Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Chen Rui looked at the potion bottle in his hand and walked over to Master Aldas. He let the master smell it and listened to a few whispered instructions. Then, in a fluster, he prepared a bottle of antidote, drank it, and gritted his teeth before downing the bottle of poison Sandru had made.
One second, two seconds... A minute, two minutes passed, and the human still hadn't collapsed. Instead, he looked delighted, as though the antidote Master Aldas had guided him in making had worked. The audience erupted in cheers. At the very least, Darkmoon City had saved face. Only those who had bet on the human dying looked crestfallen.
Chen Rui was naturally delighted, because the progress of the Super System's activation, which had been painfully slow, had finally begun to rise: 91.5%!
The result was great. Even with so much progress already made, it had still gone up by 1.5%!
The two judges stared in astonishment at Chen Rui, who was completely unharmed, then turned their attention to Sandru. Sandru was extremely surprised. He hadn't expected Aldas to be so skilled that he could identify the poison's ingredients just by smelling it.
"Hmph, it was just luck." Sandru's surprise lasted only a few seconds before he immediately started preparing another potion. The first round had only been a test. That human apprentice clearly looked like a novice, so there was no need to worry about speed. He could take his time and prepare a complex poison.
Ten minutes later, Sandru's new potion was ready, while Chen Rui had only managed to mix part of the formula in the proper proportions. Even the spectators who knew nothing about potions could tell from Aldas's anxious expression that things looked grim.
Just like before, Chen Rui nervously took the potion, listened to Aldas analyze it and give him pointers, drank the antidote he had prepared, and then drank Sandru's poison.
The result once again left the potion prodigy and the potion masters utterly dumbfounded. After some time had passed, the human was still full of energy. As the spectators roared, the system activation progress had reached 94%.
Chen Rui struggled to hide his excitement. Let the storm come harder!
To spur Sandru's desire to win, Chen Rui put on a pained expression during the third poison test, clutched his stomach, and slowly sank to the ground, his body trembling slightly. His subtle, nuanced performance made the audience hold their breath. Even Athena couldn't help standing up in concern.
With everyone's eyes fixed on him, the human staggered back to his feet. He stumbled a few steps, finally steadied himself, and walked toward the table, panting as though he had narrowly escaped death.
Athena joined the crowd in cheering. Only the little princess nearby calmly shook her head. In the human's own novel terminology, that performance had no depth at all. It was barely good enough for a bit part. If Her Highness had taken the stage, she would at least have been nominated for that Oscar...
"This is impossible!" Sandru cried through gritted teeth, his face full of disbelief.
He had worn the halo of a prodigy for nearly a century. Back when he first made a name for himself across the Empire, that down-and-out Dark Elf was still who knew where, working as an apprentice. If not for his vow concerning a new type of poison, he would have become a master long ago. Even the potion masters treated him with respect.
How could a mediocrity who had barely passed the master's examination thanks to the Eldest Princess's support and funding possibly counter the novel, deadly poison that he, a master-level genius, had spent years perfecting?
Everyone knew that making an antidote was far more difficult than administering poison. On top of that, there were limits on time and materials. Had someone given Aldas the new poison Sandru had secretly spent years developing, allowing him to create an antidote in advance? That assumption was obviously impossible.
Like many other cities in the Demon Realm, Darkmoon Territory's residents had a strong sense of local identity. Though Chen Rui was human and was hated as such, in the eyes of the crowd he represented Darkmoon, while the people from the Imperial Capital were the outsiders. So they jeered at Sandru.
"With a feeble body like that, you still think you can challenge Master Aldas?"
"That so-called genius can't even beat the weakest apprentice in all of Darkmoon. Go back to the Imperial Capital and drink your mother's milk!"
"I bet the potion he made couldn't even kill a worm. If I went up there, I'd handle it even more easily than that human!"
"..."
Sandru had worn the halo of the Empire's top prodigy for years. He had never suffered such contempt, and his face turned livid with rage. The strongest rebuttal now would be to poison the human across from him until not even his bones remained. Only then could he make those damned spectators shut up.
Sandru took a deep breath. The arrogance faded from his face, and he finally calmed down. Since Aldas was a master who had kept his abilities hidden, Sandru would have to give it his all too, bring out his full strength, and defeat his opponent.
This time, Sandru would prepare his greatest achievement to date: Soul-Eater Poison. After successfully developing it, he had tested it on a poisonous Wyvern, and even the Wyvern had succumbed to the poison and died. Soul-Eater Poison was difficult to prepare. Even with Sandru's current skill, there was a significant chance of failure, and the process carried great risks. But he couldn't afford to care about that now. He would prove to everyone that he, Sandru, was the most outstanding genius among potion masters, and that all other geniuses were merely stepping stones beneath his feet!
Sandru's heavy breathing earlier had made Chen Rui worry that the man might suddenly suffer a heart attack—or even cause a suicidal explosion like Aldas had once done. The Super System's progress had now reached 98%. Only the last little bit remained... Brother Sandru, the revolution isn't over yet. Comrades must keep striving. You've got to hold on!
If Sandru had known that Chen Rui was cheering him on in his thoughts, he would have been so moved that blood spurted from all seven orifices. But the Servant Demon had now focused entirely on measuring and blending the potion. One had to admit that this Servant Demon, who should have been proficient in magic, truly had extraordinary talent as a potion master. Once he got into the zone, his irritation and anger gradually settled, leaving nothing but concentration.
