Steward Zhang's Esteem

Having calmed his surging blood and qi, Shen Fan felt much lighter.

Glancing at the corpses of his fellow disciples not far away, Shen Fan said flatly, "Not saving you was my lack of mercy, but avenging you counts as repaying you."

He was about to clasp his hands behind his back and put on the airs of an expert when he suddenly spotted the corner of a banknote sticking out from the chest of one burly man.

A glint of gold flashed in Shen Fan's eyes, and he pocketed the banknote even faster.

"What? A hundred taels of silver!"

Now, looking at the other corpses, Shen Fan saw them as piles of treasure.

After a thorough search—nearly stripping them down to their undergarments—Shen Fan's final haul made him burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, over four hundred taels! I've never fought such a rich battle in my life! I'm rich, really rich!"

A flock of birds startled into flight in the distance, but Shen Fan paid them no mind. After gathering the corpses, he truly stepped out of the Black Dragon Mountain Range.

Though he had the chance to interrogate these men about why they attacked the martial arts school's disciples, he chose not to. No matter what information he got, he wouldn't act on it.

Since This Is the Case, it was better to know nothing. Ignorance meant peace of mind.

Leaving the Black Dragon Mountain Range, Shen Fan arrived at the temporary camp set up by the martial arts school and found an empty tent to enter.

Hanging up the "occupied" sign, he began to plan his future in earnest.

"This time, I earned over four hundred taels of silver. That means I don't have to sell my surplus herbs to the school."

"Selling herbs to the school is definitely worse than selling them to shops. Besides, I can use a lot of these herbs myself. If I could learn alchemy, I might be able to make even better use of them!"

At this thought, Shen Fan's excitement grew.

Having made his decision, Shen Fan immediately turned in the three low-grade herbs required for the mission, hiding the rest away.

Steward Zhang, who was handling the registrations, looked at the young disciple and smiled.

"Shen Fan? Two months since entry, cultivation at Skin Refining, mission requirement three low-grade herbs. Mm, not bad. These herbs meet the standard. Congratulations, you've completed the mission. For the next week, you won't have any tasks!"

Steward Zhang quietly marked a check next to Shen Fan's name in the roster.

Putting down his brush, Steward Zhang studied the young man who had left a deep impression on him and reminded him, "This mission is a good opportunity for you. It's a shame to give it up!"

"Thank you, Steward. I understand, but I feel the outside world is too dangerous. I'll leave herb gathering to the Senior Brothers."

Though Shen Fan caught the Steward's implied meaning, he didn't linger.

He knew continuing would bring great gains, but with the lesson of those dead disciples fresh in his mind, he believed this herb-gathering mission would inevitably lead to many accidents.

So when a vortex was about to form, the best move wasn't to break it apart, but to avoid it.

As if afraid the Steward wouldn't believe him, Shen Fan added, "The Senior Brothers are far too strong for me. I can't compare. Competing with them for herbs would only bring humiliation."

As he spoke, Shen Fan put on a weathered look, as if beaten down by the world.

If Steward Zhang couldn't sense the terrifying blood and qi within the young man through his extraordinary technique, he might have actually bought Shen Fan's nonsense.

Forcing himself not to roll his eyes, Steward Zhang took a deep breath and said, "Since you're not interested, so be it. Go back."

Shen Fan breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, he felt the Steward's expression was strange, as if he had noticed something.

But then he thought it impossible. His acting was flawless—how could he be found out?

This time, however, Shen Fan was wrong. His acting was fine, but he forgot this was a world of Transcendence through Martial Path.

Martial Artists had formidable abilities. That Steward Zhang could cultivate a technique to sense blood and qi was something Shen Fan hadn't anticipated. His experience was still too shallow.

Just as Shen Fan was about to withdraw, he thought of something and asked respectfully, "May I ask, Steward, if one wishes to learn the Medical Path, what should be done?"

Steward Zhang looked up at Shen Fan, a hint of a smile flickering at the corner of his mouth.

"The Medical Path? That's not something just anyone can learn. Being an ordinary physician just requires reading a few medical texts. But to become a Medical Sage capable of treating the powerful requires very special conditions."

"What conditions?" Shen Fan perked up, sensing an opening.

"Conditions? You know about the Health Cultivation Method, don't you? Oh, right, you've practiced it. Since This Is the Case, I'll speak plainly."

"The Health Cultivation Method is the prerequisite for entering the Medical Path."

Shen Fan's pupils contracted as realization dawned.

No wonder his perception had grown so much since mastering the Three Yuan Art. He didn't yet know about healing abilities, but recalling the unique properties of the health-nurturing blood and qi he had cultivated, everything became clear.

"Thank you for the guidance, Steward!" Shen Fan bowed excitedly.

But Steward Zhang waved his hand. "This is nothing. It's no secret. Ask any veteran and you'll understand.

However, while the condition is clear, truly entering the Medical Path is no simple matter. The Health Cultivation Method—not just anyone has the patience to practice it."

With that, he gave Shen Fan a meaningful look and added casually, "Our Ox Demon Martial Arts School once had a Medical Sage, even the Hall Master held him in great esteem.

But he unfortunately passed away years ago. What a pity his legacy is still gathering dust in the Scripture Pavilion."

His tone carried both lament and nostalgia.

Seeing Steward Zhang like this, Shen Fan tactfully withdrew. But every word he said was etched into Shen Fan's memory.

"The Scripture Pavilion, huh? Looks like I'll need to search carefully. A legacy worthy of being called a Medical Sage—at the very least, it should be a second-rate technique, right?"

Shen Fan was a little excited. Lugging his bundles, large and small, he rushed back to the Martial Hall overnight.

But from the day Shen Fan had left, a large number of masked Martial Artists kept appearing in the Black Dragon Mountain Range, repeatedly attacking the disciples gathering herbs. In the end, the Martial Hall even sent out experts at the Blood Condensation and Viscera Refining levels to wipe them out, but they were blocked by the enemy's own strong fighters.

In the end, the Martial Hall could only lead a large group of wounded and crippled disciples back to the city in disgrace.

However, that was all later.

The next morning, Shen Fan arrived in front of the Scripture Pavilion. Gazing up at this tall, magnificent building, he also squeezed his money pouch, feeling its particular heaviness.

Only then did Shen Fan's tense mood ease a little.

Swinging his legs in a measured stride, Shen Fan raised his head and walked straight in.

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