"What's happening?"The castellan of Kornac's Keep was behaving so strangely that it immediately piqued the curiosity of everyone present. Even the elders who were watching from afar were intrigued and walked over."Look at this!"Yosil seemed to have discovered something incomprehensible as he handed Frank's wrist over to another elder.After examining it closely, that elder too wore the same expression of disbelief, shock, and confusion as Yosil."How is this even possible?!""I've lived for over eighty years, and I've never... never seen anything like this..."The elders checked Frank's pulse one by one. Finally, they gathered together, shaking their heads in resignation."What are those elders up to? Why are they acting so strangely?" Ira frowned, sensing that something was amiss.Other participants of the trial also craned their necks, trying to catch what the elders were discussing amid the chaos.Ignoring the commotion in the room, Yosil and the elders continued thei
It was not just about appearances.Frank's pill was nothing but a lumpy mudball with a terrible smell. Even standing nearby, people could catch a whiff of it, and it was not pleasant at all. In contrast, Kairo's pill was smooth and white as jade, and it emitted a delightful fragrance that was refreshing just to smell.Given this, it seemed obvious that these two pills were worlds apart in quality. So why was it that Kairo's beautifully crafted pill scored lower than Frank's ugly, foul-smelling one?Seeing the confusion and even dissatisfaction among the crowd, some began to murmur accusations. They suggested that Yosil was biased toward Frank and that there was some sort of prearranged deal between them.As the situation grew more chaotic, Yosil had no choice but to step forward. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Let me ask everyone something. When a doctor treats a patient, what is the best possible outcome for the patient?""The best possible outcome?"Everyone fell silen
"What?"Kairo still could not grasp what Yosil was saying. In his world, he had never had to worry about money restricting his medical treatments. As long as the result was good and the patient was cured, the cost did not seem to matter, right?Seeing how Kairo continued to be confused, Yosil sighed regretfully and shook his head."Kairo, tell me, how many ingredients did you use to create your prized pill? Also, what did it cost?"Kairo was taken aback for a moment and then replied, "I used seventy-six different ingredients. Many of them are rare and expensive. The pill would cost around four to five million."Hearing this, everyone gasped. Four to five million?!They had been so amazed by Kairo's refining techniques and the final product that they had not thought about the price tag. A pill that cost four to five million to produce—who could afford that?"So, if you were to sell this pill to a patient, how much would you charge?" Yosil asked again.Without hesitation,
But the brilliance of Frank's pill lied in how he used the essence of mudroot to trigger the poisons while leveraging the charred outer layer to absorb them. The mud's natural property of soaking up impurities did the rest.When Frank swallowed the pill, it first caused the poisonous toxins in his body to react. That made him vomit out the contaminated blood and mud mixture. This process purged the toxins from his body.Mudroot was one of the cheapest herbs available on the market. Dirt, too, was everywhere. Frank had taken these two simple ingredients and, through his ingenious refining techniques, turned them into a powerful detoxifying pill.This technique left the elders of Kornac's Keep in awe. They could not help but be impressed by Frank's method, which earned him the top score of one hundred and fifty points from Yosil. Even Yosil, with his vast experience, had never thought of such a method.He recognized that Frank was not just a skilled healer but a person of genuine
"Get out of my way!"Kairo shoved Horey aside, ripping open his shirt to reveal his muscular chest. He marched toward Frank, his face twisted with rage."I don't care where you're from or if you've bribed Kornac's Keep to conspire against me. I won't let you off easily today!"Before Frank could respond, the crowd erupted into murmurs."Kairo, you lost fair and square. Are you trying to weasel out now?""Yeah, we all saw what happened!""We saw how you tried to trip him up. Are you seriously still trying to say that the situation was unfair to you?""I thought he had some skill, but his character is laughable.""Look at Frank. He's calm and composed despite the harassment...""I was wrong. The real shameless clown here is Kairo. Frank is the one with true dignity…"The crowd's chatter only fueled Kairo's fury. He could not hear their words, for he was consumed by his refusal to accept defeat. If he lost, he would have to kneel before Frank and lick his shoes.How could a nob
Seeing how everyone feared Cloudnine Sect, Kairo became even more brazen. He shouted, "My junior and I came here for training, and you've unjustly targeted us!"If you don't hand over that thousand-year-old Bloodcrane Spiritbloom today, I'll bring Cloudnine Sect warriors to flatten your gate tomorrow!""What?!"The Kornac's Keep elders turned pale at Kairo's threat. The existence of the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom was a closely guarded secret within the Keep. Even some of the elders and apprentices did not know about it.How had Kairo, an outsider, learned of such a well-kept secret? And why was he brazenly demanding it?Could there be a traitor among them?!The elders exchanged worried glances. Yosil was overcome with shock. He felt darkness creeping into his vision and coughed up a mouthful of blood.His anger flared as he pointed a finger at Kairo and shouted, "You... you treacherous fiend! You've come to Kornac's Keep with the intent to steal our treasure. I'd rather destro
Take, for instance, the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom.It had to be grown in unsullied water and watered over a hundred years by the blood of a dying Bloodcrane. Then, it had to endure a millennium of trials such as natural disasters and human calamities. Anything one could think of, nature could bring about.And only after a thousand years could it finally bloom into a genuine Bloodcrane Spiritbloom suitable for medicinal use.And this intricate process was just one ingredient in that prescription.The others were even harder to find.That was why Frank had never considered refining such a pill. Gathering all these ingredients was as challenging as achieving the Transcendent rank.So even now, Frank was unmoved when he heard about the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom. His demeanor remained calm and unaffected."Wait... Did you also hear the rumors? Are you also here for Kornac's Keep's treasure, the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom?" Yosil finally turned to Frank and asked.Considering Frank's earlier
"Oh my God, did he not realize that Kairo was deliberately slandering Kornac's Keep just now?""That’s clearly a sign he wants to weasel out and deny responsibility!""He even brought up Cloudnine Sect. Is this kid really going to make Kairo kneel to him, even when he has Cloudnine Sect's backing?""My goodness, this guy is too arrogant, isn't he?"Even the bystanders around thought Frank was too audacious. After all, Kairo had even directly involved Cloudnine Sect. Even if Frank was not afraid of Kairo, was he not afraid of Cloudnine Sect?!"Do you have a death wish, kid?"After a while, Kairo finally realized that Frank had really intended to make him admit defeat and fulfill his promise. Immediately, a murderous intent rose within Kairo."Don't try to find other excuses to slip away. If you lose, you have to admit defeat and keep your promise."If you obediently admit defeat, then I might generously tell you an unpleasant truth."With that, Frank glanced at Horey, who w