The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Look... the Treasure Appraisal Platform is lit up again! It's the Ghost Doctor!"

It's unclear who shouted it first.

The voice couldn't contain its excitement.

All eyes turned to the Treasure Appraisal Platform.

All the discussions stopped at that moment.

"The Divine Physician Zheyue was already fast enough, but the Ghost Doctor wasn't even a fraction slower... Are this master and disciple here to open our eyes today?"

Someone nearby immediately whispered a reply.

"Open your eyes? Just don't start the feast. The Ghost Doctor's poison is something you can't even buy a cure for."

"Keep your voice down! Are you out of your mind? The last person who talked about him behind his back is still lying in the medicine hut."

Jiu Fang knew not when he had placed his elixir on the treasure-appreciating platform.

He simply tossed it aside.

The jade pill traced a clean arc in the air and landed steadily in the center of the dark jade platform, as if it had been gently pressed down by an invisible hand.

"That's such a careless technique... Isn't he afraid of missing the mark?"

"So what if I threw it off course? Do you dare to disqualify the Ghost Doctor?"

"...I wouldn't dare."

The Mirror Platform fell silent for a moment.

Then, a blue rainbow shot into the sky.

A thin, frosty glint flowed within the bluish light, much like the reflection of a cold moon that occasionally floated on a cold pool in the dead of night.

"This color is so eye-catching... Although the Ghost Doctor's actions are a bit wicked, his abilities are indeed considerable."

A young doctor couldn't help but whisper in admiration.

His voice was very low, his eyes were full of awe, and he didn't even dare to look at Jiu Fangzhi for more than a second.

"Isn't that right? With his medical skills, the line of people seeking his help could stretch from the Valley of Divine Medicine all the way to the far north ice plains."

The person next to him gestured with his lip in the direction of Jiu Fangzhi.

"Look at his hands... they look ordinary, but they've been touched by more poison than the rice we've eaten."

"Don't be so polite. He wasn't saving people; he was taking lives whenever he felt like it."

"If I'm in a good mood, I'll extend your lifespan by a few years; if I'm in a bad mood, I'll reincarnate you on the spot. That's called efficiency."

The voices of agreement rose and fell among the crowd.

The oppressive silence that had filled the examination room was broken at this moment, and everyone found a topic to briefly relax.

However, this relaxation lasted only a few breaths.

Jiu Fangzhi's deep gaze swept over casually.

He didn't even look at anyone in particular, just glanced at them casually, as if he were inspecting his own medicinal herb field, examining a row of insignificant plants.

That gaze was neither cold nor warm, neither angry nor imposing, yet it sent a chill down everyone's spine at the same instant.

"Oh no. Did he just glance at me?"

"I felt there was a murderous glint in his eyes."

"You're overthinking it... He looks at everyone like they're dead."

The discussion abruptly ceased.

Like an invisible pair of scissors, it cuts all whispers cleanly at the root.

It suddenly became so quiet that you could hear the rustling of the wind blowing through the medicinal herb fields.

Occasionally, a long bird call could be heard from afar, and a doctor's half-eaten mouthful of tea rolled awkwardly down his throat.

"His gaze is chilling..."

Some people shrank back, swallowing the rest of their words along with the chill in their throats.

His colleague next to him nudged him with his elbow, his eyes saying, "Shut up or you're asking for trouble."

"Senior brother is as reliable as ever."

Tang Xixue was not surprised at all by the result.

For her, the first two hurdles weren't particularly difficult.

Identifying herbs and refining elixirs—which of these wasn't a basic skill she had practiced countless times in her medicine hut behind the Divine Medicine Valley when she was young?

Jiu Fangzhi is a ghost doctor, the king of Jiuyou Mingzhou, whose poison skills are unparalleled, and the disciple of the master of Shenyao Valley.

If one cannot even refine a single Qingyu Pill to the highest grade, that would be a joke.

She didn't even need to think... he wasn't using his full strength at all.

"Even Master is nothing special."

Si Xingxuan sat beside her, and upon hearing her casual comment, the corners of his lips couldn't help but curve slightly.

