Chapter 2175: Zhang Xuan's Medical Competition

"President Liao, I suffered some internal injuries during the last spiritual tide. As a physician myself, I've taken countless medicines and studied numerous books over the past ten years, but to no avail!"

Seeing their confusion, a middle-aged physician on the side explained: "In the last two years, the injuries have spread and worsened. I thought I had reached my limit and couldn't hold on any longer... But just a few days ago, someone bought a Beauty Pill and gave it to me. I didn't think much of it at first, but after taking it, the rampant internal injuries actually began to heal! I begged for more, and after ten pills, not only were my injuries completely healed, but my lifespan seemed to have increased... So, saying you saved my life is not an exaggeration!"

Zhang Xuan understood.

The principle of the Beauty Pill was that it contained his Heavenly Dao true energy, which could easily repair internal injuries. Once the injuries healed, vitality increased, and lifespan naturally extended.

"I've studied for so long and couldn't cure my injuries, yet your pill resolved them effortlessly. Your medical skills must far surpass mine!" Liao Xin said.

"Well... if you see it that way, I suppose it's fine." Wanting to be modest, Zhang Xuan thought about it and realized it was indeed true, so he reluctantly nodded.

Ordinary illnesses could be treated with Heavenly Dao true energy; those it couldn't cure were essentially hopeless.

Admitting that his medical skills were inferior to others—such a disingenuous statement was hard to utter, and just thinking about it made him blush.

Being excellent was just unavoidable...

It was a bit of a headache to think about.

"Alright, I'll send a message back now to arrange a token for you to use the large-scale teleportation array!" Liao Xin said.

This time, he had come to challenge the Physician Guild of the Netherworld Imperial City. Normally, he wouldn't need to come in person, but he had made the trip specifically to meet Zhang Xuan, Pill Master Zhang, and personally express his gratitude.

Since the other party had a request, agreeing to it would be a way to repay the favor.

Just as Liao Xin took out a special communication jade slip to send a message, another elder walked out of the room and quickly waved his hand: "President, you can't..."

"Vice President Wang, why can't I?" Liao Xin frowned.

The newcomer was Wang Fei, the vice president of the Cloud Flood Imperial City Physician Guild.

"Alchemy is alchemy, and medicine is medicine; they cannot be conflated!" Wang Fei said hastily.

Although he admitted that the Beauty Pill the young man had refined was unparalleled, alchemy was still alchemy; no matter how strong, it couldn't become medicine.

Medicine involved prescribing the right remedy for the symptoms and treating the root cause, while alchemy used special methods to fuse medicinal ingredients together, solely to enhance efficacy. The two were completely different and could not be compared.

If they issued this token today, it would be equivalent to admitting that their medical skills were inferior to this young man's. If the latter made a mistake, President Liao Xin's lifelong reputation would be ruined.

"President, please reconsider!"

Another person then came out.

All five physicians of Cloud Flood Heaven had now arrived.

"He saved my life, and I was planning to retire anyway. I might as well never treat anyone again from now on... Enough, say no more. My mind is made up!"

Liao Xin waved his hand.

Although he admitted that Zhang Xuan's pills were unparalleled, deep down, like the others, he believed that the young man was skilled in alchemy but not necessarily superior in medical skills.

His agreement was to repay the life-saving favor.

Compared to his life, a damaged reputation was nothing.

"How about this? Since there's a medical competition, and we're already here, it wouldn't hurt to have a contest!"

Understanding their concerns, Zhang Xuan was not offended.

He was so young and hadn't been in the God Realm long, so it was normal to be doubted.

"You want a medical competition?" Liao Xin frowned.

"Since we're here anyway." Zhang Xuan's expression was calm.

"Well..." Seeing his firm attitude, Liao Xin nodded. "A medical competition consists of four steps: observation, listening, inquiry, and pulse-taking. For each step, you must write down your diagnosis, then identify the illness, write a prescription, and finally see if the treatment matches the symptoms."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had been wondering what a medical competition entailed. Now it seemed similar to normal diagnosis, except...

"What about the patients? Won't they have to endure pain while waiting for the competition instead of being treated?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

That would not be a physician's parental heart but rather using patients as a means to gain fame.

It completely violated the professional ethics and conduct a physician should uphold.

"Of course not..."

Liao Xin looked at him with slight surprise: "You... don't know about medical competitions?"

This young man proposed a medical competition yet knew nothing about it?

He had originally thought that admitting defeat to him would repay the favor, and even if the other's medical skills were inferior to his, being able to refine Beauty Pills meant he couldn't be too bad. But now... it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

Not even knowing what a medical competition was—perhaps his medical skills weren't just slightly inferior but... nonexistent!

"The medical contest is a method used by the top medical experts of the Nine Heavens, united together, to evaluate medical skills. It primarily relies on the Medical Dao Stone!"

