There were four rough stones in total, with four to six contestants standing beside each one. Wang Zhuomin was standing beside the third stone, examining it closely.

Beside stone number three stood the display model, a rather slender "soft girl"—a term used for young women with gentle voices, soft gazes, sweet temperaments, and delicate figures. She embodied several of these traits perfectly.

While Wang Zhu stood studying the stone, another older contestant beside him was busy hitting on the soft girl, asking her age and name. It seemed this fellow had come to the competition primarily to pick up women!

“Excuse me, sir, could you possibly move aside?” Luo Lan asked with slight annoyance, finding the uncle’s presence by the display table obstructive.

The uncle didn’t seem offended by her impoliteness at all; instead, he offered her a somewhat apologetic smile and gracefully moved aside, then resumed his self-introduction to the model.

Wang Zhu suddenly noticed with a wry smile that the man bore a striking resemblance to Wang Zhengdao.

Luo Lan let out a soft hum and finally stepped into the space the uncle had vacated, turning to Wang Zhu to ask, “What do you think of this piece?”

“I’m not very good with these gray-skinned stones,” Wang Zhu replied with a slight smile, shaking his head.

“Oh, I see…” Luo Lan pursed her lips slightly in minor disappointment before focusing intently on the rough stone again, falling silent.

Stone number three was a brick-sized piece of gray skin stone, marked by a whitish-gray python band. This stone had clearly been scrutinized many times, its surface rubbed smooth.

Wang Zhu’s perspective ability easily pierced the outer layer. His expression remained neutral—it was a classic 'brick stone'; the interior was a mass of opaque, mixed colors, commonly known as 'dog-shit ground,' material often used by many jade workshops in Yunnan to pave floors or build walls.

For this brick-shaped brick stone, Wang Zhu genuinely wanted to slash a bold entry into box number three on his contestant card: “Zero point five yuan,” because that was essentially the price of a brick. However, the competition rules required prices to be quoted in units of one hundred yuan, leaving him genuinely unsure if he could write zero yuan.

Magnifying glasses and powerful flashlights were readily available on the display stand. After meticulously appraising the stone for a long time, one contestant confidently wrote down his estimated bid on his card. Curious, Wang Zhu used his perspective ability to look: a '2' followed by four zeros—twenty thousand!

Wang Zhu chuckled inwardly and shook his head, moving toward stone number four.

The shape of this piece was amusingly reminiscent of a woman’s bosom, specifically pendulous, large breasts, complete with a coin-sized patch of gray scab on the tip!

Wang Zhu and the older gentleman who had bid twenty thousand on the brick arrived simultaneously at stone number four. Both burst out laughing at the shape. The older man deliberately glanced back at Luo Lan, seemingly comparing the stone to her full breasts.

Wang Zhu, meanwhile, looked up at the chandelier hanging from the hall ceiling, catching Luo Lan’s reflection in a fingernail-sized piece of glass on the fixture. Indeed, there was a certain resemblance, and perhaps Luo Lan’s bust was even slightly more generous in size!

The older man withdrew his gaze, returning his attention to stone number four for a long moment before frowning and saying, “This is another brick stone…”

The few surrounding contestants nodded in agreement. Although they were competitors, they retained the habit of exchanging information, much like they would when gambling on stones outside. Moreover, everyone had their own calculations in mind, and they weren’t afraid of sharing intelligence that might benefit a rival.

This stone was pitch black, bearing no markings whatsoever besides that coin-sized gray scab. The outer texture was fine and smooth, lacking even a single visible vein pattern. If it were a pair of full breasts, it would be perfect, but as a piece of jade rough, it offered absolutely nothing to gamble on!

However, Wang Zhu’s perspective ability detected a faint light-blue color band near the gray scab. It might be enough to carve a small Buddha or a string of beans, and it appeared to be ice-grade jade, with fine, even crystallization—likely worth a few thousand yuan if made into a finished piece.

That the four stones donated by Aiyu Ju were of this caliber left Wang Zhu somewhat resigned. He took one last look at that color band, shook his head, and walked toward stone number two.

Throughout this whole sequence, he hadn't spared even a glance at Pingping, who stood beside stone number four. Pingping stood there with a stiff smile, wanting to exchange a word or two with him but finding nothing appropriate to say.

Stone number two performed far better than three and four, boasting a complete pine flower python band, attracting the largest crowd of onlookers and the most intense debate.

Half of the thirty-minute card-filling time had elapsed, but Wang Zhu wasn't rushing to examine this stone; instead, he appeared somewhat distracted, as if deep in thought.

In reality, he was using his perspective ability to take in the entire scene on the main platform, observing the expressions, demeanor, and actions of the other contestants, as well as the answers on their cards.