He didn't say anything, but secretly moved half an inch closer to her.

The movement was light and careful, like a petal accidentally brushing against another petal when blown by the wind.

But his knees were almost touching the hem of her robe.

He lowered his eyes, pretending to be busy, but in reality, his eyes were constantly on her profile.

"Zhizhi...she just praised me. She must really like me."

"As for my master? That old geezer is wicked; how can he compare to me?"

He thought to himself silently, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he was much stronger than his master.

Even the junior sister's word of "safety" was earned by the master through sheer hard work and skill.

What about him? He relied on his natural talent, which was personally certified by his junior uncle.

"It's my turn now."

Then came another round of queuing and authentication.

One by one, the pills were carefully placed on the treasure-appreciation platform.

Some were held tenderly in the palm of one's hand, as if holding a fragile heart.

Some were gripped so tightly by trembling hands that they almost rolled off the road.

The blue light flashed on and off again and again.

Some people held the mid-grade token and wept with joy, their tears mingling with sweat as they streamed down their faces.

Some people looked ashen-faced at the dim, inferior light, and left with heavy steps, as if their bodies were filled with lead.

"Medium grade, passed!"

"Inferior quality, substandard. Please leave."

"Top-grade! Look... someone else has refined a top-grade item!"

"Those must be elders from the Lotus Song Ancient Kingdom? As expected, there are many experts among them."

"Lian Ge's side has always been known for its alchemy skills, so this result is not surprising."

"But that one... look at the one in the corner, he's a complete stranger, yet he still passed."

"The Nine Provinces are vast, and there are always hidden talents among them."

"Thirty years ago, the person who won the championship was also an unknown at the beginning, but later he became the chief of Xingze Divine Medicine Pavilion."

"My turn. So many people have failed, can I do it?"

Liu Fengchun was the last one to go up.

He dragged his feet, his expression so somber that it seemed more like he was walking to the execution ground than to the treasure-appreciation platform.

Every step was extremely difficult, as if the soles of their feet were measuring the distance from the human world to the gates of hell.

The doctors who remained on the stage all glanced this way, intentionally or unintentionally.

The look in their eyes was not friendly.

The Liu family's reputation was too great in the Divine Medicine Valley. Liu Xinyi's grandson and the son of the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, this identity became the heaviest shackle at this moment.

If you succeed, people will say "it's only natural"; if you fail, you'll be drowned in spittle.

"Look, the one from the Liu family has gone up."

"The grandson of the Medicine King Liu Xinyi? He's also participating?"

"So what if he's participating in the competition? Everyone is equal before the rules. But I heard he's been a royal physician in Baiyujing for many years; I'm afraid he's neglected his alchemy skills."

Liu Fengchun heard it.

He forced himself not to listen.

He had no desire to remain forever in Baiyujing as some kind of ghostly imperial physician, that magnificent cage of dragons and tigers, where even a day off was a luxury for him all year round.

"Great-grandmother...you really are my dear great-grandmother. Can't you find another grandson to share this with? I have several cousins ​​to rely on."

He muttered incantations in a low voice, almost inaudible to himself, his lips moving faster than when he was chanting an exorcism spell.

But the fingers holding the pill were trembling slightly.

This pill was something he had to start over on the spot, and he secretly learned how to refine it by following Tang Xixue's method.

He had absolutely no idea whether it would succeed or not.

He risked everything he had in his life.

With a heavy heart, he placed the pill on the treasure-appreciation platform.

The moment his fingertips left the pill, he didn't even dare to open his eyes to look.

"Please, my God, please let me pass! I'm begging you... It's too crowded right now, I'll make it up to you later."

He clasped his hands together and bowed towards the sky.

His devout expression seemed to suggest that he had staked all the luck of his remaining life on this moment, and even the strands of his hair seemed to be praying with all his might.

A warm, bluish light shone from the treasure-appreciating platform.

The light was not very bright, not as dazzling as Si Xingxuan's azure rainbow, nor as cold and intimidating as Jiu Fangzhi's icy gleam, but it still shone steadily in the sunlight.

