"Contestant Tang Ming, please proceed to table 172."

At that moment, Tang Ming’s name was announced over the speakers.

"It’s my turn to enter. Hopefully, you’re not at table 172."

Tang Ming straightened his clothes and walked boldly into the competition hall.

After waiting for a while and confirming the other person at table 172 was named Ye Wen, Tang Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief, confident he wouldn’t run into someone from his own circle.

As this batch of contestants entered, the competition entered the preparation stage.

"Are you a university student?"

Tang Ming looked bewilderedly at the middle-aged man standing in front of him, who was portly and had a face full of flesh, looking like he was in his forties or fifties.

"Is there a problem? I’m a freshman at Shande University. Do you have an issue with that?"

Ye Wende stared at Tang Ming with a righteous manner.

"Are you kidding? How old are you?"

Tang Ming asked, doubtful, staring at Ye Wende.

"I just turned eighteen this year. I’m a freshman at Shande University."

Ye Wende straightened his clothes and arrogantly looked at Tang Ming: "Kid, you’re out of luck. Running into me in the first round means your medical competition ends here."

"Eighteen? My foot, you could say you’re eighty, and people would believe it."

Tang Ming rolled his eyes and turned to the staff nearby: "Officer, this guy is clearly lying about his age. He looks like an adult pretending to be young."

"We are just following the recommendations from the schools and regions for the competition. Since Shande University provided proof that he is an eighteen-year-old freshman, there’s nothing I can do."

The uniformed staff shrugged expressionlessly.

"Hehe, kid, no point in wasting your efforts."

Ye Wende sneered peculiarly and whispered: "To be honest, I am a high-level teacher in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department at Shande University. I disguised myself as a student to help our university shine in this medical competition, so you’re definitely not my match. You’d better just concede if you know what’s good for you."

"Damn, that’s shameless."

Tang Ming widened his eyes in anger, glaring at Ye Wende.

"Heh, it just shows your ignorance and naivety. Do you think all the contestants here are students? At least one-fifth of them aren’t. As long as you can prove your medical skills and win a position in the medical competition, nothing else matters."

Ye Wende explained self-righteously.

"You..."

"Time’s up, contestants must stop chatting and draw the prescription immediately."

The staff interrupted Tang Ming’s words and pointed unquestionably at the box on the table: "Who’s going to shake it?"

"Let the kid shake it. No matter what the prescription is, I’m sure to win."

Ye Wende confidently straightened his clothes.

"Crazy."

Tang Ming shrugged, reached out, shook the box, and drew a plastic ball.

The staff opened the plastic ball and took out two identical prescriptions, handing them to Tang Ming and Ye Wende respectively.

"Start timing now. If you finish before the time’s up, report to me."

The staff started a ten-minute timer and announced the start of the competition.

"Heh, this is a prescription for treating typhoid, with only a few herbs involved. I’m very familiar with it."

Ye Wende earnestly read the prescription while checking the herbs on the table and casually showing off his medical skills, but then...

"I’m done."

Tang Ming handed the prepared medicine to the staff.

"Hmm? Less than a minute?"

The staff was surprised and dubious.

"You must be joking, right?"

Ye Wende was similarly bewildered, staring at Tang Ming incredulously. He hadn’t even decided on the placement of the herbs when Tang Ming finished, which was absurdly fast.

"Didn’t you say to report to you after finishing it? A minute is enough."

Tang Ming responded with a smile.

"I’ll, I’ll check it right away."

The staff snapped out of it and quickly inspected the medicine Tang Ming prepared.

"University student, shouldn’t you get started too?"

Tang Ming looked at Ye Wende playfully: "You know the saying, bad guys often talk too much. You have eight minutes left."

"You... don’t gloat."

Ye Wende cursed with a grimace, then hurriedly started working, with his hands shaking uncontrollably.

As a Traditional Chinese Medicine professor at Shande University, how could he possibly lose to a student? But now the opponent finished in just one minute, could it be random mixing?

It must be so, otherwise, how could it be done so fast without measuring tools?

At the five-minute mark, Ye Wende was sweating profusely, having only managed to prepare half of it.

"Time’s up, the winner is Tang Ming."

Just then, the staff announced leisurely while stopping the timer.

"Wait a minute, time’s not up. I haven’t finished. Why do you say he won?"

Ye Wende immediately shouted angrily.

"Because the proportion of herbs he prepared is perfect. At most, you could match the color of this medicine, but he finished in one minute ahead of time, so you’re bound to lose."

The staff glanced at Ye Wende and turned to Tang Ming: "Contestant Tang Ming, you may proceed to the advancement area for the next round."

"Thanks for the match, thanks for the match."

Tang Ming cupped his hands to Ye Wende and then walked towards the advancement area with big strides: "University student, with your skills, practice for ten more years, and challenge me again when you become a professor."

"You... there’s foul play. I protest. He must have cheated. I can’t lose."

Ye Wende shouted excitedly; as a Traditional Chinese Medicine professor, he thick-skinnedly participated in the medical competition, only to be eliminated in the first round. How could he face anyone if this got out!

"Someone, remove this disruptive disqualified contestant."

Seeing Ye Wende like this, the staff immediately stepped forward, restrained him, and dragged him out.

"I protest, the medical competition is unfair, there’s foul play and underhanded deals, I protest..."

Ye Wende was dragged out while yelling.

Tang Ming entered the advancement area, and Wu Fangyue and Zhou Xiaoqian immediately greeted him.

"What happened on your side?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Zhou Xiaoqian asked concernedly, looking at Tang Ming.

"Nothing much, just some shameless guy pretending to be a student to compete. I gave him a little lesson."

Tang Ming said with disgust, curling his lips.

"Shh, shh, shh."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoqian quickly gestured for silence.

"What is it?"

Tang Ming asked, puzzled.

"Ahem, look around."

Wu Fangyue awkwardly reminded.

Tang Ming looked around in confusion, only to find that among the hundreds who advanced, many appeared to be middle-aged. It seemed that these people were truly willing to lose their dignity just to compete in the medical competition.

"Damn, is this still a competition only for national university students? Eventually, these people will beat most of the students."

Tang Ming cursed in displeasure.