“Does it matter to me who you are?” Dustin shrugged. “You insolent bastard! I am the leader of Asclepia, Dr. Bruce Darby’s best student!
Your disrespect toward me is a direct disrespect toward Asclepia! Just a word from me is enough to make you vanish from the medical field!
Don’t test me!” Preston threatened. The people who showed up were people involved in the medical field.
Asclepia’s power stretched across the nation. And all prestigious entities in the medical world respected them. It was easy for them to wipe out a small fry. “Oh, I’m so scared.
Well, go ahead and do as you wish, then,” Dustin replied dismissively.
His unconcern attitude and disregard fueled Preston’s anger. “Y-yo-you bastard! Just wait!”
“Are you done yet? If you are, please get lost.” Dustin waved his hand impatiently as if he was driving a bug away.
“You-!” Preston gritted his teeth. As he was about to get violent, Miranda tugged on his arm. “Preston, there’s no need to stoop to levels of such lowlife.
People like him can only hope he’ll ever get to our level. He’ll never be as good as us, so all he can do is run his mouth.”
“That’s right! Only incompetent people waste their time talking. People with real skills speak with their actions!” Their lackeys added.
“You rascal! You sound sure of yourself. If that’s the case, let’s have a challenge.” It was clear that Preston wasn’t pleased. Since he couldn’t win him in an argument, it was time he put his skills to use.
“I’m not interested.” Dustin flat-out rejected. “Hah! Are you not interested, or you don’t have the skills? Or perhaps, you simply don’t have the guts?” Preston snickered as if he had seen through
Dustin’s brave act. “Hmph! Here I was thinking that maybe we’ve got ourselves a worthy opponent. It turns out he’s just a cowardly chicken!” Miranda mocked.
“This is what we call a champion boaster. They always win in an argument. But once things start getting serious, they chicken out faster than anyone else.”
“A slacker will always be a slacker. No matter what they say, the facts won’t change!” The lackeys ridiculed and mocked Dustin, looking at him as if he were nothing more than a mere clown.
“Hey! That’s enough!” Abigail was angered. Had it not been for her concerns for decency, she would have taken action much sooner. They were a bunch who did not watch what they said.
“What? Are you just going to stay silent and let a girl stand up for you? What a worthless bum!” Preston continued to taunt.
“I intended to ignore you, but you seem adamant about getting on my nerves. Fine, you wish to challenge me, don’t you? I’ll take you up on that challenge.”
Dustin did not wish to tolerate them anymore. Just because he couldn’t be bothered to take action did not mean that he wasn’t capable of doing so.
“Wow! You’re finally acting like a man!” Preston gave a cunning grin. “Alright, I won’t take advantage of you. Let’s just go through with Dr. Watkins’
examination. Whoever gets a higher rank in the examination wins. The loser will be the winner’s dog. How’s that? Do you dare to take up the challenge?”
Preston was dead set on winning.
Preston was going to defeat Dustin so that he could crush him under his feet, utterly humiliating him. Only by doing so could he vent the anger in his heart.
“Well, if you insist on becoming my dog, I’ll agree to it, then.” Dustin had an impassive look.
“Hmph! Keep talking tough. Let’s see how much longer you can stay arrogant!” Preston sneered.
“Everyone, did you all see that? We are all witnesses to the challenge. The loser shall be the winner’s dog.” Miranda was quick to back Preston up.
“That’s right! The loser will be a dog!” The lackeys followed along. It wasn’t every day that they came across someone they could humiliate.
They were going to grab hold of every opportunity that came their way. “This young man is acting so recklessly. Why would he accept Preston’s challenge?
At a medical examination too! Isn’t he inviting defeat upon himself?” “If he doesn’t have the ability, he should admit defeat. But he insists on being arrogant! He’s going to embarrass himself when he loses.”
“Young people these days are too proud. They don’t know their limits.” The crowd around them started whispering and commenting on Dustin’s actions. From their point of view, Dustin was too arrogant and would end up embarrassing himself.
Chapter 722
“Silence!” As everyone got into a heated discussion, a loud voice roared. Then, a group of elders of the Stoneray Order entered the hall.
Dr. Linden Watkins, leader of the Stoneray Order, walked before the group. Several other elders and some of the administrative disciples followed behind him.
“Is that Dr. Linden Watkins? He has such a grand aura coming from him!”
“Whoever does well in the examination today will be chosen as Dr. Watkins’ student. And will be learning from Dr. Watkins himself. The chosen one will have a bright future ahead!”
The mood turned serious when Linden entered. Everyone looked at him with respect in their eyes.
Linden was the best of the great three doctors in Balerno. Not only was he a skilled doctor, but he also had many students in the entire country. Everyone respected him. It would be a big achievement to become his student.
