Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1318: Chapter 1314: Touch Without Seeing

What does Elder Shi mean by that?

Huo Sining looked puzzled at the two wooden boxes on the stage. Could it be that the items inside the boxes weren’t Huaxia Country’s antiques but came from the West?

”You all just noticed that there’s a box placed on each of the two tables in the center of the venue, and each box contains an item. It’s up to everyone to judge what these two items actually are.”

As Shi Qingyun said this, everyone’s attention turned to the two long tables, and in private, there was a flurry of whispered discussions.

Shi Qingyun lightly coughed, and the venue instantly quieted down.

After glancing around at everyone’s expressions, he continued:

”The content of this assessment is simple, which is the objects inside these two boxes. However, the method of assessment is somewhat special. During the assessment, you cannot look. You can only rely on touch.”

Just touch and not look? Shi Qingyun’s words left everyone below stunned.

When appraisers evaluate antiques, it’s true that they rely heavily on their sense of touch and intuition, but eyesight is also one of the indispensable factors.

After all, the color, shape, and craftsmanship of antiques cannot be discerned by touch alone; appraisers need to carefully observe through vision to distinguish them.

Relying solely on touch greatly increases the difficulty.

This not only requires appraisers to have genuine skills but also demands an extraordinary sensitivity to touch.

It tests not only the proficiency of the appraisers with antiques but also requires them to have a powerful spatial imagination, allowing them to piece together a rough contour model of the objects in their minds through touch.

This special requirement, when proposed, surprised all the appraisers greatly.

Because they have never encountered such a challenging appraisal assessment before.

Shi Qingyun was earlier worried that after stating the examination requirements, it would dampen the enthusiasm of the appraisers, but he was clearly overthinking.

Most of the people present have been deeply involved in the antique circle for many years, and when faced with challenges, they showed excitement instead of fear.

What they fear is not opponents with true skills, but manipulation behind the scenes.

Now the examination rules are to touch but not look, assessing the genuine skills of the appraisers. The more challenging the task, the better it highlights the level of the appraisers.

”On the part of these boxes covered with velvet, there is a hole through which you can directly reach in to touch the objects inside. Follow your test number to touch in sequence. The time is limited to five minutes. After touching, you not only need to determine the authenticity of the object but also state the specific name, origin, and history of the two objects. The more detailed and specific the answers, the higher the score.”

Once the examiner’s requirements were stated, it became even livelier below.

Relying purely on touch is relying solely on tactile sensation, and tactile sensation is quite unpredictable. Touching to judge authenticity and then stating the object’s name, origin, and history is undoubtedly very difficult.

When Huo Sining heard this assessment topic, her eyes revealed a look of surprise.

This form of assessment, where you only touch and don’t look, at least in terms of judging the authenticity of the object, is definitely advantageous for her.

With her Heavenly Eye Cheating Device, any object, as long as she touches it, would be clear to her whether it is a genuine antique or a fake.

However, just being able to determine the authenticity of the objects inside the boxes is not enough. The specifics of what those two objects are, as well as their origin and history, are equally important.

Huo Sining stared at the two large boxes on the table, feeling very strange inside.

Why did this appraisal meeting decide on such a bizarre appraisal method? If you’re only allowed to touch but not look, you can’t directly see the object’s shape and patterns, nor even be clear about its color, making it very difficult to provide the correct appraisal result. As a result, many appraisers might have to rely on blind guessing.

Soon, the invigilator divided the participating appraisers into two teams, with appraisers having odd numbers and even numbers each touching an object in one box, and then the two teams would switch places.

By some unknown arrangement of the examination numbers, Huo Sining’s number was coincidentally next to Ma Liwen’s, with both having even numbers, and Ma Liwen stood right in front of Huo Sining.

Seeing Huo Sining ranked behind him, Ma Liwen couldn’t help but glance at Huo Sining disdainfully and sneered:

”I heard you were recommended by both Qin Lianshan and Zhou Shitao? I advise you to be self-aware and pack up and go back. This mid-term assessment isn’t child’s play like the preliminary selection; don’t embarrass your master Zhou Shitao here!”

”Is that so? Then I’ll wait to see Mr. Ma earn Elder Jia great honor!”

Huo Sining raised her eyebrows and didn’t argue much with Ma Liwen.

At this moment, saying anything would appear lack of confidence. Rather than arguing, it would be better to show some real skills for a head-to-head competition. At that point, whose face gets slapped will be self-evident.

The people in front finished touching and stepped back.

Huo Sining observed those people’s expressions closely, but unfortunately, those appraisers were battle-hardened, and in such settings, they could remain unmoved, leaving Huo Sining unable to discern anything.

She looked at the wooden box on the table and recalled what the invigilator had previously said.

Since they were selecting representatives to participate in the International Treasure Appraisal Conference, they surely needed some understanding of Western antiques.

Huo Sining felt that the objects inside the two boxes should include one Eastern item and one Western item. As for their authenticity, it would be entirely up to the appraisers to fathom using their hands.

Soon, the ten or so appraisers in front finished, and it was Ma Liwen’s turn.

Ma Liwen provocatively smiled at Huo Sining and walked up to the stage.

Huo Sining couldn’t be bothered with him and waited quietly below the stage.

After Ma Liwen went on stage, he confidently reached his hand into the box and began to touch.

Soon his expression became serious, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Although he quickly lowered his eyelids to conceal it, Huo Sining still saw something unusual from the upward curve of his mouth.

What’s this? Did he encounter something familiar?

Huo Sining’s eyes were glued to Ma Liwen. When he finished and stepped down from the stage and gave her a smug smile, Huo Sining suddenly felt a bit anxious inside.

If that object really was something familiar to Ma Liwen, then she might not have much of a chance in this competition.

However, antiques are uncertain. Even with one perfectly crafted item, there can be significant differences.

The so-called tactile theory isn’t entirely reliable. Without seeing the true face of the object, relying solely on touch can sometimes lead to monumental errors from slight inaccuracies.