Chapter 823: Physician's Life-and-Death Battle

The Physician Tower has a total of seven floors.

The first floor is dedicated to treating illnesses and features areas like the 'Wall of Difficult Cases'.

The second and subsequent five floors serve as examination facilities for one-star to six-star physicians, respectively.

Like the Ocean of Artifacts at the Artifact Forging Academy, the entire Physician Tower is a fusion of mechanisms and formations. Those undergoing evaluation within it must possess not only extensive medical knowledge but also practical experience in treating diseases.

Healing is not like artifact forging; there are thousands of types of medicinal herbs. For the same ailment, hundreds, even thousands, of different prescriptions can easily be devised.

Therefore, the Physician Tower's evaluations cannot be as rigid as those in the Ocean of Artifacts. Instead, countless ancestral spirits remain within it to examine the prescriptions of the test-takers.

With these spiritual examinations, other test-takers would face no major issues. However, this Zhang Xuan is different!

He had already dismissed numerous prescriptions in the Ancestral Forest as worthless, so he certainly wouldn't regard the 'correct answers' left by the ancestors with respect. If he were to propose an even better prescription, the ancestral spirits responsible for verification would undoubtedly be overcome with shame...

And then, just like the Ancestral Forest, it would spectacularly collapse!

The Physician Academy has existed for countless years, yet the experience of innumerable ancestors could not compare to this fellow's prowess...

No wonder Dean Mi, Dean Zhao, and even the usually aloof Dean Wei were all so amiable towards him, even bestowing him with an elder's token... This guy is practically inhuman!

True Qi surged from Sun Yuan's body, protecting him from the splashing debris as he watched the constantly collapsing hall before him, tears streaming down his face.

Vice Dean You oversaw the Physician Tower and was responsible for all matters there. Now that Zhang Xuan had reduced it to this state, and done so within the rules... all the blame would fall solely on his teacher!

It was just one Ten-Leaf Flower...

Now, with all this, the entire Physician Academy was doomed!

Setting aside the destruction of these buildings, the academy's reputation alone would be utterly ruined.

A freshman, newly arrived at the academy, had swept through the entire Physician Tower, unchallenged. None of the four proud checkpoints lasted even ten minutes...

Moreover, all the academy's academic credits had been completely depleted, and it was heavily in debt to him... It was clear that students would flee, and the Physician Academy would undoubtedly end up at the bottom of the Ten Academies next year, worse even than the Fading Swan Academy!

What the hell was this!

"No, I must tell Teacher immediately..."

Filled with despair, he suddenly remembered his teacher, who apparently was still unaware of the gravity of the situation, reveling in the joy of having taught a freshman a lesson.

His body trembling, he rushed out of the ruins and soon arrived at Vice Dean You's small courtyard, pushing the gate open and entering.

Looking up, he saw the Vice Dean still watering flowers and tending to his medicinal garden, seemingly oblivious to what was happening outside.

To preserve the spiritual energy in the medicinal garden, the courtyard was protected by a powerful formation that prevented spiritual energy from escaping and naturally kept sounds from entering.

Although the collapse of the Physician Tower outside was immense, it had no effect on him whatsoever.

"You're back? Well, did you catch that brat?"

Seeing him approach, You Xu smiled faintly and looked over.

Sun Yuan's mouth twitched: "No..."

"No? Didn't he go to Dean Zhao, Dean Mi, and the others to complain? Presumptuously discussing a high-level Master Teacher is a capital offense..." You Xu sneered.

"He didn't go to complain to anyone; he went to the Physician Tower..."

Seeing his teacher still lost in his own imagination, Sun Yuan could no longer hold back and spoke.

"He went to the Physician Tower? What for?"

You Xu was puzzled.

"Teacher, you'd better come outside with me and see for yourself..."

Knowing that an explanation might not be believed, Sun Yuan simply said.

"See what?" You Xu grew even more curious, but seeing his student so serious, he could only nod and follow him out.

Just as he stepped out of the courtyard gate, a scene of ruins appeared before his eyes. The formerly towering Physician Tower was completely gone.

"This is... the Physician Tower? What happened? Did a powerful enemy invade?"

You Xu's lips twitched; he was almost driven mad.

This was the Physician Tower, the most iconic building of the Physician Academy, and it had collapsed... Who did this?

Could it be an invasion by the Spirit Tribe?

"No, it's..."

Just as Sun Yuan was about to speak, a resounding voice boomed, instantly echoing throughout the entire Physician Academy.

"I, Zhang Xuan, hereby formally apply to the Physician Headquarters for a Physician Life-and-Death Duel, challenging Vice Dean You Xu, a six-star physician of the Physician Academy. I request approval!"

Rumble!

As the voice faded, a Physician Token shot into the sky, followed by a beam of light that descended directly, displaying two giant characters: 'Approved!'

"A Physician Life-and-Death Duel?" Sun Yuan's vision went black.

A Physician Life-and-Death Duel is a contest held between physicians when an irreconcilable dispute arises, similar to a Master Teacher's challenge.

As long as the Headquarters grants approval, both parties can engage in various competitions to determine life or death and definitively resolve their grievances.

"So that's why he... took the six-star physician examination—it was for this!"

Only then did Sun Yuan understand.

As a freshman, the opponent had no academic credits, and without credits, one could not enter the Physician Tower to take the six-star physician examination. So... he first went to the Wall of Difficult Cases, earned credits, and then successfully passed the six-star physician examination in one go!

With their ranks now equal, his application for a life-and-death duel to the Headquarters was perfectly legitimate and logical!