Soon, he spotted a suspicious individual. This middle-aged man, about forty, was seemingly discussing stone number two with others, but he had already filled out all four answers on his card along with his name. Wang Zhu was certain this man, Liu Jixiang, hadn't even looked at stone number four yet, meaning his answers were prepared in advance—he was someone arranged by Jingtian Hui!

On Liu Jixiang’s answer card, the estimate for the brick stone, number three, was five hundred yuan, and number four was three thousand yuan. Five hundred was close to the brick’s implied value, and three thousand suggested a gamble that the 'full-breast' stone might yield a small amount of low-grade jade, results somewhat consistent with what Wang Zhu had observed with his perspective ability.

The answers of the other contestants were wildly varied. The most absurd one valued the brick at two hundred thousand yuan but wrote “Good Milk” in the box for the 'full-breast' stone.

Liu Jixiang wrote ten thousand for stone number two. Wang Zhu noticed another man and woman, both displaying subtle tell-tale signs of deception, also appraising stone number two; they had not yet written their answers.

Now Wang Zhu understood: Liu Jixiang, along with this man and woman, were the designated champion seeds for this competition. Their valuations were set to establish a certain spread, and after the stones were cut, the final results determined by the judges would equal or closely approximate their estimates, ensuring the championship was theirs.

The female seed contestant was named Ma Xin, a woman dripping with mature charm, seductive allure, and exquisite softness. Wang Zhu couldn't fathom why Jingtian Hui would select such a woman as a seed—perhaps she was the mistress of some powerful figure, involving a triple transaction of power, money, and sex?

Wang Zhu had actually guessed correctly, but this woman was merely a passing extra to him; with the aid of his perspective ability, she was destined to remain a mere background character.

The other male seed contestant was Yu Yang, a handsome and composed man in his early thirties, the general manager of a jewelry company called Dingsheng and a master of jade appraisal. He had already written two thousand for the box of the brick stone, number three, but for stone number two, he wrote zero! Zero? Wang Zhu was momentarily stunned, his gaze instantly refocusing, his drifting state snapping back to normal as he turned his attention to the exceptionally good-looking stone on display stand two.

Upon closer inspection, he realized something shocking: stone number two was a fake. Its excellent exterior appearance had been glued on! The interior was a piece of worthless porcelain-grade material cut into an irregular shape. This masterful forgery was undetectable from the outside, costing only a few thousand yuan to create, yet it could inflate the value of a rough stone to hundreds of thousands!

Yu Yang clearly knew the truth. By bidding zero, the stone would be worthless once cut open, and no one could challenge him for having known the secret beforehand, because the stone would be shattered—no evidence left to contest!

This discovery set Wang Zhu’s estimates for stones two, three, and four to two zeros and one uncertain few thousand yuan. He wasted no more time and headed for stone number one.

“Wang Zhu…” Deng Jiao, standing next to stone number one, finally got the chance as Wang Zhu approached. She mustered her courage and spoke sheepishly, “I am truly sorry about what happened at your company last time…”

Wang Zhu looked at her, let out a gentle, thoughtful chuckle, and shook his head, saying, “You don’t need to dwell on it. It doesn’t bother me.”

“Thank you.”

A weight seemed to lift from Deng Jiao’s heart, but simultaneously, another weight settled heavily—Wang Zhu’s indifferent attitude confirmed that, in his eyes, she was just a passerby.

“Time’s up!” A gong sounded as the host urged the contestants to fill out their cards and submit them to the judging table within the next three minutes.

The five judges were seated, with Jia Weimin in the center, Jingtian Hui to the left, and Liu Yufeng also present. Wang Zhu didn't recognize the other two, but they were undoubtedly in league with Jingtian Hui.

When the three minutes elapsed, Wang Zhu was the last to hand in his card. The twenty cards were stacked neatly before Jia Weimin; the truth would only be revealed after the stone-cutting phase concluded.

The contestants retreated. As Wang Zhu returned to Siyuan’s side, the young girl eagerly asked, “Instructor Wang, how did it go?”

Wang Zhu spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness, offering a wry smile, “Time was too tight; I ended before I could thoroughly research everything.”

Though he spoke this way, a flicker of cunning shone in his eyes. Siyuan noticed it immediately and a barely perceptible smile touched her lips.

Siyuan had blind faith in Wang Zhu’s stone-gambling skills. At this moment, she was eagerly anticipating the announcement of his victory!

While the contestants were appraising the rough stones, all the cold snacks had been cleared from the audience area. The venue was now pristine. After the cutting phase, various drinks would be served, transitioning into a cocktail reception.

The stone-cutting machinery made its gleaming entrance. Perhaps to facilitate on-site cutting, the four stones donated by Aiyu Workshop were all relatively small, and the equipment provided featured the most advanced dust-free tools, avoiding the unsightly scene of sawdust flying from an electric saw.

Amidst the chatter and discussion between contestants and judges, stone number four, the 'full-breast' piece, was chosen to be the first to face the blade, placed upon the cutting!

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