Chapter 96

"These three pills... are all poisonous!"

At this moment, everyone's faces changed, each looking extremely displeased, especially the young man in red and the young man in yellow.

Everyone took a step back in unison, distancing themselves from that area as if it harbored some kind of monster or devil!

"How is this possible?"

"What is the reason for this?"

No one had anticipated this outcome, almost unable to believe their eyes, but the truth was right before them.

None of these three pills were normal.

But how could this be?

In their shock, they were also filled with doubt, and after the doubt came anger.

If none of the three pills were normal, who could pick out the non-toxic one and take it to write down their insights?

If none of the three pills were normal, then wasn't the second stage of the考核 set up by Apricot Grove Manor completely a trap?

Some people recalled the few young men who had been carried away by the disciples of Apricot Grove Manor after mistakenly taking the poisonous pills, foaming at the mouth and unconscious, and shivered involuntarily.

They thought to themselves, "If I had... held the same thoughts as them and taken a chance, my fate would have been no different from theirs, equally tragic."

Thinking of this outcome, and looking at those three black poisonous pills, everyone's anger intensified, feeling a sense of being toyed with.

"An explanation... we must have an explanation, otherwise, we won't accept it, we will appeal!"

"That's right... this assessment is impossible to complete. No matter which of the three pills you choose, it's wrong. Why did Apricot Grove Manor do this?"

The crowd's emotions were high, even more so than when they heard that only Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the others had passed the assessment.

The old man in blue, seeing the boiling crowd below, seemed to have anticipated this and did not show any signs of worry.

He watched them quietly until they all calmed down, then slowly spoke.

"Do you want to know why?"

The old man in blue's gaze swept over everyone, from the four or five disciples who had been preparing to leave to the three still standing in the center of the venue: Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the young man in blue.

"You must think that I deliberately deceived you, or that there was something wrong with the assessment process."

Everyone lowered their heads, indeed having such thoughts.

But the old man in blue's tone changed, and he sneered, "No! I want to tell you that this assessment was never meant to test your ability to identify pills from the beginning!"

"Wow!"

The crowd below was once again in an uproar, even Shui Xue and the young man in blue, their eyes showing a hint of surprise as they looked up at the old man in blue.

Only Tang Gu, who seemed to have expected this, showed no surprise and remained silent.

The old man in blue took in everyone's reactions, glancing at Tang Gu with a hint of surprise but said nothing more.

He continued, "Apricot Grove Manor assesses people based on skills, mindset, and virtue. Skills are secondary, mindset is primary, and virtue comes first."

"I have already said that your assessment has just begun. Passing a quarter of this stage is already good, passing a fifth is normal, and even if only one-tenth remain, I won't be surprised."

"Now, you have three people left, which is better than the lowest number I imagined. It seems there are still some smart people among you."

"So, let me tell you what this assessment is really about."

Everyone held their breath, knowing that the old man in blue was finally getting to the key point.

"Courage, bravery, mindset, and spiritual roots..."

"I believe that before you came here, Old Qi must have told you what is most important to become a true alchemist."

"It's not about what skills you possess, but about being bold, meticulous, and always maintaining a calm and stable mind."

"But, besides that... what Old Qi didn't tell you is one more thing, and that is your attitude towards life."

"What is your attitude towards life?"

"Reverence, understanding, gratitude, cherishing, and respect!"

"Human life, regardless of status, origin, lifespan, or relationship, the most important thing when facing life is respect!"

"As a healer, there should be no bias. I believe that all of you, whether you passed the assessment by luck, failed by taking the poisonous pills, or gave up before the assessment ended, could not fully guess the subtleties of these three pills."

"So, if you want to win, you have only two options: gamble or give up!"

"But, if you don't value your own life and think that Apricot Grove Manor will definitely save you, and you take a gamble with your life, once you take this step, regardless of the outcome, you have already failed."

"At the moment you have a侥幸 attitude towards life, you have already lost the essence of being a healer."

"If you don't cherish your own life, how can you cherish others?"

"Before life, there is no侥幸!"

"So, this stage of the assessment is not about identifying pills or courage, but about respect for life. Respecting life is something each of you must learn, whether it's someone else's life or your own."