In other words... he intended to challenge his teacher's medical skills and completely force him to his death!

This was a struggle between physicians, honorable and above board, using medical skill to overwhelm an opponent!

No wonder this fellow, when he was at the other courtyard earlier, specifically said he was asking one last time. Clearly, he was giving his teacher a chance, but unfortunately... his teacher didn't take it seriously, only treating him as an ordinary freshman, completely unconcerned...

Now, not only had the other party utterly ruined the Physician Tower, but he had also proposed a life-and-death duel... What were they going to do now?

"A life-and-death duel? He doesn't know his place. Well, that's good. I was just looking for a chance to teach him a lesson, and he delivered himself right to my doorstep, so don't blame me for being impolite!"

Vice Dean You, standing to the side, hadn't expected a freshman to challenge him to a Physician Life-and-Death Duel. His face darkened. With a flip of his hand, he retrieved his six-star physician badge, symbolizing his status, bit his finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto it.

Whoosh!

With a flash of light, the badge flew into the sky, emitting a grand voice: "I, You Xu, grant your wish!"

"Teacher..."

Sun Yuan swayed, astonished by how quickly his teacher had made a decision.

He had been too preoccupied with shock just now to elaborate on Zhang Xuan's outrageous actions.

Yet, in that brief delay, his teacher had accepted the challenge. What was to be done now?

A Physician Life-and-Death Duel, like a Master Teacher's duel, meant that once accepted, the news would instantly be sent back to Headquarters. If one retreated at the last moment, they would be punished: their physician qualifications revoked at best, or outright executed at worst!

In the past, if a freshman challenged his teacher, he would surely have thought the challenger was seeking death. But... remembering what he had just witnessed, his intuition told him... even if his teacher were to fight the opponent ten thousand times, he wouldn't win a single match!

In other words... it would be an absolute crushing defeat!

"Teacher, you shouldn't have agreed! This Zhang Xuan isn't that simple..." Unable to hold back, he quickly blurted out.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing his student undermine his morale by praising an outsider, You Xu's face darkened. With a flick of his arm, he coldly snorted, "He's just a young brat, nothing to worry about. If he dares to challenge me, I'll finish him off in minutes! Go back to the courtyard and warm some good wine. By the time it's ready, I should be back..."

After speaking, he ignored Sun Yuan, sprang into the air, and flew straight towards the direction of the badge.

In his view, no matter how talented the opponent was, he was merely a twenty-year-old youth. He himself had dedicated his entire life to the medical profession; for someone to challenge him was simply asking for death!

"Warm some good wine? Teacher..."

Sun Yuan was almost in tears. Someone was indeed going to be finished off in minutes, but... it would be You, not the opponent!

He hurriedly shouted, but found that his teacher had already flown far away, vanishing from sight.

"No, I must go and stop him..."

Knowing his teacher had no chance of winning against the opponent, he could no longer hold back and chased after him directly.

At the residence of Zhong Dingchun, Dean of the Pill Forging Academy, Elder Mi was visiting. He cupped his fists and asked, "Dean Zhong, do you have any news about Senior Purple Sun Beast?"

Zhong Dingchun shook his head.

Dean Zhong was an old man with a black beard, dressed in very plain clothes.

"I've investigated everything that needed to be investigated, and I even personally went to Thunder Distant Peak, but unfortunately, I found nothing..."

Zhong Dingchun said, his face etched with worry.

Upon learning that the Purple Sun Beast had been captured by the Spirit Tribe, he began his investigation. Six or seven days had passed, yet he had found nothing. Even he felt a sense of helplessness.

The longer the delay, the slimmer the Purple Sun Beast's chances of survival.

Could it be that with the old dean's body barely cold, his beast companion had simply died like this?

"I have no news either. These past few days, I've had the academy's students release their flying spiritual beasts to search everywhere, but... not a single trace was left, as if Senior Purple Sun Beast had vanished into thin air!"

Elder Mi shook his head.

He, too, felt helpless.

Senior Purple Sun Beast had only gone to Thunder Distant Peak to evaluate students because he had invited it. Who knew... after the students' evaluations were complete, it disappeared!

If it weren't for him, this senior wouldn't have disappeared... Therefore, his heart was constantly filled with self-reproach.

"Alright, let's not dwell on this for now... We can only hope that Senior Purple Sun will be blessed with good fortune and suffer no major harm!"

Shaking his head, Zhong Dingchun looked over: "I heard you're quite keen on that freshman named Zhang Xuan, and even wanted to take him as a student?"

"Indeed, but unfortunately... I wasn't so blessed!"

Elder Mi said with a bitter smile.

"Not blessed?" Zhong Dingchun was full of doubt: "What kind of talent does this person possess to make you, a 'thousand-year-old withered tree,' suddenly blossom?"

"His affairs are too miraculous; you'll understand once I explain..."

Stroking his beard, Elder Mi was about to recount Master Zhang's glorious deeds when he felt the ground shake, followed by a violent roar in the distance.

Immediately afterwards, they saw the towering Physician Tower in the middle of the Physician Academy spectacularly collapse.

"What's happening?"

His pupils constricted. Zhong Dingchun hastily walked out of the courtyard. Before he even reached the Physician Tower, he heard a faint voice resounding in all directions.

"I, Zhang Xuan, hereby formally apply to the Physician Headquarters for a Physician Life-and-Death Duel, challenging Vice Dean You Xu, a six-star physician of the Physician Academy. I request approval!"