Under the scrutinizing gazes of the audience, Barbara smiled and carried herself with confidence.

She took the microphone from Reuben and said, "Greetings, everyone. I'm the first contestant, Barbara Herrera. For the semi-final round, I plan to refine a Concentration Pill."

Her declaration instantly stunned everyone into silence.

Barbara had produced a third-grade Sun Pill in the preliminary round. That was why they could not understand why she would settle for a mediocre Concentration Pill in the semi-final round.

Eventually, though, they caught on to what she was trying to achieve. Barbara, Maria, Isla, and Vivian were the only pill-makers among the many competitors in the literary match.

While the other three only looked capable of producing Concentration Pills, Barbara, on the other hand, had figured out how to produce a superior pill.

Therefore, her victory against the three women seemed unlikely to convince anyone else that she was superior to them.

However, if Barbara produced a Concentration Pill as they did, and hers was more effective than theirs, she would win, and no one would doubt her skills again.

Vivian had thought of it and was convinced that Barbara was planning to make a spectacle out of her.

However, there was nothing she could do to stop it. Barbara, after all, was Mrs. Jenkins’ beloved grandchildren, so Vivian could only endure the humiliation.

“I'm Chayce Jenkins, and I'm contestant number fourteen. For the semi-final, I plan to perform an ancient martial art known as Twenty-four Acupoint Needles, which is acupuncture of the first grade.”

“I'm Eliam Jenkins, contestant number twenty. In the semi-final, I will create a first-rate weapon called Cloud Whip.“

One by one, each competitor detailed their plans for the upcoming semi-final. When it was finally Vivian's turn, she was a nervous wreck.

“I'm contestant number thirty, Vivian Jenkins, and for the semi-final round, I'll make a first-grade Concentration Pill."

After saying that, she felt her face redden.

Vivian managed to comfort herself. At least she would not be the only one who looked stupid because Maria and the maid Isla would make the same pills.

As predicted, Ista and Maria both declared that they would produce Concentration Pills for the semi-final.

So far, everything had gone the way Vivian thought it would, which made her feel better.

“Let the semi-finals begin After Mr. Gonzales's booming announcement, all competitors wasted no time getting to work.

This time, Vivian was extremely near Maria's workspace, with just Isla standing between them, all thanks to the elimination of a significant number of competitors in the preliminary round.

Each of the furnaces the family had provided was now ablaze with fire. Producing Concentration Pills were of entry-level difficulty. Vivian did not start studying alchemy until much later, but she had plenty of experience with the procedure thanks to repeated practice.

She hastily mixed the various pharmaceutical ingredients and started placing them in the furnace.

“This time, the pill should start taking form at least five minutes earlier than the one I created for the preliminary," Vivian muttered triumphantly to herself.

She glanced across at Isla who was not far away. She would like to catch a glimpse of Maria, but Isla's furnace blocked her view.