Chapter 69

Zhuang Wudao secretly curled his lips and said, when it came to ruthlessness, Qin Feng and Zhuang Xun were evenly matched, and he could not even come close to them.

Then, Zhuang Wudao's gaze was drawn to a stretcher behind a few people. It was carried by several members of the Sword Robe Hall, made from branches, and on it lay a man. The man was around thirty years old, his face a sickly purple, his eyes tightly shut, his breathing uneven, and he was unconscious.

Zhuang Wudao couldn't help but look at Qin Feng with a puzzled expression. "Who is this person?"

"I don't know, I found him on the way."

Qin Feng's tone was extremely casual. "I thought he might be a cultivator with considerable cultivation, so I had them carry him back to see if we could save him and form a good connection with him."

Hearing Qin Feng's words, even Gu Yu, who was behind Zhuang Wudao, focused his attention. He then shook his head, unable to discern the man's true cultivation level, but he estimated it would not exceed the middle stage of the Qi Condensation realm.

Zhuang Wudao was also quite interested and went over to check the man's pulse.

Medicine and martial arts were closely related, and cultivators were even more skilled in this area. Zhuang Wudao had once been very interested in medicine and spent some time studying it.

Unfortunately, without a master to guide him, Zhuang Wudao made little progress in medicine and realized that his own strength and cultivation were the foundation. A few years later, he gradually gave it up.

However, even so, Zhuang Wudao was still the most skilled in medicine among his brothers, especially in treating external injuries.

Before he became prominent, when Qin Feng and his group were injured, he was the one who treated them.

This also greatly benefited his martial arts, as he understood the specific structure of the human body's meridians, muscles, and joints. This knowledge helped him in his external cultivation, giving him a deeper understanding of body refinement compared to others.

However, he was still a half-baked practitioner. Zhuang Wudao pretended to take the man's pulse for a moment but found nothing. He couldn't determine the cause of the man's unconsciousness. He only roughly observed that the man's internal qi and blood were congested in a certain area, his body temperature was much higher than normal, and there were several threads of much stronger true essence flowing within him.

"He is indeed a cultivator, at least at the eighth level of the Qi Condensation realm!"

Gu Yu smiled upon hearing this. The result of Zhuang Wudao's pulse-taking was indeed as he had expected. However, the eighth level of the Qi Condensation realm? Such a cultivation level was rare in Yuecheng. With this level, one could barely rank within the top thirty in Yuecheng. But he had never heard of this person before, so he must have recently arrived in Yuecheng.

Qin Feng and Wang Wu's eyes also flashed with a keen interest. The eighth level of the Qi Condensation realm might not be much to the people of the Beiting family, but to them, it was a significant figure.

Forming a good connection today could open up more paths for the future.

Zhuang Wudao hesitated for a moment, then said, "It seems he has been poisoned by fire, with the flame force penetrating his marrow, causing him to fall unconscious. It would be best to quickly invite a few renowned doctors in the city to examine him."

It wasn't that he had the ability to determine the cause of the man's unconsciousness. It was 'Yun'er' speaking in his mind.

"Master of the Sword, this is not ordinary fire poison, but Jing Flame Fire Poison, which is no small matter."

Zhuang Wudao was speechless, unable to distinguish the difference between 'fire poison' and 'Jing Flame Fire Poison.'

"The difference is significant. Ordinary fire poison can be treated with common methods, but Jing Flame Fire Poison is not a simple burn. It appears to be Stone Bright Jing Flame. If left untreated for three months, this person will turn to stone. Special techniques and medicinal herbs are needed to extract the poison, which is beyond human means. It's a miracle that he is still alive."

Yun'er then changed her tone. "Master of the Sword, your Dao affinity is good. This person has a very strong flame force in his body, likely a complete Stone Bright Jing Flame, which could be very useful to you."

"Useful?"

Zhuang Wudao was quite surprised. How could a dying person be of any use to him?

"You can extract the fire seed of the Stone Bright Jing Flame from this person's body! Master of the Sword, aren't you planning to cultivate the 'Tianxuan Zhaoshi Zhenjing'? This fire will be of great benefit to you, and you might even be able to open your spirit acupoint with it. The Stone Bright Jing Flame, even before the Five Tribulations, was ranked among the top hundred rootless flames. If you can refine it during the Qi Condensation stage, there will be fewer than five people in the world who can match you. If Mo Yunkuang's Fire Butterfly Technique had been infused with this Stone Bright Jing Flame, even if you used the 'Bull Demon Dance,' you would surely die!"

Zhuang Wudao was deeply moved. He knew better than anyone the strength of the 'Bull Demon Dance.'

"What should I do to extract it?"

"I can guide you through a set of 'Thirty-Six Secret Needles of Minor Yang Revival,' which can extract the essence fire and also help remove the poison from this person, achieving two goals at once."

Zhuang Wudao found it hard to believe. The 'Thirty-Six Secret Needles of Minor Yang Revival'? He had actually learned this technique before. The Wu Jing Tower of the Lichen Academy not only housed martial arts classics but also some miscellaneous books to broaden the disciples' horizons. These included astrology, divination, medicine, and poison, though they were very basic, they covered a wide range of topics.

When Zhuang Wudao first studied medicine, the medical books he used came from the Wu Jing Tower. The 'Thirty-Six Secret Needles of Minor Yang Revival' was one of them.

