Medicine Scripture

There were quite a few people in the Medicine Hall who wanted to become Pharmacists.

As long as Formal Disciples could recite the first three volumes of the Medicine Scripture, they could become a Pharmacist's assistant and take on the Medicine Hall tasks most likely to lead to becoming a Pharmacist.

When Pharmacists compounded medicine, they would always offer a few pointers and explain certain aspects of how medicinal properties could be used. All of it was knowledge of immeasurable value.

It was not recorded in books and could only be accumulated through experience. Only after using and testing medicine many times could one come to understand it. Receiving a few pointers would naturally save a great deal of time.

The Medicine Scripture was a collection compiled by the Medicine Hall, bringing together medical texts, medicine codices, alchemical scriptures, and many other medicine-related books from throughout Qingzhou. It contained an enormous amount of material.

There were fifteen volumes in total, each one exceptionally thick and weighty. Just opening them was enough to make one's head ache, because they recorded all manner of medicinal herbs, medicinal applications, and related knowledge.

The first three volumes contained illustrations of various medicines, along with detailed records of the properties, functions, and other characteristics of different medicinal herbs.

The remaining twelve volumes covered knowledge related to medicinal use, such as combinations of herbs, methods of administering medicine, and records of medicinal use. They were exceedingly complicated.

Previously, memorizing the first three volumes was enough to become a Pharmacist Assistant. Mastering the remaining twelve volumes and passing the Pharmacist examination would allow one to become a Pharmacist of the Medicine Hall.

When Yang Chan saw the thick first three volumes of the Medicine Scripture in the Medicine Hall's library pavilion, he too felt a headache coming on. The contents were vast. Someone had previously counted that the first three volumes of the Medicine Scripture recorded 7,632 types of medicinal herbs, some of which were similar medicines that were difficult to distinguish.

Memorizing so many medicinal herbs would take no small amount of time, and this was only to become a Pharmacist Assistant.

The sight of those hefty books alone frightened off a large number of people, filling the Formal Disciples who envied Pharmacists with awe and reverence.

Because of this, the Medicine Hall could not even find Pharmacist Assistants, so the requirements were lowered. One only needed to memorize 1,253 commonly used medicinal herbs.

Even with the lowered requirements, there were still not many who wanted to become Pharmacist Assistants, because becoming a Pharmacist was what truly mattered. To become a Pharmacist, one had to memorize all fifteen volumes of the Medicine Scripture, as well as other medical texts and medicine codices, and carry out practical work. Naturally, it was quite complicated.

None of those steps could be skipped, so it was naturally very difficult and took a long time.

Of course, there were still people willing to devote their time to the Medicine Scripture. Most of them either had fairly ordinary talent or were interested in all kinds of medicinal herbs.

After all, martial cultivation inevitably involved dealing with such herbs. If one encountered a precious medicinal herb while outside yet failed to recognize it, that would be even more regrettable.

"Looks like it's time to start another round of three years of mock exams and five years of college entrance exams—high-intensity studying."

After seeing those books, Yang Chan let out a long sigh, then determination appeared in his eyes.

They were only a few volumes of books. Sooner or later, he would memorize them all.

And if all else failed, he still had Potential Points!

After discovering that the Medicine Scripture contained quite a few obscure characters, Yang Chan went to attend classes at the Elementary School within the Medicine Hall.

He could read, but he did not know every character. Whatever he did not understand, he could learn at the Elementary School.

After Yang Chan became a Formal Disciple, his life began to follow the path of study. This was rather beyond his expectations, because he spent quite a bit of time studying every day and worked extremely hard. It returned him to the diligent, grueling life he had lived before the college entrance exams.

Though it was tiring, it was solid work. At night, he would go to the Medicine Hall's martial arts ground to cultivate the Ox Demon Strength Fist, Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique, and Turtle Breath Body Nourishing Technique.

With his mixed cultivation, he improved every day.

At the same time, after inquiring into the situation of the Medicine Hall's Formal Disciples, he followed Shi Gaojun into the Sixth Small Organization and became one of its mutually supportive members. Aside from spending half a tael of silver each month as membership dues, he could receive guidance once a month from someone accomplished in Raging Bull Strength. Nothing else changed.

Among the six small organizations, two of the leaders were women. One was so burly that she did not look like a woman at all. The other was quite beautiful, with a figure so enticing that when she lowered her head, she could not see the ground. Quite a few people followed at her side, and their intentions were self-evident. Yang Chan naturally upheld the belief that beautiful women were the source of trouble and did not approach her at all.

As long as he stayed away from the source of trouble, trouble would not come looking for him.

A month slipped by quietly. Yang Chan had gone from a new disciple to an old one. Within that month, the several Formal Disciples who had newly joined became the new recruits, and they were also the main targets for Shi Gaojun and the others to fleece.

Some had comprehended Raging Bull Strength while still Steward Disciples and advanced because of it. Others were children of prominent families under the Qingyuan Sect who had been sent in through the back door. Naturally, all of them cultivated the Qingyuan Sect's Ox Demon Strength Fist.

During that month, all Steward Disciples who had been on the mountain for over two years were dismissed and sent down the mountain. Yang Chan heard that their total number had already exceeded ten thousand.

Somewhere along the way, Wang Sheng found Yang Chan by unknown means and asked him to give him a serving of Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup. He even said that after breaking through, he would repay him double.

Yang Chan decisively refused such a request. Their relationship had never been good to begin with. The fact that Yang Chan had not sought revenge after becoming a Formal Disciple was already generous enough, yet Wang Sheng still wanted him to give him a serving of Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup. He really had a thick skin and no sense of shame.

Seeing the venomous resentment in the other man's eyes before he left, Yang Chan considered whether he should make a move and end him for good.

But then he thought that after Wang Sheng left the Qingyuan Sect, simply staying alive would be extremely difficult. Besides, with his abysmal talent, he would find it hard to achieve anything in his entire life, so Yang Chan gave up on the idea.

The real reason, however, was that doing so would hurt his reputation.

Having just become a Formal Disciple and already killing someone would likely give others the impression that he had become arrogant the moment he gained status. That conflicted with his plan to keep a low profile.

One Wang Sheng was not worth it. Besides, Yang Chan knew where Wang Sheng's family lived. If Wang Sheng ever affected him, he could personally make a move without causing any repercussions.

His killing intent might have been a little too heavy, but in such chaotic times, only decisive people could live long.

His studies at the Medicine Hall went smoothly. His course at the Elementary School proceeded without issue, and he had long since mastered all the obscure characters. He remembered them quickly and had completely learned them before long.

He had already finished reading all three first volumes of the Medicine Scripture. Not only had he memorized the 1,253 commonly used medicines, but also the 6,379 less commonly used ones. All 7,632 medicines had been committed to memory during this period, along with every recorded medicinal effect and property.

Aside from his own efforts, he had also used one Potential Point.

It raised Pharmacist in the Mastered Professions section of his panel from Entry Level to First Tier. In an instant, all kinds of memories related to Pharmacists flooded into his mind. There were quite a lot of them, and Yang Chan even needed some time to absorb them.

Afterward, not only were all the medicinal herbs recorded in the first three volumes of the Medicine Scripture imprinted in his mind, but he also gained knowledge of 1,245 medicinal herbs not recorded in the scripture. They were all herbs rarely used in Qingzhou.

This counted as completing more than required. Basic knowledge related to physicians, medicinal principles, and more also poured into his mind. There was far more information than he had expected.