To everyone's surprise, Li Chonglou on the stage suddenly chuckled, "Interesting, very interesting!"
The onlookers below were immediately bewildered, while Lin Zhendong's eyes lit up, a smile creeping onto his lips.
Lin Ying noticed her master's unusual reaction and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Master, what's wrong?"
Lin Zhendong smiled and said, "Your junior brother has finally opened his mind. Just watch."
Opened his mind?
Opened his mind to what?
Lin Ying was confused. At this moment, Li Chonglou on the stage spoke again, "It would be a pity for me to appreciate this treasure alone. Wu Hao, bring paper and brush."
This time, everyone finally understood Li Chonglou's intention.
What the heck! President Li is finally willing to let us participate?
Everyone became expectant, as if a stingy rich man had suddenly started distributing grain and money. They were all curious about what kind of treasure had caused Li Chonglou to react so strongly.
At this moment, Li Chonglou had already returned to his seat. As for the paper and brush, following Lu Weishen's lead, the host had already prepared a batch on the side.
Unlike Lu Weishen, Li Chonglou, after taking the brush and paper, did not hesitate at all. He immediately wrote down the answer quickly and handed it to the central judge.
Meanwhile, the jade ornament was still being passed around among the onlookers. Those who hadn't seen it yet craned their necks, while those who had already seen it had varied expressions.
Some frowned, some pondered, some were confused.
The reactions of the crowd were completely different from the previous times. By the time the jade ornament had completed a full circle and returned to its place on the stage, no one raised their hand to express their opinion.
The scene suddenly fell silent.
Everyone looked at each other, with only one thought: Is this thing really an ancient artifact?
Those who had seen it were stunned. From the surface, the jade ornament was just an ordinary jade ring, made of common material, crudely crafted, covered in cracks, and crucially, it had the words "Republic of China" inscribed on it.
Both those who understood antiques and those who didn't remained silent.
Even the judges, except for the one in the center, looked bewildered.
Only the two on the stage had completely different reactions.
Lu Weishen looked at Li Chonglou, who appeared to be very interested. He didn't believe that Li Chonglou had truly discerned the intricacies in such a short time. In his heart, he only thought that Li Chonglou was bluffing.
"In this round, you are bound to lose."
Lu Weishen sneered inwardly but maintained a composed expression. Instead, he smiled and said, "Since President Li is so confident, why not reveal it to everyone?"
At this moment, all eyes were on Li Chonglou, filled with doubt, suspicion, and various expressions, but all with a hint of anticipation.
After all, you see that even the judges look confused? If Master Lu hadn't spoken, who would dare to believe that this thing truly held any significance?
Under everyone's gaze, Li Chonglou did not speak directly but instead gestured to the central judge to read the content on the paper.
The central judge took another deep look at Li Chonglou, slowly stood up, and announced loudly, "Damaged Yuan Blue and White Porcelain Wall Ring. Correct."
These simple seven characters caused Lu Weishen's expression to change, a mixture of shock and disbelief.
But the crowd below remained bewildered and didn't understand.
Li Chonglou then stood up and said calmly, "Let me supplement it. The cracks on this jade ring are not ordinary cracks, but expansions of the original patterns. If it were restored, it should have Yuan Blue and White Porcelain patterns. As for the word 'Republic of China' inscribed on it, it was likely carved by someone later who didn't understand its value or did so deliberately."
As Li Chonglou said the word "deliberately," he glanced at Lu Weishen, whose face immediately darkened.
Li Chonglou's explanation wasn't finished. He then went on to specify which authentic artwork and which master the jade ring should have originated from, matching them one by one.
The central judge below, holding the information in his hand, showed a look of admiration for the first time.
After hearing Li Chonglou's detailed explanation, the crowd finally understood.
"Damn, he could figure that out? He must have been playing this game since he was in his mother's womb!"
"Holy cow, I have to admit defeat! If I had seen this thing on the street, I would have probably kicked it away."
"President Li is amazing! It only took him a few minutes?"
"Damn, I'm seriously suspecting this isn't a competition but a staged show!"
The crowd below erupted like a boiling pot, their emotions running high. Li Chonglou's sudden move had truly shocked them.
If Li Chonglou had announced the answer directly as he had done before, the crowd would not have felt such a strong impact.
As the saying goes, participation breeds immersion. How many people in the industry were present? There were hundreds, if not thousands, including seniors who had been in the business for most of their lives. Yet, since the start of the competition, this was the first time the entire audience had fallen silent.
And Li Chonglou, in just ten minutes on stage, had revealed the entire provenance of the item!
At this moment, no one below could refute him.
Praise for Li Chonglou erupted, especially from his supporters, who seemed to have found an outlet and shouted madly.
"President Li is awesome!"
Jiang Yuxin and Lin Ying in the crowd smiled sincerely at this scene, while Lin Zhendong, as if he had expected it, nodded at Li Chonglou.
The emotions of the crowd below did not dissipate but instead grew more excited amidst the discussion.
Many people were still not very familiar with Yuan Blue and White Porcelain, and it was only through others' explanations that they understood Li Chonglou's brilliance.
In simple terms, a highly historically significant antique had a missing part, and that missing part had become unrecognizable for various reasons, or even been refitted and altered by others.
Now, the only discernible connection to the item was a part of its cracks, note, a part of its cracks, and moreover, cracks that were extremely easy to misinterpret!
And now, Li Chonglou, relying solely on this slender connection, had completely deduced its correct provenance!
Shock was everyone's first reaction.
Then came the excitement, fervor, and frenzy, triggered by their heightened emotions!
"President Li is amazing! I'll definitely bet on you next time!"
"Hehe, thankfully I'm smart and got in at a low price."
"Damn, I knew I should have placed bets on all of them. Who knew President Li would be this amazing!"
The crowd's reaction at this moment far surpassed their previous praise for Lu Weishen, and Li Chonglou's reputation instantly rebounded from its lowest point to its highest.
It seemed that all the swagger Lu Weishen had displayed earlier had now become a foil to Li Chonglou.
Most importantly, no one had expected Li Chonglou to suddenly shift from being unapproachable to allowing everyone to participate. This move was undoubtedly a stroke of genius, directly igniting the emotions of the crowd.