The hall suddenly quieted down as the four judges picked up a small jade screen, each first taking a sniff, then pouring out some of the medicine, initially testing with instruments, and thereafter personally trying it out.
"Pharmacist Li's medicine is not simple at all, such a method of compounding is indeed innovative, and the effect is not bad," Elder Yang commented with a nod of approval to a man in his fifties after consulting the data from the instrument test and discussing with the other judges. "The only shortcoming is the overly precious ingredients, which prevent mass production. Otherwise, it could be called a treasure. Nevertheless, this medicine is a peerless remedy for heart disease patients in urgent cases."
Upon hearing this evaluation, the man couldn't contain his excitement and trembled slightly; he knew that this competition was different from those before, once the news spread, his standing in the industry would skyrocket.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the crowd below began to congratulate the man, with some hospitals already extending olive branches.
In the time that followed, the judges were engaged in repetitive work, yet nothing groundbreaking surfaced.
"Hmm," Elder Yang picked up a medicine bottle, voiced a light exclamation, and his face went through a slight change, then he began a heated discussion with those around him, even asking Mo Qingrou for the first time.
After listening, Elder Yang nodded and then spoke, "Pharmacist Xu, your medicine is quite unique in formula, and the selection of ingredients is indescribably exquisite. Only one or two ingredients could be considered precious, the rest are common, yet to achieve such an effect is truly remarkable."
Minister Zhang from the Chinese Medicine Bureau, who had been silent until then, also said, "Keep it up, a young and talented pharmacist like you is truly rare. Chiyang, you should maintain this, and also pay attention to your health. Don't neglect it while engrossed in your research."
At this point, discerning individuals could see that the relationship between Minister Zhang and Xu Chiyang was probably not ordinary.
Xu Chiyang promptly thanked Minister Zhang repeatedly.
"Not bad," Mo Qingrou spoke indifferently.
"Hiss."
Such high praise made everyone gasp. Most importantly, the most influential judge at this event, Divine Doctor Mo, had spoken.
Xu Chiyang was brimming with pride and self-confidence. Although the competition had not yet concluded, people were already beginning to offer their congratulations.
Since Chen Yuan was the last to submit his medicine, he was the last to be reviewed. To everyone, with such evaluation, the first place in this competition was surely Xu Chiyang's.
"Let's quiet down a bit, there's still one more medicine to review," Elder Yang said with a smile.
Amongst the four judges, aside from Elder Fu, Elder Yang and Minister Zhang thought that Xu Chiyang had already taken first place in this competition.
Mo Qingrou, on the other hand, was completely calm, without a ripple.
Upon hearing Elder Yang's remark, everyone turned their gaze towards Chen Yuan, who was still eating, and broke into laughter.
Fu Xiaoqing didn't care at all who won first place in the competition; she seemed to have already envisioned the scene of Chen Yuan making a fool of himself.
Elder Yang looked at Chen Yuan still eating and shook his head with a smile, picked up the data from the instrument beside him, was startled at first, and then rubbed his eyes and quickly opened the medicine bottle.
Minister Zhang beside him did almost the same thing, opening the medicine bottle at the same time, and a fragrant medicinal scent instantly spread.
"Hmm?" Mo Qingrou let out a soft exclamation. She had not opened any of the medicine bottles from the beginning, not even Xu Chiyang's – she had merely taken a simple sniff.
But now, upon smelling the medicinal fragrance, she picked up the medicine bottle beside her, first was stunned, then dipped her delicate fingertip into a drop of the medicine, and slowly placed it into her mouth beneath the veil.
Elder Fu, however, was the picture of calm, with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Which gentleman concocted this medicine?" Mo Qingrou's voice, like an orchid in a secluded valley, instantly quieted the laughter spread across the hall.
"I did. Is there a problem?" Chen Yuan wiped his mouth, muttering as he responded, "This lobster is really not bad."
"You made this?" Mo Qingrou looked at Chen Yuan, who had now come before her, slightly astonished.