“We have some interesting candidates here today.” He looked at the crowd, briefly focusing on Preston and Miranda Asclepia had managed to make a name for themselves in the medical field.
And now their influence increased and would soon be on the same level as the Stoneray Order. Preston and Miranda’s presence within Asclepia helped them recruit more geniuses.
Linden paid close attention to these rising talents of the younger generation. “Let’s begin.” Linden nodded to the rest of the elders. Then he sat in the center as the other elders sat on both sides of him.
“The examination will begin.” An invigilator dressed in black stood before the crowd. Then he announced, “There are three parts to this examination. First,
you will need to identify some drugs. Second, you will have to produce a medicine And finally, you will cure a sick patient.”
“Now, please get ready for the first test.” With a wave of his hand, more than ten disciples of the Stoneray Order walked in. They held a wooden box with medicine bottles inside.
“These bottles contain medicine that we’ve prepared. For your first test, you will taste it and identify the herbs used. Each of you will get a piece of paper,
so list its components. Ten points will be deducted for each mistake. If you make three mistakes, you’re disqualified,” the invigilator announced.
The hall immediately buzzed with discussion when they heard that. “My goodness! They call this simple? How are we supposed to identify the herbs used by just the taste of it? Can anyone even do that?”
“Exactly! I don’t think anyone can do that without at least 20 years of experience!”
“If the first test is this tough, I can’t imagine how difficult the next two tests will be!”
Everyone began complaining about how difficult the test was. Though everyone knew that the Stoneray Order had strict criteria for accepting students, this was harder than they thought.
“Silence!” The invigilator roared. “If anyone is dissatisfied, you can choose to give up. The Stoneray anymore. Just because he couldn’t be bothered to take action did not mean that he wasn’t capable of doing so.
“Wow! You’re finally acting like a man!” Preston gave a cunning grin. “Alright, I won’t take advantage of you. Let’s just go through with Dr. Watkins’ examination.
Whoever gets a higher rank in the examination wins. The loser will be the winner’s dog. How’s that? Do you dare to take up the challenge?” Preston was dead set on winning.
Preston was going to defeat Dustin so that he could crush him under his feet, utterly humiliating him. Only by doing so could he vent the anger in his heart.
“Well, if you insist on becoming my dog, I’ll agree to it, then.” Dustin had an impassive look.
“Hmph! Keep talking tough. Let’s see how much longer you can stay arrogant!” Preston sneered.
“Everyone, did you all see that? We are all witnesses to the challenge. The loser shall be the winner’s dog.” Miranda was quick to back Preston up.
“That’s right! The loser will be a dog!” The lackeys followed along. It wasn’t every day that they came across someone they could humiliate. They were going to grab hold of every opportunity that came their way.
“This young man is acting so recklessly. Why would he accept Preston’s challenge? At a medical examination too! Isn’t he inviting defeat upon himself?”
“If he doesn’t have the ability, he should admit defeat. But he insists on being arrogant! He’s going to embarrass himself when he loses.”
“Young people these days are too proud. They don’t know their limits.” The crowd around them started whispering and commenting on Dustin’s actions. From their point of view, Dustin was too arrogant and would end up embarrassing himself.
“Silence!” As everyone got into a heated discussion, a loud voice roared. Then, a group of elders of the Stoneray Order entered the hall.
Dr. Linden Watkins, leader of the Stoneray Order, walked before the group. Several other elders and some of the administrative disciples followed behind him.“Is that Dr. Linden Watkins? He has such a grand aura coming from him!”
“Whoever does well in the examination today will be chosen as Dr. Watkins’ student. And will be learning from Dr. Watkins himself. The chosen one will have a bright future ahead!”
The mood turned serious when Linden entered. Everyone looked at him with respect in their eyes.
Linden was the best of the great three doctors in Balerno. Not only was he a skilled doctor, but he also had many students in the entire country. Everyone respected him. It would be a big achievement to become his student.
“We have some interesting candidates here today.” He looked at the crowd, briefly focusing on Preston and Miranda.
Asclepia had managed to make a name for themselves in the medical field. And now their influence increased and would soon be on the same level as the Stoneray Order.
Preston and Miranda’s presence within Asclepia helped them recruit more geniuses. Linden paid close attention to these rising talents of the younger generation.
“Let’s begin.” Linden nodded to the rest of the elders. Then he sat in the center as the other elders sat on both sides of him.
“The examination will begin.” An invigilator dressed in black stood before the crowd. Then he announced, “There are three parts to this examination First,
you will need to identify some drugs. Second, you will have to produce a medicine. And finally, you will cure a sick patient.”
