Chapter 143: Chapter 143: After-School Lesson

Outside the High Martial Skill Transmission Hall of Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy.

Fang Chen arrived earlier than most, but he didn’t go inside. He was waiting for someone.

Before long, a slender figure appeared at the end of the path. She wore a water-blue dress and walked with a light step, but when she looked up and saw the figure at the entrance of the Skill Transmission Hall—the very figure that had haunted her dreams for the past few nights—her steps paused imperceptibly.

It was Ding Yan.

Ding Yan saw him too. As their eyes met, a trace of panic subconsciously flashed across her eyes, and her body tensed slightly, but she quickly forced herself to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she continued walking forward.

"Senior Sister Ding," Fang Chen stood up straight and spoke first, his tone peaceful.

Ding Yan stopped a few steps away from him. She looked at him without speaking, a trace of lingering wariness in her eyes.

"That day... the situation was urgent, and I lost my sense of proportion with my attacks. I am truly sorry." Fang Chen nodded slightly, his gaze landing on the faint scar on her face. "Are your injuries... alright now?"

Hearing the apology, Ding Yan’s taut heartstrings relaxed slightly. She suddenly felt that her reaction just now was a bit ridiculous. It was clear that her skills were simply inferior, and she had been injured under the fair rules of the match. Why was she acting as if she were afraid of him?

She raised her chin and gave a soft hmph, accepting his apology. Her tone recovered some of its usual aloofness. "Tch, isn’t it just a simple puncture wound? As a Martial Artist, have I suffered few injuries growing up? I underestimated you last time. Anyway, this matter is water under the bridge.

"I heard you were heavily injured too? You were bedridden for days, and now you can get out of bed?"

"It’s just a minor injury. It’s nothing," Fang Chen answered casually.

Ding Yan curled her lips and swept her gaze over him. "What kind of monster are you? You took so many direct hits from Senior Xu Xiao, yet you’re acting like nothing happened?"

Fang Chen smiled and did not reply.

He recalled the sheer danger of that day. On the surface, he had won, but only he knew the tangible gap between himself and a Martial Artist who had truly stepped into the Yellow Rank and absorbed a wisp of Spiritual Qi.

Even though he relied on equipment, temporary potions, and the advantage of dual Sword Auras and Martial Skills, he was still completely suppressed in both the ’quality’ and ’quantity’ of True Essence.

With every clash, the opponent’s True Essence impact was like a heavy hammer that pierced through his defenses, shaking his internal organs and stacking hidden injuries. If it weren’t for Time Stop secretly healing him and preserving his life, the outcome would have been unpredictable.

This sense of disparity made his desire to improve his strength even more urgent.

Qi Collection required serendipitous opportunities and could not be rushed. However, if he could master Ding Yan’s Medical Skill in rapidly treating injuries and combine it with Time Stop, it would undoubtedly elevate his survivability and endurance to a whole new level.

With this thought, he no longer hesitated and handed over a cloth bag he had been holding. "Senior Sister Ding, just a small token of appreciation. I hope you will accept it."

Ding Yan was taken aback. She suspiciously took the cloth bag, finding it slightly heavy in her hands. Opening it, she saw stacks of crisp new banknotes neatly arranged inside; the amount was quite substantial.

"Is this... medical fees? You don’t have to do that, our society has a medical insurance quota."

"It’s not just medical fees," Fang Chen said sincerely. "It’s also... tuition fees. I’ve heard that Senior Sister Ding’s Medical Skill is outstanding. Could I perhaps receive some pointers from you? Of course, if it involves a secret that cannot be passed down, please consider my request presumptuous."

Ding Yan’s eyes lit up slightly. She weighed the money bag in her hand, the aloofness on her face rapidly fading away as she instantly transformed into a little money-grubber.

"You want to learn the Medical Skill of Condensing Water into Immortality?" she asked, her tone rising with a mix of surprise and delight. "Haha, studying medicine? Great, great, great! I’ve finally met someone whose mind isn’t entirely filled with fighting and killing, someone willing to ponder a bit of Medical Skill!

