Five-Person Final! (2-in-1)

In the center of the Seven Trees Stadium, a huge isolation barrier gleaming with white light rose up.

This isolation barrier is constructed from Psionic Particles and can block sound. As CCTV's beautiful host Xia Ke introduced the barrier, young Alchemist from all over the world took to the stage one by one and entered the isolation barrier.

Inside the isolation enclosure, rows of pharmaceutical preparation stations had already been prepared.

As for the medicinal herbs themselves, the Alchemist need to bring their own. All the Alchemist who can participate in this competition are part-time Awakened Ones, and they all have Storage Space on them.

Bai Xiaowen glanced at them and saw that the Alchemist ' levels and templates were not high; almost all of them were Standard Template, with only a few Elite Class. Bai Xiaowen, as Hero Class, was absolutely outstanding here, and he would definitely win if it came down to a battle of combat power.

It's a pity this isn't Combat Department arena.

Host Xia Ke: "Alright, all the young Alchemist are in position. Now we will begin the preliminary round of the Young Alchemists Exhibition Match. Participating Alchemist are requested to create their own potions, limited to Tier 1 potions. Your potions will be evaluated by the five judges of the competition, and the top five will advance to the finals..."

After searching around, Bai Xiaowen, with his keen observation skills, found the alumni of Jinghai University in the inner stands. They had clearly been watching Bai Xiaowen the whole time, and after making eye contact, Li Shuyi even waved her fist to cheer him on.

Bai Xiaowen returned the smile. Beside Li Shuyi, he saw Qiao Rui and her brother, as well as a middle-aged man with a rather dignified appearance and the air of a high-ranking official.

"This high-ranking official must be Qiao Xiangdong, the head of the Pharmaceutical Development Commission."

At the training camp, Bai Xiaowen saw the wall of photos of the main leaders of the Pharmaceutical Development Commission, and he was particularly impressed by Qiao Xiangdong. Wasn't Huang Xuan's ultimate goal to win the Young Alchemists Competition and slap Qiao Xiangdong in the face?

Bai Xiaowen and Qiao Rui had talked about how, as is customary, the first-place winner of the Young Alchemists Competition would give an acceptance speech. Everyone knew Huang Xuan's plan: to win first place and, with the world's attention on him, to harshly criticize Qiao Xiangdong.

Qiao Xiangdong is Qiao Qi's father and also Qiao Rui's second uncle—that's right, Qiao Qi and Qiao Rui are actually cousins.

This surprised Bai Xiaowen quite a bit. He had originally thought that Qiao Qi, an ignorant and incompetent spoiled brat, was from a distant branch of the family, but he never expected him to be a legitimate member of the Qiao Faction family...

However, there is a reason why Qiao Qi is so unruly. Qiao Xiangdong looks young, but he is actually over fifty years old. According to Qiao Rui's vague hints, his second uncle had no children until he was almost forty years old when he had Qiao Qi, his precious son, so he inevitably doted on him.

In addition, Qiao Xiangdong wielded great power and had a heavy workload, so he neglected to discipline Qiao Qi. He always thought that the child would be better when she grew up, but by the time Qiao Qi grew up, her nature had already been set and it was difficult to change her.

Bai Xiaowen carefully observed Qiao Xiangdong. The head of the Pharmaceutical Development Commission could not discern joy or anger on his face, but one could vaguely sense a gloomy feeling from the corners of his tightly pursed lips.

Bai Xiaowen could understand Qiao Xiangdong very well. It was known that none of the three members of the China were a match for Huang Xuan. Bai Xiaowen was not even within Qiao Xiangdong's considerations; he was just trying his luck to make up the numbers.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Huang Xuan is a shoo-in for first place, and when he takes the stage to declare his victory, a resounding slap in the face is inevitable.

Waiting to be proven wrong is agonizing. The fact that Qiao Xiangdong was able to attend in person already demonstrates great courage and determination; most people probably wouldn't have been able to refuse.

As the bell rang, Bai Xiaowen quickly put aside her selfish thoughts, took out the pre-weighed medicinal herbs, and began to prepare the medicine.

In the stands, Li Shuyi, Chen Guowei, and others rhythmically waved their arms until the bell rang.

"You guys are... cheering for Bai Xiaowen?" A Greasy voice rang out from the back row.

Li Shuyi turned her head and saw a fat man dressed as Alchemist.

The fat man was Zhu Chengjun. When he saw Li Shuyi nod, he immediately curled his lip.

"You should save your breath. I've seen Bai Xiaowen's level; he's Alchemist who knows absolutely nothing about discretionary power. At best, he's an apprentice. His participation in this competition is an insult to the China pharmaceutical industry."

"What makes you say that!" Li Shuyi retorted, displeased.