“Now, please get ready for the first test.” With a wave of his hand, more than ten disciples of the Stoneray Order walked in. They held a wooden box with medicine bottles inside.
“These bottles contain medicine that we’ve prepared. For your first test, you will taste it and identify the herbs used. Each of you will get a piece of paper,
so list its components. Ten points will be deducted for each mistake. If you make three mistakes, you’re disqualified,” the invigilator announced.
The hall immediately buzzed with discussion when they heard that. “My goodness! They call this simple? How are we supposed to identify the herbs used by just the taste of it? Can anyone even do that?”
“Exactly! I don’t think anyone can do that without at least 20 years of experience!” “If the first test is this tough, I can’t imagine how difficult the next two tests will be!”
Everyone began complaining about how difficult the test was. Though everyone knew that the Stoneray Order had strict criteria for accepting students, this was harder than they thought.
“Silence!” The invigilator roared. “If anyone is dissatisfied, you can choose to give up. The Stoneray Order will not accept incompetent students!”
His simple statement was enough to silence the crowd’s grumbles and complaints. None of them were ready to give up so quickly after such a long journey there.
“If we have no objections, we will begin now. You will be given a medicine bottle and must list the ingredients within 30 minutes. Whoever completes this within the given time will continue to the next test.” The bottles were given out,
and the timer started counting down. Upon receiving the bottle, everyone quickly tasted the medicine. Every second counted. Whoever finished the test in the shortest time would show that they were better than the rest. They might even attract the attention of the invigilators.
However, everyone frowned when they tasted the medicine. This was much more challenging than they had thought.
There were all sorts of herbs in the medicine After they were brewed together, it was impossible to identify the specific herbs used. The taste was a mixture of bitter, sweet, and sour. It tasted disgusting. “Challenging indeed. But I’ll handle this just fine.
Chapter 723
Preston smiled faintly after taking three sips of the medicine and wrote on the paper. He listed down all the herbs in the medicine.
When he was halfway through, he took another sip to ensure he did everything correctly. When he was sure of his judgment, he listed the rest of the ingredients. It took him less than 10 minutes.
“I’m done.” Preston raised his hand to inform the invigilators that he finished. Although he spoke softly, he managed to attract the attention of everyone in the hall.
“Is he serious? He’s finished already in such a short time?” “Hmph! I don’t believe he’s that good. I bet he just guessed the herbs!”
The crowd whispered among themselves. Some were amazed, while some were doubtful.
“Let me check.” The invigilator went to Preston and took his answer script. His eyes immediately lit up after going through the list.
“Not bad at all. Your answers are all correct. There’s not a single mistake. Perfect score.” The invigilator praised.
An uproar broke out among the crowd at that. “Damn it! Did he get a perfect score? Is he that good?”
“As expected of Dr. Darby’s best student! He lives up to his name!” “Fuck! I haven’t written a word, and he’s already listed every ingredient and is continuing to the next test. We’re not even competing at the same level.”
The crowd was shocked. Preston’s talent showed them how much they lacked medical skills and knowledge. They had no hopes of getting first place. So, they could only focus and try for second or third place.
“I’m done too.” Right then, Miranda raised her hand. The invigilator approached her and nodded in satisfaction when he saw her answers. “Very good.
Perfect score as well.”
“Another perfect score? Aren’t they too good at this?” “Oh man… What can I say? They’re way too good for people like us.
“They are terrifying! I don’t think I’m cut out for this. I’m giving up!” Miranda’s perfect score destroyed everyone’s spirit. Many could not stand the pressure and chose to give up.
“Hey, buddy! Are you not done yet? Do you need some help?” Preston turned to look at Dustin, a sarcastic smile on his face.
“Preston, I think he needs some help. He hasn’t even written a word!” Miranda turned to look at Dustin’s paper and covered her mouth to hide her snigger.
She looked just like a mean b*tch. “No way! It’s such a simple test! You can’t even manage to think of a single herb? My, aren’t you a dumbass?” Preston mocked him, exaggerating his words.
“What’s the rush? We have lots of time,” Dustin answered casually. “No matter how much time you have, it won’t change anything. Trash will always be trash. It doesn’t matter how hard you struggle. You’re never going to succeed.” Preston taunted.
“I say, stop struggling and just be Preston’s dog. At least he might give you a bone when he feels like it,” Miranda said with a smirk.
“Are you sure that you’re going to be the winner?” Dustin asked suddenly. “Why not? We’ve both scored full marks, and you have not even written a word. Isn’t it obvious who the winner will be?” Preston’s lips curled into a mean smile.
“Well, seeing how confident you are, I’ll teach you a lesson today.” Without another word, Dustin quickly wrote a long list of ingredients on the paper He wrote with great ease, without any hesitation. The crowd was stunned and amazed, wondering if he was secretly an expert.
