Walking by the Abyss on Thin Ice

Chapter 299 – Criminal

Su Yun quietly shortened himself by a few inches, making his face appear darker and less fair. He then activated his elemental energy to grow a mole under his left eye.

Although he still looked somewhat similar to Yuan Shuo's Shao Shi, it was only a superficial resemblance. For people with discerning eyes, almost all Yuan Shuo people looked exactly the same.

The teacher from the Imperial Medical Palace took Su Yun and Chi Xiaoyao to handle their enrollment procedures. They saw Qiu Shuijing and instructed Dong Yishi to stay and wait for Jintian to return.

Although Fang Jianqiu was old, he was still eager. He chatted with Dong Yishi for a long time before being assisted to leave, trembling.

"It has been over a hundred years, and I have already aged like this, but he still looks almost the same as before."

Fang Jianqiu, with his old and feeble appearance, his eyes somewhat dim, said to the teacher from the Imperial Medical Palace who was supporting him, "Do you know? He looks at most two or three years older than before! But it has been over a hundred years! Is there really an immortal in this world?"

Although the Imperial Palace was the second-ranked academy in Da Qin and had made great achievements in the New Learning, supported by the Heavenly Court, no one could answer the question about immortals.

Both the Imperial Palace and the Sword Pavilion had made remarkable achievements in the Great Unification Cultivation Method. Although the Imperial Palace did not have geniuses like Qiu Shuijing, Jiang Zushi, and Yue Liuxi, they had made significant progress in studying the physical bodies of gods and demons.

However, people like Fang Jianqiu had already aged too much. If they were younger, they could still experiment with their physical bodies. But now, he could only helplessly accept his old age.

Fang Jianqiu grinned, his mouth toothless, and chuckled, "All of this will be revealed when my good disciple Jintian returns. I also want an immortal body. I also want to know the secret of the immortal body! I didn't expect that when I'm about to die, my old classmate, you would come to me voluntarily..."

Su Yun and Chi Xiaoyao completed their enrollment procedures and each received an Imperial Palace token, representing their identities as Imperial Palace students.

Su Yun's eyes sparkled as he held the token and eagerly looked at the teacher who had helped them with the enrollment procedures. "Teacher, are we now students of the Imperial Medical Palace?"

The teacher from the Imperial Medical Palace nodded.

Su Yun asked again, "Can we participate in the Imperial Medical Palace's major examination now?"

The teacher from the Imperial Medical Palace hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's the idea, but you have just enrolled, and your strength may be lacking..."

Su Yun became even more excited. "If we rank first in the examination, can we enter the Heavenly Court and meet the Divine Emperor?"

The teacher nodded and said, "The Imperial Medical Palace's major examination is very dangerous. Your strength is somewhat lacking, so it's better not to join in the excitement."

Su Yun pulled Chi Xiaoyao and ran towards the Imperial Medical Palace with great enthusiasm, saying, "Senior Sister, let's also participate in the examination!"

The teacher couldn't help shaking his head and sneered, "Ignorant fools. The Imperial Medical Palace's major examination is not something you two barbarians from Yuan Shuo can handle. I'm afraid you'll be scared to death!"

Imperial Medical Palace.

Su Yun and Chi Xiaoyao went to their teacher to register. Chi Xiaoyao, being cautious, felt that she might not be as capable as others since she had just arrived at the Imperial Medical Palace, so she did not register. Only Su Yun registered Zhang San's name.

The two stood in the crowd, watching two Imperial Medical Palace students competing in the arena, which opened their eyes.

The cultivation method of these two Imperial Medical Palace students was unknown, but their divine abilities were extraordinary. One of them followed the traditional medical divine ability, using a knife and needle as spiritual weapons. The knife was thin and sharp like a willow leaf, while the needle was as thin as a cow's hair, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

The other student's medical divine ability was more peculiar. His spiritual weapon should be a gu insect, but it was different from the gu insects in Yuan Shuo. In Yuan Shuo's traditional medical practice, witchcraft and medicine were not separate, and gu insects belonged to the category of witch doctors. It was common for doctors to cultivate gu insects as divine abilities.

