Ren Lijuan also caught the scent, staring at the pill in Zhang Yang’s hand with considerable surprise.

She hadn't been present when her cousin took the Youth Retention Pill; it had all been hearsay until now. Back then, she thought the description was exaggerated, but upon smelling this fragrance herself, she understood. Her cousin’s account had been utterly inadequate; she hadn't conveyed how profoundly unique this aroma was.

This fragrance simply defied description.

Now, Ren Lijuan began to believe Zhang Yang’s words, to believe everything Huang Jing had claimed.

The Youth Retention Pill truly possessed the miraculous power to preserve one’s youthful appearance for two decades.

“Mr. Zhang, please rest assured. The item will be exactly as I described. Just wait for my good news!”

With that, Huang Jing rushed out of the room. The item she intended to trade was in Canada, and she needed to call someone there to have it specifically delivered.

Canada was no short distance from here; even the fastest flight would take considerable time.

Watching Huang Jing leave, Ren Lijuan glanced back at the pill in Zhang Yang’s hand, involuntarily swallowing hard.

She suddenly stood up and left the room without a word, leaving Zhang Yang alone in the private chamber.

Gazing at the tea on the table and the perfectly pleasant surroundings, a hint of bitterness touched the corner of Zhang Yang’s mouth. The tea was fine, but it certainly didn't stave off hunger—and it was lunchtime.

These two women had summoned him only to drink tea; they hadn't even prepared a meal.

Fortunately, Zhang Yang was not someone easily bothered by such things. Missing one meal, or even an entire day, posed no real issue.

Zhang Yang slowly left the private room. It then occurred to him that the afternoon ceremony wouldn't start until half-past two, so there was still plenty of time. He wasn’t sure where Zhu Daoqi and the others had gone.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Yang decided to return to his room for a brief rest.

As an official representative attending the event, his name was registered. Rooms had been provided for everyone registered. Since Changjing University only had two attendees this time, his accommodation was quite good—a single room entirely to himself.

When Zhu Daoqi gave him the key card earlier that day, Zhang Yang had jokingly said it was a waste, as he never stayed in hotels. He hadn't expected to use the room so soon, but it would serve well for a temporary rest.

Zhang Yang rested briefly, though it was more accurately spent meditating and cultivating.

After reaching the fourth level of Inner Strength, the process of cultivating it had become significantly more difficult. If one were to use water as an analogy for Inner Strength, the first level was a water vat, capable of holding only a finite amount.

The second level was a small pond, which naturally held far more water than a vat and could contain a greater volume of Inner Strength.

The third level could be likened to a lake, which was substantially larger than a pond, thus holding considerably more Inner Strength within the body.

Reaching the fourth level, one could describe the Inner Strength as a vast river, stretching endlessly; the water from countless lakes might not even fill these great rivers. At this stage, breaking through became much harder, requiring the accumulation of massive amounts of additional Inner Strength.

While spiritual medicines could facilitate rapid advancement at the second level, and were still quite useful at the third, their efficacy began to wane at the fourth.

Firstly, many spiritual medicines offered limited benefit to a practitioner already at the fourth level. Secondly, the sheer volume of Inner Strength needed at the fourth level meant the contribution from medicines became constrained; even with an abundance of them, breakthrough remained difficult through mere medicinal aid.

Zhang Yang, now at the fourth level, clearly felt his cultivation speed had slowed considerably. Only when the Spiritual Gate between Heaven and Earth opened would the pace accelerate, as all surrounding elemental energy flooded his body like a torrent.

These were Zhang Yang’s own musings. If he followed this metaphor, reaching the fifth level would mean his Inner Strength resembled a sea or an ocean.

Oceans assimilate all rivers; even if all the water from these vast rivers flowed in, the impact would be negligible. At that point, the Inner Strength within his body would reach a terrifying magnitude.

It was no wonder Zhang Pinglu had said that a fifth-level expert was terrifying, incomparable to the fourth. Even the Guardians at the Great Perfection of the fourth level were fragile and easily crushed before a true fifth-level master.

Zhang Yang cultivated for a while at noon, and the increase in his Inner Strength was greater than before, yet this gain felt insignificant given the immense reservoir he currently needed to fill.

Checking the time, Zhang Yang left his room only as the afternoon activities were about to commence.

The conference hall was on the ninth floor. By the time Zhang Yang arrived, the hall was already filled with many people. A large table was set up on the dais, laden with various trophies.

There were numerous trophies, each bearing a different designation.

Seeing so many awards, Zhang Yang finally understood how Changjing University managed to fill an entire room with medals and trophies. This was just one event; across the many years since Changjing University was founded, the awards accumulated from various activities were countless—some were simply guaranteed upon participation.

“Professor Zhu!”

Zhang Yang approached the spot where he had been that morning and called out to Zhu Daoqi, who was already present in the hall, having arrived earlier than him.

