<b>Chapter </b><b>72 </b>


    Marvin pretended not to hear Ashton’s ttery; it was just too insincere.


    “The public lecture starts at eight in the morning and ends at ten. Of course, if there are any special circumstances, it can also end early<b>, </b>depending on when Briarpletes the assignment,” Marvin said, bing serious as he discussed the matter.


    He took a sip of coffee and asked earnestly, “Ashton, how confident do you think Briar is about passing this public lecture?”


    Ashton’s voice was steady. “Briar says she’s one hundred percent confident.”


    Marvin was taken aback for a moment. ‘I don’t ask about Briar’s confidence?‘ he wondered.


    But before Marvin could inquire further, the TV screen on the wall lit up. It was 7:55, and the public lecture was about to begin.


    On the screen, Briar was already there, propping her chin up with her hand as she sat alone in the ssroom designated for the public lecture. Several cameras were set up in front of her, ensuring that every move Briar made would be captured from all angles once the lecture


    began.


    Even with the cameras right in her face, Briar’s beauty remained unmarred.


    She was truly stunning. Even with a nk expression, even with a hint of defiance and arrogance in her eyes, and even with her casual posture that seemed more at home than in a formal setting, Briar’s natural beauty shone through.


    In the frame, several elderly gentlemen with gray hair and reading sses were ushered in by Joshua and Jewell. They took their seats at the judges‘ table that had been prepared for them.


    Joshua was the first to speak. “Briar, a freshman in the Traditional Medicine Department, the public lecture is set to begin in two minutes. Are you ready?”


    Briar sat up straight, still indifferent, and nodded faintly in response.


    “Okay. I hereby dere that the first individual public lecture of the Traditional Medicine Department is nowmencing. Please listen to the question,” Joshua announced.


    Unlike other subjects, the Traditional Medicine Department’s/curriculum included not only a basic written exam but also a crucial practicalponent. This involved real patients with actual medical cases for students to practice on.


    Of course, this had to be clearlymunicated to the patients in advance, and professional traditional medicine schrs had to be present to provide guidance.


    To ensure fairness and impartiality for today’s public lecture, Shoneport University had brought in patients from Shoneport Hospital, who had signed liability waivers and insurance.


    In addition to the apanying senior traditional medicine experts, an ambnce and relevant medical staff were on standby to handle any unexpected incidents during the treatment.


    The content of the written exam was randomly generated by professors and the judges on–site. Briar wrote her answers on the answer sheet, with cameras capturing the entire process.


    From the moment she heard the question to the moment she wrote down the answer, Briar hardly paused at all. <b>If </b><b>it </b><b>weren’t </b>for <b>the </b>cameras and the distinguished experts from Shoneport watching, the live audience would have thought Briar had the answers beforehand.


    They were surprised by how quickly she answered on the spot.


    <b>10:36 </b><b>Tue</b><b>, </b>12 <b>Aug </b>DO


    Especially the students from the Traditional Medicine Department–even the seniors, who were unable to answer some of the abonu ? questions–were suit racking their brains for answers when Briar had already written hers down.


    She did it all in just a few seconds.


    Is this a genius, a prodigy? Whoever said Briar’s SAT scores were all failing, barely scraping into Shoneport University? they wondered<b>. </b>


    The original time allocated for the written exam was one hour, with another hour for the practical exam. However, because Briar answered co quickly, the one–hour written exam was shortened to just twenty minutes.


    What was more, Briar’s answers were all correct.


    Now, not only were the live–viewing students unsettled, but even the invited experts couldn’t sit still.


    Briar had solid fundamentals, and her thinking and reactions were incredibly sharp. It was a blessing for the traditional medicine world to


    have such talent.


    An elderly expert, feeling the smoothness of his bald head, couldn’t wait for Briar to proceed to the next round of practical exams. He asked with a smile, “Briar, I’m the deputy director of Shoneport Hospital. Would you like to be my apprentice?


    “With your caliber, you could self–study the curriculum for juniors, and I could arrange for you to intern at our hospital in your senior year,”


    This unexpected offer left everyone speechless. The other experts hadn’t anticipated such a move. The public lecture hadn’t even ended, and he was already trying to recruit her, and in front of so many people. They were all furious.


    “Briar, don’t listen to him. Their hospital’s main focus is modern medicine, which doesn’t offer much room for traditional medicine. You shoulde to our hospital. We’re the Shoneport Traditional Medicine Hospital, and we value talent much more than they do,” another expert chimed in.


    Soon, the experts were all talking at once, each trying to persuade Briar to join their hospital.


    Young, talented, quick–witted, and most importantly, Briar didn’te from a prominent family background, yet she had a good rtionship with Ashton. Such a talent was highly sought after.


    Briar raised an eyebrow, not expecting the situation to take this turn. “Thank you all for your kind offers, but I already have a master,” she


    said.


    With that, the bickering among the experts ceased.


    Since Briar already had a master, there was no need for them topete.


    They regretted not discovering such a promising talent sooner.


    Joshua, looking at Briar’s calm face, felt a pang and asked, “Briar, I wonder who this master of yours is from Dasmieca?”


    Briar had lived abroad for a long time, and there were very few well–known traditional medicine masters there. By chance, he knew all the prominent ones, and he didn’t know that any of them had taken on a student as excellent as Briar.


    “Sorry, Mr. Swift<b>, </b>my master doesn’t allow me to reveal his name,” Briar said, meeting Joshua’s gaze without flinching and smiling.


    A hint of disappointment flickered in Joshua’s eyes, but he waved it off. “No problem. If it’s the master’s instruction, it must be followed.”


    Then he turned to the other experts. “How about we proceed directly to the next round of assessment?”


    Everyone agreed, and there was even a sense of anticipation.


    Chapter <b>72 </b>


    <b>Briar </b>could perform so well in the written exam<b>, </b>and they wondered how her practical skills would be


    AD