Chapter 722 by Marina Vittori
An Understated Dominance
âSilence!â As everyone got into a heated discussion, a loud voice roared. Then, a group of elders of the Stoneray Order entered the hall.
Dr. Linden Watkins, leader of the Stoneray Order, walked before the group. Several other elders and some of the administrative disciples followed behind him.
âIs that Dr. Linden Watkins? He has such a grand aura coming from him!â
âWhoever does well in the examination today will be chosen as Dr. Watkinsâ student. And will be learning from Dr. Watkins himself. The chosen one will have a bright future ahead!â
The mood turned serious when Linden entered. Everyone looked at him with respect in their eyes.
Linden was the best of the great three doctors in Balerno. Not only was he a skilled doctor, but he also had many students in the entire country. Everyone respected him. It would be a big achievement to become his student.
âWe have some interesting candidates here today.â He looked at the crowd, briefly focusing on Preston and Miranda
Asclepia had managed to make a name for themselves in the medical field. And now their influence increased and would soon be on the same level as the Stoneray Order. Preston and Mirandaâs presence within Asclepia helped them recruit more geniuses. Linden paid close attention to these rising talents of the younger generation.
âLetâs begin.â Linden nodded to the rest of the elders. Then he sat in the center as the other elders sat on both sides of him.
âThe examination will begin.â An invigilator dressed in black stood before the crowd. Then he announced, âThere are three parts to this examination. First, you will need to identify some drugs. Second, you will have to produce a medicine And finally, you will cure a sick patient.â
âNow, please get ready for the first test.â With a wave of his hand, more than ten disciples of the Stoneray Order walked in. They held a wooden box with medicine bottles inside.
âThese bottles contain medicine that weâve prepared. For your first test, you will taste it and identify the herbs used. Each of you will get a piece of paper, so list its components. Ten points will be deducted for each mistake. If you make three mistakes, youâre disqualified,â the invigilator announced.
The hall immediately buzzed with discussion when they heard that.
âMy goodness! They call this simple? How are we supposed to identify the herbs used by just the taste of it? Can anyone even do that?â
âExactly! I donât think anyone can do that without at least 20 years of experience!â
âIf the first test is this tough, I canât imagine how difficult the next two tests will be!â
Everyone began complaining about how difficult the test was. Though everyone knew that the Stoneray Order had strict criteria for accepting students, this was harder than they thought.
âSilence!â The invigilator roared. âIf anyone is dissatisfied, you can choose to give up. The Stoneray
anymore. Just because he couldnât be bothered to take action did not mean that he wasnât capable of doing so.
âWow! Youâre finally acting like a man!â Preston gave a cunning grin.
âAlright, I wonât take advantage of you. Letâs just go through with Dr. Watkinsâ examination. Whoever gets a higher rank in the examination wins. The loser will be the winnerâs dog. Howâs that? Do you dare to take up the challenge?â Preston was dead set on winning.
Preston was going to defeat Dustin so that he could crush him under his feet, utterly humiliating him. Only by doing so could he vent the anger in his heart.
âWell, if you insist on becoming my dog, Iâll agree to it, then.â Dustin had an impassive look.
âHmph! Keep talking tough. Letâs see how much longer you can stay arrogant!â Preston sneered.
âEveryone, did you all see that? We are all witnesses to the challenge. The loser shall be the winnerâs dog.â Miranda was quick to back Preston up.
âThatâs right! The loser will be a dog!â The lackeys followed along.
It wasnât every day that they came across someone they could humiliate. They were going to grab hold of every opportunity that came their way.
âThis young man is acting so recklessly. Why would he accept Prestonâs challenge? At a medical examination too! Isnât he inviting defeat upon himself?â
âIf he doesnât have the ability, he should admit defeat. But he insists on being arrogant! Heâs going to embarrass himself when he loses.â
âYoung people these days are too proud. They donât know their limits.â
The crowd around them started whispering and commenting on Dustinâs actions. From their point of view, Dustin was too arrogant and would end up embarrassing himself.
Chapter 722
âSilence!â As everyone got into a heated discussion, a loud voice roared. Then, a group of elders of the Stoneray Order entered the hall.
Dr. Linden Watkins, leader of the Stoneray Order, walked before the group. Several other elders and some of the administrative disciples followed behind him.
âIs that Dr. Linden Watkins? He has such a grand aura coming from him!â
âWhoever does well in the examination today will be chosen as Dr. Watkinsâ student. And will be learning from Dr. Watkins himself. The chosen one will have a bright future ahead!â
The mood turned serious when Linden entered. Everyone looked at him with respect in their eyes.
Linden was the best of the great three doctors in Balerno. Not only was he a skilled doctor, but he also had many students in the entire country. Everyone respected him. It would be a big achievement to become his student.
âWe have some interesting candidates here today.â He looked at the crowd, briefly focusing on Preston and Miranda.
Asclepia had managed to make a name for themselves in the medical field. And now their influence increased and would soon be on the same level as the Stoneray Order. Preston and Mirandaâs presence within Asclepia helped them recruit more geniuses. Linden paid close attention to these rising talents of the younger generation.
âLetâs begin.â Linden nodded to the rest of the elders. Then he sat in the center as the other elders sat on both sides of him.
âThe examination will begin.â An invigilator dressed in black stood before the crowd. Then he announced, âThere are three parts to this examination First, you will need to identify some drugs. Second, you will have to produce a medicine. And finally, you will cure a sick patient.â
âNow, please get ready for the first test.â With a wave of his hand, more than ten disciples of the Stoneray Order walked in. They held a wooden box with medicine bottles inside.
âThese bottles contain medicine that weâve prepared. For your first test, you will taste it and identify the herbs used. Each of you will get a piece of paper, so list its components. Ten points will be deducted for each mistake. If you make three mistakes, youâre disqualified,â the invigilator announced.
The hall immediately buzzed with discussion when they heard that.
âMy goodness! They call this simple? How are we supposed to identify the herbs used by just the taste of it? Can anyone even do that?â
âExactly! I donât think anyone can do that without at least 20 years of experience!â
âIf the first test is this tough, I canât imagine how difficult the next two tests will be!â
Everyone began complaining about how difficult the test was. Though everyone knew that the Stoneray Order had strict criteria for accepting students, this was harder than they thought.
âSilence!â The invigilator roared. âIf anyone is dissatisfied, you can choose to give up. The Stoneray
Order will not accept incompetent students!â
His simple statement was enough to silence the crowdâs grumbles and complaints. None of them were ready to give up so quickly after such a long journey there.
âIf we have no objections, we will begin now. You will be given a medicine bottle and must list the ingredients within 30 minutes. Whoever completes this within the given time will continue to the next test.â The bottles were given out, and the timer started counting down.
Upon receiving the bottle, everyone quickly tasted the medicine.
Every second counted. Whoever finished the test in the shortest time would show that they were better than the rest. They might even attract the attention of the invigilators.
However, everyone frowned when they tasted the medicine. This was much more challenging than they had thought.
There were all sorts of herbs in the medicine After they were brewed together, it was impossible to identify the specific herbs used. The taste was a mixture of bitter, sweet, and sour. It tasted disgusting.
âChallenging indeed. But Iâll handle this just fine.