“Zhang Yang, you’re back! I have great news. I just managed to find out that we won two awards this time, and both are significant ones!”

Zhu Daoqi turned around, his face beaming with a bright smile. He had used his connections during the break to glean some inside information.

Changjing University had secured two awards in total: the Best Progress Award and the Highest Scientific Achievement Award. While not the most prestigious or high-value awards, they were far from negligible and infinitely better than irrelevant accolades like Best Construction or Best Greening.

The Highest Scientific Achievement Award, in particular, held immense weight, second only to comprehensive awards like Best Education or Best School.

Those comprehensive awards were typically monopolized by the handful of most renowned universities every year, so Zhu Daoqi had never dared to hope for them. He was already thoroughly satisfied and delighted to secure these two.

As leaders from the relevant ministries took their places on the dais, the main event—the announcement of the results of the previous year's university evaluations—officially began.

This time of year was when the attendees were most focused and keenly interested.

The awards with lesser prestige were naturally presented first, saving the main events for last.

Representatives from various universities happily went up to receive their awards. Regardless of the intrinsic value, it was still a trophy to display back home.

Such events always attracted widespread participation for this very reason: low pressure, and everyone returned with some form of reward, however small.

After about thirty universities had collected their prizes, the number of trophies on the large table steadily decreased. Now, whether they had already received an award or not, everyone in the hall grew attentive.

The upcoming presentations were for the high-caliber awards—the ones that truly brought honor and prestige to the receiving institutions.

“And now, I announce the winner of the Best Technology Award…”

The host announced loudly on stage. Zhu Daoqi’s body stiffened; he stared intently at the stage.

He had already learned through the grapevine that this award belonged to their university.

The host paused, glancing at the expectant faces in the audience, nodding with evident satisfaction. This host truly relished the feeling of being the center of attention.

“Changjing University School of Medicine!”

After a brief pause, he finally pronounced the name Zhu Daoqi had been most anticipating. Amidst the applause, Zhu Daoqi stood up, straightened his clothing, and strode toward the stage.

This evaluation process had been ongoing for many years, and Changjing University rarely secured such a high-value award. Zhu Daoqi was naturally ecstatic.

“Wait, I have an objection!”

Just as Zhu Daoqi reached the front of the stage, before he could extend his hand to take the certificate and trophy, a decidedly discordant voice rang out.

Zhang Yang turned his head. Wang Jinhui, the representative from Jinling University, had already stood up on the other side.

It was he who had raised the challenge, and representatives from other universities in the hall turned their attention toward him.

Some frowned, aware of the long-standing animosity between Jinling University and Changjing University. They hadn't expected Jinling University to openly challenge proceedings during the crucial award ceremony.

Others, well-versed in the complex relationship between the two cities, couldn't help but shake their heads.

Among all the cities nationwide, few rivalries were as intense as those between Changjing and Jinling. If this were the Warring States period, these two locations would undoubtedly be sworn enemies, incapable of coexistence.

“You may speak,” the host on stage asked, looking toward the leader behind him. The leader quietly uttered two words: “Proceed.”

“I personally speculate that Changjing University’s qualification for the Highest Scientific Achievement Award is linked to this year’s comprehensive research topic on asthma. I understand a student from Changjing University is leading this complex international project, and according to my knowledge, this research has seen a breakthrough progress. Is this why the Highest Scientific Achievement Award is being presented to them? Is my guess correct?” Wang Jinhui spoke loudly, while Zhu Daoqi on the stage frowned slightly.

Why they won the award, Zhu Daoqi wasn't entirely clear; he had only obtained the result.

However, the Highest Scientific Achievement Award was indeed given for major scientific advancements within a university. Thinking about it now, aside from Zhang Yang’s asthma research, they truly had no other result worthy of such recognition.

Wang Jinhui’s assertion was highly plausible; the primary reason for their award was likely Zhang Yang.

“What you say is correct. This research topic from Changjing University holds an extremely leading position internationally. Their winning the Highest Scientific Achievement Award is well-deserved!”

The leader slowly nodded. This was fact, and it was the very reason Changjing University was honored.

However, this reason was not mere personal speculation on Wang Jinhui’s part. He had already discreetly gathered this information beforehand; his network was stronger than Zhu Daoqi’s.

“If that is the case, I contend that Changjing University lacks the proper qualification. While their student is indeed managing this project, the ownership of this research project does not belong to Changjing University. It belongs to the Third People's Hospital of Changjing City. If an award is to be presented, it should go to Changjing Third Hospital, not Changjing University!”

Wang Jinhui immediately declared loudly. He was exceptionally well-informed about the situation at Changjing University; after all, they were direct competitors, old adversaries.

In essence, Changjing University was their enemy, and one must always know one's enemy thoroughly. (To be continued) RQ