Chapter 2202: Liao Xin President Lost

“The prescriptions… they’re all written?” Liao Xin was stunned.

He had only just examined one patient, and you had already finished all ten… Shaking his head, he became even less optimistic about the young man.

Diagnosing illnesses wasn't like embroidery or a martial arts competition. It involved the patient's age, strength, medical history, and so on. Even a minor mistake in prescribing medicine could lead to irreversible changes and ultimately failure. Prescribing medicine without completing all four diagnostic steps—observation, listening/smelling, asking, and palpation… Was he a veterinarian? Even a veterinarian would ask the owner about the symptoms if they couldn't take the animal's pulse!

Convinced that the young man was indeed unreliable, Liao Xin stopped paying attention to him and continued studying the patient before him.

An hour later, he had thoroughly studied the ailments of all ten patients and written out their prescriptions. Rubbing his temples, he handed the prescriptions over. "Check them!"

Vice-President Wang Fei stepped forward and gently unfolded the first piece of paper. Everyone looked and saw six characters written on it: "Suspected Demonic Nightmare Syndrome." This was his conclusion for the first patient, derived through observation.

The second and third sheets showed the same result. However, after palpating the fourth patient, his conclusion was overturned: "This is a Dream Demon Syndrome, not Demonic Nightmare Syndrome. Prescription: ..."

Demonic Nightmare Syndrome was a special condition that tormented a person's spirit. Patients frequently experienced nightmares while sleeping, feeling tormented by demons, and over time, they would become unable to escape it. In reality, it was a manifestation of qi deviation, where the spirit had been damaged. It could be alleviated by cultivating the soul more and avoiding self-imposed stress. The symptoms of this condition and Dream Demon Syndrome appeared identical in every respect. The only difference was that the former could occur just by falling asleep, merely causing mental exhaustion but not being fatal. The latter, however, required deep sleep, and once afflicted, it was easy to fall into a death-like sleep, from which one might never awaken. Based on descriptions, the physical manifestations of both conditions were almost entirely alike; they could not be distinguished without palpation to sense changes in internal energy.

"A perfect answer..." Vice-President Wang Fei nodded. In a physician's diagnosis, the first step, "observation," could only provide a preliminary judgment; direct confirmation was impossible. To put it simply, the four steps were a process of elimination from numerous possible conditions. President Liao Xin had used this most fundamental method to identify the root cause of the illness and resolve it in one fell swoop.

He placed the prescription onto the illusory figure's hand. The next moment, the illusory figure, as if having taken medicine, showed signs of recovery in its complexion and spirit, gradually improving. This phenomenon indicated only one thing: the medicine was correct!

Stroking his beard, President Liao Xin nodded with satisfaction. Although he hadn't participated in a medical competition for many years, it seemed his skills were still sharp; the first patient was a perfect success. He turned to look at Zhang Xuan. He wanted to see what kind of answer this young man had written in less than ten minutes.

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, extended his hand, and motioned for them to examine the prescription he had written. Wang Fei opened it and frowned. Everyone else who looked also wore strange expressions.

"It doesn't say the name of the illness on it?""Did he fail to diagnose it?""If he didn't diagnose it, he couldn't prescribe medicine, right?""I don't know…"

On the opened white paper, various medicinal ingredients were listed, but there was no indication of what illness the patient had.

"And his prescription is a bit different from President Liao's...""Not just a bit, it's completely different...""President Liao's answer was perfect and cured the illness. His is different, so it seems he has failed!"

At this moment, everyone had their answer. This Zhang Xuan was indeed just an alchemist, far from being a true physician. It was bad enough that he hadn't diagnosed the illness correctly, but he hadn't even written the right prescription. Fortunately, it was just a holographic patient; if it had been real, the patient might have been treated to death.

"Should we continue with the rest?" Wang Fei looked over, expressionless. Having lost the first round, continuing would only invite further humiliation.

"You mean, I lost?" Zhang Xuan was surprised."Isn't that obvious?" Wang Fei said."You can try placing the prescription on the illusory figure..." Zhang Xuan said no more.

President Liao's prescription was removed, and the illusory figure returned to its severely ill state, ready for a second test. "Looking for trouble..." Seeing that Zhang Xuan, despite being given an out, was so ungrateful, Wang Fei shook his head. With a flick of his wrist, the prescription in his palm flew towards the illusory figure.

The prescription landed on the illusory figure. Its previously weak and jaundiced complexion instantly turned pale. Just as everyone thought the figure would surely be treated to death, there was a sudden roar, and the aura around the illusory figure surged dramatically. It then slowly subsided, and its energy stabilized. Not only did its body recover its health, but its complexion was even more rosy and vibrant than before.

"This is... a soul breakthrough?""His medicine not only cured the illness but also caused a breakthrough?"The surroundings fell silent. Even President Liao Xin's eyes widened. His treatment merely addressed the pain, but Zhang Xuan not only fundamentally resolved the issue but also turned a disadvantage into an advantage, causing a breakthrough in one go! Such a prescription was no longer just perfect; it far surpassed perfection, reaching a higher realm!