Everyone lowered their heads, finally understanding that the assessment by Apricot Grove Manor cannot be judged by conventional standards. Like the first stage, which appeared to test the ability to identify herbs, the true test was attention to detail.

And this second stage, which appeared to test the ability to identify pills and courage, was actually testing respect for life.

If you don't respect your own life, then in the future, when you face others, you will likely not be able to treat them with sufficient caution.

If you practice medicine recklessly without any confidence, the result for your patients will be tragic.

So, this is something Apricot Grove Manor absolutely does not want to see.

You can have mediocre medical skills, but your medical ethics must be outstanding. If you don't know something, admit it. If you pretend to know and act recklessly, you will harm others and yourself.

Finally, everyone understood why all three pills were poisonous. The disciples were enlightened but also somewhat embarrassed.

However, after a moment, one of the disciples, still feeling guilty, pointed to Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the young man in blue, and loudly asked, "Then why can they pass the assessment, but we can't?"

The others also reacted, all looking back at the old man in blue.

Hearing the question, the old man in blue turned his head and looked at the five people with a mocking smile.

"Why..."

"Now, I will tell you why."

He pointed to Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the young man in blue, then to the five people: "It's simple, because from start to finish, they never left the assessment area, while you..." He smiled slightly, pointing to a white line on the ground. "You crossed the boundary."

"The assessment is not over, and candidates who leave the assessment area on their own, regardless of their talent or pill-making skills, are considered to have given up automatically! This was clearly stated in the rules before you entered. Did you all forget?"

"Ah!"

Everyone was stunned, then their faces turned red with regret, almost slapping themselves in frustration.

Before entering the assessment area, everyone read the rules of Apricot Grove Manor, which clearly stated this rule.

But just now, they had thought of giving up, so they completely ignored this point. They never expected that this stage of the assessment was so strange and simple... just standing still could pass the assessment.

But because of this one thought, the same process led to two completely different outcomes.

Eight people did nothing, but because... some of them gave up automatically, the victors became only a small part of the group.

Finally, the old man in blue concluded, "If you give up yourself, do you still need to say more? Who among you still has objections to the results of this stage of the assessment..."

"We do!"

Hearing his voice, everyone lowered their heads, feeling extremely regretful, almost wanting to bang their heads against the wall.

If they had just persisted a little more, maybe just a little, they could have passed the assessment like the three of them, but why, why...

But now, the assessment was over, and no matter how much they regretted and blamed themselves, they could not change anything. The five of them could only helplessly accept their failure.

However, when they looked at Tang Gu and the others, their eyes were full of envy and jealousy.

They still believed that it was because those few young men had good luck.

From start to finish, they did not think that Tang Gu and Shui Xue had identified the three poisonous pills and thus did not take them, but rather that they had good luck and happened to stand still.

In the end, the five were asked to leave. When they left, they looked like wilted eggplants, heads hanging low, completely demoralized.

No matter what happened to others, they had already become failures.

Watching those few leave with their heads hanging low, the young man in blue scratched his head, and the old man in blue smiled, his gaze turning to the three remaining in the courtyard.

"Congratulations, whether you passed by real skill or by luck, you have passed the second stage of the assessment and can proceed to the third stage. Someone will naturally take you to the third stage assessment venue, which is a true test of strength, allowing no侥幸."

"I hope to see you at the final stage, goodbye!"

After saying this, the old man in blue waved his hand and left without waiting for their response.

Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the others looked at his back, then at each other. At this moment, a young man in apricot-colored clothes walked out and beckoned to them, "Follow me!"

The three did not say much and followed the young man in apricot-colored clothes. Soon, they arrived at a secluded courtyard, where four or five young men and women were already waiting, clearly also the winners.

After the young man in apricot-colored clothes led them there, he left. Tang Gu and the others knew that not everyone had arrived yet, and they had to wait for everyone to gather before the third stage of the assessment could begin. They were not in a hurry and looked around.

In front of them, wooden doors stood, forming small rooms. The doors were tightly closed, and they did not know what was inside.

On one side of the wooden doors, dozens of copper gongs hung, each guarded by a bare-chested man in yellow, standing with their hands behind their backs, expressionless. (To be continued. Search for Piaowen.com for faster updates and better quality!)