"This bunch of martial arts maniacs in our academy get headaches the moment they hear they have to memorize acupoints and medicinal properties. I was just worrying that no one was willing to seriously learn this bit of my family’s heritage!"

Changing the subject, she continued, "Of course, it’s not some secret that cannot be passed down! The true core Cultivation Technique inheritance is definitely in the family Jade Scroll, which I can’t give you. However..." She shook the money bag with a sly smile. "Explaining the basic principles, techniques, and some of my personal insights to guide you and give you an entry-level understanding is no problem at all. But—"

She put away her smile, her expression turning serious as she looked at Fang Chen. "Before that, you have to agree to one condition. If you can’t do it, this money... I won’t refund it, you know?"

"Please speak," Fang Chen said, his expression unchanging.

"Hmm," Ding Yan thought for a moment and held up one finger. "Follow me and study for three months. My requirement is that by then, your ability to handle common external injuries and perform basic suturing and hemostasis must at least reach the average level of a regular physician in our academy’s medical department.

"In other words, if given a ’wounded patient’ with torn flesh, you must be able to independently complete debridement, suturing, and bandaging, while ensuring the wound can heal normally without leaving obvious complications. Can you do it?"

She looked at Fang Chen, a scrutinizing look in her eyes. This requirement was actually quite harsh for someone with zero foundation. It not only required mastering theoretical knowledge but also demanded extensive practice to cultivate touch, precision, and judgment.

Fang Chen nodded with almost no hesitation. "Alright."

Three months? In the Time Stop Domain, he had all the time in the world to practice every single step tens of thousands of times.

Seeing him agree so readily, Ding Yan was a bit surprised, but she immediately said briskly, "Alright! Then it’s a deal.

"After school, come to... Uh, never mind, I’ll go find you at the Liuyun Society’s activity room. I’ll go prepare some teaching materials first—some medicinal herbs, leather pieces for substitution, and charts recording key points."

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Sister Ding." Fang Chen cupped his hands in a polite salute.

Ding Yan waved her hand and walked briskly into the Skill Transmission Hall, hugging the money bag. Fang Chen followed closely behind.

What was taught in the Skill Transmission Hall today happened to pick up right from the last Sword Dao class. Fang Chen listened very intently and developed many new insights.

Class time passed quickly in focused concentration. When the school dismissal bell rang, Fang Chen packed his things and headed straight for the Liuyun Society’s activity room.

He didn’t wait long before brisk footsteps echoed outside the door. Ding Yan pushed the door open and entered, carrying a large rattan woven box in her arms that seemed quite heavy. She placed the box on the wide wooden table in the room and opened the lid. Inside were various medical tools they would need.

"Alright, enough idle chatter." Ding Yan clapped her hands and rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her fair arms. Her expression became focused and professional. "For the first lesson, I won’t teach you how to suture yet. First, I’ll help you build a solid foundation—recognizing the main acupoints of the human body, the alignment of superficial muscle textures, and the distribution of several key blood vessels.

"Also, what kind of wounds should be prioritized, the standard steps for debridement, and the differences in suturing strength and density across different areas...

"These are all common sense, but you can’t make a single mistake. A light mistake will leave a scar, while a heavy one will cost a life."

Without much nonsense, the teaching began immediately.

Her explanations were clear and straightforward. Fang Chen concentrated and listened quietly. Although the theory was a bit dry, Fang Chen knew that a towering skyscraper must be built from the ground up; he couldn’t afford to be the slightest bit careless.

Over the next few days, whenever they had free time after school, the two would meet in this activity room.

Ding Yan’s teaching proceeded step by step, from theory to simple identification and palpation exercises, and then to utilizing leather pieces for the most basic training in holding needles, threading, and tying knots.

Fang Chen studied extremely seriously, striving for precision in every practice session.

Finally, on the seventh day, after ending another round of basic assessments, Ding Yan announced:

"Alright, you’ve mastered the theoretical knowledge and basic feel faster than I imagined. Today, we start getting to the real substance!"

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