Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 1340

On the VIP platform, Preston and Clifford glanced over at Derek, asking, "Mr. McCormick, is there any particular contestant you have your eye on?"

Derek chuckled. "Our Gabo Creek Province is full of talented individuals. Of course, I'm keeping an eye on a few."

The two elders straightened their backs, their expressions turning smug. "We imagine the contestant you have in mind must be one of our Advanced Medical Institute students, right?"

Derek shook his head. "No, actually. The one I'm interested in is that contestant from earlier—his name is Andrew Lloyd."

Preston and Clifford's faces immediately darkened. They scoffed and replied, "Then I'm afraid you might be mistaken, Mr. McCormick. That boy has no right to stand alongside our Advanced Medical Institute students, much less challenge someone like Mosby.

Just watch—you'll see soon enough."

They had only brought it up to confirm whether Derek's attention was focused on their side. Hearing that his interest lay elsewhere, their disdain was obvious.

Derek just continued smiling, unbothered. "Of course, your students have been trained from a young age and are exceptional in their own right. But there's always a bigger fish, and Andrew might just be the dark horse of this tournament."

Preston and Clifford snorted in unison. "A dark horse? Our institute has crushed countless so-called 'dark horses' over the years. We'll see how long this one lasts."

…

On the competition platform, the first round had started. It was on herbal identification.

"Ghostwhiskers!"

"Bride's Bane!"

Jared and Francesca both called out their answers almost simultaneously, identifying the herbs placed in front of them without hesitation. The other contestants quickly followed, each offering their own responses as they examined their herbs.