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

Upon hearing this, Su Yangwei's face flushed red.

He sat up straight and raised his voice by an octave.

"You're chickening out now? You were quick to agree when we were talking about betting on the first round."

Lu Zaoxie picked up the teacup and blew on the steam.

"Coward? I was being polite to you. Since you don't appreciate it, then pretend I didn't say anything."

Su Yangwei leaned back on the sofa and didn't say anything more.

He took a deep breath, swallowed the air back down his chest, and looked back at the screen.

Su Youran has already begun processing the second medicinal herb.

His movements remained as fluid as ever, his gaze focused and steady, and every cut was precise and accurate.

A confident smile returned to the corners of his mouth.

He decided not to compete with Lu Zaoxie anymore; he would let his daughter's grades prove Lu Zaoxie wrong.

When Su Youran stands on the podium with the championship trophy, let's see how he can still be so stubborn.

On the other side, the little vampire walked over and snatched the grinder from Lu Zhixing's hand.

Her movements were light and quick, and by the time Lu Zhixing reacted, her hands were already empty.

Lu Zhixing turned to look at her, but before he could ask her what she was doing, she spoke first.

"I order you, to sit quietly in the back."

Lu Zhixing was taken aback.

"Hmm? I was thinking of helping you out, like handing you a tool or something?"

The little vampire has already started tidying up the messy pile of materials on the table.

"No need, you can just lie down."

"Oh... I didn't expect you to care about me so much, not letting me suffer at all."

The little vampire paused slightly in her movements, then turned her back, her long, silvery-white hair slipping down her shoulders with the movement.

A small patch of skin, just above the tip of her ear, glowed faintly pink in the firelight.

Her voice was a little lower than before.

"I...I wasn't worried about you! It's just that you're interfering with my alchemy. You're so clumsy, you can't even hold the grinder upside down. You're just getting in the way."

The little zombie stood to the side, arms crossed, head tilted as it looked at the scene before it.

He let out a long and distinct yawn.

"Since I don't need any help, I'm going to sleep."

He had just turned around and hadn't even taken a step when the little vampire grabbed his arm and pulled him back a step.

"No sleeping."

"There are many steps involved in grinding and processing, and I can't handle it all by myself. You go and process those moon shadow roots. Here's a small knife, but don't cut too deep, or you'll lose the medicinal properties."

The little zombie was a little unhappy. It frowned slightly and muttered, "I'm here to fight, not to cook."

But he glanced at the little vampire's serious expression.

He glanced again at Lu Zhixing, who was already sitting down leisurely.

In the end, he stayed, reluctantly reaching out to take the thin-bladed knife the little vampire offered.

"Okay, okay, explain more clearly, how exactly do you want to cut it?"

Lu Zhixing had already returned to his chair and sat down.

He doesn't need any help; his two summoned creatures can handle the whole process on their own.

This is what it feels like to be a boss.

The employees work while the boss rests, and at the end of the year, the boss still has to say, "I put in a lot of effort this year."

The audience erupted in discussion again, even more so than the previous debate about the rule changes.

"Why is he sitting down again? Is he trying to use his summoned creatures to concoct potions?"

"What were you thinking? You think you're all that just because you made a few minor adjustments?"

"Controlling summoned creatures to brew potions is a completely different concept from brewing potions yourself! The difficulty is ten times greater!"

"It's like someone using chopsticks to eat with a spoon!"

"To dedicate mental energy to controlling the actions of summoned creatures, and to perceive the state of the potion through the senses of the summoned creatures—this is a whole different dimension from personally controlling it!"

"I guess they're just trying to attract attention, deliberately increasing the difficulty to shock us and gain a sense of superiority. They'll make a fool of themselves if the furnace explodes; it'll be hilarious."

"Mastering the heat, judging the concentration of the juice, and sensing the compatibility between medicinal materials—all of these are accomplished through the skin and fingertips."

"Operating through a summoning intermediary means the information is delayed by at least half a beat; that half a beat could ruin the whole operation. I'm waiting to see how he handles this."

Su Youran glanced at Lu Zhixing during a break from her busy work.

Lu Zhixing sat there with his eyes closed, while his two summoned creatures busied themselves beside the alchemy table.

Su Youran withdrew her gaze, a relieved smile on her lips.

The slight unease that had been hanging over her all morning finally subsided.

I was worried that Lu Zhixing might have some hidden trump cards.

After all, his performance in the first round of the assessment had indeed startled her, but now it seems...

Is the so-called trump card manipulating summoned creatures to brew potions?

This simply won't work.

Why did he do that?

He still has a betting contract to play, so why is he giving up on himself?

She looked at the alchemy furnace in front of her again, and the weight on her heart finally lifted.

Turn around and obediently put on the maid outfit, and let her order you around for half a month.

The image of Lu Zhixing dressed as a maid kneeling in front of her and being ordered by her to lick her feet flashed through her mind.

Just thinking about that moment of conquering his nemesis and getting perfect revenge, plus the look of resentment and helplessness on his face when he was forced to lick his feet.

She felt generally relaxed, both physically and mentally, and her senses were somewhat loose.

"Haha...hehe...cough cough."

"No, you can't laugh now. You have to hold it in and laugh later."