Like a lamp that has finally stabilized its flame after swaying in the wind and rain, its light does not shine far, but it is enough to illuminate the small step you take.

"Did you see that?! It's lit up! Mine's lit up! Hahahaha..."

He almost jumped up on the spot, but then he remembered that his great-grandmother was still sitting in the examiners' seat, so he immediately suppressed his laughter, his shoulders shaking from holding it in.

"Medium grade. Passed."

Liu Xinyi's voice came from the examiners' table, calm and clear, without the slightest hint of extra emotion.

But she nodded in the direction of Liu Fengchun.

The movement was brief, but it made Liu Fengchun feel as if he had been doused with a basin of warm water from head to toe.

"Grandma nodded at me? She nodded at me! Does that mean I can stay in Divine Medicine Valley! I don't have to go back to Baiyujing to be the Ghost Physician anymore!"

"Heaven hasn't forsaken me, Liu Fengchun! When I get back, I'll burn incense for my ancestors... no, my great-grandmother is sitting in the ancestral shrine, burning incense isn't enough, I'll burn a whole bundle."

Liu Fengchun breathed a huge sigh of relief.

He felt as if he had been pulled back from the edge of an abyss, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground on the spot.

Fortunately, he changed his mind at the last minute. Otherwise, if he had followed his own reasoning, he wouldn't be getting his great-grandmother's approval right now, but rather her broom.

He silently placed Tangxi Xue on the altar in his heart.

"Thank God, thank you, Senior Sister."

"Time's up."

Liu Xinyi's voice rang out again, like an invisible knife, cutting off everyone's hopes.

Those alchemists who had not yet formed their pills stared blankly at the charred residue in their cauldrons, some still frantically trying to salvage the medicinal liquid that could no longer solidify.

Some people went astray from the very beginning, and now there's only a pool of grayish-green liquid left in the furnace, not even a trace of the pill embryo can be found.

The last wisp of ash from the incense stick fell silently, and the incense went out.

"I'm not reconciled... so close, just a little bit more!"

"Brother, your cauldron is cracked; it's more than just a little bit damaged."

"Don't be discouraged, come back in thirty years. By then we'll be the seniors... Although being eliminated today did look a bit pathetic."

"Thirty years? I don't even know if I can live another thirty years. Forget it, I'll go back to farming."

No one complained about the rules.

If you're not as skilled as others, you can't blame anyone else.

"Those who fail the second test, please leave."

The already sparsely populated platform is now mostly empty.

The empty seats felt cool in the afternoon sunlight, like fallen leaves swept by the autumn wind, scattered in the air filled with the fragrance of medicine.

Only about a hundred people remained on the stage.

It only took two short stages to go from thousands of people to less than a hundred.

This is the trial of the God of Medicine... It is never gentle, and it never shows mercy.

Tang Xixue sat in her seat and looked up at the examiners' table above.

From a seat high up, shrouded by a silken curtain, a deep and resolute voice rang out.

"Zhizhi, your brother believes that you can definitely make it to the end."

His gaze fell upon her through the curtain, intense yet gentle, like the warm sun of late spring.

Tangxi sat upright behind the curtain at night.

"Your Majesty, you've already crushed the third teacup. Shall I have someone replace it with a new iron one?"

Shen Cuo lowered his voice, his face full of helplessness.

"eventful."

Deep in the bamboo forest, among the pine branches, another figure stood in the shadow of the mountain wall.

Her robes fluttered in the mountain breeze, like an immortal unwilling to leave the mortal world.

"Sister Zhi, I wish you all the best."

Kong Sangyu's voice was clear and devout, carried far by the wind.

"Meow."

The little white cat, Bai Tang, in his arms squinted its eyes and lazily flicked its tail, completely unmoved by its owner's sentimentality.

"You also think that Sister Zhi will win, right?"

"Meow."

"Then we'll wait for her to come out here."

"Meow meow".

"No, you can't go down there. That's the exam hall. If I go down, I'll be kicked out..."

"And didn't you see the look in those people's eyes? If I carry you down, I'm afraid I'll be hacked to death."

"..." Bai Tang.