Why did your face turn pale?

Although he had extreme confidence in the effects of this potion, Rowan still could not suppress a wave of nervousness. Whether he could enter the top four and contend for the championship depended entirely on this single potion.

As the saying goes, anxiety breeds confusion. If he failed to secure a high ranking, his initial wish of obtaining a large quantity of tier-6 alchemy materials by participating in this alchemy convention would vanish into thin air. Furthermore, if he lacked the qualification to compete for the championship, the current predicament of Bill, who remained unconscious, and Victoria would become extremely difficult to resolve. He wanted Bill to wake up as soon as possible, and he deeply yearned to be together with Victoria; hence, his emotional state at this moment was exceptionally tense.

"The judges must like my potion..." Rowan prayed continuously in his heart.

However, things in this world often worked in the exact opposite way: the more you hoped for something, the less likely it was to unfold according to your wishes.

At this moment, the group of judges was growing rather drowsy. Perhaps it was due to the exceptional efficacy of the seven tier-6 potions presented earlier, but as they evaluated the remaining dozen or so potions, each one felt inferior to the last. Hearing that the name of this particular potion was 'Whitening Potion', not a single person picked it up to test it for quite some time.

The reason was simple. Concoctions like whitening potions, beauty lotions, brightening elixirs, and complexion-nourishing liquids—items beloved by women—could be found in abundance at almost every alchemy shop. Yet their actual effects compared to their promotional advertisements were truly appalling. Most of them were mere shams with zero utility, and some even caused side effects upon application. Even the superior potions crafted by major alchemy shops that genuinely possessed some cosmetic benefits required months or even half a year of continuous application to show the slightest effect.

Therefore, although more than half of the judges were female, they were now too lazy to use it. They simply did not believe that this damned whitening potion could have any real effect. Of course, had this potion been of tier-6 quality, they would have tried it without hesitation, but upon hearing it was merely a paltry tier-5 concoction, they lost all interest.

Such an embarrassing scene left Rowan, standing not far away, dumbfounded and wailing internally: "No way! Is it possible that these people don't even have the slightest interest in trying the potion I worked so hard to refine? How am I supposed to make it into the top four then? Let alone talking about winning the championship and acquiring the tier-6 alchemy materials to save my brother Bill!"

Just then, among the panel of judges, a female judge with a slightly dark complexion hesitated for a moment, yet still reached out and picked up a small vial marked with the number 'thirty-six'. She then pulled out the cork and prepared to test it.

"Haha, Amy, you surely don't believe this so-called whitening potion actually works, do you? Even if it does, do you think its effects can be tested on the spot? Sigh, I really have no idea what kind of person concocted this trash; it's completely deceptive. I just hope it doesn't give you any side effects after you use it," another female judge nearby kindly reminded her.

These words were naturally heard word for word by Rowan, who stood not far away. He could not help but roll his eyes helplessly, thinking to himself: "I truly wonder just how utterly terrible the whitening potions in those major alchemy shops are, to have terrified these women to this extent."

Amy's skin had been somewhat dark since childhood, which was utterly unacceptable to a girl who cared deeply about her appearance. From youth to adulthood, compared to her fair-skinned peers around her, she was undoubtedly like an ugly duckling. Consequently, she harbored a certain degree of inferiority complex deep down. To make herself look more attractive, she had lost count of the methods she had tried and the alchemy potions she had tested, yet none of them had ever satisfied her.

Despite suffering repeated setbacks, her deep-seated desire to make her skin fair had never ceased. Although she knew the probability of this small vial of whitening potion making her 'fair' was negligible, she refused to let slip any opportunity. Testing this potion would at best cause her skin to break out in small red spots or ulcerate once—a torment she was already familiar with and had experienced before. But if it succeeded, she would hit the jackpot.

Therefore, Amy politely thanked the girl who had reminded her, and then tentatively dripped a single drop of the whitening potion onto the back of her slightly dark and somewhat rough hand. She set the vial down, and using the index finger of her other hand, gently rubbed it across the back of her hand, allowing the drop of potion to spread evenly.

"Sigh, as expected, it still has no effect." After applying it and waiting for a short while, apart from a slight cooling sensation, Amy felt no other reaction. It looked exactly like all the other potions she had bought in the past.

"How is it, Amy? I told you so, these whitening potions are completely fraudulent and have zero effect. To think that right here at the grand alchemy convention, an alchemist would actually brew such garbage to try and trick us. It seems the alchemist who concocted this potion is no good either!" said the girl who had just warned her with a hint of resentment. Judging by her demeanor, she had undoubtedly suffered plenty from the scourge of such potions herself.

Hearing these words, Rowan, standing not far away, rubbed his nose with a wry and helpless expression on his face. At this moment, he was no longer worried about his potion, because since someone was testing it, the potion he had refined would inevitably display its miraculous properties!

Hearing her companion's advice, Amy nodded and let out a sigh, saying, "Alright, I'll start recording this—"

However, before she could finish her sentence, she felt a tingling sensation ripple across the back of the hand where she had just applied the potion. It made her gasp softly, and she instinctively lowered her head to look. At that single glance, her eyes widened in astonishment.

To her surprise, she discovered that the exact spot on the back of her hand where she had just applied the whitening potion was now noticeably fairer than before, and the texture of the skin had also become somewhat softer and smoother than before. Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, she rubbed them, then placed her other hand beside it for a direct comparison. Looking at them side by side, the enhancing effect on the back of the treated hand became even more starkly apparent.

At this moment, her hands began to tremble slightly. For the twenty-odd years since she could remember, not a single day had passed without her yearning to have skin as fair and smooth as the girls around her, yet all her efforts over the years had been entirely in vain.

Precisely because of her poor skin, some of the slightly more handsome young noblemen in her social circle would not even deign to look her straight in the eye, while she herself looked down upon those who were ugly. As a result, she remained unmarried to this day. Because of this matter, she had lost count of how many arguments she had picked with her father and mother.

Now, seeing that the whitening potion she had just tested possessed such miraculous efficacy—altering her skin so profoundly within mere moments of application—a wave of wild ecstasy surged into her heart.

"Amy, what's wrong with you? Hurry up and record your impressions," asked another judge, noticing Amy's unusual behavior.

"Uh, oh, nothing. You guys write first. I, I'll write right away." Startled, Amy raised her head to look at the other judges. Seeing that they were all immersed in recording their own impressions, she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: "If they find out about the effects of this whitening potion, will it ever be my turn to use it?"

Initially, she wanted to keep the effects of the whitening potion a secret, intending to secretly pocket the vial for her own future use while everyone else was distracted by the other potions. However, after glancing at the alchemy guild staff members closely monitoring them all around, she immediately dismissed the thought.

Since that path was unviable, her only option was to use it on the spot. Hesitating no longer, she hurriedly picked up the vial marked with 'thirty-six' once again, poured a dozen drops directly into the palm of her hand, set the vial down, and gently rubbed her hands together. Then, she quickly slathered the substance all over her face, thinking: "They're bound to notice in a moment, so prioritizing the most important area right now is what matters most!"

Her actions immediately aroused the suspicion of several other judges: "Amy, didn't you just say this potion was useless? Why are you still applying it, and on your face of all places? If this potion has any side effects—wait, Amy, why has your face turned white!"