Beside them, Sophie Sun and Lily Xu exchanged a knowing glance and smiled.
This pill furnace is definitely faulty—she's bound to fail.
If she can't refine the pills, she'll get a 'Fail' and be out of here.
But then, Sam Summers lifted the lid, bent down to pick out the pills, blew off the heat, and handed them to his master.
Elder Conrad sniffed them, tasted one, nodded, and smiled, "Excellent."
So Sam Summers got ready to record another 'Excellent.'
"Wait!" Lily Xu called out, her eyes wide.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Elder Conrad, she cheated!" Lily Xu blurted out.
"Cheated?" Elder Conrad asked, puzzled. "Why do you say that?"
Lily Xu leaned in for a closer look at the pill furnace—inside, the pills were neatly arranged, exactly matching the number of ingredients provided.
She... Lily couldn't just say the furnace was faulty, or she'd be admitting everything.
So she said, "I saw her cheat! She put ready-made Qi Condensation Pills inside—it wasn't her own work!"
That was the only possible explanation she could think of.
Honestly, Lily Xu was already pretty close to the truth.
But her logic didn't quite hold up.
"Lily, Qi Condensation Pills are soft when freshly made—they only harden after cooling. These are clearly just refined," Elder Conrad said, handing her one.
Lily Xu squeezed it and had to admit—it really was a freshly made pill.
If she'd put in pre-made pills, they definitely wouldn't look like this.
So what on earth was going on?
She got a broken furnace, and still managed to make pills?
And they're top-grade pills, too?
Elder Conrad glanced at Sophie Sun, then said pointedly to Lily Xu, "Some things are better left alone. Let's just focus on our own tasks."
Lily Xu's expression shifted. "Yes, sir!" she replied.
So Grace earned another 'Excellent.'
More than half were eliminated in this round.
To join the Spirit Alliance, you need at least two 'Excellent' grades.
And you can't have any 'Fail.'
So anyone who got a 'Fail' was out.
Anyone who didn't get an 'Excellent' in the first two rounds was also eliminated.
By the third round, only five contestants were left—including Grace.
The five of them were led to a room for instructions about tomorrow’s final round.
Once everyone else had left, Lily Xu shot Sophie Sun a sharp look. "What happened? Didn’t you say the furnace was faulty? How did she manage to make top-grade pills with it?"
"I have no idea..." Sophie Sun grumbled, clearly frustrated. "That furnace really was broken, I swear!"
"Useless!" Lily Xu glared at her. "Serves you right if she ruins your life!"
Sophie Sun's face darkened. She bit her lip and said nothing.
"Tomorrow, I’ll handle it myself! You just find the right people for me—make sure she gets a 'Fail'!" Lily Xu said with a cold snort, and left.
...
Sam Summers gave the five contestants a quick rundown of tomorrow’s final challenge.
Five patients—each contestant would draw lots to see which one they’d treat.
They had to write out the correct treatment plan. If there were any problems, Elder Conrad would correct them, then let them treat the patient—afterward, everything would be evaluated.
Grace was totally confident—even if she drew the hardest case, she was sure she could at least get a 'Pass.'
As long as she didn’t get a 'Fail,' she’d be in the Spirit Alliance for sure!
When she left, the sky was already turning dark.