Chapter 163: Immortal Doctor Disciple

Meanwhile.

Liu Wenchen puffed out his chest, looking triumphant, and laughed heartily, "Qingxian, you've made your father so proud!"

Liu Qingxian brushed a strand of hair back, revealing her barely concealed delight. However, she didn't forget that her victory was entirely due to Jiang Fan.

"Father, my significant progress is all thanks to Jiang Fan."

"Jiang Fan?" Liu Wenchen's smile vanished instantly. He said, "Thanks to him? It's a good thing you won. If you had lost, I'd have had it out with him!"

Liu Qingxian quickly explained, "This time, it truly is Jiang Fan's accomplishment. You must reward him handsomely." She regretted having concealed the truth about Jiang Fan's ninth-grade spirit root from her father, which was why her father treated Jiang Fan this way. But now, it was too late to confess. Jiang Fan's performance had far exceeded her expectations! If such a prodigy were to be revealed, the experts from the Divine Computing Pavilion would be the first to try and snatch him away. People from the other eight sects would also try every method to poach him, and those hostile to the Azure Cloud Sect might even try to harm Jiang Fan. Therefore, this matter was no longer in her hands.

Liu Wenchen was a hundred percent unwilling. "What exactly do you see in this guy?" However, his daughter had earned immense prestige for herself, for the Sovereign Peak, and especially for the Azure Cloud Sect today. Liu Wenchen found it hard to refuse her request. He then looked at Jiang Fan and grumbled, "What reward do you want?"

Jiang Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Of course, he didn't stand on ceremony. What was wrong with taking some reward for helping Liu Wenchen's daughter so much? It's just that having recently trained in the Divine Temple and Martial Soul Hall, his cultivation level and techniques had both significantly improved. For a moment, he couldn't think of what reward he needed. After a moment of thought, he said, "Could I save the reward and claim it later when I need something?"

Liu Wenchen couldn't be bothered to ask further and said, "As you wish." Then, he smiled and surveyed the crowd, his face beaming with joy: "Liu Qingxian has broken through to the Core Formation stage and achieved a great victory against the Divine Computing Pavilion's favored daughter—double happiness has arrived! Our sect hereby grants every inner disciple a spirit herb worth one hundred spirit crystals, which can be claimed at Medicine Peak."

The entire crowd erupted in cheers. No one had expected the usually stingy sect leader to bestow such a grand reward upon the entire sect. Jiang Fan smiled. Every little bit helps. Moreover, he did indeed need some spirit herbs. Otherwise, the little Qilin would once again go to the herb garden to "pick up" rare treasures to eat.

So, he followed the crowd to Medicine Peak. Although the sect leader had announced it, time was short, and Medicine Peak didn't have enough time to prepare. Hundreds of disciples swarmed onto Medicine Peak in a mighty surge. One could only imagine the scene. Medicine Peak was almost trampled flat!

"Everyone, get in line! Anyone who pushes again will be thrown out!" Amidst the chaos, Wen Hongyao, leaning on her crutch, led her disciples to block the entrance to the peak. Her aged face was grim as she scowled around. Any disciple caught in her gaze instinctively cowered, obediently falling into line.

Jiang Fan found it amusing. Elder Wen's infamous reputation was well-known throughout the sect!

"Oh? Jiang Fan?" Wen Hongyao spotted Jiang Fan in the crowd at a glance and couldn't help but chide him: "Why are you queuing? Hurry up and come inside."

The disciples who were dutifully queuing immediately became displeased. Why should someone without a spirit root get special treatment while they had to wait in line?

"Elder Wen, why is that?" a disciple muttered discontentedly.

Wen Hongyao shot him a sidelong glance. "If you don't like it, get out! Jiang Fan, come here!"

Under many resentful gazes, Jiang Fan, a little embarrassed, skipped from the very end of the line directly to the front, being the first to enter the summit of Medicine Peak.

"Earning so much resentment just for one spirit herb, it's really not worth it."

Wen Hongyao gave him a big eye-roll. "One portion? That's for others. You, could I possibly give you only one portion?" She pushed a tray of spirit herbs towards Jiang Fan, gesturing broadly, "Take as much as you can, grab whatever you want."