However, it was just a basic introductory technique. Could it really be used to remove this Jing Flame Fire Poison?

If the 'Thirty-Six Secret Needles of Minor Yang Revival' could do it, then the renowned doctors in Yuecheng should have been able to save this person easily.

"Ignorant!"

Yun'er's tone was full of contempt. "The same technique can vary greatly depending on who uses it. Master of the Sword, you don't know what 'Jing Flame Fire Poison' is. Ordinary so-called 'renowned doctors' can only prolong his life for a short time. Even more skilled practitioners would be hard to find."

Zhuang Wudao secretly laughed, already believing her. However, while he was curious about the 'Stone Bright Jing Flame' and the 'Thirty-Six Secret Needles of Minor Yang Revival,' he was more concerned about why this person had been poisoned by the Stone Bright Jing Flame.

From Yun'er's tone, this flame should be extremely rare and extraordinary. Why would it appear in the body of an eighth-level Qi Condensation cultivator?

Fortunately, Qin Feng was always very shrewd. Bringing this person into the city so openly revealed his intentions.

If there were any enemies looking for this person, they would have already found him. Since nothing had happened so far, they could safely help him.

With the Beiting family as their backing, the Sword Robe Hall had no need to fear ordinary figures or forces.

Not wanting to appear distracted in front of Gu Yu, Zhuang Wudao shook his head and ignored Yun'er. This matter wasn't urgent. Qin Feng and Wang Wu would certainly invite renowned doctors in the city to help. He would wait and see what happened.

***

When Zhuang Wudao, Ma Yuan, and Lin Han arrived at the Lichen Academy, they found it already crowded with people.

The people of Dongwu were fierce and martial, and Yuecheng was no exception. Small competitions within the academy were generally not open to outsiders, but inter-academy competitions were different.

Knowing there would be a spectacle today, the neighbors and shopkeepers on Yuhua Street all rushed over. Some shops even closed early. In addition, most of the disciples from both academies were present. The Lishan Academy was much larger than the Lichen Academy, with eight hundred disciples. Thousands of people flooded into the academy, making the spacious training ground, which covered several acres, seem crowded. Those who arrived late had to stand on the outskirts, straining to see.

However, as the chief disciple and the de facto 'second-in-command' of the academy, Zhuang Wudao had his own place. After paying respects to the two academy heads and the arbitrator sent by the government, he sat down next to Li Xiangnan.

Dongwu, located in the southeast, was considered a barbaric land by the people of the Tianyi states. However, precisely because of this, Dongwu placed great importance on etiquette to show that it was a land of culture.

"Our Dongwu is based on agriculture and strengthened by martial arts. The current wars among the states have caused great harm to Dongwu. Over a thousand years, our dynasty has built eight thousand academies to promote martial arts and strengthen the people's bodies, giving them the ability to protect themselves. Only by stopping wars through martial arts can we bring peace to the people. This is our national policy, which cannot be changed. You, the people, should also take pride in martial arts and practice diligently—"

The arbitrator gave a long speech, followed by mutual greetings between the two academy heads, with the Lishan Academy presenting gifts.

The entire ritual of the challenge took nearly half an hour to complete.

Only then did the disciples from both academies begin their matches. They were the top ten disciples from each academy, but the matches were more for show. Winning was good, but losing was also acceptable.

The true decisive matches were between the top three disciples from each academy. Therefore, the positions of chief, second, and third disciples were highly valued in the academies, ranking just below the academy heads and some respected, highly skilled instructors.

In the previous small competition, Ma Yuan had just entered the top ten and needed to participate. Zhuang Wudao, however, was not interested and scanned the crowd.

Gu Yueming was indeed there, wearing a simple academy uniform, but he stood out among the many disciples of the Lichen Academy like a crane among chickens.

There were a few others who caught Zhuang Wudao's attention. He had never seen them before, but their posture revealed their strength. Ma Yuan and Lin Han were no match for them.

"That's Xia Miao of the Hundred Weapons Xia family, Lin Hui of the Lin family, and Xiahou Hu, the nephew of the eunuch governor. They are all strong, rare talents in Yuecheng, on par with Gu Yueming. However, they are not your concern. During the competition, I will try to have you avoid them—"

Beiting Wan'er, sitting behind Zhuang Wudao, introduced them in a low voice.

Zhuang Wudao nodded thoughtfully, then felt a hostile gaze. Turning his head, he saw a muscular, dark-skinned youth with thick eyebrows staring at him coldly, his eyes filled with mockery.

"Who is this person?"

"He is a new disciple of the Lishan Academy, named Zang Quan. The Lishan Academy head, Wei Fang, invited him from Tucheng a few days ago. He is your opponent today. It is said he is already at the second level of the Qi Condensation realm, but he has never shown his full strength in public. I'm not sure how strong he is."

"Chief disciple, isn't this against the rules?"

Lin Han, surprised, interjected. How could someone become the chief disciple after just a few days at the Lishan Academy?

Beiting Wan'er smiled and covered her mouth. "Why is it against the rules? The Lishan Academy had a small competition yesterday, and this person won by his own abilities, rising through the ranks."

Zhuang Wudao fell into deep thought. "Is he from the Gu Yue family?"

Tucheng was to the east of Yuecheng, even more remote, known as a land of martial artists and the stronghold of the Lishan Sect. This youth, from Tucheng, had already reached the second level of the Qi Condensation realm before the age of twenty, indicating his considerable strength.