"I’m not sure either! The Medical Immortal Workshop is now developing into the posture of a Hidden Sect, and the disciples dispatched to the Urban System may not be the best. I should be able to handle it."

Hua Yingjie shook his head uncertainly.

"Encountering such a problem in the medical competition, it’s going to be difficult if you want to win the championship."

Tang Ming rubbed his chin. If he went up against Bai Shengqi, he could definitely defeat him, but the problem was he didn’t want to win the championship; he just wanted to mix into the top ten, which might not necessarily help Hua Yingjie.

"Don’t think too much about it. First, pass the preliminary round. When it comes to the knockout stages, we’ll be able to see how deep Bai Shengqi’s skills are. Then we can come up with a strategy."

Meng Xianjun shrugged nonchalantly, looking mischievously at Tang Ming, "If push comes to shove, just get your Japanese girl to take him down."

"No, I have to defeat him with medical skills. Otherwise, how can we talk about revitalizing the Heavenly Medicine Sect and defeating the Medical Immortal Workshop?"

Hua Yingjie immediately refused, watching the direction Bai Shengqi left with fighting spirit in his eyes.

"I think the same. Since the opponent is so arrogant, we need to defeat him in his field of expertise."

Tang Ming nodded in agreement, then smiled, "Interesting! I thought there was nothing exciting about this medical competition, but now it seems quite anticipated."

"Two lunatics encountering an opponent and still this happy—are your brains waterlogged?"

Meng Xianjun looked at Tang Ming and Hua Yingjie helplessly.

Soon it was time to enter. Tang Ming, Zhou Xiaoqian, and a few others entered the grand hall through Entrance A. Upon entering, they had to go through layers of checks, handing over phones and decorations.

At this point, a row of tables covered with red cloth was placed on the stage, with a dozen gray-haired elders sitting in front. Professor Li from Imperial University was among them. These were all masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Imperial Capital District, responsible for invigilation.

The auditorium below had been transformed into a temporary examination hall, with many students entering and sitting separately in designated spots.

After taking a seat, Tang Ming glanced around and found that the people around him were strangers, while Meng Xianjun and Zhou Xiaoqian were scattered in different corners. This random seating arrangement effectively isolated students from the same school.

Even though there were fewer participants in the Traditional Chinese Medicine competition compared to Western Medicine, the hall still had several hundred people, and a group of fully armed personnel from the military and police system stood around maintaining order, preventing cheating.

After everyone was seated, they were prohibited from whispering, and staff members distributed file bags containing the exam papers. The exam officially began.

"Quite a grand setup."

Tang Ming muttered disdainfully as he opened the file bag, resistant to the idea of treating medicine as a competition. However, to get into the top ten, he had to accept this arrangement.

Taking the exam papers out of the file bag, Tang Ming was dumbfounded. There were five sets of papers, stacked nearly ten centimeters high.

Looking at the dense small characters on the exam papers, Tang Ming felt a headache, no wonder this exam was to last six hours. With so many questions, few could finish them within the time limit.

Realizing the task was not small, Tang Ming stopped daydreaming and quickly reviewed the questions to start answering.

This exam’s papers were divided into five parts: Observation, Smelling, Inquiry, Palpation, and a comprehensive paper, basically showcasing the core elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine in written form.

For example, the ’Observation’ paper’s questions were all about describing a person’s appearance, complexion, and some bodily responses, then asking the candidate to provide a diagnosis.

As Tang Ming read the questions, it was as if a patient appeared in front of his eyes, matching the description, prompting a corresponding response.

None of the questions had multiple-choice answers, all required subjective writing, where the contestants had to elaborate their answers in text.

Understanding that all the questions related to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tang Ming breathed a sigh of relief and began rapidly writing down his answers.

Although the contestants were elite students selected from various schools, many were overwhelmed by this brutal preliminary medical competition.

An old saying goes, ’strategizing on paper always feels shallow.’

Yet, applying one’s knowledge to text can also be challenging, just like many historically victorious generals were illiterate, capable of leading troops into battle, but finding it difficult to articulate their strategic knowledge in writing.

The same applied here; some could diagnose correctly in person but were baffled by textual descriptions.

The four major techniques of Traditional Chinese Medicine—Observation, Smelling, Inquiry, and Palpation—were somewhat easier, but the comprehensive section was the most difficult, involving vast medical knowledge, diagnosis, formulation, and herb identification.

Time ticked away, and when Tang Ming finished answering, his entire arm was sore. Five hours had passed, and he was sure this round would eliminate many.

Glancing around, sure enough, some contestants still wrote fervently, while others looked frazzled, each displaying peculiar expressions.

Having completed his answers, Tang Ming began observing those around him with interest.

Meng Xianjun was bent over, seriously answering questions, representing those striving and battling against the clock.

Hua Yingjie looked serious, continuously reviewing his papers, like Tang Ming, individuals already finished with competitive medical skills.

Others lay sleeping on their desks, while some were scratching and stealing glances, indicative of those already giving up.

With a narrowed gaze, Tang Ming noted everyone’s reactions, ignoring Meng Xianjun and the quitters, focusing on those who had finished answering.

"Wow, impressive! I didn’t expect so many skilled Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners; this round could see nearly fifty advancing."

After scanning the room, Tang Ming remarked, surprised to find Bai Shengqi and other challengers of Hua Yingjie had also finished, likely to advance.

The preliminary medical competition was in full swing, not intense or spectacular, just a simple exam, yet fiercely competitive. After all, it gathered elites from all major colleges in the Imperial City, vying to represent the Imperial Capital District against other regions after passing preliminaries.

That would be the truly exciting moment. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

After completing his answers, Tang Ming lay on his desk to nap, as there was still plenty of time and leaving early wasn’t allowed.