Zhu Chengjun said proudly, "Because I'm a level 10 Alchemist!"

Chen Guowei looked at Zhu Chengjun with some suspicion. "You... Alchemist? You look more like a chef."

"Nonsense!" Zhu Chengjun said angrily. He hated being called fat or having his physique commented on. So what if he was a little chubby?

"Look, look here! A nationally certified Alchemist certificate!" Fatty Zhu shouted.

Chen Guowei shrugged. "Okay, you're Alchemist."

"Even if you're Alchemist, you can't slander Xiao Wen. Do you think you can smear Xiao Wen?" Li Shuyi said.

Chen Guowei laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, the reason for this is actually quite simple. You've heard the story of the fox eating grapes, right? Anyway, I can smell a really strong sour smell."

"Although the analogy isn't quite accurate, it does have a sour taste, and I agree with that," Xiang Hui chimed in.

"You guys...!" Zhu Chengjun was angry.

"Hey Greasy old man, calm down... you look even more swollen when you're angry." If it comes to being annoying, Chen Guowei is probably at the Lord Tier level.

Zhu Chengjun slammed his hand on the back of Li Shuyi's chair and said with great force, "A bunch of ignorant young people, I'm not going to lower myself to your level. I'll just say it here and now, if Bai Xiaowen can pass the preliminary round, I'll chop my head off!"

"Make it clear first, whose head are we chopping off?"

"..." Zhu Chengjun was furious. He simply leaned back in his chair and stopped talking.

Two hours later.

Zhu Chengjun's face turned pale, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He sincerely felt that it was a stroke of good luck that it hadn't been specified whose head he was to chop off.

Hehehe...

Hehehe...

"Hahaha..."

The students on the Jinghai University Team all turned to look at Zhu Chengjun, their faces showing strange smiles.

"This is impossible, there must be something fishy going on. Master Ke was eliminated, but Bai Xiaowen made it to the finals..." Zhu Chengjun gritted his teeth and denied it, "There must be something fishy going on here!"

A handsome young man wearing glasses turned around with displeasure and glared at Zhu Chengjun.

"Master Zhu, please watch your words. Don't smear China's image without any evidence. This exchange conference, including the Exhibition Match match, was organized by the Pharmaceutical Development Commission. If you believe that the Pharmaceutical Development Commission has rigged things, or that the five masters responsible for arbitration are problematic, you can formally submit a petition for questioning."

Zhu Chengjun startled when he saw the young man's face clearly. He chuckled awkwardly and said, "Secretary Xu, please don't take offense... I was just saying it casually."

Zhu Chengjun began to look around nervously.

He wasn't afraid of Secretary Xu, but he dared not offend Secretary Xu's boss, Qiao Xiangdong, the head of the Pharmaceutical Development Commission. If Qiao Xiangdong remembered him and made things difficult for him, he would be finished. If Qiao Xiangdong dared to deal with Alchemist of Huang Xuan's caliber, arranging things for him would be a piece of cake...

He hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings before, but upon closer inspection, Zhu Chengjun felt a chill run down his spine. The figure sitting to his left, next to Secretary Xu, had a strange air about him. Although the person hadn't turned around, an unseen official aura emanated from him... He understood just by looking at Secretary Xu's respectful attitude towards him.

Zhu Chengjun. He carefully shuffled forward, hunching over and clutching his stomach, until he reached behind Qiao Xiangdong's seat.

"Secretary Qiao... Hi, sorry to bother you, I'm Xiao Zhu..."

"Um."

"Secretary Qiao, I didn't mean to say that... I just spoke hastily and didn't mean to doubt the Pharmaceutical Development Commission. Please forgive me..."

Qiao Xiangdong glanced at Zhu Chengjun indifferently. "Understood."

"Got it," what does that mean? Does it mean "I understand your impulse," or "You little brat, I'll remember you"?

Zhu Chengjun a little conflicted. He wanted to say a few more words, but the people behind him were not happy about it.

"Hey, if you're going to leave, then leave! Don't block the way!" said a spectator.

"Don't you know you have a big face? Wandering into the camera's view!" said the photographer from the aisle.

Secretary Xu pondered his superior's intentions for a moment, then turned to Zhu Chengjun and said, "Don't disrupt the order of the match. Secretary Qiao is busy watching the game, so please don't disturb him."

"Okay, okay..."

Zhu Chengjun fled in disarray.

Li Shuyi, Chen Guowei, and others were struggling to hold back their laughter.

On the field.

Host Xia Ke, with a professional smile, announced, "The preliminary rounds are over, and you have seen the list of the five finalists. They are the winners selected from 103 outstanding young Alchemist, and now the final and most exciting showdown is about to begin."

"Now, please allow me to introduce these five young pharmaceutical masters one by one!"

