were insufficient.
Soon, two photos appeared on the big screen.
One photo was a frontal view of a famille rose snake-neck twin-ear vase, taken from an excellent angle, clearly displaying the vase's color, light, and shadow details.
The other photo was a detail shot, showing parts of the vase's mouth, body, and base.
If it were someone else, they might not be able to determine the authenticity of the item, but for Ye Fan, even judging from the photos was not difficult.
In the back rows, even Feng Xiao, Wang Feng, and others were frowning.
The appraisers from their families stared intently at the photos, trying to find a basis for judgment.
Elder Lei looked at the expressions of everyone below with a cold smile and couldn't help but shake his head.
In his eyes, there would never be more than a handful of people who could truly enter the final round.
After all, there were only so many senior appraisers in Jiangnan City, and most of them had been recruited by the three major powers.
As a result, there were very few senior appraisers outside.
Without senior appraisers, it was impossible to pass the first three rounds.
As time quickly passed, those below began to give their answers.
Although unwilling, this was the rule of the game. If they didn't make a choice by the time limit, they would be considered to have automatically withdrawn.
Ye Fan and those in the first row naturally had no pressure.
Almost immediately, they revealed their answers.
Then came the second row, the Wang family, the Feng family, and other families also gave their choices.
Seeing the choices of the first two rows, Elder Lei nodded slightly. The strength of the first two rows was the strongest here, so there was no problem for them to successfully pass the second round.
However, in the later stages, there were too many incorrect answers.
This time, more than half of the people were eliminated.
Ye Fan slightly turned his head and looked at Feng Xiao.
He knew that Feng Xiao and the others, who were colluding, would constantly make things difficult for him.
Seeing Ye Fan look at him, Feng Xiao curled his lips into a cold smile.
He then slowly stood up and said, "Mr. Ye, please explain to us why the item in the photo is a fake."
Famille rose snake-neck twin-ear vases were relatively common in the market, so it was not difficult to determine their authenticity.
However, the difficulty of this round lay in judging solely from photos, without being able to see or touch the item. This greatly increased the difficulty.
This time, Ye Fan was not angry; instead, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Since someone is paying, why should I not appraise it?
"However, is your eyesight, Young Master Feng, too poor to understand even such a simple question?"
Saying that, Ye Fan sighed, "It seems that the Feng family should really be prepared. Such an heir can only bring shame to the family and will never lead the family to glory."
Ye Fan's cold sarcasm caused Feng Xiao's face to tremble. He even gritted his teeth, his anger clearly visible.
If it weren't for the fact that it was inappropriate to lose his temper in such an occasion, he would have already ordered someone to attack Ye Fan.
"Hmph, Ye Fan, why bother with mere words? Aren't you always bragging about being a master appraiser? If so, then conquer us with facts. Otherwise, no matter how much you say, it's just a cover-up for yourself."
Feng Xiao responded coldly, his expression extremely ugly.
But upon hearing his words, Ye Fan burst into laughter, "Conquer you? Heh, it's easier than conquering a few women."
Saying that, he ignored Feng Xiao's expression and walked directly to the photos.
"Famille rose vases from the Yongzheng period are not very rare. This kind of famille rose vase is glazed after the body is fired, and then famille rose is added to the glaze. To put it simply, this kind of famille rose vase undergoes two firing processes. This makes the body more brittle and fragile, making it prone to breaking. The simplest way to verify the authenticity of such an item is to tap it. If it breaks with a touch, it is genuine."
Ye Fan said with a smile, a rather cunning smile.
Hearing Ye Fan's words, Feng Xiao became furious and abruptly stood up, "Nonsense! If it could break, would I need you to say anything?"
As if finding an outlet, finally able to openly insult Ye Fan, how could Feng Xiao miss such a rare opportunity?
But Feng Xiao gave him a cold glance and said, "Did Young Master Feng forget to get his rabies vaccine before going out? Barking everywhere?"
Since their faces had already been torn, Ye Fan naturally wouldn't be polite to him.
Moreover, given Feng Xiao's personality, he would never reconcile with him.
"What? Did I hit the nail on the head?"
Feng Xiao trembled slightly with anger.
But he was no match for Ye Fan in terms of tactics or arguing, which was regrettable.
Seeing that Feng Xiao dared not speak further, Ye Fan said with a cold smile, "What I said earlier was the most direct method. However, no matter who it is, they wouldn't bear to break the item in their hands, so we have to use other methods."
Saying that, Ye Fan raised his hand and pointed to the first photo.
"A major characteristic of famille rose porcelain is its lines. The lines should be light, fine, even, soft, and exquisite. Light refers to the light color of the pigments used to outline the surface of the porcelain, which makes the porcelain look more natural."
"Fine refers to the delicate coloring without any graininess, which requires extremely precious pigments. Even refers to uniformity, and the coloring technique must be sufficiently skilled. Soft refers to the color matching being soft, without too strong cold or warm colors, generally dominated by light blue and pink. Exquisite is easier to understand, meaning the finished porcelain vase must look exquisite, giving a novel and beautiful impression. If the vase meets these five requirements, then it is authentic. You can see from this first photo whether it meets them."
Saying that, Ye Fan slowly sat down.
With that said, those who understood would naturally understand.
But if they didn't understand, even if he said it again, they wouldn't understand.
Elder Lei smiled. Ye Fan's words were always concise and to the point.
"Ye Fan is correct. These five points are indeed the characteristics of famille rose porcelain and are very convenient for authenticating porcelain. As for how to judge, think about it yourselves. I don't have much time."
Then, he opened the box, revealing the porcelain vase. The bottom of the vase was covered with cracks, which clearly indicated that it was a fake.