Master Kamp turned his gaze to Chen Rui. He sensed something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on what.
Ever since Sandru's second poison had failed, Master Kamp had been watching the human apprentice. From his clumsy movements and unpracticed technique, Chen Rui was definitely a novice. The "poison" he had mixed so slowly seemed to consist of only a few basic formulas, and could never be used in a life-or-death duel at this level. The "antidote" he prepared was even more of a chaotic mess, completely illogical, and some of its ingredients were poisons. Kamp had no idea what instructions Aldas had given him, yet somehow the antidote had neutralized Sandru's deadly poison!
As Master Kamp puzzled over it, Sandru finally finished preparing the Soul-Eater Poison. The genius potion master, roused to fight, had performed remarkably well this time. He had succeeded in a single attempt.
Sandru carefully held the potion in his hands, feeling the mighty confidence of a genius return to him. He was convinced that even a real Dragon couldn't drink the whole bottle without a reaction!
But Sandru seemed to have forgotten that one kind of Dragon was the "ancestor" of all poisons. The Soul-Eater Poison, though formidable, was nowhere near that level—and even that Dragon's terrifying poison couldn't harm a certain novice apprentice!
When Chen Rui took the potion and, following the script, walked over to Aldas once more, Sandru spoke up. "Wait!"
"Before you two die, I have something to say." Sandru looked at Aldas and Chen Rui with a sinister expression. "Aldas, I know you aren't injured! You had this apprentice step in only because you envied my talent and wanted to humiliate me in front of everyone!"
Sandru amplified his voice with magic, and it rang throughout the arena. The crowd fell silent.
"Aldas, first, I have to admit that you're a genius who has been underestimated. You used your apprentice to counter my first two poisons. With your talent, you shouldn't have been stuck in this poor, ugly little town! Unfortunately, you're a fool. You actually turned down two masters' invitations and the Regent's goodwill. So today, you're going to die!"
Those words were utterly arrogant, and completely disregarded Princess Shea's presence. When the spectators heard Sandru belittle Darkmoon City so openly, their faces filled with anger.
Joseph's eyes narrowed slightly. Sandru had come to challenge Darkmoon City at the Regent Heiyao's behest. He wasn't just there to drive out or eliminate Aldas; he also meant to intimidate the Eldest Princess. It seemed Princess Shea's actions over the years had gradually attracted the Regent's attention. Regent Heiyao wanted a domesticated beast he could slaughter at will, not a vicious predator that might turn on him at any moment!
Joseph stole a glance at Shea. The Eldest Princess showed no sign of anger or panic. Like ice that had remained frozen since time immemorial, she continued to watch the stage in silence.
"Your death alone won't make up for the humiliation you've inflicted on me. I'll make everyone close to you suffer beyond imagination!" Sandru's voice was chilling. "Aldas, you'd better drink this bottle of Soul-Devouring Poison yourself. I'll spare your apprentice's life, but I'll castrate him and send him to a demon who likes men, so he can wish he were dead..."
Chen Rui's hair stood on end. He hadn't expected Sandru to be so vicious. Since his soul had crossed over, this was the first time he had felt such an intense desire to kill someone. No matter what, he had to kill this bastard!
Sandru's expression grew more and more savage. Suddenly, he grinned. "Oh, right. You have a younger sister who was separated from you when you were little, don't you? I'll do everything I can to find her, then train her to be the lowest of the low... And when I tire of playing with her, I can use her to test poisons. Just thinking about it sounds wonderful."
Aldas's gaze instantly turned sharp. Blue sparks of electricity appeared around him, clearly a sign that he was about to erupt.
Sandru wasn't afraid in the slightest. Servant Demons were a naturally gifted race when it came to magic. Besides, if Aldas attacked and injured someone, he would forfeit the life-or-death challenge—and that would amount to sentencing the Dark Elf to death.
Most of the spectators didn't understand the rules. Seeing things take this turn, as if the contest might become a physical fight, they grew even more excited, and their shouts grew louder.
"Master!" Seeing things were about to go wrong, Chen Rui moved to Aldas's side and said quietly, "If you want this bastard dead, listen to me. I have a way!"
Aldas snapped out of it and temporarily suppressed his anger. "What way?"
Chen Rui leaned close to Aldas's ear and whispered the plan he had just come up with. Aldas's furious expression turned complicated, and he stared at Chen Rui with an odd look. The human apprentice nodded firmly, pretended to listen to the master's instructions, then walked a few steps over to Sandru and said loudly, "The master just said you're nothing but a useless fool who's been pretending to be a genius and deceiving the entire Empire for years. He could kill you with a fart! As for this potion... it's about as strong as a tonic. It's barely poisonous."
As he spoke, he went over to the table, randomly poured together several potions, and drank the mixture as an antidote. Then he tipped his head back and drained the bottle of Soul-Devouring Poison.
Everyone's eyes snapped toward the human apprentice. Chen Rui's body shuddered slightly, and his expression turned strange.
What was that expression? He even looked excited. Sandru himself was stunned. Could that really have been a tonic?
Chen Rui wasn't excited for that reason, of course. The Soul-Devouring Poison really had delivered! The Super System's progress had finally reached one hundred percent!
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