Two hours later, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the poison-making time.
"Now exchange the poisons you have made and ingest them."
With the referee's announcement, Craig and Deanna walked towards each other again.
Craig tried to persuade her once more, "It's not too late to regret it now. My poison is extremely potent. Even if you manage to detoxify it, your body will be damaged."
"If you're not regretting it, why should I? Don't forget, you have to take my poison too."
Deanna sneered and handed over the porcelain bottle containing her poison.
Craig angrily took it and handed over his own poison in exchange.
Under the referee's declaration, they both ingested the poisons simultaneously.
Almost immediately after swallowing the poison, both Deanna and Craig's faces changed.
The next second, they both spat blood.
Seeing this, the onlookers couldn't help but worry.
"This poison looks very strong. Will they be able to hold on until they make the antidote?"
"I'm not worried about Craig. I'm just not sure if Miss Jones can hold on."
"That's true. Craig has been systematically trained in the Martinez family since childhood. He's probably built up a resistance to poisons over the years."
Deanna's face turned pale as she listened to these words, her eyes darkening.
No wonder Craig suggested a detoxification contest; it seemed to be in his favor.
Although Craig wasn't in much better shape, he couldn't help but look at Deanna with a smug expression.
"Miss Jones, if you can't hold on until you make the antidote, you can concede. This is just the first round."
The implication was that it didn't matter if Deanna lost the first round; there were still two more rounds to go.
Deanna understood this and looked at him mockingly, her breath unsteady. "Instead of wasting time talking nonsense with me, you'd better hurry up and make the antidote. I don't believe you're in better shape than I am."
She had anticipated that Craig would go all out, so she hadn't held back either, using her most potent poison developed over the years.
If it weren't for Craig's resistance to poisons, he would probably be writhing in pain on the ground by now.
With this in mind, Deanna ignored Craig and quickly walked to her workstation. She picked up a porcelain bottle, poured out a pill, and swallowed it immediately.
At this moment, she could barely endure the intense pain in her body.
It felt like thousands of ants were gnawing at her internal organs, making even breathing painful.
Craig saw her actions and immediately questioned, "What did you just take?"
"Of course, it's the antidote."
Deanna looked at him with a gaze that suggested he was an idiot.
Hearing this, Craig froze and then shouted loudly, "I want to report her for cheating!"
Supporting herself on the table, Deanna looked at him sarcastically. "How did I cheat?"
"If you didn't cheat, where did your antidote come from? Did Uncle Gunner give it to you beforehand?"
Craig stared at Deanna angrily.
Deanna sneered again. "It's a pity you're brainless. Couldn't the antidote be something I made myself? We had two hours to make poisons; no one said we couldn't make antidotes. Besides, if my master gave me the antidote, the judges would make a fair judgement. Are you implying they are unfair?"
"My disciple is right. While I hope she wins the contest, I would never resort to such underhanded methods."
Gunner chimed in from the side.
He didn't forget to reprimand Craig as well. "If you're too stupid to use your time wisely, don't accuse others of cheating. With your foolishness, do you think you can manage the Martinez family? Don't ruin hundreds of years of family legacy."
These words were particularly harsh.
Craig was furious upon hearing them.
Moreover, he had been holding on without making an antidote for himself to suppress the poison in his body. The anger caused him to faint on the spot, blood still pouring from his mouth.
This scene shocked Brice and everyone else.
"Craig!"
Brice called out in panic and rushed over to hold him, preparing to administer medicine.
But just then, someone grabbed his hand. "Brice, have you forgotten that your son is still in a contest? If you give him medicine now, who wins or loses?"
Gunner stared coldly at Brice, making it clear.
If you want to administer medicine, concede first.
Brice understood and was filled with hatred.
Craig's condition was clearly critical. If treated now, who knows what impact it might have?
"We concede!"
Finally, Brice made a difficult decision.
Only then did Gunner release his grip and walk towards Deanna.
Seeing Deanna's pained expression, he said nothing but took her pulse directly.
Deanna didn't stop her master's goodwill and smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. The poison is already half-neutralized."
Indeed, the antidote Deanna had taken earlier couldn't completely neutralize the poison but could alleviate some of its effects.