Liu Gao's words were not unreasonable, after all, this was appraisal, not gambling.
Since there was a result, there must have been a process of deduction.
Otherwise, the competition would be meaningless.
So Zhao Tianyue looked at Wu Tian and said, "Wu Tian, Liu Gao is right. Since you think this is a fake, you have to give a reason."
"Otherwise, I don't think anyone will agree."
Wu Tian said lightly, "If you want to know why, it's easy. Open to the fifth page, fourth line, the third character is the answer you're looking for."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianyue's expression froze.
Liu Gao, however, said, "What fifth page, fourth line? You're just being mysterious. Is there anything strange there?"
Although he said that, Liu Gao didn't hesitate. He opened the book and found the position Wu Tian mentioned.
The character written there was "龙" (lóng). Liu Gao felt there was nothing wrong with it, so he said, "I've already turned to this page. Come on, tell me, what's wrong with this?"
Wu Tian sighed and said, "I've already made it so obvious, and you still don't understand what I mean."
"It seems that your skill as a Level 7 appraiser is only this much."
"What did you say?!" Liu Gao was angered by Wu Tian.
He said angrily, "Stop talking nonsense here. I think you can't come up with anything worth mentioning?"
"I've seen through you long ago. You have no real skill, you're just good with your words."
"I must be crazy to play this boring game with you. It's a waste of my time!"
Just as Liu Gao was fuming, Zhao Tianyue finally couldn't hold back.
He said, "Liu Gao, I remember when I first taught you appraisal, I told you that appraisal requires meticulousness, right?"
"But your current impatient demeanor clearly shows you haven't taken my words to heart."
"Wu Tian has already told you where the problem lies. Can't you see it yet?"
He took the book from Liu Gao's hand, then turned to the crowd and pointed to a character, saying, "Come, tell me, did Wang Xizhi write simplified characters back then?"
"What?!" As soon as this was said, everyone was stunned. They looked closely and discovered the problem.
It was the character "龙" (lóng)!
The character Zhao Tianyue pointed to was a simplified "龙"!
This was impossible. Wang Xizhi was an ancient person. He should have written the traditional character "龍", not the simplified "龙"!
For a moment, everyone felt their minds go blank, and Liu Gao was speechless for a long time.
"This... how could this be..." Liu Gao's eyes widened.
His face was filled with shock. "No, I clearly appraised this item as genuine. How... how could it be like this?"
Zhao Tianyue said, "From the craftsmanship of the imitation, it has indeed reached a point where it's indistinguishable from the real thing. Even the senior appraisers in the sect were deceived at first."
"But judging by the final result, it is a fake. This is an unchangeable fact."
"So I say you lost this match. There should be no problem with that, right?"
Liu Gao's mind was reeling.
After a while, he finally thought of something and said loudly, "But there's still a problem. He didn't even touch the book, so how could he know about the problem inside?"
Liu Gao's words represented the thoughts of everyone. Indeed, since the problem was with the characters inside, one would at least have to open it and look to know. But how did Wu Tian know?
Zhao Tianyue was also puzzled and couldn't help but ask Wu Tian, "Wu Tian, can you explain to everyone?"
"We haven't encountered this appraisal method before, so even I am quite curious."
Wu Tian smiled and said, "Sect Leader Zhao, shouldn't that be unimportant?"
"The result of the appraisal is the key. As for the method, that is purely personal privacy, so I'm afraid I can't disclose it."
Seeing that Wu Tian had no intention of revealing it, Zhao Tianyue naturally wouldn't press further.
But he was still filled with wonder.
As expected of someone with such a close relationship with Su Qiannai, his abilities were truly eye-opening.
He nodded and said, "Alright, if that's the case, then the first match will end like this."
"I declare that Wu Tian has defeated Liu Gao. Does anyone have any objections to this result?"
How could the people present have any objections? After all, Wu Tian had presented the decisive evidence.
So they exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
Liu Gao felt severely hit. He had actually lost in calligraphy, and he had lost to someone he looked down upon.
This made him feel truly dejected.
He walked to Zhao Xiaojie's side and heard her whisper, "Useless."
Liu Gao's body trembled, and then his face turned ashen.
He had always been fond of Zhao Xiaojie, but after today's match, he knew that he would probably never win her heart...
Next, Zhao Tianyue spoke again, "Alright, let's begin the second match."
"In this second match, our appraisal target will be currency."
Saying that, Zhao Tianyue picked up a copper coin from the table.
It was a Kaiyuan Tongbao. Kaiyuan Tongbao, as it was called, was the currency commonly used during the Tang Dynasty. It was round overall with a square hole in the center, and it was one of the most famous ancient currencies in history.
Zhao Tianyue continued, "Li Zhao, you will proceed with the second match."
Li Zhao nodded and walked out.
Like Liu Gao, Li Zhao was the type of person whose face was filled with arrogance.
Zhao Tianyue smiled and said, "Wu Tian, Li Zhao is also a Level 6 appraiser and an expert in currency. You can't be careless."
Wu Tian couldn't help but smile upon hearing this.
For the previous appraisal target, calligraphy, Zhao Tianyue had sent Liu Gao. Now, for currency, Zhao Tianyue had sent Li Zhao.
It seemed that the challenges were not going easy at all; they were basically top-tier difficulty.
However, he didn't take it to heart and simply smiled, "I know. I'm looking forward to the next match."
Li Zhao and Liu Gao were good friends, so he came with a desire for revenge.
This Li Zhao came out with an overbearing attitude, appearing very confident and arrogant.
He looked coldly at Wu Tian and said, "I say, why don't you just surrender?"