12: Chapter 12 Major Taboos in Appraising Treasures: Preconceived Notions

The knowledge learned from books is ultimately flat and static, like stagnant water; yet the physical objects before one's eyes are three-dimensional and breathing, as if they were living history.

When the vast library of theories in his mind perfectly overlapped with the real artifacts before him, the feeling of sudden enlightenment and profound clarity left Hu Tian completely captivated, as if every cell in his body was cheering.

"So this is what the sky-blue glaze of a Ru Kiln looks like; it is as pure and ethereal as the sky after rain. It truly makes one smell the fresh scent of earth after a downpour..."

"So the 'black lacquer' patina on bronze ware really is a jet-black crust, shiny as a mirror that reflects one's image, yet when touched with the fingertips, it has a unique astringent texture—that is the resistance polished by the passage of time..."

"So the pores in ming dynasty huanghuali furniture really are this distinct, dotting the flowing wood grain like stars; this is a soulful characteristic that other woods cannot imitate..."

Every verification was like adding bricks and tiles to the edifice of knowledge he was constructing, making it more complete, solid, and impregnable.

Sometimes, the voice of a nearby tour guide would drift into his ears.

"Dear tourists, please look. This is a large blue and white jar from the Yuan dynasty. The characteristics of Yuan blue and white porcelain are its deep, rich blue glaze and rust-like spots, commonly known as 'tin light'..."

As Hu Tian listened, his mind automatically retrieved and displayed the corresponding chapter from the book: 《Appraisal of Ancient Chinese Porcelain》, page 213.

The text seemed to pulse like a living thing: The blue pigment of Yuan blue and white porcelain was mostly imported Sumali blue, which has an extremely high iron content. After firing, it presents a blackish-blue hue, with localized crystalline spots that penetrate deep into the body, creating a distinct, uneven texture.

He looked up at the blue and white jar in the display case. The patterns on the porcelain body were rich and deep, and in the places where the brushstrokes were heavier, one could indeed see obvious dark spots. He could even imagine the uneven texture, which was proof of iron crystals breaking through the glaze.

It was exactly as the book described!

Not a single detail off!

[System Judgment: Authentic, Yuan dynasty Zhizheng-type blue and white porcelain, 99.7% accuracy.]

Over the next few days, Hu Tian was like a tireless scanner, viewing all the permanent exhibitions from the first to the fourth floor of the Museum.

For every exhibit, he would retrieve the corresponding knowledge points in his mind to conduct a comprehensive comparative verification, while simultaneously activating the Treasure Hunting Radar for a final judgment.

This high-intensity practical training allowed his discernment to undergo a qualitative leap, advancing by leaps and bounds.

He discovered that the accuracy rate between his own judgments and the system's final assessments was as high as 99%!

At most, there were slight differences in dating; for example, the system might classify an item as "mid-ming dynasty," while he judged it as "early ming dynasty" based on book knowledge. However, such errors were usually within a range of a few decades, which is considered extremely high precision for antique appraisal, enough to look down upon the competition.

However, just when his confidence was soaring and he felt he could walk sideways in the antique circle, an accident happened.

In an inconspicuous corner of the miscellaneous items hall on the fifth floor, there sat a piece of porcelain labeled as a "Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong famille rose 'hundred flowers' vase."

The vase was exquisitely painted with dazzling colors, and the base mark was a standard "Made in the Qing dynasty during the reign of Emperor Qianlong" in seal script, written with vigorous strokes.

Hu Tian glanced at it, and his mind quickly retrieved: the shape was regular and dignified, the glaze was smooth as jade, the colors were vivid, and the painting was delicate and detailed—it completely matched the characteristics of an Emperor Qianlong imperial kiln.

Furthermore, this was a collection of a national first-class Museum, with formal provenance records and appraisal certificates from authoritative experts, displayed under spotlights and admired by thousands of tourists.

How could there be fakes in a Museum?

This is a national-level institution!

How could the authorities be wrong?

Thus, he committed the great taboo of appraising—preconceived notions.

He did not observe the shape of the bubbles, the texture of the body, or the microscopic characteristics of the materials in detail as he had done before. He just took a rough look and arbitrarily concluded in his heart: It is undoubtedly authentic, definitely a genuine piece from the period.

[The system alert sounded abruptly: Warning! Counterfeit detected!]

Hu Tian was stunned, his heart contracting violently. In disbelief, he leaned close to the glass cabinet, pressing his entire body against it to re-examine it carefully.

This time, he forcibly discarded the preconceived notions that "there are no fakes in a Museum" and "authority is truth." He took a deep breath, calmed his mind like still water, and objectively mobilized all his knowledge reserves to examine the artifact as if he were a forensic pathologist performing an autopsy.

Sure enough, problems appeared!

They were hidden very deep!

Although the painting was extremely similar, under an imaginary magnifying glass, the pigment particles of the famille rose were too uniform and stiff, lacking the natural sense of impurity and layering found in Qing dynasty mineral pigments; the luster of the glaze, while bright, vaguely revealed a modern "thief's light" floating on the surface—glaring and frivolous, lacking the restrained, warm, and inner "treasure light" that emanates from the bones of old porcelain. Most importantly, the blue color of the base mark, while imitating the richness of the Emperor Qianlong period, lacked the natural pauses and casual feeling of ancient calligraphy, appearing too neat and rigid. It looked like the decal craftsmanship of folk artisans from the early post-liberation period or something manually filled in after high-precision printing, reeking of a mechanical, artificial quality.

