Don't mess with that necromancer; his summoned creatures level up on their own!

In the VIP viewing room on the second floor, Lu Zaoxie, Shen Jing, Yu Xiaogang, and Su Yangwei sat on the sofa.

The tea has been refilled three times, but very little of it has actually been drunk.

Lu Zaoxie's gaze fell through the glass onto his son in the center of the competition area below, and then looked at Yu Xiaogang.

"Old Yu, what happened to the rules for this year's alchemy competition? In previous years, the exam questions were announced first, and then the materials were distributed. Why is it the other way around this year?"

Yu Xiaogang leaned back on the sofa, holding a teacup.

"Old Lu, you've served in the city defense force for so many years, you should know what it's like when medicine runs out during field battles, right?"

"The supply line is cut off, and the medicine is gone. We can't just stand here and wait to starve to death."

"At this point, we need to use local materials to make medicines on the spot."

"The rules for the alchemy competition were changed starting this year to allow contestants to adapt to this special situation in advance."

He put down his teacup and glanced at the candidates who were looking worried on the field.

"On the battlefield, no one will tell you in advance 'what medicine you're going to use next.' Those who can adapt to the situation are the ones who survive longer."

Lu Zaoxie nodded after listening.

That makes sense.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and replied in a tone that suggested, "My son is also very capable."

"However, Zhixing is quite good at this kind of improvisation."

"He's been quick-witted since he was a child, and he can always find a solution to any problem."

Su Yangwei sat on the other side and straightened his collar.

"My daughter You Ran started learning alchemy at the age of five, and by the age of six she could independently refine basic-level potions. By the age of eight, the purity of the healing potions she refined reached 65%."

"The several alchemy masters invited at the time all said that this child's talent in alchemy was one in a hundred years."

He paused.

"She has made thorough preparations for this alchemy competition. Her previous carelessness in the Trial Tower was just a momentary lapse in judgment. This time, she is determined to win first place."

Lu Zaoxie did not refute, but simply blew on the steam from his teacup.

"I don't think so?"

Su Yangwei sneered inwardly.

He didn't reply verbally, but he had already thought about it over and over in his mind.

Shen Jing is the president of the Magic Medicine Group and one of the top alchemy masters in the entire Dragon Kingdom.

As her son, Lu Zhixing's talent for alchemy should normally be among the best in the country.

From this perspective, You Ran is facing considerable pressure.

As he was making plans, Shen Jing quietly patted Lu Zaoxie's arm and lowered her voice.

"Old Lu, have you ever enrolled Zhixing in any alchemy classes?"

Lu Zaoxie paused slightly in his teacup and turned to look at Shen Jing.

"I thought you personally taught Zhixing. You never taught him?"

Shen Jing was stunned for a moment.

"Zhixing has never liked learning these things since he was a child. I thought you had hired a tutor for him."

Lu Zaoxie's expression stiffened for a moment. He had indeed never asked a teacher for help, nor had he even thought about asking one.

Because in his mind, Shen Jing was the best teacher available right now, and there was no need to hire someone else.

Shen Jing was thinking that Lu Zaoxie usually liked to arrange various training opportunities for his son, and she assumed he had already made arrangements.

As a result... neither of them had taught him.

Lu Zaoxie was making plans in his mind.

"It's over. He really knows nothing. I've never even seen him touch the alchemy furnace."

Shen Jing thought the same thing.

"He can't even recognize all the medicinal herbs. I taught him to identify herbs back then, but he only studied them for two days before running off to play video games."

But the two of them still pretended to be calm and composed.

---

In the competition venue

Su Youran crossed her arms and sneered, displaying an air of certainty.

She recognized all the versatile ingredients with a holistic medicinal effect.

We'll use this material for everything. Although it lowers the upper limit, it maintains the lower limit.

What's more, there's that old geezer around—he claims to have been one of the top alchemists in the celestial realm, but who knows if he's exaggerating.

Lu Zhixing stood in front of his alchemy platform, looking at the medicine furnace in front of him.

He knew nothing about alchemy and couldn't even recognize what the most common moonflower looked like.

If the little vampire hadn't made such a solemn promise to him, he wouldn't have chosen the alchemy competition as the second stage of his assessment.

He shouted in his heart.

"Little Blood, are you even capable?"