However, this student's gu insect was a flying white caterpillar. Countless snow-white tentacles danced in the air, and each tiny tentacle had a small eye at its tip!

It moved in the air, resembling a jellyfish, and its tentacles could be long or short, suddenly expanding or contracting. With just one insect, it could block all the flying knives and silver needles from the other student!

Both of them followed a delicate and meticulous path in their divine abilities. Although they were experts in the Beginning Movement realm, the power of their divine abilities seemed less spectacular than those who cultivated other divine abilities.

Their divine abilities focused more on conserving energy, breaking through force, and delivering a fatal blow with a single strike.

"Gu insect as a spiritual weapon!"

Chi Xiaoyao whispered, "Has Da Qin's medical practice developed to this level? If this kind of spiritual weapon is used on the battlefield..."

She showed a worried expression.

While watching the duel between the two in the arena, Su Yun asked, "Senior Sister, what is a gu insect as a spiritual weapon?"

In the arena, the student who followed the traditional path manipulated the flying knives to dance in the air, blocking the strange tentacles of the gu insect. The sound of the knives clashing could be heard, but they were quickly suppressed by the gu insect's tentacles.

The other student's silver needles were also spiritual weapons, capable of changing their size and form, but they couldn't break through the defense of the gu insect's tentacles. They were even taken away by the gu insect's tentacles!Countless tentacles shot out and arrived in front of the scholar, but the scholar was not weak either. He turned around and took off his clothes, shaking them vigorously to transform them into a curtain of silk.

The tentacles of the creature pierced into the mist-like curtain, but for a short period of time, they were unable to break through the silk clothes.

A single insect had actually forced a master at the Beginning Movement realm to this extent, which was truly beyond Su Yun's expectations.

"Junior Brother, the insect spirit weapon can attack autonomously. It was developed from the refining technique of the Emperor's Palace. I heard earlier that after the spirit masters of the Emperor's Palace learned the refining technique, they had a sudden inspiration and combined it with the art of refining tools to refine the insects into new spirit weapons."

Chi Xiaoyao said, "These insects need to be fed with Qinghong Gold, allowing the Qinghong Gold to grow in the shells and muscles of the insects. After more than ten generations, there will be more and more Qinghong Gold inside the insects, making it easier to imprint divine runes and control them. However, cultivating these insects is extremely difficult, so the quantity is still not large. But judging from this insect, it seems that it is not feeding on Qinghong Gold, but something new that can imprint runes."

Su Yun understood Chi Xiaoyao's meaning.

Qinghong Gold was a material used for refining tools. It took more than ten generations of feeding to cultivate a generation of insects, which was too costly. Therefore, this kind of insect spirit weapon was not popular.

But if cheaper materials were used to replace Qinghong Gold, it would be possible to cultivate the new insect spirit weapons on a large scale!

The body of the spirit master in the field was completely white, covered in white fur, and as large as a basin. If it were cultivated with Qinghong Gold, it would probably cost a fortune. The cultivated insects would not be pure white in color, but rather a pale blue and white.

However, a spirit master at the Beginning Movement realm could not possibly accumulate such a huge amount of wealth, so he must be using new materials.

This was the most terrifying part!

If the new materials were cheap, cultivating these insects on a large scale would be invincible on the battlefield!

"Although the tentacles are slender, the power contained within them is not small. They are truly difficult to deal with, just like spirit weapons!"

Su Yun frowned and looked at the scholar from the Medical God Palace who was controlling the insects. He was very young, probably sixteen or seventeen years old. Su Yun thought to himself, "To have such attainments at such a young age, he is truly extraordinary. This is exactly what the Beginning Movement realm lacks, allowing the scholars to exert their greatest creativity when they are young!"

Just as he was thinking this, the scholar suddenly released a second insect. The two insects attacked together, and the scholar on the opposite side was quickly forced into a defensive position, completely unable to counterattack.

The scholar released a third insect, and the silk clothes transformed by the opposite scholar were instantly broken. The three insects pounced forward, their tentacles piercing through the muscles of the opposite scholar, entwining around his bones!

The scholar let out a miserable scream, and his body visibly withered at a rapid speed. In just a moment, most of his qi and blood were absorbed by the three insects!