Even Preston and Miranda were flustered. He wrote so fast and with complete certainty. They began to doubt if they had chosen the wrong person to bully.
“Done.” While everyone was still shocked by Dustin’s fast writing, he had already submitted his answer to the invigilator.
The invigilator frowned when he saw Dustin’s answer. Then, in a frosty voice, he said, “Wrong answer. You get zero marks!”
Chapter 724
“Zero?”
Everyone was shocked before they burst out in laughter. They looked at Dustin like he was a fool.
“Hahaha… How hilarious! The audacity he has to act so arrogantly when he got zero marks!”
“He looked so certain of himself that I had begun to think he was all that. In the end, he was just pretending!”
“Even I could at least get a few points if I simply wrote some herbs. How did you manage to get zero points? What a joke!”
Everyone started to ridicule him. They initially thought Dustin was an expert when he wrote confidently and quickly. But in the end, the zero he received said a lot about him and exposed him as a fool.
“Rascal, I must say, you sure are shameless. How can you behave so arrogantly when you’re getting zero? I am amazed.” Preston sarcastically gave him a thumbs-up.
“If you don’t have the ability, then admit that you don’t. You are humiliating yourself if you insist on being arrogant!” Miranda looked at him like he was an idiot.
“Zero?” Dustin ignored the insults thrown at him and looked straight at the invigilator. “Are you sure you didn’t make the wrong judgment?” Dustin asked.
“What? Are you questioning me?” The invigilator raised a brow. “I don’t think I’ve made any mistakes with listing the herbs, so I’m just curious why you gave me zero points.” Dustin countered.
“You’ve indeed got most of the herbs right, but you added aconite to the list,” the invigilator said icily
“Alright, let’s put aside whether I got that wrong. Even if aconite were a wrong answer, I’d only get ten points deducted. Why did I end up with zero?” Dustin pressed.
According to the rules, one mistake meant he lost ten points. He would only be disqualified after three mistakes. He really could not comprehend how he ended up with zero marks.
“If it were just a regular mistake, I would not have given you zero points. But the problem is, you listed aconite as one of the ingredients, which reacts with the Fritillaria bulb in the medicine and becomes a deadly poison!
If a doctor cannot even understand the difference between medicine and poison, what makes you think you can join the Stoneray Order? And this is the reason why I’ve given you zero points.
Are you happy with my explanation?” the invigilator asked gravely. “Of course not,” Dustin answered. “You were the ones who brewed the medicine. I’m only listing what I think is in there. So even if it’s poisonous,
that’s your problem, not mine.”
“How dare you!” The invigilator lost his cool right then and there. “Why would the Stoneray Order put something poisonous into our medicine? You are simply spouting nonsense!”
“Hey, rascal! Are you just here to create problems for everyone? You know you can’t win, so this is your way of disrupting things?” Preston asked with irritation
“We should drive this troublemaker out, or things will only worsen.” Miranda looked at him with contempt.
“Get out! Get out!” Many of the people there echoed in agreement. How dare a person who scored zero marks behave so arrogantly? He was only going to embarrass himself even more.
“Guys, throw him out of here!” The Stoneray Order’s disciples rushed toward Dustin on the invigilator’s order.
“Hold on.” Just as they were about to grab Dustin, Linden, who sat at the main seat and had watched everything happen, spoke up. “He’s a promising talent. Let’s keep him around.”
Upon hearing that, everyone was taken aback. No one expected Linden to speak up for someone who was trash. “Dr. Watkins, this person is making baseless claims and slanderin
Chapter 725
“He said nothing wrong. There is aconite in the medicine.” Linden’s words shocked everyone.
“What?” That invigilator froze in disbelief. “Dr. Watkins, you must be mistaken. I remember that aconite wasn’t listed in the recipe.
The elders beside Linden did not say anything but had puzzled expressions. The medicines were brewed according to a recipe, and no one would dare to change it. How is it possible that it contained aconite?
“Originally, Aconite was not included. But I just felt like adding it, so I did,” Linden said casually,
“You felt like it?” When the crowd heard that statement, they exchanged looks with each other. Wasn’t Linden too carefree?
“Dr. Watkins, when aconite is combined with the Fritillaria bulb, it becomes poisonous. Why would you add it?” The invigilator frowned.
He had said the same thing just now to criticize Dustin. Now, Linden had confirmed that there was really aconite in the medicine.
“It’s to test everyone, of course,” Linden said casually. “If we strictly follow the recipe, it would be too simple and boring. They would easily be able to guess the ingredients.
“However, adding aconite would make things more interesting Everyone must think outside the box to notice the little surprise I prepared for you.
