David nced over at Mirabe and James but decided against disturbing them. Instead, he turned to Conrad and said, "You might want to take a good look and see if you really deserve to reap the benefits of someone else''s hard work."


    Conrad''s face shifted through a series of emotions, ultimately settling on regret. He stood there, unmoving, overwhelmed with remorse.


    David shook his head and looked away.


    Twenty minutester, Devon carefully turned off the stove and removed the concoction.


    Staring at the eight perfect capsules in the box, he felt a flicker of doubt about his own skills. Normally, it took him over an hour toplete a batch, and the process was painstakingly intricate. His best effort had only ever produced six capsules, and even those were just Grade A.


    Compared to what he had in front of him now, Devon suddenly felt a bit small.


    Soon after, Devon brought the capsules over to the group.


    David didn''t reach for them right away. Instead, he gestured for Presley to take a look first. "Presley, you mentioned you''d never seen such a young pharmacist, right? Let''s see what you make of medicine crafted from this young talent''s recipe."


    Presley was visibly surprised, his expression less than pleased.


    When Devon handed him the box, Presley had no choice but to take it. After a brief pause, he opened it and peeked inside. Just as he was about toment, Devon spoke up.


    "As we all know, even with an identical recipe, it''spletely normal to have some variations in traditional medicine," Devon said, taking a quick nce over at Mirabe. "But I have to admit, I''m not quite at Ms. Mirabe''s level yet."


    Presley was left without words.


    The other officials, eager to see the results, ignored Presley''s reaction and eagerly examined the capsules.


    "There are differences, sure, but they''re minor," one remarked.


    "Exactly, it''s clear they came from the same recipe," another agreed.


    The vice-chair, who understood more about pharmacology and recipes than anyone else, couldn''t remain neutral after seeing Devon''s work. From the moment Mirabe shared her recipe, the truth was in as day.


    Hearing everyone''s unanimous conclusion, David''s lips curled into a tight smile, his voice colder than ice: "Now that the truth is out, as per the rules, Conrad''s exam results are void. He''s demoted to a junior member, banned from taking any advancement exams for the next ten years, and stripped of all his privileges." Conrad looked at David, shocked. The demotion was one thing, but being barred from exams for ten years felt like a death sentence to his career.


    "All this based on a single recipe? I can''t ept that," Conrad protested through gritted teeth.


    "Can''t ept it?" David raised an eyebrow. "Alright, if you can produce the recipe, I''ll credit the medicine to you. How about it?"


    Conrad wavered, knowing full well he couldn''t produce it.


    "Looks like you''re stuck," David said with a light chuckle.


    Conrad opened his mouth to argue, but...


    Presley stood up, cutting him off. "Enough, Conrad. You should have considered the consequences when you pulled that stunt during the exam. The chairman is already showing leniency by not expelling you. Don''t push your luck."


    Then, turning to David, Presley offered a slight bow, his earlier defiance gone. "I apologize, Chairman. It was my failure in guidance."