Mrs. Jenkins was somewhat displeased to see that despite everything she said, Maria still hadn't said anything and only had an annoying smile.

Seeing Mrs. Jenkins' impatient demeanor, Maria chuckled.

"Well, since you want me to make a decision, listen carefully."

Maria paused and coughed a few times to clear her throat. Then, she said curtly, "I refuse."

Upon hearing Maria's two-word statement, Mr. Barnes’ expression changed drastically.

Did she really turn down the opportunity to learn from him? How could she be so arrogant and bold at this young age? Couldn't she see that he was a medical master?

“What? Think it over!" Mr. Barnes blurted out impatiently before Mrs. Jenkins could say anything. His words were like a warning.

The truth was that Mr. Barnes wasn't really interested in taking Maria as his apprentice. He had ulterior motives.

He just wanted to perform all kinds of tests and experiments on Maria to see if she had undergone the second “Ancient Martial Arts Organ Transplant Methods." He was intrigued to examine Maria's talents and her potential. After all, Maria had repeatedly defeated Barbara whom he had invested time and effort to cultivate.

Since Maria's heart had been transplanted into Barbara's chest decades ago, Barbara should have gained Maria's ancient martial arts talents.

But it seemed that Barbara's body and Maria's heart weren't working together. Otherwise, Barbara wouldn't have lost to Maria after all the training and resources she received.

Maria firmly stated, “I've made up my mind. I don't want to be your student."

She didn't bother to check if they grasped her point or not.

While Maria refused to be Mr. Barnes' student, she didn't reject learning martial arts medicine.

But from the perspective of Mr. Barnes and Mrs. Jenkins, it seemed no different.

"Maria!" Mrs. Jenkins abruptly stood up, clearly upset.

"You're being too stubborn! As a member of our family, you should first consider family interests! If you were trained under Mr. Barnes, like he said, you could become a medical master one day. But by refusing him, aren't you letting our family miss out on having a medical master?"

Mrs. Jenkins was skilled at guilt-tripping people, often using family and morality to manipulate others.

Canaan knew this all too well. For twenty years, Mrs. Jenkins had used this tactic on Canaan time and again. And every time, it worked.

Maria tried to defend herself, "I'm not being stubborn..

Maria wanted to say Mr. Barnes wasn't fit to be her mentor. Mr. Barnes was a seventh-grade healer, close to reaching the eighth grade, which was impressive but not enough to claim the title of a medical master.

Goodwin was recognized as an alchemic master, a true eighth-grade pill alchemist.

In the world of martial arts, it was an unspoken norm that only an eighth-grade practitioner could be called a master.

How could a seventh-grade healer like Mr. Barnes dare call himself a medical master within the Association of Healthcare Professionals?