No matter how fine the silver needles were, they were useless in the hands of an ordinary person. The key was the technique.
Fortunately, the system's Method of Detoxification was comprehensive. Qin Yuan quickly located the right acupoints and temporarily sealed Dugu Yan's heart meridians, preventing the poison from spreading further.
Once the inn's worker had finished brewing the medicine and fed it to Dugu Yan, her complexion finally began to improve.
Ye Lingling used a healing Soul Skill. A milky-white light entered Dugu Yan's body, but she could still sense the poison within her.
"Teacher Qin, it seems like a lot of poison has built up in Yanzi's body. This..."
Qin Yuan replied calmly, "Rome wasn't built in a day. This poison has accumulated over a long period. Perhaps it has something to do with Dugu Yan's mistaken cultivation method."
"Where are the academy's teachers? Why haven't they arrived yet? Also, once Dugu Yan wakes up, have her grandfather come see me. I have a way to cure the poison that's built up in her body, but I'll need her grandfather's cooperation."
Ye Lingling nodded seriously, committing each of Qin Yuan's instructions to memory.
As for the academy's teachers, Ye Lingling had already sent word back to the academy.
Because Dugu Yan had a special status, ordinary teachers didn't dare take responsibility. They could only wait for the news to reach the Three Education Commissioners.
Before long, Meng Shenji, the head of the Education Committee, came to the inn in person and took Dugu Yan away.
When he saw Qin Yuan, Meng Shenji cupped his hands. "You must be Mr. Qin. I've heard so much about you."
Ning Fengzhi had often put in a good word for Qin Yuan to Xue Qinghe.
Knowing Qin Yuan had no desire to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he wanted to do Xue Qinghe a favor by giving the Heaven Dou Empire a chance to recruit him.
Meng Shenji supported Xue Qinghe, so he'd naturally heard some things from the Crown Prince's residence. He'd also secretly looked into Qin Yuan's background, hoping to help Xue Qinghe.
"I didn't expect you to be skilled in medicine as well, Mr. Qin. Why not come to the academy with me? That way, you can keep an eye on Dugu Yan's condition. What do you say?"
Qin Yuan didn't refuse. He needed to wait for Dugu Bo to arrive anyway.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Dugu Yan's dormitory.
Ye Lingling wiped the grime from Dugu Yan's body, and the foul stench finally disappeared.
Qin Yuan had done all he could. All that remained was to wait for Dugu Yan to wake up.
For now, the detoxification method he'd used could only relieve her symptoms temporarily, not cure her completely. Given Dugu Yan's current condition, as long as she continued cultivating as a Soul Master, poison would keep building up in her body and could erupt at any time.
Ye Lingling looked exhausted, but she didn't rest. Instead, she bowed solemnly to Qin Yuan in gratitude. "Thank you, Teacher Qin."
Qin Yuan shook his head. "I'm not a teacher. Don't call me that anymore. Get some rest."
The opening of the second Soul Master Tournament was fast approaching, and Heaven Dou City was bustling with activity.
Even at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, plenty of students were training late into the night.
Dugu Yan wouldn't wake up anytime soon, but there wouldn't be any more complications.
So Qin Yuan went for a stroll around the academy, accompanied by one of its staff teachers.
Most of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's students were spoiled heirs who couldn't be bothered to study. They often didn't even show up at the academy, and at night, the dormitory area was dark. The academy's unusual location made it feel rather desolate.
Teacher Jiang, who worked in logistics, wore a helpless expression. "Mr. Qin, the quality of the academy's students has been declining for twenty years now. These days, we can barely scrape together two Battle Teams."
"Alas, who knows what things will be like by the next tournament? We might not even be able to put together a single team."
Among the younger students, only Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling had enough talent and were willing to train.
Yu Tianheng and the others hadn't joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy yet, so it was no wonder Teacher Jiang felt so troubled.
The academy's student intake kept getting worse, making it unlikely they'd achieve good results in the Soul Master Tournament. As time went on, who knew what the academy's future would look like?
Of course, none of this was Qin Yuan's concern. He only humored Teacher Jiang's complaints and said little.
A short while later, the two of them reached the Imperial Fighting Team's lounge and came across its members training.
The captain of the Imperial Fighting Team in this year's tournament was named Lei Meng. He was a mid-tier Soul Ancestor with the Thunder Blade Martial Soul.
In terms of Soul Power Level alone, Lei Meng, at level forty-six, was far stronger than Yu Tianheng, who was level forty-three. It was clear that Heaven Dou Royal Academy was declining at a visible pace.
The academy's decline probably hadn't begun just twenty years ago. Teacher Jiang had likely only just started working there back then, so he didn't know what things had been like before and shouldn't make assumptions.
"Would you care to show us what you can do, Mr. Qin?" Teacher Jiang asked with a smile.
Nearly every teacher at the academies around Heaven Dou City had heard how Qin Yuan had been "training" Ning Rongrong.
How could an ordinary person teach the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect well? Qin Yuan might not be a teacher, but he surely had what it took to teach at any Advanced Soul Master Academy.
Earlier, Meng Shenji had told him to show Qin Yuan around Heaven Dou Royal Academy as quickly as possible and prepare to recruit him. If he could pull this off, wouldn't that be a perfect chance for a promotion?
Qin Yuan rolled his neck and smiled. "Sure. Let's take a look. I'll point out anything that needs work."
The Battle Team's Training Room was private, and ordinary teachers didn't have a key to get in.
Fortunately, Teacher Jiang was in charge of the academy's logistics and had the necessary key.
As the Training Room door swung open, Qin Yuan had barely stepped inside when a blade crackling with lightning thrust toward him.
Attacks imbued with lightning were not to be taken lightly. A direct hit would surely leave him injured.
Qin Yuan had profound skill with the blade. He easily found the weak point in his opponent's force, clamped two fingers around the blade, and gave it a slight twist, sending the wielder tumbling to the ground.
The person who'd fallen was the Imperial Fighting Team's captain. He got back to his feet, looking delighted. "Teacher Jiang, who's this sparring instructor? He's incredibly strong! Does he have a blade-type Martial Soul too?"
Teacher Jiang leaned close to Qin Yuan's ear and whispered, "Mr. Qin, Lei Meng is an arrogant man. Be careful."
With that, he quietly backed away, leaving Qin Yuan to teach these fellows a lesson.
The Fighting Team was guaranteed a place in the finals, so even after the tournament began, they'd have plenty of time to adjust and train.
But Lei Meng was like a wild eagle, extremely difficult to tame. He had some skill with the blade, and his nature was domineering and unpredictable. Even Meng Shenji couldn't handle him, yet the academy still had to rely on his strength to compete in the Soul Master Tournament.
Qin Yuan clasped his hands behind his back, surveying everyone on the Fighting Team before settling his gaze on Lei Meng.
He spoke slowly and calmly. "You thrust your blade, but the force is all in your wrist and elbow. Your blade is slow and dull. There's nothing worth commenting on!"
Hearing his prized swordsmanship denigrated, Lei Meng flew into a rage.
The other team members hastily backed away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
"Don't think I won't beat you up just because you're a teacher. If you've got the guts, don't use Soul Skills. Fight me with your blade!"
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