In the midst of the crowd, Isla stood silently, devoid of disappointment or jealousy. Her slender countenance remained devoid of any discernible emotion.

“Interesting. She must be putting on an ac Barbara harbored an innate disdain for Isla.

She was convinced that Isla's serene demeanor was merely a facade. Barbara wagered that beneath the facade, Isla seethed with envy and pain.

She supposed that was the undeniable truth.

Barbara's thoughts abruptly turned to Maria, and she cast a piercing gaze at Maria.

"Shame on you, Maria. I can't believe you haven't finished the refinement yet."

Observing Maria handling the flames, Barbara exuded unwavering confidence and dismissed her efforts.

“Even if she manages to produce a third-grade or a fourth-grade pill, she can never beat me. I made a grade-five pill and that matters. My grandmother has assured me that as long as my pill surpasses hers in level, her defeat is inevitable, regardless of the purities of the pill."

Though feeling a tinge of sympathy for Maria, Barbara secretly reveled in the assurance bestowed upon her by her grandmother.

She looked at Canaan, her voice brimming with triumph, and proclaimed, “Rest assured, Canaan. You can rely on me. Under my leadership, the pill refinery industry of the Jenkins family will shine brightly.”

Canaan stared at her, at a loss for words. Canaan disagreed with it.

His frustration surged as circumstances seemed to work against him, rendering him unable to articulate his concerns.

When Barbara took the Styx Pill out of the furnace, everyone was stunned into silence.

Aside from being shocked, the Jenkins family was deeply concerned. They weren't fools a bit.

They knew what Barbara's success meant for them.

If Barbara won the championship, Mrs. Jenkins would have enough reason to allocate all those resources to support Barbara's talent.

Undeniably, it could use a party to celebrate that there was one more fifth-grade pill alchemist in the Jenkins family, which was no easy feat.

However, this pill alchemist would require more resources than Elton needed. Moreover, the cost of taking her in would affect the expenses of the Jenkins family.

Would they benefit in the end?

No one knew what Barbara would bring back to the Jenkins family. Everyone recalled the time when Barbara was a grade-four practitioner and those resources allocated to her for decades when she was at the Association of Healthcare Professionals. She was blessed with Mrs. Jenkins' support and used the savings of the Jenkins family.

However, did Barbara ever do anything to return the generosity of the Jenkins family?

The answer was no.

She never treated anyone for the sake of the Jenkins family.

“I can't believe this. How could Mr. Jenkins allow Mrs. Jenkins to take over the family business after he passed?"