"Not only that, but all the ingredients in Grandmaster Zhang's prescription are not particularly rare; they can be gathered from ordinary pharmacies, and their prices are not high..." Ao Hua suddenly spoke. On the way, he had received instructions from Zhang Xuan not to address him as 'Ancestor' but as 'Grandmaster Zhang'. The latter... did not wish to reveal his "True Dragon" identity for now. In fact, it wasn't that he didn't want to expose it, but rather he was afraid of being investigated by people from Yun Chi Heaven.

"Indeed..." Only then did everyone react, looking at the prescription again, their eyes full of fervor. This formula not only perfectly resolved the illness and allowed the cultivator to seize the opportunity for a breakthrough, but most importantly... these medicinal ingredients were cheap, easy to procure, and low-cost... At critical moments, their potential effect was immeasurable. The easier the medicine was to obtain, the more lives could be saved. If rare ingredients were required and couldn't be found quickly, what use was even having the prescription?

It took a long time for Liao Xin to recover from his shock, and he couldn't help but speak. "How can your prescription have such an effect..." How could a single prescription not only cure an illness but also lead to a breakthrough? How was it done?

"To put it plainly, his condition is neither Dream Demon Syndrome nor Demonic Nightmare Syndrome; it's a severe poisoning that causes hallucinations!" Zhang Xuan said. "Therefore, strictly speaking, it's not an illness, so I didn't write an illness name..."

"Poisoning?" Liao Xin couldn't believe it. "It clearly has all the symptoms of Demonic Nightmare Syndrome..." He had diagnosed it accurately through observation, listening, asking, and palpation, and the patient had improved after taking the medicine. How could it be poisoning?

Zhang Xuan explained, "It does have symptoms of Demonic Nightmare Syndrome, but that illness only harms the soul, making one feel tired and weak, with not much impact on true qi or the physical body. Look at this figure; not only is its spirit weakened, but its physical body has also turned sallow, like autumn weeds on the verge of dying... From this, it's clear that its physical functions are also problematic.""Deities, regardless of their physical body or true qi, are very powerful. This one, being a low-grade Heavenly God, is naturally even stronger. For it to be in such a state, a mere Demonic Nightmare Syndrome simply doesn't add up!"

"Therefore, I judged whether it was poison, and this situation perfectly matches the symptoms of a Nightmare Snake bite. I also observed that this person is a cultivator from Wangyue Peak in Undying Heaven, where Nightmare Snakes are most abundant. It must be that this person encountered an accident outside and was bitten by a poisonous snake, leading to this condition. Ordinary prescriptions for Demonic Nightmare Syndrome, though they can alleviate it, cannot cure it. While it might appear normal for a short time, it would recur every two years, and after five recurrences, the venom would spread throughout the entire body, making it incurable by anyone!"

Everyone around was blinking continuously, as if listening to an incomprehensible lecture. You... Were you really here to diagnose illnesses? The person the illusory figure was based on had been dead for who knows how many years, their bones turned to dust, so how could you tell they were a cultivator from Wangyue Peak in Undying Heaven? And it seemed you only took one glance, without asking any questions?

Liao Xin, full of doubt, looked at the illusory figure and asked, "Where do you live?" The living environment could sometimes be a cause of illness, just like with Qi Ling'er before, so the illusory figure was designed to be able to answer.

"Undying Heaven, Wangyue Peak..." The illusory figure nodded."This..." Hearing the precise answer, everyone was simultaneously stunned. This was no longer just surprise, but utter astonishment. Just by glancing, spending on average less than a minute per person, he not only accurately diagnosed the illness, designed a way for the patient to break through, but also discerned their place of residence... How was it possible?

"Undying Heaven is located in the south, where the weather is hot and humid. This can be seen from his clothing!" Knowing their confusion, Zhang Xuan explained. Everyone looked and indeed noticed that the illusory figure's clothes were light, breathable, and waterproof.

"Southerners, often nourished by humid climates, tend to have delicate, pale skin, while northerners have dry, rough skin; this alone can help distinguish them." Zhang Xuan continued, "Of course, these aren't the key points. Regardless of whether it's Demonic Nightmare Syndrome or poisoning, the soul is what's harmed. In the former case, the soul would be uniformly damaged, without differentiation. But in the latter, the site of the poisoning would surely be more severely injured... Upon careful observation, one can detect that his soul distribution is uneven. From this, it becomes quite simple to deduce poisoning and even the location of the poisoning..."

"So that's how it is..." Only then did everyone fully comprehend, looking at the young man before them with disbelief and admiration. They had thought he was merely a bronze-level player, but they never dreamed he was a king—and an exalted, peak-level king at that.

"Let's continue!" After explaining the first case, the rest were simpler. President Liao Xin's answers were also all correct, but compared to Zhang Xuan's, they fell short. Every one of Zhang Xuan's prescriptions not only cured the illness but also helped the individual achieve a breakthrough... It could be said that taking this medicine would not only cure the illness but also benefit one's cultivation! All ten prescriptions, astonishingly, were perfect among the perfect.

"I lost..." Liao Xin smiled bitterly. "I am completely convinced!"