"Did you develop this pill based on your comprehension?" Jadiel inquired once more.

"Did the Pharmacopoeia specify its grade?"

Maria shook her head, replying, "The first successful refinement of the Three Swirling Golden Pill dates back to my birth. As for its grade, it has never been precisely determined. Personally, I estimate it to be at least a sixth-grade pill."

She spoke with casual nonchalance, yet a realization dawned upon all the examinees present.

Maria, at the very least, stood on equal footing with the examiner Jadiel.

She was a sixth-grade pill alchemist!

Maria had undeniably passed the Pill Alchemist Association's test.

“Even if Maria had outperformed me, so what? The outcome remained the same. Both of us are now new members of the association..." Barbara consoled herself silently.

Still, one thought persisted in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to suppress it.

“When we get back home, I should be the one discussing today's exam process. I won't give Maria an opportunity to boast. I should tell Maria to go straight back to the Lemna Yard!"

As Barbara exited the central examination venue and found a seat outdoors, she had already crafted the words she would use upon her return to the Jenkins family's mansion.

The examination proceeded.

Candidates like Maria, who had already passed, were seated in a designated area to rest.

As the entire examination came to an end, the Pill Alchemist Association had other plans for them.

Out of the hundreds of remaining candidates, with an elimination rate exceeding twenty to one, only a handful successfully passed the exam in the end.

Taking into account the previously qualified candidates like Maria, the Pill Alchemist Association welcomed just 11 new members this time.

“With only eleven individuals succeeding, I won't be apprehensive about facing criticism when I return to my family.”

Such was the prevailing sentiment among most candidates, given the difficulty of the test.

Among these eleven individuals, apart from Maria and Barbara, there was a mature woman named Lilliana Mullins, who was in her early thirties.

ALL three of them possessed exceptional beauty, naturally attracting the attention of the other eight men.

While Barbara would greet the men with a smile, Maria and Lilliana remained reserved.

However, Lilliana stood apart from Maria. While Maria's expression remained consistently composed, Lilliana consistently wore a confident, even slightly arrogant, smile.

She had every reason to be proud.

Among the eleven newly qualified individuals today, aside from Maria, who successfully refined a sixth-grade pill, Lilliana achieved the feat of completing a fourth-grade pill.