However, she quickly recovered and nodded, praising him, "Yes, the ingredients chosen are commonly found, yet the effect is astonishing. It can be called a Spirit Pill, sir, your talent is great."
Having said that, Mo Qingrou gave a slight bow.
She had always felt that it was a mistake for her clan to allow her to venture into the secular world because she believed that there was nothing in it from which she could learn anything about medicine. It was not until she saw the young man before her who could concoct such a remedy, that she realized there were mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people.
That a commoner could possess such refining skills was truly rare.
"For this competition, the gentleman deserves to be ranked first, a title well earned," Mo Qingrou continued.
There was silence all around, and everyone was stunned, unable to believe what they had just heard.
"It's illogical, is this kid really a genius?"
"A true man never shows his face, no wonder Elder Fu brought him here, and that Divine Doctor Mo is treating him with such courtesy."
"But that's not the point, the point is Pharmacist Xu said if he ranked in the top five, he would eat..."
Someone quietly uttered this phrase, and all eyes immediately turned to Xu Chiyang, whose face, originally radiant and flushed with pride, now turned the color of liver.
And Fu Xiaoqing, it took a long while for her to come back to her senses, muttering to herself, "How could he possess such skills at such a young age?"
Chen Yuan nodded and smiled lightly at Mo Qingrou, "An expert indeed."
"You have some good ideas, why don't you study pill refinement with me?" After a moment of consideration, Mo Qingrou voiced her thoughts.
Elder Fu, Elder Yang, and Minister Zhang were all taken aback upon hearing Mo Qingrou's words, hardly able to believe it.
After all, if one were to study with Mo Qingrou, they would truly become a dragon among men in the future, given the Mo Family's strength and connections, which were far from simple.
Fu Xiaoqing was also somewhat astonished to see that Mo Qingrou was actually considering to take Chen Yuan as a disciple.
And upon hearing this, the rest of the crowd erupted in an uproar, thinking how fortunate this kid was, his ascent was truly meteoric.
Meanwhile, Xu Chiyang's liver-colored face now turned a shade of purplish blue. The day that should have belonged to him had now turned into that of the young man he had previously mocked. Even if he finished second in the competition today, people would only remember the first place winner, Chen Yuan. If they were to remember him at all, it would probably be for his promise to eat...
"Study pill refinement with you? Beautiful lady, who are you?" Chen Yuan asked with slight amusement. As a former Immortal Venerable, to learn pill refining from a mortal would be beneath him, and how could he maintain his dignity if word got out?
"What?" Mo Qingrou was taken aback by Chen Yuan's response, somewhat dazed.
The three elder judges were also stunned, unable to believe that anyone in the medical field would refuse an invitation from the Mo Family, especially an invitation from Mo Qingrou, the most outstanding figure of her generation in the family?
Even Lin Jiang, who had been sitting calmly like he was fishing, had a slight change in his expression at first, but he quickly returned to normal. He looked at Chen Yuan with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth and whispered, "Interesting."
Elder Fu made faces at Chen Yuan, winking and pulling all sorts of expressions since it was inconvenient for him to speak.
Fu Xiaoqing, just having recovered her senses, saw Chen Yuan refuse Mo Qingrou, and was taken aback once again. She turned to look at Chen Yuan with his nonchalant demeanor, feeling a nameless rage inside her as she simply could not stand his attitude.
Thinking that after today, Chen Yuan's name would be widely known in the medical field, she felt somewhat twisted inside.
'Hmph, if Han Xiao were here, the first place today would definitely not be his.'
The crowd was first shocked, then felt that Chen Yuan was overly arrogant, missing out on a tremendous opportunity. After all, by following the Mo Family, he could learn not only pill refinement, but also medical skills, and even gain countless social connections.
However, for most people present, this didn't matter much, as they weren't participating in the competition.
But for Xu Chiyang, this caused ten thousand points of damage. The glory and prospects that should have belonged to him were 'snatched' away by an upstart boy, and what's more, he even refused them!
With this thought, his face suddenly turned from liver color to dark purple, his eyes bulging, and with a 'thump', he collapsed onto the floor of the hall.
...