“Unfortunately, none of you noticed it. Except for this man, who was sensitive enough to spot it. So technically speaking, he is the only one with a perfect score!”
The crowd became uneasy when they heard that. It seemed this was all planned by Linden. Most importantly, Dustin was the only person who successfully noticed the special ingredient added to the medicine!
Before Linden revealed the truth, the crowd thought that Dustin was just an attention seeker, SO they mocked him as much as they wanted. None of them expected that they were the real fool.
“How’s that possible? I didn’t even notice that there was aconite. How did that bastard know?” Preston’s brows furrowed as he frowned. He was usually proud and arrogant because of his talents. He could not accept losing to someone else.
“Does this scoundrel have some insider information?” Miranda had a doubtful look on her face. Even though she was talented, it took her a few years to be on the same level as her seniors. Even her mentor, Dr. Darby, always praised her and considered her a potential successor.
She had never once made a mistake regarding medicine. That was until today. So she was annoyed.
“So, I was wrong?” The invigilator’s lips twisted to a frown, and he was speechless. He felt ashamed of his actions.
“Young man, you surprised me. But I have a question for you. Can you guess why I’ve added aconite to the medicine?” Linden smiled at him thoughtfully “It’s to poison us,” Dustin answered confidently.
“Oh? Could you explain?” Linden raised a brow “Based on the herbs, their properties, and the dosage. The toxic effect should start in about 30 minutes. And if I’m not wrong, this is all for our second test,”
Dustin said calmly. “And what else?” Linden nodded in approval.
“They mentioned that the second test is to produce medicine. But what you want us to do is to come up with the antidote while we are poisoned.
However, it won’t be easy to produce the antidote while we are experiencing the effects of the toxin.” Dustin revealed the truth. “Hahaha… Young man, you sure have talent!” Linden laughed heartily, his
eyes shining with admiration toward Dustin. “You are right! That is our next test for you. Whoever manages to produce the antidote will move on to the next round. Whoever fails to do so will never live
to see the next day!”
Chapter 726
“What?” Everyone shouted in shock. A bottle fell out of someone’s hand and broke into pieces as it crashed to the ground.
Nobody expected the medicine they tasted to be poison! It was supposed to be just an easy examination to identify the components of the medicine. How did it turn into a life-threatening situation? Was it
necessary for the examination to be so extreme? “Dr. Watkins, isn’t this going too far?” The invigilator frowned. Linden had always done his best to save lives, so using poison to test them seemed unusual.
“There is a fine line between medicine and poison. There are times when poison can also be used to save lives. It all depends on how someone uses them. As long as it’s effective, it doesn’t matter how it’s being used,” Linden said seriously. “But-” “Enough.”
The invigilator was about to say something when Linden raised a hand and cut him off. “The Stoneray Order does not accept incompetent students.
Anyone who isn’t confident in your own skills, you may choose to quit. “All you need to do is walk straight to the door, collect the antidote, and get the hell out of here. However, your life will be in your own hands if you continue.”
“I. I’m out!”
“Forget it. I don’t want to risk it. I’m giving up.” “Damn it! This is gambling with our lives! Who would be brave enough to continue? I’m quitting too!”
When they learned their lives were in danger, most gave up. Although being accepted into the Stoneray Order would promise them a bright future ahead, nobody was willing to risk their lives for it. The price to pay was too high.
Furthermore, if the first test was so difficult, won’t the second test be even more challenging?
Who would want to take such a risk when they were not confident? Before 30 minutes were over, most people in the hall had left, and only a few people stayed. The remaining ones were either really confident or really skillful.
Since Dustin had already made known that there were aconite and Fritillaria bulbs in the concoction, it increased their chances of producing the antidote.
“Alright, those who should leave have already left. Those who passed the first test can proceed directly to the second test,” Linden announced.
As soon as he said that, a large door at the side of the hall slowly opened, leading to a big alchemy room. It had everything they would need. Many herbs, alchemy furnaces, charcoal, and minerals were available for them to use. “Go in.” The invigilator led the group into the alchemy room.
It was a large room. Besides the alchemy equipment, there were rows of cabinets filled with various medicinal herbs. At a glance, it had all sorts of medicinal ingredients. There were even some rare and precious herbs.
“Your second test is to produce a medicinal pill.” When everyone was ready, the invigilator continued, “On the table before you is a recipe. All you need to do is produce Curax, which will be your antidote.
“The judging criteria are easy. Whoever produces a higher-quality Curax will receive a higher score. You have an hour. If the pill is successfully produced before times up, it will be considered a pass.
The timer started counting down, and the invigilator announced, “Your test starts now!’