The little vampire's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Hmph, you little bastard, are you doubting me? Since you gave me a gift, I guarantee you'll get first place!"

Lu Zhixing remained silent for a moment, then glanced at Su Youran, who had already started processing materials, and sighed inwardly.

We can only take it one step at a time.

The examiner's voice echoed across the square.

"Materials area open! Timer starts—three minutes!"

The moment the words were spoken, a hundred candidates surged toward the materials area.

Su Youran moved.

Her pace quickened suddenly, and a faint blue aura emanated from her body. The wind element gathered beneath her feet, allowing her to slide half a meter further with each step than others.

Her figure weaved through the crowd, rushing first to the materials area without hesitation or pause.

He reached out and grabbed a few high-quality Moonlight Grasses from the table, then quickly glanced at the auxiliary medicinal herbs next to them.

Select a complete set of materials as quickly as possible.

The entire movement was fluid and graceful.

On the examiners' panel, the chief examiners exchanged a glance.

Some people nodded slightly, while others whispered something.

"This speed and judgment are truly unmatched by ordinary people."

Lu Zhixing stood still, motionless.

The murmurs in the audience grew louder, and someone couldn't help but speak up.

"Why isn't Lu Zhixing moving? Everyone else has gone to get the materials, and he's still standing there!"

"Yes, there are only three minutes left, or it's gone!"

"Could it be... that he doesn't know anything about alchemy?"

"How is that possible? His mother is the president of a magic potion group! Shen Jing! One of the top alchemy masters in China! How could he be completely ignorant?"

"They didn't teach them! Children from wealthy families don't necessarily have to inherit the family business."

"He probably never had any interest in these things growing up; he preferred to lie down instead."

Others shook their heads firmly.

"Impossible. If you ask me, he has the best chance of winning this year's alchemy competition. He's not making any moves, he must have his own plans. Maybe he's waiting for some opportunity."

Just as the discussion grew louder, two magic arrays unfolded in front of Lu Zhixing.

The array patterns slowly rotated on the ground, and two figures appeared from within the array.

The little zombie stood with its arms crossed. After it stopped, it tilted its head slightly and glanced at its surroundings, with a smirk always on its face.

The other was a little vampire wearing a black gothic dress and a small top hat. After she stopped, she subconsciously adjusted the hem of her dress.

There was a moment of silence in the audience, then it erupted into chaos.

"A summoned creature?! Why would he summon a creature at this time?"

"Wait, look at that zombie, why does it look so arrogant? Why is its mouth so upturned in the air even when it's in its normal standby state? I really want to kick it."

"That little vampire... wait, she's so cute! Look at her little dress and that top hat! Can a necromancer's summoned creature be this adorable?"

I really want to hug her and give her a big kiss!

"No, is that the point?! We're racing against time right now, and he's summoning two creatures? Isn't that ridiculous?!"

Lu Zhixing looked down at the little vampire in front of him and asked himself:

"What materials should I get later?"

The little vampire stood in front of him with her hands on her hips and her chin slightly raised.

"I don't need your help. Just sit there and don't cause me any trouble."

She turned to look at the little zombie.

"Go and collect materials with extreme medicinal properties, the more obscure the better, such as Blazing Sun Grass, Frostbite Flower, Lightning Strike Vine, Moon Shadow Root... basically, anything that ordinary people dare not touch, bring it all back."

The little zombie blinked.

[What are you talking about? I'm a military general, I don't understand these things!]

Xiao Xue sighed.

"Take whatever you want, take as much as you can, grab whatever you see."

The little zombie nodded, turned around, and launched itself towards the materials area, moving even faster than Su Youran had just done.

The little vampire followed behind and ran out.

Seeing that he didn't have to do it himself, Lu Zhixing sighed on the surface, but was secretly pleased.

Is this the joy of lying flat?

He just needs to sit in the chair and wait for the materials to be delivered.

I am such a damn capitalist.

He turned and walked back to his alchemy station, pulled out a chair and sat down.

The audience fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an even bigger uproar.

"He sat down?! He just sat down! He sat down during the three-minute selection period, racing against time!"

Someone slapped their thigh.

"They probably can't accept the rule change and are just going to give up?"

"I thought he was something special, some young master from a potions conglomerate, is that all?"

"Where's that guy who said he had the best chance of winning? He got slapped in the face, haha. He said you shouldn't speak too soon."