Chapter 35: The Core Pharmacist’s Challenge: Rules and Revelation

“No… there’s no need…” Ruolin quickly withdrew her neck and waved her hands in refusal.

Lu Yuan had listed over a dozen flaws, all of which had appeared during her recent new drug formulation. His arguments were sound and irrefutable.

‘To have observed only a portion of the refining process and pinpointed so many defects in the new drug… just how terrifyingly profound is this person’s understanding of medicine? Even my alchemy teacher would likely struggle to compare.’

‘To think, I had previously suspected this fellow was merely a pretentious idiot. Clearly, the idiot was me all along.’

Seeing their retreat, Lu Yuan no longer paid them any mind.

“Now, does anyone have anything more to say?” Lu Yuan swept his gaze around the room. “Do you still believe this young girl, who is unfamiliar with pharmacology, lacks thorough analysis, and is careless in her refining, is truly outstanding?”

Ruolin stomped her foot in exasperation. Even if everything he said was true, was there truly a need to state it so bluntly?

‘Doesn’t a beautiful pharmacist deserve some dignity?’

The assembled crowd remained speechless.

Even Risdo’s aged face cycled between green and pale, rendered utterly speechless by Lu Yuan’s direct challenge.

Lu Yuan scoffed. “Then, do you still believe I should relinquish my position as a core pharmacist to this young girl?”

Once again, silence descended upon the crowd.

Lu Yuan’s recent discourse had completely captivated and convinced everyone present.

His understanding of pharmacology far surpassed what ordinary pharmacists here could even fathom. Could such a pharmacist truly be deemed unworthy of the title of a core pharmacist?

Had they not witnessed Lu Yuan’s mastery of medicine, some might still hold that opinion. However, after experiencing his profound insights into pharmacology, anyone who still dared to speak otherwise was clearly blinded by their own prejudice.

“Now, this ridiculous farce, surely it’s time for it to end?”

Risdo clenched his palm for a moment, then helplessly let it fall.

Indeed, this farce had reached a point of no return.

“Wait!”

Just as everyone believed the matter was settled, a lone figure rose, voicing their objection.

All eyes turned towards the source of the sound.

It was Dutaine who had spoken. Standing up, he said in a chilling tone, “Lei Yin is not qualified to continue holding the title of a core pharmacist. Have you all forgotten the three conditions for auditing a core pharmacist?”

The core pharmacist qualification review was a regular performance audit conducted by the Pharmacist Headquarters for all registered pharmacists within the guild’s system.

According to regulations, the conditions for passing the qualification review were: one, making progress in the development of new drugs; two, cultivating new pharmacists who met the requirements; and three, refining a certain quantity of medicine.

The true purpose of this farce was to audit the qualifications and performance of core pharmacists. Lu Yuan’s earlier theatrics had been so outlandish that everyone had inadvertently overlooked this crucial point.

“Utterly pedantic,” Lu Yuan murmured, shaking his head in disappointment.

Dutaine, however, pressed his advantage relentlessly. “Lei Yin! How many of the three restrictions for core pharmacist qualification review can you meet?”

“Have you refined enough medicines in the past few months? Have you mentored apprentices capable of standing on their own? Have you developed a new drug impressive enough to win over the masses?”

“You haven’t achieved a single one, have you?”

The crowd exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

While these rules had been long-standing, they were, after all, man-made.

Frankly, Lu Yuan’s recent display surpassed that of any current core pharmacist. Did such an individual truly need to be constrained by such regulations?

No one spoke, no one dared to speak. The presiding figure was Risdo, the chief examiner of this assessment.

A faint smile, one of approval, appeared on Risdo’s withered old face as he looked at Dutaine.

“Pharmacist Dutaine, you speak with great reason. Pharmacist Lei Yin, how many of the three restrictions for qualification review can you meet?”

Lu Yuan simply shook his head.

Risdo continued, “As I said before, rules are rules. Without rules, there is no order. This audit must proceed based on the principles of fairness and impartiality. If you fail even one condition, I apologize, but I am a man of rules, and the guild is a place of rules.”

Lu Yuan smiled, a faint, indifferent smile.

“Very well. If we are to speak of rules, then I shall address them with you, one by one. First, let us discuss new drugs.”

Lu Yuan gestured with a flourish, picked up paper and pen from the table, and swiftly began writing. Then, he slapped the finished paper onto a board.

“This is my new drug formula. Does anyone wish to see it?”

Ruolin, being closest to Lu Yuan, was the first to pick up the formula he had written. After a careful look, an expression of profound astonishment spread across her face.

This formula was, in essence, a variation of Ruolin’s own, with a significant number of medicinal ingredients swapped out. However, having just heard Lu Yuan detail the flaws in her new drug, Ruolin instantly recognized that this revised formula was vastly superior to her own.

“Pharmacist Ruolin! Please, let me see it too!”

“I want to see it! I want to see it too!”

Seeing the formula in Ruolin’s hands, the numerous pharmacists surged forward like hungry wolves who hadn’t tasted meat in ages.

After the formula had been passed around and examined by everyone, a collective feeling of ‘this trip was worth it’ settled over them.

No one doubted the feasibility of the formula, for Lu Yuan had just meticulously clarified every pharmacological principle behind it.