As soon as the competition kicked off, all the spectators started picking up the number plates to bet.
âWho are you betting on?â
âPharmacologist Qin of course. Even gentlemen Deng from the Linjiangâs Deng lineage lost, so this girlâŚ..â
âI agree, I doubt she would make it either.â
However, some others had opinions. âBut sheâs so confident, surely sheâs not as simple as she seems to be.â
âGentlemen Deng is also very confident.â
âMake sense tooâŚ.â
The bunch of youngsters started whispering amongst each other once again.
âDo yâall wanna bet too?â
âBet on who?â
âThis girl!â All of them giggled.
The youngster bet on her not because she was confident, but because they had come to the Hall of Immortals with the goal of 'smashing the signboardâ, which they failed to do so as they chickened out even before they got to compete.
On the elevated stage, Pharmacologist Qin took up the pill that was given to him. He smelled it before he tasted it.
At first, he was taken aback by the strength of the mystic force within the pill. After another confirmation, there were no ingredients that he didnât recognize, and thus he relaxed a bit. However, the ingredients he had identified did not match up with the end product.
None of the ingredients in the pill were rare, but by putting them together, it produced an effect that was out of the ordinary. Pharmacologist Qin thought long and hard but to no avail. He couldnât think of any ways to manufacture the pill that would allow it to keep such a huge amount of mystic force in it.
This girl sure has some sort of secret cheat code!
He stole a glance at her, and what he saw left him rooted to the ground.
To recognize the pill, he dissolved it in water before he scraped to get power and taste it. However, the other party just sat down on the floor crossed-legged and popped the entire pill into her mouth.
What the heck? Is she gonna eat it?
âWhat is she trying to do?!â One of the youngsters exclaimed.
âWill you shut up!â Senior Brother Qi bellowed. âDonât interrupt the competition.â
Even if the bunch of youngsters kept quiet, the spectators were all in shock.
How do you compare it later if you ate the whole pill? How can you be so confident that you will get the exact same copy with one try? Every pharmacy has a secret recipe of their own. Even if you know the ingredients, itâs not hundred per cent guaranteed that you will get it. Lu Mingshuâs way of competing had all the spectators looking at her in disagreement.
Yeah, youâre confident, but you need to check to get the right amount for each ingredient. Even those that are talented need to check.
Initially, Pharmacologist Qin was wary of Lu Mingshu because of the pill she had produced. Upon seeing how she recognized the pills, he heaved a sigh of relief.
Maybe her elders made this pill?
Then he had nothing to fear then. He knew the ingredients by heart, but there was only a fifty to sixty per cent chance for him to get the same effect. On the other hand, the pill that he chose had used years of experimenting to get the best effect. Even if she could determine the components in the pill, it would be hard for her to get the quantity right. Furthermore, she already swallowed the pill, itâs impossible for her to make comparisons.
Pharmacologist Qin diverted his attention away from Lu Mingshu and focused on making the pill.
Now, Lu Mingshu had already entered the Heavenly Wheel.
This was the first time that she had entered the Heavenly Wheel in public. Lu Mingshu did not dare to do it in the past as it would have decreased her ability to defend herself. However, it was totally safe this time around. She was on the elevated stage, and with so many pairs of eyes staring at her, who would dare to do anything to her? Time passed by extremely slowly in the Heavenly Wheel too, so it wouldnât really affect her competition.
Lu Mingshu spit out the pill. âXiao Sang?â
âHere.â Xiao Sang always replied quickly no matter what.
âCould you help me see whatâs in this pill?â
As a responsible guardian, she answered anything with respect to points or limits to authority.
A ray of colourful light flowed past Lu Mingshu. She could hear Xiao Sang list out the ingredients as if she were reciting Buddhist texts. âThere are three main ingredients. The root bark of a ten-year-old peony tree, a five-year-old fruit, twenty-year-old datesâŚâ After she listed out all the ingredients, Xiao Sang added, âThe person who made this pill is still a novice, so the effects are limited. Itâs okay to take it, but you must get rid of the impurities.â
Lu Mingshu quickly memorized the ingredients in her heart. âThanks a lot.â
She opened her eyes and walked towards the table.
To the crowd, she had just used ten seconds to finish the pill and she was done.
âNo, not this way. Sheâll lose for sure.â Sighs could be heard. Ten seconds is definitely not enough to tell whatâs in the pill.
Regardless of the comments, Lu Mingshu wrote the ingredients on the piece of paper and handed it to the man. âSorry for the trouble. Could you please help me get those?â
The manâs eyes widened in shock after he saw the things that were written on the paper. âOh, sureâŚ.â
The man then passed the paper to a clerk who returned with the ingredients in no time. Lu Mingshu tested the ingredients one by one before she measured them and put them into the stove.
The man felt ill-at-ease as he kept eyeing the boss who was sitting in the corner.
âŚ
âWhat the heck, are you mad?â Seeing An Tongchen bowing to him, Cao Lucun was gobsmacked. He had known An Tongchen for ages, yet he had never seen this âicebergâ be so courteous.
An Tongchen then stood up straight and looked into Cao Lucunâs eyes. âSenior Brother Liuâs life is full of problems and misfortunes. This disciple of his is his only reason for staying alive until now. I canât let the Zhous ruin her!â
Taoist Cao smiled bitterly at him. He sighed, âYouâre really loyal to Liu Jizhen.â
An Tongchen bluntly replied, âHow many in Nine Jade Palace are that clean? This few only.â
âAish!â Cao Lucun shook his head. âActually, it may not be a bad thing for her. With her awkward identity, Nine Jade Palace is a burden for her. If somebody has her back, she might be able to draw out all of her potentials.â
âWith the cost of selling oneself into slavery?â An Tongchen retorted.
âHow is it selling oneself?â
âHow is it not selling oneself?â An Tongchen remained unmoved. âI know that kid quite well, this is a humiliation to both her and Senior Brother Liu.â
âOh, youâŚ.â
âBrother Cao, put yourself into Senior Brotherâs Liu shoes. If she was your disciple, what would you do?â
âThey dare?!â
âYou see, even you wouldnât allow for this to happen. So why would Senior Brother Liu do so?â An Tongchen smiled at Cao Lucun.
âŚ
âSuch amazing speed!â
The spectators were left in awe when they saw Lu Mingshu retrieve the medicine paste from the stove.
On the after hand, Pharmacologist Qin was still measuring the ingredients!
âDo you think she can make it?â The youngsters whispered to each other.
âHer techniques look unskillful.â
âNo different than a greenie.â
âBut the steps are correct though.â
They all stared blankly at each other.
âWhat on earth is going on?â One person muttered to himself.
Nobody knew exactly what was going onâŚâŚ
Lu Mingshu shaped the paste into the pill and popped one into her mouth.
In the Heavenly Wheel, Xiao Sang gave her comments. ââŚThe difference is too small to be identified by humans.â
Lu Mingshu opened up her eyes and placed the remaining pills in the box.
âMiss Lu, youâre done?â The manâs eyebrows were raised as he looked at her in doubt.
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âYeap.â
After getting confirmation, the man nodded and showed her to a seat. âPlease have a seat first.â
On the other hand, Pharmacologist Qin was a bundle of nerves. The pills that he got were made of common ingredients, but the manufacturing process was hard. He couldnât seem to find any suitable ways to make this pill. Glancing at Lu Mingshu, an idea popped up in Pharmacologist Qinâs mind.
He didnât believe that one could make a copy of the Hall of Immortalsâ secret pill in such a short period of time. As long as he could make the pill, even if effects were lacking, he would be able to enhance the effect with his hands and win over hers.