Zhao Yuan lit another stick of Soul-Stabilizing Incense to help Liu Zhu and the other two sleep soundly and recover their strength. Then, he fumbled in the dark for a cardboard box and placed it next to the White Cat. "Hey, little kitty. I'll buy you a proper bed tomorrow. For tonight, just make do with this box."
The White Cat meowed softly twice, extended its pink tongue to lick his hand, and with a light leap, jumped into the cardboard box.
Zhao Yuan patted the White Cat's head, lay down on his own bed, and closed his eyes. But instead of sleeping, he activated the Concentration Technique, pulling up the Traditional Chinese Medical Theory recorded in the Information Leaf, and began to study with ravenous hunger.
In the darkness, the White Cat poked its head out of the cardboard box. Its eyes, flashing with an eerie green light, locked onto Zhao Yuan and didn't move for a long, long time.
Zhao Yuan was completely unaware of this. He was already immersed in a vast ocean of knowledge.
An unknown amount of time passed before Zhao Yuan finished studying the final two major sections of the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Information Leaf: Etiology and Pathogenesis, and Health Preservation and Treatment Principles.
'I've finally finished learning everything in the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine!' Zhao Yuan was beyond thrilled. 'New medical knowledge should be unlocked now, right? I wonder what it'll be. Will there be anything related to clinical practice?'
Just as Zhao Yuan hoped, three new textbooks appeared in the medical section, right below the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
"Chinese Herbal Medicine!"
"Acupuncture, Part One: Acupuncture Theory!"
The first two were closely related to clinical practice, but they were still heavily skewed toward foundational theory. Of course, if he didn't master these two subjects, he could easily cause problems when prescribing medicine or performing acupuncture in the future. Their importance was beyond doubt. Still, Zhao Yuan hoped for a subject that was more clinically oriented.
Just then, his eyes fell upon the third textbook, and he was overjoyed.
'Is this... Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis? Haha, finally, a clinical subject! Once I learn Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and combine it with the Qi Observation Technique, no complex or difficult case will be able to stump me. I'll be able to diagnose them all!'
In his excitement, Zhao Yuan soon discovered that it wasn't just three textbooks that had appeared on the Information Leaf. There were other new things as well.
'Huh, what's this? Chinese Herbal Cultivation Skill? It teaches you how to plant and cultivate Chinese medicinal herbs? Holy shit, for real?!' Suddenly, Zhao Yuan let out a curse as if he'd received a terrible shock.
His eyes widened as he stared at the introduction to this skill, reading it out loud at a rapid pace: "This cultivation technique can vastly increase the medicinal efficacy of Chinese herbs! Herbs cultivated with this method are a hundred times more effective than those grown with ordinary methods! There is even a one-in-a-thousand chance of obtaining mutated Spirit Medicinal Materials that have absorbed the essence of heaven and earth and the Qi of the sun and moon!"
"Holy moly..."
After confirming he hadn't misread it, Zhao Yuan was left utterly stunned.
The importance of medicine to Cultivation was indisputable. And what determined a medicine's effectiveness, aside from its formula, was the efficacy of its ingredients! This cultivation technique that appeared on the Information Leaf could increase the effect of Chinese medicinal herbs a hundredfold! What did that even mean? It meant that a Ginseng cultivated by Zhao Yuan for one year would be equivalent to a hundred-year-old wild mountain Ginseng!
'This isn't some cultivation technique; it's a super-OP cheat!'
'Just think, if I use ingredients cultivated this way to make Soul-Stabilizing Incense and Marrow Cleansing Pills, wouldn't the effects be absolutely insane? Wouldn't my Cultivation speed shoot up like a rocket?'
The more Zhao Yuan thought about it, the more excited he became. He wished he could go find a plot of land right away and try out this Chinese Herbal Cultivation Skill.
'I remember now, our university has a Chinese medicine garden. I'll ask around tomorrow and see if they're hiring. It would be best if I could test this cultivation skill in the garden. For one, it's close by, so I can tend to the plants anytime. For another, the garden has a wide variety of Chinese medicinal herbs. If I need some, I could probably swipe a few. Once I've mastered this skill and sorted things out with the pharmaceutical factory, I can find a dedicated plot of land just for growing herbs. If I have more than I can use, I can sell them! I'm sure herbs that are casually "a hundred years old" will sell for a high price!'
With great difficulty, Zhao Yuan finally managed to calm down from his excitement and turned his attention to another new item.
'Needle making technique? What's this now?'
He took a closer look at the description and learned that it was a skill for crafting the Nine Needles.
The so-called Nine Needles are nine types of needles used in Acupuncture. They have different shapes and uses. According to the records in the *Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor*, the Nine Needles are the Three-Edged Needle, Spoon Needle, Round-Point Needle, Sharp Needle, Round-Sharp Needle, Beryllium Needle, Acupuncture Needle, Long Needle, and Large Needle. Acupuncturists often select different needles for treatment based on the patient's condition.
And this needle making technique could produce the absolute best Nine Needles!
According to the description, the Nine Needles crafted with this method would allow a Physician to wield them as if they were an extension of their own arm. They could easily sense through the body of the needle whether they had achieved Qi, as well as perceive feedback from the acupoint and meridians being stimulated, thereby greatly enhancing the effects of Acupuncture!
Although this needle making technique didn't seem as ridiculously overpowered as the Chinese Herbal Cultivation Technique, Zhao Yuan didn't look down on it in the slightest. As the old saying goes, a craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well. Mastering the needle making technique and crafting a top-tier set of Nine Needles would undoubtedly be of immense help to his future medical practice!
'Let's see if there are any other goodies.' The greedy Zhao Yuan continued to rummage through the Information Leaf.
Unfortunately, there was nothing else new. However, he did notice that the Information Leaf itself had changed. Before, the Information Leaf was a tender leaf that had just broken out of its seed. Now, while the leaf was still tender, it was much larger than before, and its green color was a bit deeper.
'It seems the Information Leaf grows along with my Cultivation and my progress on the Medical Dao! I just wonder what it will look like when I truly step onto the Witch Doctor Dao. Will it grow into a towering tree?' Zhao Yuan's imagination ran wild.
His excitement lingered, making it impossible to calm down. Zhao Yuan couldn't sleep, nor could he settle his mind enough to study the three new textbooks he had just obtained. He simply opened his eyes, pulled out his phone, and checked the time. It was a little after three in the morning, almost four.
"It's still early. I should find something to do," Zhao Yuan muttered. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Oh, right! Didn't I say I was going to check the school forums for those fragmented ancient texts? Maybe, just like with *Wushan Medical Tales* and the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique, I'll be able to get the complete versions!"
No sooner said than done, Zhao Yuan immediately opened his phone's browser and entered the URL for the school forums.