With no time for hesitation, everyone began moving. Producing a medicinal pill was challenging to accomplish.
And with the time limit of an hour, it was even more difficult Everyone had to be quick and careful to avoid making mistakes while producing the medicine. Once there was any mistake, it would be a failure.
“You just got lucky in the previous round, bastard! This time, I’m going tocrush you!” Preston glared at Dustin and then quickly made his pill. He was going to beat everyone by producing the highest quality Curax!
“Hmph! He’s just an ordinary doctor! Let’s see what other tricks he has up his sleeves!” Miranda said angrily, unwilling to admit defeat.
She put all her effort into producing the medicinal pill. Her pride as a genius did not allow her to be defeated a second time. “Curax?” Dustin ignored them and read the recipe given. He smiled thoughtfully.
Many people were able to produce medicinal pills. But to stand out and beat everyone, one must put in extra effort and skill.
“That’s odd. Why does my head hurt?” “I’m having a stomachache. I feel like I might shit my pants!”
“Oh no! It’s the poison’s effect!”
Chapter 727
Right then, many of them began showing signs of poisoning. Some felt dizzy, and others experienced severe abdominal pain. Some even had cramps.
Although their symptoms were different, it would affect their production of the medicinal pill. But giving up was not an option. They could only grit their teeth and continue.
“Who do you think will be number one today, Dr. Watkins?” an elder with a white beard asked. “Preston and Miranda are performing well and gifted in the medical field, so they are considered geniuses.
But I think the young man will do better.” Linden looked at Dustin. “Him?” The elder followed and looked at Dustin too Then, he asked, curious, “But Dr. Watkins, he’s a nobody. Maybe he was luck
y in the previous round. He’s still not on the same level as Preston and Mirand a.”
No matter their family background, talents, or medical accomplishments, they were not on the same level. And Dustin’s good luck would not change anything.
“Hahaha… We’ll find out soon enough.” Linden smiled and said nothing else. He sat and watched. He refused to believe that someone who could see through his plans was just a nobody.
“Bang!” After a moment, an explosion was heard in the hall.
A man’s alchemy furnace burst when he made a mistake. The hot liquid, burning charcoal, and
furnace fragments splattered all over his face.
“Ah!” The man screamed in pain as he clutched his burned face. “Somebody bring him away!” The invigilator waved his hand, and several me mbers of the Stoneray Order moved to help the man. “Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
As the first person was carried away, several others had their furnaces explode as well. They had burned faces and were carried out too.
Some made mistakes because of the poison’s effects and the pressure they were under to save themselves. Some burnt their pills, some could not solidify their pills, and some of their furnaces exploded The number of people who were eliminated increased quickly.
“Done!” When there were still 30 minutes left, Preston shouted as he showed the crowd the red pill
he had taken from the furnace. The invigilator walked to Preston and looked at his pill. Then he praised. “Not
bad, you have indeed produced a Curax And it is a good quality one!”“A good quality Curax? That’s amazing!”
“As expected of Dr. Darby’s best student! Impressive!” “He managed to produce a Curax of good quality even though he was poisoned! That’s amazing!”
Everyone was shocked to hear what the invigilator said. Preston
quickly completed the task under such stressful conditions. It showed how amazing his medical skills and accomplishments were.
“Done!” Not long after Preston was done, Miranda finished hers. The pill she produced was like Preston’s in both looks and properties.
“Very well done. A good quality Curax too!” The invigilator nodded, very pleased. The two geniuses from Asclepia had not disappointed him.
As time continued, others successfully produced the Curax. Yet, they mostly failed. Soon, one hour was almost over.
“Dr. Watkins, it seems like Preston and Miranda are winning. As for that young man you had your eyes on, I guess he won’t pass his test if he hasn’t produced the pill by now.” The elder smiled. Suddenly, Dustin’s furnace exploded with a loud bang.
Chapter 728
“Bang!” When Dustin’s alchemy furnace exploded, everyone turned
and looked at him. Some were shocked, some were confused, and some were enjoying what they saw.
After a moment of shock, Preston and Miranda laughed out loud.
“Hahaha! His furnace exploded? And here I thought he might secretly be an expert. It turns out he just managed to make his furnace explode?” Preston ridiculed.
Because of Dustin’s excellent performance in the previous test, Preston thought he was a strong opponent. So, he did his best to produce the pill.
But now that Dustin’s furnace exploded, Preston thought he had just been overreacting. If someone’
s furnace exploded, that person was not suitable to be considered his rival. “What were we expecting? Trash will always be trash. Just because he got lucky once will not change anything. Under a bit of pressure, he can’t take it and starts making mistakes.” Miranda looked down on Dustin.