The queuing disciples were no longer calm. The spirit herbs from Medicine Peak were all refined from rare treasures. Each portion was worth at least a hundred spirit crystals. If Jiang Fan took whatever he wanted, he could easily take a dozen portions, worth several thousand spirit crystals.

Jiang Fan was also stunned. "Elder Wen, what is this?"

Wen Hongyao smiled and patted his shoulder. "You helped my niece immensely. What are these worth in comparison?" She gazed at Jiang Fan with a fond smile, more affectionate than she would a son of her own. All because of Jiang Fan's strong support, her niece had actually risen to become a five-star manager! She couldn't thank Jiang Fan enough.

"So that was it." Jiang Fan then stopped being polite, casually grabbing over a dozen portions of spirit herbs and stuffing them into his satchel. Now, the little Qilin had enough provisions for a few days.

Just then, Wen Shengnan, holding up her skirt, rushed up, her face flushed with excitement. "Aunt, look who's here?"

Behind her followed a white-robed old man, hands clasped behind his back, with a youthful face and hair like crane feathers, moving as swiftly as the wind. His complexion was unusually rosy.

Wen Hongyao was startled to see the newcomer and hurried forward to greet him. "Brother Shangguan, why are you here?"

Brother Shangguan was none other than Shangguan Sheng, the disciple of the Undying Physician, once known as the greatest divine doctor in the world. Wen Hongyao's current status was entirely due to the guidance she had once received from Shangguan Sheng. Naturally, she treated him with utmost respect.

Shangguan Sheng looked at the aged Wen Hongyao and sighed, "Thirty years unseen, both you and I have grown old. If this old body doesn't come out to see old acquaintances now, there might not be another chance."

Wen Hongyao felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this. It was as if she saw a distant scene from thirty years ago, when they discussed the Way of Medicine together. She wiped her moist eyes and said, "Brother Shangguan, please come in quickly. I'll show you around Medicine Peak."

The queuing disciples watched the white-haired, youthful-faced elder with faces full of shock. They all respectfully made way for him.

Shangguan Sheng. The foremost divine physician within the Nine Sects' territory. Currently, he was the Grand Elder of the foremost sect, the Supreme Sect, in charge of Medicine Peak. His position was high, and his reputation was esteemed. His medical skills were unparalleled. Although he was a Grand Elder, he was a peerless figure whom even the leaders of the Nine Sects respectfully addressed as "Senior." Who would dare to act presumptuously in front of him?

As Shangguan Sheng stepped onto the peak, he noticed Jiang Fan standing beside Wen Hongyao and couldn't help but ask, "Is this your disciple?"

Wen Hongyao's face showed a bitter smile. "I don't have that fortune."

Shangguan Sheng looked at Wen Hongyao with surprise. "It's been many years, and you've changed quite a bit. You're not as harsh as you used to be." The old Wen Hongyao would never have offered words of praise to a junior. Not being scolded was already the highest affirmation. For her to say such words now made him feel quite unfamiliar.

Wen Hongyao sighed, "Brother Shangguan, if you knew how extraordinary this young man's alchemy talent is, you wouldn't say that."

"Is that so?" Shangguan Sheng was unimpressed. He had seen countless so-called talents in the Way of Medicine. His standards were already higher than the heavens. What Wen Hongyao considered a genius might not be so in his eyes.

Just then, Wen Shengnan also noticed Jiang Fan, showing deep respect, and involuntarily bowed. "Young Master Jiang! You're here too?" By the time she realized a bow was inappropriate, it was too late. Shangguan Sheng frowned slightly. When Wen Shengnan saw him, she had only curtsied. How could she offer such a deep bow to this person named Jiang Fan? Such a gesture was only reserved for great seniors. This made Shangguan Sheng a little displeased.

He scrutinized Jiang Fan and said, "I am a disciple of the Undying Physician. Do you dare let this old man test your skills in the Way of Medicine?"

The Way of Medicine was part of the medical arts, and Jiang Fan had inherited all the profound techniques from the "Undying Medical Canon." Naturally, he was intimately familiar with this path. If it were anyone else challenging him, he would have no interest. But knowing that the old man before him was actually a disciple of the Undying Physician, he couldn't help but feel curious. He really wanted to know who was stronger: himself, having inherited the "Undying Medical Canon," or the Undying Physician's direct disciple.