Chapter 72

For the entire day, Li Yao underwent a comprehensive physical examination at the hospital.

He didn't know how many talismans the doctors had stuck on his body, or how many strange and peculiar instruments they had used on him, or how four meditation masters, claiming to specialize in mental strength, had tried to hypnotize him to probe his brain domain.

Li Yao's brain domain, after being expanded by Ouyezi's powerful divine soul, had become incredibly vast. The four meditation masters struggled for half a day but couldn't figure out anything substantial, and they concluded that due to the tearing of his spirit root, Li Yao had lost most of the brainwave responses that a normal person should have.

In short, the First Hospital of Foguo City issued a diagnosis report around two or three in the afternoon—Li Yao's body was not seriously damaged, but due to being in a coma for a month, all his organs were very weak. It would likely take six months to a year of rehabilitation for his bodily functions to return to normal.

However, Li Yao knew that this was because he had consumed Ouyezi's memory fragments, which had drained a lot of energy.

As long as he used the "Whale Swallowing Technique" to eat a few tons of food, he could recover in three to five days.

The idea of taking a year or more was simply a joke.

Then, a doctor in a white coat came to his bedside with a serious expression and explained, with a look of pain as if he had been constipated for years, that due to being attacked by a giant-eyed ape injected with stimulants, his spirit root had completely torn, and his spirit root development had fallen so low that even his parents wouldn't recognize him, leaving only 7%. He estimated that Li Yao would have to say goodbye to cultivation for the rest of his life.

Even so, they still hoped he could muster the courage to live, be strong in spirit despite his physical disability, and not give up hope, and so on.

Carefully reviewing the diagnosis report and comparing one brain domain scan after another, Li Yao pushed his greatly enhanced computational power to the limit, his mind racing, rapidly deducing the cause and effect.

Soon, his eyes sparkled with excitement as he thought of a possibility.

"I have a rough idea why my pineal gland suddenly tore and my spirit root development plummeted to the bottom!"

"Imagine a skinny man, 1.8 meters tall and weighing 100 kilograms, who, for some strange reason, swelled up in just one day to become a super muscular man, 2.5 meters tall and weighing 300 kilograms—his skin, muscles, blood vessels, and bones would definitely not be able to withstand it, and would tear repeatedly to keep up with his body's growth!"

"Each time he tears, he becomes stronger!"

"My divine soul, having devoured a large amount of Ouyezi's memory fragments, grew at an incredibly crazy speed. It's not just a matter of a 100-kilogram skinny man becoming a 300-kilogram super muscular man."

"My divine soul has transformed from a small lizard into a prehistoric tyrannosaurus!"

"Because my divine soul grew too quickly, my pineal gland couldn't keep up, so it had to tear repeatedly!"

"When this 'small lizard' just turned into a 'prehistoric tyrannosaurus,' its muscles and skin would tear, looking bloody and weak. Before devouring a large amount of prey, it would naturally appear 'extremely weak,' and at first glance, it would seem to be seriously injured and on the brink of death!"

"But as long as I can find enough 'prey'..."

Li Yao's eyes glinted with a strange starlight, and the corners of his mouth curled into a slightly savage smile.

"So, everyone thinks I'm seriously injured, extremely weak, and have become a waste!"

"But no one knows that I'm not weak, but rather... so strong that my own body can't even handle it!"

Li Yao's slightly bizarre smile seemed a bit dazed and foolish to the doctor in the white coat.

Doctor Gu thought he was shocked by the bad news and couldn't accept it—this was quite normal; which cultivation genius could easily accept the fact that they had become a waste?

This wasn't something that could be comforted with a few words. He could only hope that time would gradually heal the "demon star's" heart.

Doctor Gu sighed, patted Li Yao's shoulder, and left the ward.

A moment later, the sound of determined footsteps, like two large iron hammers alternately striking the ground, echoed outside the door.

"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!"

A middle-aged soldier in black military uniform strode in.

"What's a retired veteran doing here?" Li Yao was a bit puzzled.

The middle-aged soldier was dressed in a neat black military uniform, but he had no rank on his shoulders, a standard look for a retired soldier.

This person had multiple injuries, with his left hand and left foot being mechanical prostheses, and even his left eye was carved from jade, with hundreds of talismans densely engraved on the "eyeball," forming layers of talisman arrays that faintly glowed red, looking somewhat eerie.

"Student Li Yao, I represent the 'Federation Disabled Veterans Association' to announce the federation's compensation to you!"

The disabled veteran stood at attention, saluting Li Yao with a standard federation military salute.

"Compensation?"

Li Yao was taken aback, but then he understood.

Although he knew he wasn't injured and wasn't a waste, others didn't know that.

The Extreme Challenge was hosted by the federation's military. Now that an accident had occurred, resulting in numerous casualties among the participants, the military would certainly provide some compensation.

Moreover, this accident was caused by a contestant bringing stimulants into the competition, which the organizers failed to detect in advance. In a sense, this was also a negligence on the part of the military.

Therefore, to make up for the mistake, this "compensation" was inevitable, and it might even be a huge sum!

Through the introduction of the disabled veteran, Li Yao found that his guess was correct. The incident on Devil Dragon Island had already entered the highest levels of the military.

In addition to investigating the culprit, the most important thing was how to compensate the injured and deceased students.

It was relatively straightforward for the students who had died in the accident; they would all be compensated and honored according to the standards for fallen federal military officers.

However, things were more complicated for Li Yao, the injured student.

His injuries were neither light nor severe.

On the lighter side, he didn't lose a single hair on his body. After a year or so of rest, he would be a normal person again, just as lively and active.

But on the more severe side, he was originally a cultivation genius who, given time, could have become a promising cultivator. However, this accident had completely cut off his hopes of cultivation.

For many people obsessed with cultivation, such an injury might as well be a death sentence.

The two opinions were at odds, and in the end, it was said that the high-ranking military officials had watched Li Yao's combat video on Devil Dragon Island.

Perhaps moved by his outstanding performance, they ultimately decided to compensate him according to the standards of a "Federation First-Class Disabled Veteran."

"Federation First-Class Disabled Veteran!"

Despite being mentally prepared, Li Yao was still stunned by this incredibly high standard.

The Starlight Federation, facing constant attacks from demonic beasts, had been in a state of war for five hundred years, with the fighting never completely ceasing. The status of soldiers was extremely high.

It was precisely because of the countless federal soldiers who fought bravely on the front lines, shedding blood and sweat to resist the endless demonic beasts, that the people in the rear could live in peace and harmony.

Therefore, ordinary people held soldiers in high respect, admiration, and reverence!

Among the soldiers, those who died for the country were naturally honored, and those who were severely injured in war, the disabled veterans, were also highly respected by society!

There were four levels of disabled veterans.

"Federation First-Class Disabled Veteran" was the second highest level, just below "Special-Class Disabled." Generally, one had to be missing a hand, a foot, and an eye, like the soldier in front of him, to be considered "First-Class Disabled"!

After retirement, not only would the state provide a high monthly subsidy, but all public facilities, such as "underground crystal rail trains," "ultra-high-speed crystal rail trains," and "public floating boats," would be free for life!

In addition, most private restaurants, hotels, and stores would offer different discounts to disabled veterans.

If a "First-Class Disabled Veteran" was found to be consuming in their store, it was not uncommon for the owner to wave a hand and refuse to charge a single cent.

The Starlight Federation, relying on the fearless fighting of the front-line soldiers and the martial, supportive, and reverent spirit of the people in the rear, was able to survive and thrive in the demon-infested Tianyuan World, becoming a superpower!