The Severed Arm

Senior Brother Bai was the other four-star Spirit General. Since he was a star behind his opponent in cultivation, Senior Brother Bai had no choice but to focus on dodging and counterattacking. He hardly dared to meet his opponent's attacks head-on. Of course, if the two could fight to a standstill, Senior Brother Bai must have had his own strengths—and that was his footwork.]|I{•------» «------•}I|[

It was true. Senior Brother Bai had clearly mastered an exceptionally swift movement Spirit Skill. His advantage in footwork had all but erased the gap between them. Senior Brother Li wouldn't find it easy to defeat Senior Brother Bai, and it would be even harder for Senior Brother Bai to defeat Senior Brother Li. That was why the two had reached a stalemate in the arena.

For spectators, two evenly matched opponents were undoubtedly the best to watch.

If that footwork counts as impressive, then I could challenge a Spirit General too, Sanbao thought, finding the other man's standards laughably low. He had only just begun cultivating the Nine-Turn Golden Body, yet his footwork was already no worse than Senior Brother Bai's.

That's right. Why didn't I think of that? With my footwork, I might be able to beat a one- or two-star Spirit General! Sanbao grew faintly excited. Could he really challenge someone above his level?

The duel between the two was exciting, but after watching for a while, it became tiresome. After all, they kept circling back and forth, using the same two or three Spirit Skills. And since they weren't fighting for their lives, the match lacked a little fire. Sanbao slowly left the crowd and casually began watching some of the other matches.

"Wang Liang!"

In one arena, Wang Liang was locked in a fierce battle with a five-star Spirit Scholar. Their strength was closely matched, so neither could claim victory quickly. But their cultivation was low, and no matter how exciting the fight got, only a handful of people watched. Most merely glanced over as they passed. There was nothing much to see in a battle between entry-level disciples.

To outsiders, becoming an entry-level disciple of the Cloud Saint Sect was already an impressive achievement. But within the sect, entry-level disciples had little standing, so few people paid them any attention.

At last, Sanbao spotted someone he knew and slowly approached. Both fighters in the arena were red in the face, their spiritual power pushed to its limits.

"Come on, take another sword strike!" "As if I'm afraid of you!"

"Argh..."

A scream shattered the balance in the arena. The situation changed in an instant: the two had been evenly matched, but now the fight had ended with Wang Liang losing his left arm.

"Spirit Weapon..."

Wang Liang managed to utter those two words before pain overwhelmed him and he passed out.

Wang Liang's opponent, a young nobleman in fine clothes, had suddenly unleashed tremendous power and severed Wang Liang's left arm with a single sword stroke. It was all thanks to the Spirit Weapon in his hand.

At first, he hadn't wanted to reveal that he possessed a Spirit Weapon, so he hadn't channeled his spiritual power into the sword.

But after the two had fought for a while, their battle had gradually brought out the fire in them. Finally, he had gone all out, grievously wounding his opponent and cutting off Wang Liang's left arm.

Needless to say, he had to be from a powerful family. Otherwise, with his lowly Spirit Scholar cultivation, he could never have owned a Spirit Weapon—not even ordinary Spirit Commanders could easily get their hands on one.

"Number one hundred and fifty wins. Um, are there any fellow disciples here from number thirty-five? Take him to the main hall to have his wound bandaged..."

The moment the Spirit Weapon appeared, the winner was decided. The referee merely announced the result, taking the injured disciple's condition in stride—or, rather, showing no interest in it at all. Once he had finished his obligatory remarks, he was ready to leave and report in.

After all, Wang Liang was only a low-ranking disciple who had just joined the sect. In the referee's eyes, he was no different from an ant. There was no need to make a fuss over him.

"Senior Brother Wang!"

When no one stepped forward, Sanbao rushed over without a second thought and caught Wang Liang in his arms. Blood poured from the stump of Wang Liang's left arm.

Sanbao had studied medicine, so he knew that stopping the bleeding was urgent. He channeled spiritual power into his fingers and sealed off several major arteries. Then he tore a piece of cloth from his clothes and quickly bandaged the stump. At the same time, he asked a few of the onlookers, "Brothers, does Cloud Saint Hall have anyone who can treat him?"

"It does. There are healers in the main hall. But you look more skilled than they are. They'd probably just apply more medicine, then send him home to rest for a few months. He'd be fine after that," someone replied.

"What about his severed hand?" Sanbao asked anxiously.

"That hand's as good as ruined. No one can save it..." Several disciples nearby sighed.

"No, his arm was only just severed, and the cut is clean. If he gets treatment in time, it should be possible to reattach it," Sanbao argued.

"How can you reattach something that's been cut off? Do you really think you're some miracle doctor?" The others laughed at him, then drifted away.

Only then did Sanbao remember what sort of place he was in. This world's medical knowledge was inadequate. Even though people had spiritual power, they didn't know how to put it to good use in this area.

