“I don’t think these are the ingredients for a basic recovery potion!”
“Yes, it’s a little different. For instance, I remember that the professor said that silver-ear grass was a necessary component, but neither of them are using it. What a joke. Are they really competing?”
“Not only that, there are so many herbs that I don’t recognize at all.”
“There are so many types, they’re both adding their own herbs to the original prescription. As for the effects… Ah, I wouldn’t know it.”
“They’re changing the ingredients themselves!”
“I think I know what the two of them are thinking about. They are trying to change the ingredients to raise the effectiveness of the potion.”
“Is that something first-year students like us can do? Don’t forget, our books were all written by people at the level of a professor or above!”
“That’s why those two are crazy!”
…
The spectators talked among themselves. They were not dumb, and could quickly see what the two of them were intending to do. Since it would be hard for a perfect potion to determine the winner, then they decided to just change the instructions, making an even better potion to determine the winner. Since the judging criteria lay in the effectiveness of the potions, there were no rules against changing the production method, which was why they were well within their rights to do so. To a certain degree, the tournament committee encouraged that.
To Martin, the youngest genius, it was not such a shocking thing to do. In truth, anyone at that level would be able to do it easily, but the fact that Xiao Lin was doing it as well was surprising.
“Interesting.” Raymond stared at the screen before suddenly laughing, but his laugh was no longer as relaxed as before. He sighed after a moment. “We might have underestimated him.”
“If we lose this match, then won’t we…”
“Yes, we’ll lose.”
…
Raymond’s words hit the hearts of everyone in Judge Academy, causing them to slowly think of the possibility that they could lose, but they did not really believe that Xiao Lin would actually be able to beat Martin.
Time slowly ticked away, and fifteen minutes passed without anyone noticing. From the four matches today, this was already the longest match, but the time limit was half an hour, so they would not have to wait for much longer.
To Xiao Lin, it was his first time refining a potion, so his technique was not very good. However, each step was strangely accurate and devoid of mistakes. Martin would occasionally look up, and would be unable to resist furrowing his eyebrows. The incredibly talented guy also felt like something was off; the way Xiao Lin was performing was completely different from their information about him not actually knowing anything about medicinal studies.
Xiao Lin and Martin practically finished their potions at the same time, and both of them had basically finished it at the last moment. The judge could not help but reveal a strange expression when he announced that the time had ended. Basic recovery potions usually only needed around ten minutes to make, and both of them had greatly extended the time. Xiao Lin’s extended duration could be understood, but even the genius Martin did so.
The next segment was the time to judge. In order to ensure the fairness of the match, the tournament committee had invited a grand medical studies expert. In truth, these tournaments usually only required those with higher level certificates, but considering Martin’s participation, they had been forced to invite a grandmaster.
A grandmaster in a secondary profession was a rare sight, even on Planet Norma. They would enjoy the best treatment no matter where they went. No matter if it were to their country or to the colonist territories, their importance was comparable to Legend-ranked experts.
She was a serious looking middle-aged woman, but she seemed to have a friendly expression toward Martin. Martin even greeted her politely, but it was no surprise. Martin had gone to the New World to undergo his certification exams, so the two of them had definitely met before.
“Martin made a strengthened version of the basic recovery potion.” The woman cleared her throat before slowly speaking. Her voice was a bit hoarse, but it was very loud. She raised the potion high, allowing everyone present to take a good look. The bottle was a faint blue color; it was a very clear potion.
“Martin, if I’m not mistaken, the topic of the essay you did at our medicinal studies guild was this.” The woman’s expression was friendly.
“That’s right.” Martin smiled lightly as he continued, “However, the last time, I merely stopped at the theoretical stage. During this time, I’ve done a great deal of experimenting, so I decided to do an experiment during this match. I hope you don’t mind my behavior.”
“How would I! In truth, after your paper was made public, it received a lot of attention, and many academies have sent people over to ask about it. Recovery potions are the potions we usually need the most, so if your new potion is successful, then it would save a lot of lives.
“Very well then, let me look at your creation!”
The woman retracted her smile, and placed a bit of Martin’s potion on a dish. Her hands rapidly waved as she casted a blue-colored spell. Under the glow of the spell, the composition of the potion was revealed. Xiao Lin recognized it as the True Sight spell. For potion masters, it was a good spell.
The woman examined it for over ten minutes, and even the judges were beginning to get impatient. Finally, under everyone’s anticipation, the woman ended the spell and averted her tired gaze. After looking at everyone, her gaze shifted back to Martin. Her expression was no longer just a friendly one; it was also a congratulatory one.
“Martin, congratulations! You’ve succeeded!”
The woman looked to another spot where the president of Judge Academy’s student union stood, as well as the other members. The woman walked over, saying with some emotion, “Do you know what Martin has just completed? Let me just put it this way… The strengthened recovery potion has increased the effectiveness for injury and mental strength recovery by fifty percent! Not only that, the new potion can even recover energies like sword aura and stamina!”
Boom!
A clamor surged through the brief silence. Recovery potions were something that allowed people to stay alive after they had lost the ability to fight, but could not allow them to continue fighting. That was because, even if it could treat injuries and recover mental strength, the fighters would still not have enough energy. Energy recovery was something that potion masters found hard to tackle because it related to each person’s physique. So, it was hard to make a potion that could be used for everyone.
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