"Greater Mastery. Not bad!"
Miejue replied casually.
The Emei Nine Yang Skill was indeed a superior internal cultivation method, but the First Level was originally the simplest foundation. Cultivating it was not overly complicated.
Back then, Miejue had also taken just over a month to cultivate the Emei Nine Yang Skill First Level to Greater Mastery.
Moreover, Gu Shao'an cultivated diligently, and his temperament was far steadier than Miejue's had been in her youth. It was only natural that he reached it somewhat earlier than she had.
Miejue then imparted the cultivation method for the second level of the Emei Nine Yang Skill to Gu Shao'an. After giving him a few instructions and explaining her own insights into cultivating the Emei Nine Yang Skill, she finally allowed him to leave.
Gu Shao'an nodded, bowed to Miejue, and only then departed.
After watching Gu Shao'an leave, Miejue did not return to the Bamboo Hut to cultivate. Instead, she circulated her true qi, leaped into the air, and headed toward the front mountain.
Upon returning to his room, Gu Shao'an first reflected on the shortcomings he had displayed during his fight with Miejue. Only then did he summon the system's Achievement Points roulette wheel.
"I hope I can draw something good this time too!"
As the thought flashed through his mind, one thousand Achievement Points vanished, and the roulette wheel before Gu Shao'an began spinning rapidly.
Several breaths later, as the wheel came to a stop, a notification appeared before Gu Shao'an.
Congratulations, player. You have drawn an Advanced Physician Sub-Profession Card.
"A Sub-profession Card?"
Gu Shao'an's brow twitched as he looked at what he had obtained from this draw.
Naturally, Gu Shao'an knew what a Sub-profession Card was.
Once a player obtained and used a Sub-profession Card, they could directly unlock a special craft.
According to the game's classification, sub-professions were divided into six ranks: Entry level, Beginner Level, intermediate level, Advanced Level, Grandmaster Level, and Saint-Hand Level.
"Good stuff!"
Although it was only an Advanced sub-profession, that depended on what type it was.
A sub-profession like physician was considered one of the top-tier sub-professions in the game's settings.
That was not only because of its practicality, but also because sub-professions like physician made it exceptionally easy to earn Achievement Points.
Diagnosing illnesses, treating people, preparing medicine, and even studying medical texts could all earn Achievement Points.
Furthermore, the number of Achievement Points gained was far greater than from cultivating martial arts.
Besides, as a martial artist, getting injured or encountering poison was unavoidable.
Gu Shao'an had originally planned to find medical books and study medical skills himself once his cultivation had stabilized, then find a way to unlock the physician sub-profession.
He had not expected to draw it directly now.
After clicking his tongue inwardly, Gu Shao'an willed it and used the Sub-profession Card.
The next instant, an enormous flood of information surged into his mind, wave after wave.
It included not only information on tens of thousands of medicinal herbs, but also the properties of each herb, the five elements of the human body, meridians, and all manner of pathological diagnosis.
The sheer amount of information made Gu Shao'an's head ache slightly almost at once.
Yet Gu Shao'an was like a sponge, frantically absorbing the vast amount of knowledge in his mind.
It was not until a quarter of an hour later that he had fully absorbed and digested it all.
Congratulations, player. Your physician sub-profession has reached Advanced Level. Sub-profession: Physician (Advanced)—Current Proficiency: 1/100000
Shaking his somewhat foggy head, Gu Shao'an raised a finger and massaged several acupoints, including the center of his brow and his temples. Only then did the grogginess fade considerably.
Looking at the notification before him and the proficiency required to advance the sub-profession to Grandmaster Level, Gu Shao'an's eyelids could not help twitching.
But when he considered what Grandmaster Level medical skills represented, he quickly accepted it.
An Advanced Level physician could become a renowned doctor anywhere.
Grandmaster Level medical skills, however, were exceedingly rare.
Across the entire martial world, only people such as Butterfly Valley Medicine Immortal Hu Qingniu and Ping Yizhi, the Murderous Famous Doctor under the Sun Moon Divine Sect, were at this level.
A Grandmaster Level physician might not be able to cure every illness, but the number of ailments that could leave one helpless could be counted on one's fingers.
They could already be called divine physicians.
Developing pills that could aid cultivation or even improve a martial artist's Bone Structure was no difficult task.
It was perfectly normal for such abilities to require higher proficiency.
Although this draw had not increased Gu Shao'an's strength,
unlocking the physician sub-profession would clearly provide far greater help in the future.
That night, a bright moon hung high in the sky.
Inside his room, Gu Shao'an sat cross-legged as the internal energy within his body slowly circulated along a more complicated route.
Only when he felt a faint discomfort in his meridians did Gu Shao'an stop cultivating his internal cultivation method.
Congratulations, player. You have cultivated an internal cultivation method for half an hour. Achievement Points +5.
Most internal cultivation methods in the world progressed step by step, becoming more difficult the further one advanced.
Compared to the first level of the Emei Nine Yang Skill, the circulation route of the second level was several times more complex.
Even Gu Shao'an had to spend several hours before successfully circulating his internal energy completely along the second level's cultivation route once, reaching the entry level.
However, compared with the first level of the Emei Nine Yang Skill, the proficiency required for the second level had doubled.
In addition, each circulation of the second-level method took longer. Gu Shao'an estimated that it would take at least five months to cultivate the Emei Nine Yang Skill Second Level to perfection as well.
"The road ahead is long indeed!"
Shaking his head, Gu Shao'an rose and walked out into the courtyard, intending to practice Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon for a while and loosen up.
However, just as Gu Shao'an stepped out of the courtyard, he discovered a little shijie sitting blankly beside the clear pool not far from his yard.
Seeing Zhou Zhiruo sitting alone beneath the moon, Gu Shao'an paused briefly before walking toward the pool.
Yet even as Gu Shao'an approached, Zhou Zhiruo still did not notice that someone had come up behind her. Her chin remained resting on her knees as she stared blankly into space.
Seeing this, Gu Shao'an could only step forward two more paces and sit down beside Zhou Zhiruo.
Noticing the movement beside her from the corner of her eye, Zhou Zhiruo quickly turned her head in fright.
Once she saw that it was Gu Shao'an beside her, Zhou Zhiruo finally let out a sigh of relief and patted her barely budding chest.
"Shidi, have you finished cultivating?"
Gu Shao'an gave a soft hum and said gently, "It is late. Why has Shijie not gone to rest?"
Zhou Zhiruo replied softly, "I cannot sleep."
Gu Shao'an thought for a moment before asking, "Is it because we will be going down the mountain in a few days?"
Zhou Zhiruo first shook her head, but after a pause, she nodded again.
Her reaction left Gu Shao'an somewhat bewildered.
But before Gu Shao'an could ask, Zhou Zhiruo raised her head once more and looked at the moon in the sky.
After a long while, Zhou Zhiruo spoke again.
"Shidi, tell me... when we go out to suppress bandits this time, if Master asks us to kill people ourselves, what should we do?"
Before you continue