Seeing that he truly did not know, Liao Xin shook his head helplessly and explained.

It seemed Vice President Wang's concerns were true.

This young man's medical skills were probably not great; otherwise, who with superb medical skills wouldn't know about the medical contest?

"Medical Dao Stone?"

"It is a special treasure that can record the real data of a patient's body and create phantom images for physicians to examine and question. As long as you provide the correct prescription, the 'illness' on the phantom can be cured!"

As Liao Xin spoke, a stone appeared before him, and he lightly tapped it.

With a soft chime, ten human figures abruptly appeared before their eyes.

They were phantoms formed by a special formation.

Each one looked sickly, as if afflicted with a severe illness that, if not treated promptly, could very likely lead to immediate death.

"The illnesses of these ten people are either the latest difficult and complicated diseases discovered and cured within the Nine Heavens, or disease bodies from hundreds or thousands of years ago, copied through special means. They are identical to real patients. You can use the four methods—observation, listening, inquiry, and pulse-taking—to determine the cause and formulate medications."

Liao Xin explained a couple of sentences, then, seeming to notice Zhang Xuan's concern, said, "Rest assured, these illnesses span ancient and modern times, and some are even mixed. It's impossible for anyone to remember them all! Moreover, each time power is infused, the people that appear are completely different from before, so memorizing answers is not possible."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Treating illness is not like memorizing exam answers. Even if the symptoms look the same, prescriptions must be differentiated based on individual constitution and gender.

For this reason, Zhang Xuan had worried that someone might have memorized the characteristics and treatment methods of these patients and simply recite them. Now it seemed it wasn't that easy.

Although the experts of the Divine Realm had powerful memories, the number of illnesses over thousands and tens of thousands of years was immense, coupled with missing historical records. To fully investigate and remember them would certainly not be easy—indeed, it could be said to be utterly impossible!

Liao Xin said, "Now that you know the rules, let's begin! The rule is to diagnose these phantoms. At each step, write down your conjectures. After completing the four diagnostic methods, write the prescription and hand it over. If the prescription matches the one that previously cured the illness, the phantom's illness will be completely healed. If there is an error, a corresponding result will appear!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, placed his hand on the Medical Dao Stone, and lightly touched it. Indeed, the ten phantoms above all changed, becoming completely different from before.

"Begin!"

With these words, two physicians handed over paper and brushes. Liao Xin strode to the phantoms and carefully observed them.

As a doctor, 'observation' is the first step, involving purposeful examination of the patient's spirit, complexion, form, demeanor, and tongue coating to detect internal pathological changes.

Seeing him move to one side of the ten, Zhang Xuan went to the other side.

He quickly scanned everyone and had already deduced ten or ninety percent.

Arriving at the center, he softly exclaimed, "Deficiencies!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Ten books appeared in his mind.

Although he had already inferred the causes and symptoms of the ten from the first step alone, he still felt uneasy and used the Library to test whether his deductions were correct.

Since it involved rushing to the Spirit Origin Heaven to find Luo Ruoxin, he didn't want to delay any further.

Although what appeared before him were phantoms, since they involved illnesses, the Library indeed provided the deficiencies of the patients. He quickly reviewed them, and finding them consistent with his deductions, he finally relaxed.

Although he had not read much about divine medicine, he was the most powerful medical expert in the Master Teacher Continent, having studied the human body and the efficacy of every medicinal herb to the marrow. Now, as long as he understood the differences between gods and ordinary people, and the differences in medicinal potency between the Divine Realm and the Master Teacher Continent, he could thoroughly integrate the two bodies of knowledge.

After some mental deduction, he sat down and wrote out the calculated results, finishing ten sheets of paper quickly.

"Alright, I'm done!"

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

"Done...?"

"How long has it been? Ten minutes? Eight minutes? And most of that was spent writing?"

"To determine all ten illnesses and write out prescriptions in such a short time? Is he joking?"

Everyone was stunned.

Treating illness is about saving lives. Although time was of the essence, to determine and prescribe for ten historically notable difficult and complicated diseases in less than ten minutes...

Was he sure he wasn't joking?

Everyone exchanged glances and looked at President Liao Xin, who was rubbing his forehead, standing before the first patient, having just finished questioning and was now taking the pulse.

After another moment, he took out paper and wrote down the illness and prescription he had determined.

Having done this, he sighed in relief, turned to see Zhang Xuan had stopped, and frowned: "Don't waste time. When solving the same illnesses, the one who finishes faster wins!"

He had been so focused on studying the patients that he hadn't noticed the young man's actions.

Just as he was about to move on to the second patient, he saw everyone else looking at him speechlessly.

"What's wrong?" he couldn't help asking.

"President... he has already determined the illnesses and written the prescriptions. You'd better... hurry up!" Wang Fei said awkwardly.