A Contest Between Pharmacists
"Since we're going to have a friendly competition, we'll need a referee. Who's willing to be the referee?" As soon as Gu Ding said this, many people looked eager to try and raised their hands to volunteer.
"I'll be the referee." At this moment, a Middle-Aged Man dressed in casual clothes suddenly appeared, and everyone looked at him upon hearing this voice.
"Alliance Leader!" Many people exclaimed in surprise.
"What do you two think about me being the referee?" The Middle-Aged Man who suddenly appeared was none other than the Potion Venerable whom Gu Ding had seen in the video projection before. However, he was dressed very casually, which was quite different from how Gu Ding and the others had seen him before.
"I have no objection." Gu Ding felt that the Potion Venerable would not show any favoritism in this matter, and he was quite confident in him serving as the referee.
"Since it is Potion Venerable himself who will be the referee, I am relieved." Belanger's expression remained normal, and although he said this, there was not much respect in his expression.
"Alright then, I'll specify the topic and have the herb warehouse use all the materials for the potion, so there won't be any difference in the materials." After saying that, the Potion Venerable glanced at the set of alchemy equipment in front of Belanger. "Belanger, since this is just a friendly spar, to be fair, you two should change your equipment. Replace it with the best equipment that we god-level alchemists use."
"A high-quality set costs tens of thousands of source stones, enough to brew a five-star divine potion. Brewing a two-star potion shouldn't be difficult either. Besides, since it's the first time you two are using the new equipment, there's no difference in familiarity with the crafting tools. After you two finish your sparring, you don't need to return the tools to me. Keep them for yourselves; you won't need them anymore. They'll make nice souvenirs."
As he spoke, the Potion Venerable took out two sets of equipment from his Storage Space, and even prepared a temporary crafting table.
"It seems that the Potion Venerable is still more on your side," the Sea Emperor chuckled in Gu Ding's ear.
Belanger didn't object, but simply put his equipment away with an indifferent expression. "Alright then, since Potion Venerable has said so."
"Since no one has any objections, then I'll explain the rules of the sparring match." Potion Venerable had a look of pure amusement on his face, and seemed quite pleased with himself.
"As everyone should know, potions of the same star level vary in difficulty of refining, and this is also true for two-star God-rank potions. In our human Universe Sea, there are 186 kinds of two-star God-rank potion recipes that have been passed down, including 128 common potions, 49 uncommon potions, and 9 rare potions. In order to increase the difficulty and scope of the assessment, our competition this time will be based on a points system."
"Only potions of Perfect Quality will be scored. Potions of the Ultimate Quality will be scored as 0 points. Potions that do not reach the Ultimate Quality will be scored as negative points. Excellent -1 point, Good -2 points, Pass -3 points, Poor -5 points, Inferior -10 points. If the potion is completely failed or abandoned halfway, 100 points will be deducted each time."
When the Potion Venerable announced this rule, many onlookers gaped in astonishment.
"That's so strict! Only items of Perfect Quality get points, and items below the Ultimate Quality get negative points?!"
"If we calculate the points this way, most people here will likely end up with negative scores."
But the Potion Venerable's explanation of the rules continued.
"There are 128 common potions. The difficulty of refining them is divided into three levels, as everyone should know. For a simple-level common potion, refining a bottle of Perfect Quality earns 1 point. For a medium-difficulty common potion, refining a bottle of Perfect Quality earns 2 points; and for a high-difficulty common potion, a bottle of Perfect Quality earns 3 points. There are 49 unconventional potions, refining a bottle of Perfect Quality earns 5 points. And for the nine rare potions, a bottle of Perfect Quality earns 10 points."
"Of course, if you develop a new potion, or a formula lost in the Universe Sea, and refine it to Perfect Quality, the first bottle will be worth 100 points, and each subsequent bottle will be worth 10 points. However, since it's a formula that hasn't been used before, the potion ingredients may need to be found elsewhere, and there might not be any in stock. If you really need it, it's best to let me know in advance so I can have the warehouse check and prepare accordingly." After saying this, the Potion Venerable glanced at the two of them.
However, both Gu Ding and Belanger merely raised their eyebrows without saying a word.
"This Potion Venerable is quite shrewd. He probably wants to see which of you two has a new prescription." The Sea Emperor smiled at Gu Ding. "I do have quite a few new prescriptions for two-star God-rank, about two hundred or so, but if it's not necessary, I think it's better not to reveal them."
"Alright, it seems you two are planning to hold Trump Card. I'll have the warehouse prepare the potion ingredients now. I'll let you know if any ingredients are missing later." The Potion Venerable said, and then contacted the warehouse.
After a while, the warehouse staff arrived at the scene. After whispering with the Potion Venerable, they handed Potion Venerable two Storage Rings.
The Potion Venerable looked down and examined the two Storage Ring before speaking.
"You're lucky. Only two rare potions are missing materials: the Transformation Potion and the False Death Potion. So you can just remove those two potions from your crafting plan. Come and collect your materials. I specifically had the warehouse divide them into two equal portions. I just checked them, and there are no problems with the materials. If you're still worried, you can pour them all out and compare them with the other side's."
The two took the medicinal materials and refining equipment, and returned to their original positions.
"Then, the sparring session will last three hours. After three hours, whoever has the higher total score will be the winner." Potion Venerable set a three-hour time limit, taking into account that everyone needs to depart the next day and cannot afford to waste too much time on this matter. However, he also felt that if the time was too short, the two might not be able to fully express themselves and he would miss their brilliant performances.
"Are you all ready? If so, I'm about to start the countdown... Three, two, one, go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Ding and Belanger moved almost simultaneously.
The two quickly selected their medicinal herbs, and seeing their unwavering decision on the first potion to be concoct, everyone looked on with curiosity. Since everyone present was a pharmacist, it was easy for them to recognize what kind of potion the two were about to make.
"Gu Ding actually chose the Cell Enhancer. Did he not understand the rules?" someone in the crowd couldn't help but mutter. "The Cell Enhancer is only a medium-difficulty potion, and the refining process is more complicated than many high-difficulty potions. Choosing this kind of potion is a complete waste of effort."
"Gu Ding chose this formula intentionally. Although the Cell Enhancer has a complex refining process, it's the best practice potion. If I'm not mistaken, Gu Ding hasn't refined any potions for a while; he just wants to use this formula to awaken his alchemist instincts." Some people in the crowd understood Gu Ding's reason for making this choice. (To be continued~^~)