How could an ordinary doctor compare to medical geniuses from Asclepia like them?
“Dr. Watkins, you always had an eye for talent. But I think you might have made a
mistake today. The elder had a faint smile on his face.
It was a big problem for an alchemist’s furnace to explode and was considered a rookie mistake. No matter how well Dustin did in the previous round, the fact that his furnace exploded proved that he was still bad at alchemy
when compared with Preston and Miranda.
“We don’t know that yet.” Linden shook his head.
“Dr. Watkins, time is running out, and that young man’s furnace has exploded. How will he be able to succeed?” The elder chuckled.
Linden remained silent as he watched on.
“You failed to produce the medicinal pill, so you’re eliminated!” the invigilator announced as he walked up to Dustin.
“Hang on… Who said I failed?” Dustin asked calmly, not, giving up yet. “Didn’t you fail when your furnace already exploded?” The invigilator frowned. He believed that Dustin was only there to create trouble for them.
“Hey, bastard. You should just admit your defeat. There’s no point in continuing to be unreasonable. If you can’t produce a single Curax, how are you different from trash?” Preston looked at him with
mockery. “Stop embarrassing yourself here. Just leave!” Miranda glared at Dustin too. “Why are yoù two complaining non–stop? It’s true that my furnace has exploded, but that doesn’t mean I failed to produce a pill,” Dustin said calmly.
“What? Are you still continuing to be stubborn? Do you think that you can just magically produce a Curax out of thin air?” Preston smirked.
“Why not? Now open your eyes wide and look here. This is the real Curax!” With that
said, Dustin brushed aside some shards of the furnace. Then, he took out a dark red pill from the broken pieces.
It was really a Curax!
“What the f*ck? He actually did it? Is this true?”
“It’s true! It is Curax! In fact, it looks like it’s good quality!”
“Damn it! He produced that even after his furnace exploded? That’s amazing!” The crowd excitedly commented when they saw the pill in Dustin’s hand.
Logically speaking, an exploded furnace would mean that one
had failed. But this young man had broken all the rules and surprised everyone. “You… How did you do it?” Preston stared at him, wide–eyed with disbelief.
Miranda was shocked too, and she refused to believe it. She had thought that they’d easily be able to defeat Dustin. But he actually made it and managed to produce it!
“If you can do it, there’s no doubt I’d be able to do it too.” Dustin smiled faintly. As he spoke, he passed the pill to the invigilator.
The invigilator frowned after taking a good look at the pill. From the looks of it, it was indeed Curax. But it seemed like there was something else in there.
Chapter 729
The Curax that Dustin produced was different from the regular Curax in terms of color, scent, and size.
“Hmph! So what if he managed to produce the pill? Just looking at it, we can tell its quality is not up to standard!” Miranda folded her arms arrogantly.
“Exactly! The test for the second round is to compare the quality of pills that we’ve produced. This pill that he produced from an exploded furnace is definitel
y trash!” Preston regained his confidence.
The pill he produced was good quality, and Dustin’s was a low grade. They were on completely different levels!
“How weird…” The invigilator studied the pill for a while.
Because he was scared to make a decision by himself, he took the pill and showed it to Linden and the rest of the elders. “Dr. Watkins and elders. I think there’s something strange about this Curax. But I am not sure.”
“Oh? Is that so? Let me see?” An elder took the pill and looked at it seriously. Then, he was shocked.
“Dr. Watkins, this young man is something else. Please have a look.” After studying the pill repeatedly, he passed the pill to Linden.
“Interesting.” Linden smiled widely after looking at the pill. The young man indeed had many tricks up his sleeves.
“Dr. Watkins, what quality is this pill?” the invigilator asked. “Can’t you tell? This is a top grade pill!” The elder said.
“What? Top grade?” The invigilator was taken aback, Though good
quality pills and top grade pills sounded like they weren’t that much different, there was actually a very big difference between the two. It would not be an exaggeration to say that 100 good quality pills were no match for one top grade pill.
Not even Linden could produce a top grade pill. Even Preston and Miranda were still not capable of making top grade pills. Was it possible that Dustin was even more skillful than Linden?
“Don’t just stand there. Go ahead and announce the results!” Linden urged. “Sure…” The invigilator gulped before he turned around and raised the pill in his hand.
With a loud voice, he announced, “According to our united decision, this pill is a top grade pill. The person who produced this has received a perfect score!”
“Top grade pill? How is that possible?” The crowd shouted.
However, Preston and Miranda stood there, frozen in place, disbelief on their faces. Everyone knew how difficult it was to produce a top grade pill. Even professional alchemists could
only make one top grade pill out of every 100 pills that they created. And even then, it was “Why not? Now open your eyes wide and look here. This is the real Curax!” With that said, Dustin brushed
aside some shards of the furnace. Then, he took out a dark red
pill from the broken pieces. It was really a Curax!
