Chapter 204: Back To School [PART 3]
"This one attempted to break through to the Core Formation realm too hastily," Xiang Yu began, his voice taking on the measured tone of a teacher as he addressed the medicine candidates gathered around him.
"His meridians are inflamed and his dantian is unstable, see how his spiritual energy fluctuates wildly?" He pointed to the subtle tremors running through the disciple’s body. "This is classic qi deviation from forced cultivation. Fortunately, he managed to stop the breakthrough attempt quickly, otherwise he would have completely destroyed his foundation."
The medicine students leaned in closer, taking in each word as Xiang Yu continued his examination.
"First we need to stabilize his foundation before the internal damage becomes permanent," he explained, his hands moving rapidly as he checked various pressure points along the patient’s meridians. "For qi deviation like this, you first need to seal his chaotic meridians with silver needles at the Baihui and Yintang points, then slowly guide his scattered qi back to his dantian using gentle circulation techniques."
As he spoke, Xiang Yu didn’t stop his movements and continued treating the patient. "You could also give him a Foundation Stabilizing Pill to help anchor his cultivation base. Usually, we’d let the qi settle naturally over several days, but this time I’ll use the Meridian Calming method because his spiritual energy is too violent and could damage his foundation permanently if we wait."
They nodded at his explanations, though Xiang Yu couldn’t tell if they understood him or not.
The next patient was a young woman with a pale face. She held her arm tightly and winced as she walked.
"She’s been practicing the Thunderbolt Sword technique without proper preparation," Xiang Yu diagnosed immediately. "Her sword qi has turned chaotic and is now attacking her own meridians. As you can see, her left arm trembles uncontrollably, this means sword essence is leaking from her acupoints and interfering with her nervous system. Very dangerous if left untreated."
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He demonstrated the examination process step by step. "First, I’ll check if she has spiritual fever by examining her dantian’s temperature." Xiang Yu placed his hand gently on the disciple’s abdomen, his expression focused as he assessed her condition.
"She doesn’t seem to have developed a fever, so the situation isn’t as dire as it could be. For sword qi backlash, you must first dispel the chaotic sword essence using the Counter-Flow technique, then rebuild her arm meridians with Tendon Restoration Pills. I could use acupuncture to redirect the qi, but this time I’ll apply the Sword Qi Absorption method because her case isn’t as severe."
Patient after patient came forward, each presenting unique challenges that Xiang Yu used as teaching opportunities.
"This young man was tempering his body with fire-attribute spiritual herbs, but his constitution is naturally yin-cold. Now he has conflicting energies—fire and ice—battling in his organs." he explained to his attentive audience. "His internal temperature keeps shifting between burning and freezing, which you can see from the way he alternates between shivering and sweating."
Xiang Yu thought to himself that this case was actually quite complex and might have even led to the disciple’s death. Luckily, he had a somewhat high understanding of both yin and yang and his medicine had entered the seventh grade. Still, it was good learning material.
"When fire and ice energies conflict in the organs like this, you first need to create a buffer zone in his middle dantian to prevent the energies from directly clashing, then slowly harmonize them using the Five Element Circulation method.
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You could give him Harmony Restoration Pills to help balance his internal temperature. Usually, we’d purge one energy completely, but this time I’ll use a Yin-Yang Balancing pill to help him refine both energies slowly, because they’ve already merged with his foundation. Removing either one suddenly would cripple his cultivation entirely."
Xiang Yu continued seeing patients and explaining different medical concepts to the disciples. Each case brought new learning opportunities, from simple herb poisoning to complex cultivation injuries that required intricate treatment approaches.
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Finally, after what felt like hours, the last injured disciple received treatment and departed with grateful bows. The huge crowd that had gathered earlier had been completely cleared.
Xiang Yu exhaled deeply, allowing himself a moment to relax his shoulders and stretch his neck. He reflected that with his medicine skills having reached the seventh grade, he could work through these disciples’ ailments quite quickly since most of them didn’t have overly complicated conditions.
"Alright," he announced, turning back to face the medicine school candidates who had been observing intently throughout the entire session. "You’ve all watched and listened to everything I did, so now I’ll be testing your understanding."
...
"Alright, everyone spread out. We’ll be doing this the old fashioned way," Xiang Yu announced with a smile.
The medicine candidates exchanged puzzled glances, their faces scrunching with confusion. "Old fashioned way? What’s that?" several disciples asked in unison.
"Of course it’s..." Xiang Yu reached into his spatial ring, pulling out a massive stack of pristine white papers. "A written exam," he declared.
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A collective groan rippled through the crowd of aspiring medicine students. Some disciples visibly paled, while others looked as though they’d just been sentenced to death. Most of them had entered the jianghu since it was easier than pursuing an academic career, you just had to have some talent and you were good. The reality of facing an actual academic test once again caught them completely off guard.
While holding the blank papers steady in one hand, Xiang Yu concentrated intensely on the medical questions in his mind. His qi then flowed smoothly from his spiritual sea and into the stack of papers.
Just like when he crafted talismans, the energy created neat rows of text throughout the papers. It was just like a printer from his previous world.
"Everyone spread out properly," he commanded, gesturing broadly with his free hand. "You need to be at least a meter away from each other. No exceptions."
The disciples scrambled to follow his instructions, shuffling awkwardly across the ground as they tried to create adequate spacing between themselves. Some measured the distance with their arms, while others simply moved until Xiang Yu nodded his approval at their positioning.
He then distributed the examination papers along with pens he’d crafted earlier for this specific purpose.
Xiang Yu instinctively glanced down at his wrist, before remembering that wrist watches didn’t exist in this cultivation world. All this academic stuff was making him surprisingly nostalgic for his previous life on Earth.
"You have thirty minutes," he announced. "Your time starts... now."
...
Author’s Corner
Let’s take a moment of silence to thank our lord Claire for the medical jargon.