This was a high-quality modern imitation, or even a "super-imitation among high-quality imitations." Even some old experts in the Museum might have been deceived by it, or perhaps they were cheated when it was collected years ago and it had never been corrected, thus it had been displayed openly to this day.

A layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out on Hu Tian's back, soaking his shirt.

If it weren't for the system's timely reminder, he would have been fooled today!

And to be fooled in a Museum—this would be a wake-up call in his appraisal career!

This incident taught him a vivid and cruel lesson: when identifying antiques, one must never have preconceived notions, must not be superstitious about authority, and must not blindly trust provenance and certificates.

One must evaluate objectively, seek truth from facts, ensure every detail stands up to scrutiny, and get to the bottom of every suspicious point.

Even in a Museum, and even with expert endorsements, one must maintain a spirit of skepticism and only trust one's own eyes and the evidence in one's hands.

[System final judgment: High-quality imitation, made around 1952, 100% accuracy.]

Hu Tian took a deep breath and bowed deeply to the gorgeous "counterfeit."

It was both to thank it for the warning, allowing him to pull back from the brink on his way to the pinnacle, and to pay homage to the path of antique appraisal, which is full of traps and dense fog, reminding himself at all times to tread on thin ice.

After this month of grueling training, a vast and precise antique database had been built in Hu Tian's mind.

The theoretical knowledge from thousands of books, the practical verification of thousands of physical objects, plus the endorsement of the system's 99% accuracy rate, allowed him to truly complete his transformation from a rookie to a master.

His eyes became deeper and sharper, as if they could pierce through the fog of time, reach the essence of the artifacts, and see through the vicissitudes of a thousand years.

Only then did he truly understand that his previous efforts had not been in vain.

Combining theory with practice, plus a heart that always remains objective, reverent, and unswayed—this is the true meaning of appraisal and the amulet for navigating the world.

When he left the Museum, the sun was setting. The golden afterglow spilled onto Hu Tian, casting a long shadow and making him appear resolute and upright.

"Next, it is time to go to the real battlefield."

Hu Tian looked at the bustling city in the distance, a confident and calm smile curling at the corners of his mouth, "Antique Street, here I come."

More importantly, Hu Tian finally understood the source of the system's energy value.

When he focused intently on those precious cultural relics in the Museum, the system would occasionally send a faint prompt: [High spiritual resonance treasure detected, but cannot absorb energy as it is not in possession.]

It turned out that the system needed to absorb spiritual resonance from antique objects or treasures "held" by the host to obtain energy values.

Simply watching and learning, while it could improve his discernment, could not be directly converted into the system's energy.

To become stronger and unlock more functions, he must acquire the treasures!

"It seems that picking up leaks is not only for money, but also for the evolution of the system."

Hu Tian thought to himself, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes.

That evening, as the sun was setting, Hu Tian came out of the Museum, and his phone suddenly rang.

It was a call from Old Zhou.

"Little Hu, what have you been busy with lately?"

Old Zhou's voice was as hearty as ever, revealing the concern of an elder.

"I am at the Museum, Old Zhou. Is something the matter?"

Hu Tian answered truthfully, his tone humble.

"Good, good, good. It is a good thing for young people to be willing to learn. In the antique business, discernment is your rice bowl, it is your life."

Old Zhou laughed, "By the way, in two days, our Binhai City Antique Association is holding an internal appraisal exchange meeting. It will be attended by some old friends in the circle. Would you be interested in coming to have a look? It will also be a chance for everyone to meet you, a young talent."

Hu Tian's eyes lit up, and he was secretly delighted: "Of course I am interested! I would love to."

This was exactly a good opportunity for him to show his strength and expand his connections.

"Then it is settled. Saturday at 2:00 PM. I will text you the address."

After hanging up the phone, a confident smile curled at the corners of Hu Tian's mouth.

Saturday is the day after tomorrow.

That means there is still a whole day tomorrow.

"Why not go to the Antique Street again tomorrow?"

Hu Tian calculated in his heart, "After this period of systematic learning and practical verification, what level has my cognitive appraisal of various antiques actually reached? Since I have time, I might as well stroll through the Antique Street, use practical combat to test my discernment, and see if I can pick up another leak to charge the system and prepare some 'ammunition' for Saturday's exchange meeting."

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Hu Tian headed straight to the Antique Street, full of energy.

Today, the Antique Street was much livelier than usual. Stalls were packed one after another, hawking voices rose and fell, and there were more people coming and going than usual, filled with a strong sense of worldly life and the atmosphere of the trade.

Hu Tian slowed his pace, adjusted his breathing, and entered his best state, his heart calm as still water.

He began to try not to rely on the system's immediate prompts, but instead relied on the antique knowledge he had gained from his hard work over the past half month, using his own discernment to judge the authenticity and quality, and then using the Treasure Hunting Radar System to verify the results.

This was a form of self-sharpening, and also a way to build self-confidence.

For most of the items on the street stalls, the system displayed them as gray light spots. Hu Tian also used his own discernment to see that these were modern imitations or low-grade goods, so he dismissed them and walked straight past.

He found a few good-quality antiques at different stalls, which glowed with a faint white light.

However, the stall owners clearly knew a bit about the trade; they held their prices firm and wouldn't budge an inch, leaving Hu Tian with very little room for profit.

Hu Tian probed a few times, found that the price couldn't be negotiated and there was no leak to be found, so he didn't dwell on it, smiled, turned, and left, without any hesitation.