Chapter 85: The Price of Growing Stronger
Clap, clap, clap.
Ye Wen walked over, applauding and smiling with admiration.
"It's hard to imagine someone from a civilian background possessing such refined combat skills. No wonder Xiao Quan struggled to hold his ground against you without using soul skills."
"Master, I haven't lost yet. I can still "
Du Gu Xin tried to protest, but Ye Wen cut him off with a stern shake of his head.
"Xiao Xin, a loss is a loss. Out in the soul master world, those who see you as an enemy won't play by the rules of the arena. They'll do anything to kill you. If Aba had come at you with true killing intent, you would be dead."
Du Gu Xin fell silent. His father, Du Gu Bo, had shared many harsh truths about the soul master world with him, but he had taken them lightly. Being defeated so thoroughly by a "wild" soul master left him feeling unsettled and unwilling to accept his shortcomings.
Seeing his struggle, Ye Wen offered some words of comfort. "While soul skills are crucial, never underestimate the importance of combat techniques. Xiao Quan's soul power training may have slackened recently, but he has gained real experience on the arena floor. You've devoted your time to self created soul techniques and soul power cultivation, which has left you underprepared in actual combat. So, starting now, you're assigned to the Soul Arena. Don't return to the academy until you reach Silver rank."
"Yes, Master," Du Gu Xin replied, suppressing his frustration and accepting the assignment.
Aba, meanwhile, couldn't hide his excitement. "So, can I call you my teacher now?" he asked eagerly.
Ye Wen nodded, and Aba knelt with reverence, addressing him formally as "Teacher."
"Though you've entered as my disciple, you'll be a 'probationary' disciple for now. To become a formal disciple, you'll have to prove yourself. But don't worry I'll teach you just as I do the others, whether you're formal or probationary. You can come to me with any questions about cultivating your martial spirit."
Taking the new disciples into the depths of the Blue Silver Forest, Ye Wen led them to a secluded area where the air was thick with life energy. This was where the academy's core members trained a place rich with vitality, ideal for accelerating soul master growth, restoring health, and enhancing physical resilience.
As Aba entered the area, he felt his whole body begin to tingle, and a murmur of awe escaped his lips.
"Lie down on the bed," Ye Wen instructed once they reached the academy's medical room, where Su Qiaoqiao was reviewing medical texts Ye Wen had left her.
"Master," she greeted him respectfully.
Ye Wen nodded in acknowledgment and gestured for Aba to lie down.
"What's going on, Teacher?" Aba asked, confused.
"We're going to treat your injuries. Your progress has stalled because you've damaged yourself to the point of exhaustion. If you continue this way without treatment, you'll be lucky to live another twenty years, let alone keep advancing."
Ye Wen washed his hands, preparing for the procedure, and signaled for Su Qiaoqiao to assist him.
"Qiaoqiao, observe closely. When someone's body is this battered, patching up the damage isn't straightforward," he said, then began his diagnostic examination of Aba's body.
By the time soul masters reached the Soul King stage, they could use their spiritual power to perform basic bodily scans. At Ye Wen's level, his spiritual power was nearly at the threshold of the Lingyuan rank of a Titled Douluo, so his scan immediately revealed Aba's condition in detail.
"Damaged organ function, muscles strained and overstressed, soul power channels overloaded, and fractures forty eight minor bone cracks. Even his blood production is compromised."
Aba could only understand part of Ye Wen's assessment, but the terms he recognized painted a grim picture of his health. Su Qiaoqiao, however, grew more astonished the longer she listened, marveling that someone with such injuries could still walk, let alone fight.
Ye Wen's brow furrowed. He had expected Aba's aggressive training methods to have taken a toll, but he hadn't anticipated such extensive damage.
"Qiaoqiao, fetch your Mistress. We'll need her help to complete the treatment."
A few moments later, Ah Yin entered the room, followed by the other students, including Chen Youyu, who had been setting up her accommodations but had grown anxious about her brother's condition and joined the others in gathering outside the treatment room.
Noticing the group assembling, Ye Wen frowned. "This isn't a show. If you're here for entertainment, go somewhere else. We're about to start the treatment."
Ye Wen wheeled Aba into the operating room. This would be a delicate procedure, and though he was not a surgeon in his previous life, he understood enough and could adapt his knowledge to this world's soul power techniques. Here, many advanced procedures could be performed with a blend of soul power and spiritual energy, allowing for medical feats that had been impossible in his previous life.
Outside the operating room, Chen Youyu gravitated toward Hu Rou, the only person she knew among the other students, and asked her for more information about Aba's situation.
"Honestly, I'm not too sure," Hu Rou admitted. "But don't worry our master's medical skills are top notch. You know about healing type soul masters, right? Well, our master is the one who invented that whole field. And he's even called in Mistress Ah Yin for this. She's an expert in life force! Don't worry; it'll be good news soon enough."
Comforted by her words, Chen Youyu relaxed, though she continued to glance nervously at the operating room.
Aba's internal injuries would require the use of Ye Wen's recently developed elixirs derived from immortal grass. While these would handle the organ damage, the numerous minor injuries scattered across his muscles and bones were far trickier to address. Without modern technology, the process would involve Ah Yin's life based healing abilities to complement Su Qiaoqiao's medical spirit.
Though Aba prided himself on his tolerance for pain, Ye Wen sedated him to prevent him from enduring the ordeal awake.
With Su Qiaoqiao activating her spirit abilities, Ye Wen swiftly opened various incisions on Aba's body to mend torn muscles and ligaments, carefully observing and directing Su Qiaoqiao as she studied his methods.
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