Reaching for the Stars

Chapter Thirty-Seven

With only three months remaining until the competition, I wasn't quite sure what Professor Rayax had left to teach me, lately it seemed like he was running out of ideas, but he did always like to surprise me. I walk into our assigned room and find it crowded with people, except this time it isn't sick commoners that need treatment, instead it is herbalism professors, many of which I know by passing by them at some point, but in truth their names didn't come to me at all.

"This is who you've been privately training, Augustus? What is she a second year? Are there truly no students more capable than her in the Advanced class, if we send her we'll surely lose again this year." I didn't know the identity of the professor who just spoke, belittling me right in front of me, not a care on his face as he insulted me.

"I've never seen her before and I taught the Beginner class last year, she must be new." The professors all turn to stare at the man who just spoke, many of them looking at him with shock.

"But that would mean she has only been here for a few months at most, a first year? You're sending a first year? Not only will we lose, but we'll be also laughed out of the competition." Here this professor was, insulting me again, did he truly see me as so weak as to not be able to fight back against his insults?

"Don't underestimate her, she may be a first year but the mere fact she received a recommendation from me, should tell you that she isn't like the usual first years we get." I smile at Professor Kresmir glad to see him after the few months it had been. He had after all shown me the basics that I relied on even now, without him I'd probably still be struggling to properly create a potion.

"There is a reason we've recommended her, I assure you that we most definitely won't be laughed out of the competition, we might even get first place if the rest of the competitors underestimate her like you are doing, Henry." Professor Takeshi is quick to rise to my defense as well, lecturing the professor they called Henry, but he only looks me over quickly and scoffs in disbelief that I could ever possibly be a threat.

"I know I'm likely supposed to stand here, not saying a word, just quietly listening to you insult me to my face like you have the right to do that. But I've never been very good at staying quiet when I should. You don't believe I have the skills to go to this competition, all right then. Let's prove whether you are right or not, pick a poison, pick a potion, pick an antidote, I don't care, assign me anything and I'll make it here and now. And not only will I make it, but I will make a perfect level ten purity." Henry, as I would now be calling him, because he didn't deserve the respect associated with me calling him professor, as if he had anything he could possibly teach me that I didn't already know and do better than him.

"All right then, if you insist. But if you fail, my disciple will be taking your place. He's trained for five years for the chance, and he will be going to the competition this year." I just smirk at him and agree easily enough, not like this old man would be able to pull out anything I hadn't seen before. "Creeping Frost Fern Poison." I stare blankly at a moment before I start laughing, full body laughs, and his face gets redder and redder as he gets angry that I wasn't showing him the proper respect he thought he deserved. "What! What is the matter! Giving up so soon?" His arrogance astounded me, he was lucky he was an herbalist, if he had that arrogance as a Qi Warrior he likely would have been killed by someone already.

"Oh, you are mistaken. I am not laughing because I am giving up, I'm laughing because you chose a poison I did months ago in class on a whim, if that is your attempt at challenging me, I can tell you already that I will succeed, ask Professor Takeshi, he'll tell you." They all look over at Professor Takeshi who was looking over at me wryly.

"She's not lying, she produced a perfect Creeping Frost Fern poison and it's antidote to me in class months ago, it is what prompted me to seek Professor Rayax out to give his recommendation so that we would have three, including Professor Kresmir and myself of course." Henry now looks at me with confusion, and shock, no doubt never having imagined that I would be able to complete such a difficult poison.