However, Mrs. Jenkins remained tight-lipped regarding the specific nature of the pill Maria had successfully crafted.

“Canaan, you are not the judge. Why did you make a scene here? Are you not concerned that others will accuse you of interfering in the competition?" Mrs. Jenkins remarked, casting a fleeting glance in Canaan's direction.

At these words, Canaan's heart plummeted. Damn it!

Mrs. Jenkins was insinuating that if he dared to advocate for Maria one more time, she would level charges of bias against him!

Should that come, Maria's final score in the competition would probably be rendered null and void!

“You must be jesting, Mrs. Jenkins. The competition is conducted with absolute fairness. How could I possibly meddle in it?"

Canaan offered a bitter smile, stepping back as a gesture of concession.

Mrs. Jenkins nodded with a sense of contentment, yet her eyes betrayed undisguised disdain.

She then turned to the judge, inquiring with a smile, "Sir, could you please ascertain whether there is something wrong with the testing apparatus?"

Mrs. Jenkins was putting pressure on the judge.

“anything wrong with the device? I highly doubt it. This device is entirely new..."

While the judge was attempting to articulate something, the voice of Mrs. Jenkins resonated in his ears.

He couldn't help but suppress his words, considering the substantial sum of money enclosed in the envelope earlier delivered by Reuben.

As an esteemed judge of the Pill Alchemist Association, he would undoubtedly avoid tarnishing his reputation by succumbing to bribery.

However, out of prudence and for the sake of Mrs. Jenkins, it was imperative to conduct the testing again.

“Well, how about this? I shall endeavor to rejuvenate the database connections and then reinstall the device, in order to determine whether the outcome differs or not."

Upon hearing the judge's proposition, Mrs. Jenkins nodded contentedly. Subsequently, the judge carried out his proposed actions. However, by the time he finished, thirty minutes had already elapsed.

“Ding!"

The device resumed its operation.

"The system has detected grade-six Happy Pill. The analysis is currently in progress."

The Happy Pill once again underwent scrutiny by the device.

The smile on Mrs. Jenkins’ face froze.

She knew that Maria had successfully refined the Happy Pill. Judging from her composure, it was evident that this pill surpassed the Association's prescribed standards by at least 62%.

Hence, the outcome of the final was unequivocal.