“What the f*ck? He actually did it? Is this true?” “It’s true! It is Curax! In fact, it looks like it’s good quality!”
“Damn it! He produced that even after his furnace exploded? That’s amazing!” The crowd excitedly commented when they saw the pill in Dustin’s hand. Logically speaking, an exploded furnace would mean that one had failed. But this young man had broken all the rules and surprised everyone.
“You … How did you do it?” Preston stared at him, wide–eyed with disbelief. Miranda was shocked too, and she refused to believe it. She had thought that they’d easily be able to defeat Dustin. But he actually made it and managed to produce it!
“If you can do it, there’s no doubt I’d be able to do it too.” Dustin smiled faintly. As he spoke, he passed the pill to the invigilator.
The invigilator frowned after taking a good look at the pill. From the looks of it, it was indeed Curax. But it seemed like there was something else in there.
Chapter 730
“What? He changed the recipe?” Everyone was surprised by Linden’s explanation.
Every recipe was created only after millions of experiments. The smallest change in ingredients or dosage would disrupt its balance and cause the production of the pill to fail.
For someone to change the recipe, they needed talent and lots
of experiments. For someone to be able to change up the recipe on the spot and succeed right away, he had to have crazy good luck,
1 or he must be a medical genius who was out of this world.
“No way! That’s impossible!” After a moment of shock, Preston continued, “There’s no way you can change the recipe so easily!
Even my mentor can’t change a recipe that’s meant to produce a good quality pill into one that produces top grade pills within such a short time frame! How is it possible that this bastard can do that?”
“Exactly! He’s just an ordinary doctor! How would he be able to change the recipe?” Miranda added. Even with her talent, she was still unable to do something so complicated. The re was no way that bastard doctor was better than her!
“Young man, these people don’t seem to believe in your ability. Would you like to explain how you did it?” Linden shot him a faint smile.
“There’s nothing to explain. I simply added a few other herbs,” Dustin said.
“Hmph! You claim that you added other herbs. So tell me, what were the herbs you added?” Preston glared at him. “Angelica root, licorice, white creepers, and honeysuckle.” Dustin did not find it necessary to hide the information from them.
He wasn’t worried that they might steal the recipe from him, as it took skills to produce top grade pills. Besides, it was just Curax, not some rare or expensive medicine.
There was no point in keeping it a secret from them. After processing the information, Preston exclaimed with his brows furrowed, “That doesn’t sound right! It is true that Angelica root, licorice, and white
creepers can enhance the effects of Curax. But honeysuckle reacts
adversely with some other herbs in the recipe. It might cause some harmful effects when added!”
“If you don’t understand, don’t try to show off.” Dustin looked at Preston like he was looking at an idiot.
“Though Curax functions to detoxify the body, all the herbs used are consider ed to have strong effects. So when weak people take the pill, they will feel nauseous. Honeysuckle can neutralize the effects of the stronger herbs, making the
medication easier for weaker patients. You should know this, don’t you? To think that you’ve been accepted into Asclepia! I expected better of you!” Dustin’s last sentence was directed toward Preston.
“You-!” Preston was at a loss for words, and his expression darkened. Dustin’s words made so much sense that Preston couldn’t even retort him. Is it possible that this bastard could produce top grade pills?
“Hahaha! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!” Linden laughed and clapped after hearing what Dustin said.
The more Linden looked at Dustin, the more pleased he was with him. In fact, he even had the urge to have Dustin marry his granddaughter!
“Who is this person, and why is he so good?” “Who knows? But he sure is a secret genius! There’s no doubt that he will be accepted into the Stoneray Order.”
“He beat Preston and Miranda in the first two rounds. I wonder how he will do in the final test.” The crowd whispered among themselves excitedly. Their view of Dustin was now different.
“If there are no objections, then we shall continue to the third test.” Without wasting any time, Linden waved his hand.
Soon, an old man in a wheelchair was pushed in by two students of the Stoneray order. The old man’s face was pale, and he had sunken cheeks. Because of long–term paralysis in the legs, the muscles in his legs had shrunk, making them appear much smaller
compared to the upper body. “Your third test is to heal a patient. This patient has been paralyzed for eight years. He has recently asked us for help.
“Many of our disciples don’t know what to do with his sickness. Your task will be to find out the cause of the condition and try your best to help the patient feel sensations in his legs.
“Within the time limit, you are allowed to observe and touch the patient yourself. But you are not allowed to ask the patient any questions. The result is based on your own abilities. Each of you will have 15 minutes to treat the patient. Who’s going first?”
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