Huang Xuan was chosen to be the first to go on stage. The national anthem played: Kimigayo.

"Now stepping onto the stage is Huang Xuan, a young Alchemist recently naturalized as Japan citizen. Huang Xuan was once a rising star among China Alchemist, winning numerous championships in various city-level, national-level, and even international competitions since his debut..."

"In the preliminary rounds, Alchemist Huang Xuan impressed the master judges with a perfect Tier 1 Level 10 Enhancement Potion, successfully advancing to the finals. Let's look forward to his performance in the finals..."

The host, Xia Ke, focused on introducing Huang Xuan's previous awards, but made no mention of why Huang Xuan naturalized as Japan.

There was originally a segment where the finalists would give impromptu speeches, but that was also cut.

In fact, the fact that Huang Xuan, who is ostensibly the strongest, was chosen to be the first to go on stage speaks volumes...

As the majestic national anthem of Huaxia Country resounded, Bai Xiaowen was the second to take the stage.

"This is Bai Xiaowen, a genius Alchemist. He is the youngest contestant and is still in university..."

"In the preliminary rounds, contestant Bai Xiaowen also crafted a Tier 1, Level 10 Enhancement Potion, also of perfect quality..."

The large screen displayed a clip of Bai Xiaowen making medicine. Unlike Huang Xuan's focused approach, where he adjusted his methods based on the condition of the medicine, Bai Xiaowen's medicine making was somewhat methodical. He hardly needed to make any extra changes at each step, and a Perfect-Tier Enhancement Potion was produced with ease.

"Extremely lucky," Huang Xuan said softly.

Bai Xiaowen smiled slightly, but Huang Xuan did not.

Huang Xuan wasn't stupid; he had already sensed something was amiss.

[Perhaps... he's not just there to make up the numbers?] Huang Xuan pondered silently.

The audience members present, especially the knowledgeable Alchemist, had no other thoughts; they were all marveling at Bai Xiaowen's incredible luck.

Especially the Alchemist who had audited classes at the training camp, who considered themselves to have witnessed Bai Xiaowen's mediocre skills, believed that even with a perfect-grade potion in front of them, it was simply the result of Bai Xiaowen's incredible luck...

When asked about the honors Bai Xiaowen had received, Xia Ke hesitated for a moment.

However, as a renowned host, Xia Ke far from being just a pretty face. She then began to introduce another special aspect of Bai Xiaowen — Hero Class Awakener—and pointed out that Bai Xiaowen had been learning potion-making for less than a year...

Bai Xiaowen successfully attracted the attention of audiences from all over the world. He could almost feel his Earth Fame skyrocketing at a visible rate...

As the national anthem played the Star-Spangled Banner was raised, Monica Gray, a female Alchemist from the America, appeared on stage, drawing enthusiastic applause.

Even in the Psychic Energy Era, it remains a patriarchal society. Whether it's Combat Department or the Alchemist profession, it's basically a male-dominated world, and women find it difficult to rise to prominence.

Therefore, when exceptions occur, they always attract extra attention. What's more, Monica is a stunning beauty with a fantastic figure, curvaceous curves, and long, alluring legs, exuding a kind of United States charm.

Bai Xiaowen listened to Monica's resume, which showed that she had won many honors, such as the Nightingale Cup champion and the All-American Alchemists Invitational champion, which were much more impressive than Bai Xiaowen's meager Alchemist honors.

As the Ode to Ode to Joy began, Ebna Bétain, the Europa League Alchemist, took the stage, followed by another lengthy introduction of various honors.

The last to appear was another representative of China, Zhou Ziwang, one of the "Central Plains Five Little Masters".

A thunderous cheer erupted from the Seven Trees Stadium. Without a doubt, Zhou Ziwang was the popular choice... As for Bai Xiaowen, who also represented China, the China audience had deep doubts about whether he could truly deliver a sermon.

However, Zhou Ziwang is different. As a rising star in China's pharmaceutical industry, Zhou Ziwang has received numerous honors since his debut, only slightly inferior to Huang Xuan. However, Zhou Ziwang publishes papers at a rapid pace, continuously publishing his research results in world-renowned pharmaceutical journals, which surpasses Huang Xuan in this respect.

Ke Caijin, another highly anticipated player, made a mistake in the preliminary round and performed poorly, failing to advance to the final.

Therefore, Zhou Ziwang became the hope of the entire village... and the entire nation.

In the public's perception, Zhou Ziwang is the kind of pharmacy scholar who buries himself in research and is not interested in fame or fortune. How could he publish so many papers if he wasn't a scholar? But when facing the powerful Huang Xuan, perhaps only Zhou Ziwang, a scholar with a sincere passion for pharmacy, has a chance of winning.