The onlookers below were utterly bewildered, their gazes all turning towards the central referee.
Only two words were heard.
"Correct."
The crowd erupted. What was going on? Even the commentator wasn't providing any explanation!
Unfortunately, the central referee was also filled with frustration. The problem was, he only had these few words of information at the moment.
Such matters naturally couldn't be explained. The central referee could only pretend not to hear the crowd's complaints.
Seeing this, Ying Yuan quickly stepped in to smooth things over, announcing the continuation of the competition.
At this moment, Lu Weishen looked at Li Chonglou with a smile, as if to say, "Is this your trump card?"
Yes, Lu Weishen had completely relaxed. In his opinion, this stone base was indeed Li Chonglou's trump card, which meant he didn't need to worry too much about the subsequent treasures.
He felt as if a great weight that had been pressing him down had been lifted, making him feel light and free. His face regained its confidence and composure.
The situation returned to how it was in the first half. After Li Chonglou, as usual, quickly stated the origin of the treasures, Lu Weishen, after examining Li Chonglou's treasures, did not immediately announce the results. Instead, he invited the audience to participate.
"Heh heh, Master Lu is so great! The feeling of participation versus no participation is really worlds apart!"
"Awesome, as if you could figure anything out just by looking!"
"Damn it! I don't believe I can't guess it correctly even once!"
The audience's enthusiasm was reignited. They cast aside their recent unpleasant feelings and eagerly participated.
It was a pity that the treasures Li Chonglou had prepared were all rare and precious. Some of them had taken him considerable effort to identify their origins. Unless someone was a genius with profound knowledge, it was extremely difficult to arrive at the correct conclusion in such a short time.
The reality was just as expected. Although the crowd participated enthusiastically, their answers still had a significant gap compared to Lu Weishen's.
Thus, the score between the two went from 5:5 to 8:8. When they reached the final round, Li Chong楼 once again brought out his other trump card, the Chun Jun Sword.
As soon as this sword appeared, everyone's attention was drawn to it. Even those with shallow cultivation could discern its value.
"Damn, if this sword were mine, I wouldn't have to worry about food and drink for the rest of my life!"
"What, you figured out its origin?"
"No."
"Uh, then why are you so excited!"
Li Chonglou ignored the crowd's reaction and looked at Lu Weishen, only to find that the latter showed no particular expression.
Li Chonglou sighed inwardly. It seemed this sword wouldn't be difficult for him either.
Lu Weishen smiled slightly and walked slowly to the Chun Jun Sword. This time, he chose not to involve the audience, stating directly.
"President Li has good luck. I only found some information about it a while ago, and I didn't expect it to be in your possession already."
Following this, Lu Weishen recited the origin of the Chun Jun Sword word for word.
"All correct!"
As the central referee announced this, the score between the two reached 9:9.
Only the last round remained, but Lu Weishen seemed to have foreseen the outcome, showing no trace of nervousness on his face.
According to normal logic, one would place the most difficult item last. However, Lu Weishen knew that this competition was not arranged that way, at least not by him.
The reason was simple: the purpose of this competition was to determine who had richer knowledge and stronger skills in this area. In other words, it was all about face or reputation.
Therefore, Lu Weishen had placed the most difficult item in the middle. This way, if the opponent couldn't guess it, it would achieve a better effect. If the winner could be decided by a large margin within ten rounds, that would naturally be the best outcome.
And Lu Weishen believed that Li Chonglou had arranged it similarly, especially after Li Chonglou presented that base. He was even more certain.
This meant that, as things stood, the worst-case scenario was a 10:10 draw. Although it hadn't achieved his initial goal, it was already a good result given what had happened earlier.
After a draw, he would also have more time and opportunities to plan his next move.
With this thought, Lu Weishen looked at Li Chonglou with a hint of a sneer.
But Li Chonglou paid him no mind and directly approached Lu Weishen's final treasure.
As before, he provided the answer within a few minutes.
When the central referee announced "all correct," the audience below couldn't help but sigh.
"It seems this competition will end in a draw, but it's certainly been an eye-opener for me!"
"Yes! I heard that after the competition, the association will release a detailed report, including the techniques used for identification and how to analyze the quality to determine the age!"
"Really? Then I'll not only broaden my horizons but also gain knowledge?"
"But why don't President Li and Master Lu reveal it directly on stage?"
This question immediately drew many rolled eyes.
"Are you stupid? Do you think they'll analyze everything on stage? Besides, influential figures like them certainly have their own unique methods, and they wouldn't teach them so easily."
The person who asked the question immediately shut up, not daring to speak again.
For a moment, everyone, like Lu Weishen, seemed to have seen the outcome of the competition. Meanwhile, Li Chonglou calmly returned to his seat and signaled the staff to unveil the last red cloth on the stage.
It was the blue stone slab obtained from Shanyu County's Shanxia Town.
Lu Weishen approached the stone slab with a calm smile and a composed stride, then bent down to observe it.
But upon seeing it, he froze on the spot.
He recognized the material, he recognized the characters, and it was indeed an ancient artifact of considerable age. The problem was, he couldn't identify whose handwriting it was!
Lu Weishen's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over him. He immediately dared not be distracted or careless, focusing his attention intently on the blue stone slab.
Li Chonglou, not far away, smiled and at the same time felt a sense of relief.
As long as it wasn't something he happened to be familiar with. Li Chonglou had previously worried that this blue stone slab might be something Lu Weishen had researched, just like the Chun Jun Sword.
The onlookers below also gradually sensed something was wrong. "Wait, why is Master Lu taking so long?"
Ten minutes, twenty minutes. As time approached thirty minutes, Li Chonglou said coldly, "Lu Weishen, does a mere stone slab really require so much time?"
Lu Weishen was already sweating profusely. Seeing Li Chonglou speak, and with doubts arising from the crowd, Lu Weishen gritted his teeth and gave an answer that was not very certain.
The central referee raised an eyebrow and delivered the first incorrect answer.
"Incorrect!"
The crowd below immediately erupted in chaos. Lu Weishen stumbled back a few steps, his face turning pale.
Seeing this, Li Chonglou said even more coldly, "You can't even recognize a mere stone slab. You dare to call yourself a master? I think you're blind!"