Even more terrifying was that the three insects opened their mouths, which were divided into four petals, splitting open in four directions. Each petal was filled with barbed teeth, ready to bite the scholar to pieces.

Just at this moment, the sound of a gong rang out.

The victorious scholar immediately retrieved the three insects and turned around to bow to the stage.

The defeated scholar was sucked dry and fell to his knees with a thud. Immediately, a physician came forward, fed him spirit medicine to save his life, and carried him away.

Su Yun and Chi Xiaoyao watched in shock.

The teacher from the Medical God Palace announced two more names, and the second round of the competition began.

In the second round, it was still the insect lineage against the traditional needle and knife lineage. However, this time, a formidable scholar from the needle and knife lineage appeared. He held two slender willow leaf knives, and the knife light poured down like rain, with knife energy swirling around his body, his steps like a dragon.

This knife technique was divine, extremely sharp. Silver light filled the arena, and a scream could be heard as the scholar on the opposite side was attacked by the insects and had one of his legs severed, blood splattering on the spot!

Once again, the sound of a gong rang out.

The scholar put away his knives and stood up straight. The scholar with the severed leg was attended to by two physicians who applied spirit medicine to the wound. The miraculous medicine caused the flesh and blood at the wound to squirm, connecting it to the severed leg.

Chi Xiaoyao frowned and whispered, "The scholar who lost just now has lost more than half of his cultivation. I'm afraid his five or six years of cultivation have gone to waste. Even if he is saved, it will probably take several years to recover his cultivation. Is the Medical God Palace's competition really so ruthless?"

A scholar wearing a yellow turban beside them laughed and said, "This examination is to determine the number one person in the Medical God Palace, who will go to the Heavenly Court to meet the Divine Emperor! Naturally, we have to show our true abilities! Injuries are inevitable."

Su Yun humbly asked, "Senior Brother, my Senior Sister and I are newcomers who have just entered the academy through connections. We don't understand this examination very well. I would like to ask Senior Brother, if there is a scholar named Zhang San from our Medical God Palace who severed the leg of the opponent in the competition, would it affect his qualification for the examination?"

The scholar with the yellow turban was also friendly and said, "Of course it won't affect it. In the competition, injuries are inevitable. Moreover, the medical skills of the Medical God Palace are superb, with teachers watching by the side. They can use the techniques of creation to reattach the leg. It's just that they will have to lie down for a few months."Su Yun asked again, "For instance, if Zhang San poisoned someone, causing them to lose their sight, hearing, and all senses of touch, taste, and smell, would that be allowed?"

The scholar in the yellow turban frowned slightly and replied, "It would be allowed. As long as a teacher is there to heal them, the damage wouldn't be severe."

Su Yun hesitated before asking, "What if Zhang San injured the other person's spirit, would he be disqualified?"

The scholar's brows furrowed deeper, he too hesitated before answering, "In the arena, it's hard to avoid injuries. If the spirit is damaged, it can also be healed, but it would take a longer time."

Su Yun asked again, "What if Zhang San didn't use any medical skills? Would he be disqualified?"

The scholar's brows knitted together tightly, he reluctantly replied, "This examination tests one's strength, it's acceptable even without using medical skills..."

"What if Zhang San killed someone?"

Su Yun asked anxiously, "Would he be disqualified?"

The scholar in the yellow turban jumped in surprise.

"What if he also killed the other person's spirit?" Su Yun continued to ask.

The scholar in the yellow turban was furious, he glared and said, "This Zhang San you're talking about, is he here for the examination or to commit a crime? He seems to be intent on hurting and killing people!"

Su Yun nodded obediently, "Zhang San might be careless..."

Just then, the teacher from the Medical God Palace on the stage called out, "Next up, Zhang San, Fu Qinglian, prepare."

The scholar in the yellow turban beside Su Yun exclaimed in surprise, "That's me! Brother, you weren't wrong, there really is someone named Zhang San!"

He hurried onto the stage, only to see Su Yun slowly making his way up.

The scholar in the yellow turban was startled, he quickly jumped off the stage and shouted, "Teacher, I forfeit!"