"Fine. I'll have to find your master, Elder Zhao." After seeing that no one was going to help Wang Liang, Sanbao picked up the severed arm and carried Wang Liang out of the arena on his back. After all, they knew each other.

He thought to himself, I didn't realize entry-level disciples had such low standing. The man's passed out, and no one's even come to help him.

After descending Cloud Saint Peak, Sanbao suddenly stopped. He'd left in such a hurry that he'd forgotten to ask where Wang Liang's master, Zhao Youdao, lived. Time was short; if he went back up Cloud Saint Peak to ask for directions, Wang Liang's arm might really be ruined.

Forget it. He'd go to Fire Cloud Peak first and see if his master could help.

Jing Yifei was a Spirit King, after all, and she was also a Treasure Refiner. She ought to know what to do. Having made up his mind, Sanbao hurried toward Fire Cloud Peak.

A quarter of an hour later, Sanbao appeared in Fire Cloud Hall, panting with Wang Liang unconscious on his back. He shouted, "Master, come out and save him!"

Jing Yifei appeared almost immediately. Looking at Sanbao's flushed face, she asked curiously, "Are you all right? Why did you bring this one-armed fellow here?"

"Master, can you reattach his arm? He's my friend. He was cut during a match, just a little while ago," Sanbao asked urgently.

"Reattach it? That's too difficult. It would take a Spirit Sovereign to do it, along with a healing Spirit Pill. I can't," Jing Yifei replied calmly.

If Sanbao had been the one injured, she would naturally have done everything in her power to help. But this was just an ordinary entry-level disciple, and he had nothing to do with her.

"Then could you ask one of the Grand Sect Masters for help? Time is precious," Sanbao said. Now that he had stepped in, he meant to see it through.

"Beg those fellows? I'd have to humble myself, and they might not even come. Even if they did, they might not be able to treat him. You've only just met this fellow, haven't you? Forget it. Take him home to rest." Jing Yifei shook her head, then turned and left.

"What?"

Sanbao felt his hopes drain away. If even the Grand Sect Masters couldn't save him, Wang Liang's hand was probably done for. Poor guy. Losing one hand would surely make him much weaker. What a tragic turn of events.

Sanbao shook his head helplessly. He was about to toss the severed arm onto the ground, but quickly pulled it back.

"Forget it. Better to rely on myself than ask others. I'll do it. Whether it works or not is up to fate."

Sanbao lifted the unconscious Wang Liang and drew on the medical skills he had honed over many years. Using the spiritual power unique to this world, he began to reattach Wang Liang's severed arm.

An hour later, Sanbao tucked the quilt around Wang Liang and finally stepped out of his room. His face was a little pale, but a faint smile touched his lips.

Maybe his luck had been extraordinarily good, or maybe his medical skills had simply been superb. Somehow, Sanbao had managed to reattach the severed arm that even a Grand Sect Master couldn't have put back.

He didn't know how much function Wang Liang would regain, but at least the most important meridians had been reconnected.

Zhao Youdao, the head of the Cloud Saint Sect's Execution Hall, was one of the most powerful figures on Cloud Mountain, second only to the Grand Sect Masters. Because he wielded great authority, entry-level disciples often chose him as their master, and he had many disciples. Wang Liang was one of them.

But with so many disciples, it was rare for the low-ranking entry-level ones to receive any attention. When Wang Liang had been grievously injured and passed out, no one had bothered to help him.

At dusk, Wang Liang finally woke. When he learned that Sanbao had saved him, he was overcome with gratitude—and grateful, too, to have made a friend like Sanbao.

"Junior Brother Sanbao, thank you so much. If you hadn't, my hand..."

"Don't get your hopes up too high. Your hand's been reattached, but it'll be hard for it to recover fully. You need to be prepared for that. Also, Fire Cloud Hall can't let outsiders stay overnight. Where do you live? I'll take you back now." Sanbao shrugged, feeling helpless about his master Jing Yifei's rules.

"I understand, I understand. Just getting my hand reattached is already a huge blessing. I live in Orchid Creek Ravine, on my master Elder Zhao's grounds. Don't you know where that is?" Wang Liang wondered: Zhao Youdao was a famous elder of the Cloud Saint Sect. How could anyone not know where he lived?

"I really didn't. Otherwise, I would've taken you there from the start." Sanbao smiled and helped Wang Liang up. The two slowly descended Fire Cloud Peak.

"Going there wouldn't have helped either. You're still better than him!" Wang Liang knew his own status was low. Even if Sanbao had taken him to Zhao Youdao, the elder might not have been able to get a Grand Sect Master to help.

"Yeah. It's not easy being out on your own. When you get back, you should apply some more healing medicine. I don't have any with me," Sanbao said, speaking from the heart.

The two chatted as they walked. The injury to Wang Liang's arm had brought them closer.