Considering the crowd of young pill alchemists assembled, who among them didn't hail from a prestigious ancient Lineage?

Furthermore, being a pill alchemist ranked among the highest echelons of revered ancient martial vocations, and those who pursued it undoubtedly bore immense significance within their family circles.

Barbara's intention to mingle with these distinguished individuals seemed both sensible and well-justified.

Observing Maria's apparent indifference, Barbara responded with a sly smirk, unaffected by Maria's aloofness.

After all, her performance was primarily for the benefit of the descendants of those revered ancient clans situated behind them.

Maria's response didn't ruffle her feathers in the slightest.

“Candidate 124, your journey ends here. Extinguish your furnace and depart the arena!"

A sudden, thunderous shout from Jadiel sent shockwaves not only through Candidate 124 but also jolting Candidate 121, causing him to halt his intricate alchemical procedure momentarily.

“Sir, I..." Candidate 124 attempted to argue but was abruptly cut off by Jadiel's icy retort.

"I have no inclination to squander my time.

You committed four glaring errors in your execution just moments ago.

Must I painstakingly enumerate each one of them?"

Crafting diverse pills demanded a mastery of multifaceted techniques, each brimming with intricacies.

A single misstep had the power to cast a profound shadow over the pills’ quality, diminishing their potential efficacy.

With Candidate 124's four missteps, the pills in his furnace now teetered on the brink, their potency compromised, and the specter of toxicity loomed ominously.

“Very well, I understand..." Candidate 124 yielded with reluctance, succumbing to the inevitable outcome.

“Ha-ha!" candidate 121, who had been stunned, suddenly emerged from his stupor. Witnessing Candidate 124's misfortune, he couldn't stifle a chuckle.

Growing increasingly irked, Candidate 124 blushed with humiliation as the mocking laughter washed over him.

Gritting his teeth, he hunched over in silence, diligently extracting the specialized, high-temperature charcoal from the depths of the alchemical furnace.

Unlike the commonplace charcoal found in the market, this specialized variety, tailored for pill refinement, blazed with an intensity that soared to remarkable temperatures.

He swiveled around, poised to extinguish the fiery ember of the specialized charcoal.

In an abrupt twist of fate, he faltered and his balance betrayed him.

He tumbled unceremoniously in the direction of Candidate 121.

In a spectacular turn of events, the red-hot charcoal he had clutched soared gracefully, tracing a flawless parabolic trajectory through the air. It found its precise resting place, plunging into the maw of Candidate 121's alchemical furnace.