Zhao Yuan hadn't expected his article to receive such a warm reception.
Hearing his classmates' words of envy and flattery, he didn't grow arrogant and lose his head. Instead, he waved his hands dismissively. "Stop praising me, all of you. The only reason this article is getting so much attention is because of Elder Qiu's name!"
He wanted to be humble, but Ma Hanqing wouldn't let him, chiming in, "Elder Qiu said he didn't contribute much to this article. The reason the journal *Chinese Medicine* is taking it so seriously and it's sparking such heated discussion among experts and professors is entirely because your new punctuation and translation of the *Treasure of Life and Form Theory* are just that brilliant!"
"Elder Qiu is too kind," Zhao Yuan said quickly.
Ma Hanqing smiled. "I don't think Elder Qiu was exaggerating at all. Zhao Yuan, keep working hard. Your future achievements will absolutely surpass those of us old-timers. I'm sure of it! Elder Qiu says so, too!"
The moment he said that, the classroom erupted in an uproar.
No one had expected Ma Hanqing and Elder Qiu to think so highly of Zhao Yuan!
Ma Hanqing was one thing, but Elder Qiu? He was a towering figure. At West Hua Medical University, only a handful of people like Xiao Xianlin and Liu Mingzhang were considered his superiors!
For Zhao Yuan's future achievements to surpass his... wouldn't that mean he was destined to become a grandmaster of medicine? The praise was simply staggering!
Zhao Yuan hadn't expected Ma Hanqing and Qiu Haogu to hold him in such high regard either... 'But they aren't wrong about one thing,' he thought. 'My future achievements definitely won't be meager! Are you kidding me? I'm destined to become a Witch Doctor!'
Zhao Yuan was only freed from being surrounded when the bell for class rang.
Ma Hanqing stood at the lectern, diligently lecturing on the dry subject of Medical Ancient Texts, but Zhao Yuan wasn't in the mood to listen.
He could feel streams of Wish Power flowing into his body.
The amount of Wish Power was immense, far more than what the students in his Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Class 3 could possibly generate.
Zhao Yuan thought for a moment and understood. It had to be the result of his article in the *Chinese Medicine* journal being read by doctors and medical students all over the country.
The article was a major revision of the established punctuation and translation of the *Treasure of Life and Form Theory*, so it was bound to generate huge controversy. While some would surely oppose it, many others would undoubtedly support it. It was no surprise, then, that he was gaining so much Wish Power.
This new wave of Wish Power, combined with what he had previously gained from the coal miners, the villages on Nine Peaks Mountain, and Lu Qing's family, caused something new to appear once again on the Information Leaf.
'It's finally here.'
Zhao Yuan had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He eagerly opened the Information Leaf and, under the Medical Skill section, saw a new entry: the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique.
Zhao Yuan frowned and muttered to himself, 'The suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique? Did I get this Medical Skill because I have the Body Pearl? It doesn't seem very useful, though.'
The suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique was relatively common in the ancient imperial courts. When an Emperor's Consort fell ill, the attending Imperial Physician was forbidden from having any direct contact. Even questioning the patient had to be done through a curtain, to say nothing of directly touching her hand for Pulse Diagnosis. That was an offense that would cost you your head!
Thus, an Imperial Physician skilled in the Pulse Diagnosis Technique devised a clever method. He would tie one end of a silk thread to the Consort's wrist and hold the other, judging the state of her pulse by the vibrations transmitted through the thread.
Without a doubt, the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique was far more difficult than a normal Pulse Diagnosis. The problem was, the taboo against physical contact between men and women was no longer a concern. The technique had become obsolete, which was why Zhao Yuan considered it rather useless.
However, after reading the detailed description of the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique, Zhao Yuan dismissed that concern.
This suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique was divided into three stages.
The first stage was the normal suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique, which was indeed rather useless. But at the second stage, the silk thread used for diagnosis could transform into Qi. Moreover, this Qi could be sent into the patient's body, providing a comprehensive view of all internal problems, leaving nothing unseen or missed!
But what truly astonished Zhao Yuan was the third stage of the technique.
According to the description on the Information Leaf, at this stage, the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique could be used not only on people, but also to diagnose Demons, Ghosts, gods, and even the very fabric of heaven and earth!
'Holy hell...'
Zhao Yuan was utterly stunned.
'I take back what I said. This suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique is far from uselessāit's a Divine Skill! It will be incredibly powerful once I reach the second stage! As for the third stage... diagnosing Demons, Ghosts, gods, and the very fabric of heaven and earth... I can't even begin to imagine what that would be like!'
In addition to the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique, Zhao Yuan made another unexpected discovery. A new entry had appeared in the Miscellaneous section.
'Thought Borrowing Technique? What the heck is this?'
'Judging by the name, it sounds like some kind of Magic. But if it's Magic, it should be in the Magic section. Why is it here in Miscellaneous?'
Filled with curiosity, Zhao Yuan focused on the description of the Thought Borrowing Technique. After reading it, he finally understood.
'Thought Borrowing... so that's what it means. It's a bit like Summoning the Divine Possession from Divine Strike. But the Thought Borrowing Technique doesn't summon a god; it summons the trace of consciousness Wu Peng left in the Information Leaf. And this consciousness doesn't grant me any buffs to my Magic or Medical Skills. It only lets me acquire one of Wu Peng's miscellaneous abilities for three minutes. No wonder it's classified under Miscellaneous, even though it's clearly a form of Magic.'
According to the description on the Information Leaf, the Thought Borrowing Technique allowed Zhao Yuan to borrow an ability from the Miscellaneous section. He could only borrow one at a time, but while the effect lasted, his proficiency in that ability would be at Wu Peng's level!
However, using the Thought Borrowing Technique consumed Wish Power, and this consumption was permanentāunlike with Drawing Talismans and Casting Spells, where the Wish Power could be restored.
According to Wu Peng's explanation, he didn't want Zhao Yuan to waste time on miscellaneous studies. He himself had spent too much time on them, which is why he fell just short when he was on the cusp of achieving sainthood.
At the same time, he didn't want Zhao Yuan to develop a habit of getting something for nothing. So he established this rule, allowing Zhao Yuan to borrow a miscellaneous ability with Wish Power when necessary. This way, Zhao Yuan wouldn't be distracted learning them himself and could instead focus all his energy on acquiring Wish Power and on his Cultivation.
'Compared to the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique, this Thought Borrowing Technique is the *really* useless one.'
Zhao Yuan shook his head. He had never planned to learn any of the miscellaneous subjects anyway, so this Curse Technique seemed of little use to him.
But on second thought, he cheered up. 'Well, having this Magic is good too. I won't have to practice the Guqin every day anymore. That'll save me a lot of time.'
Just then, his advisor, Pan Mei, suddenly appeared at the classroom door. "Teacher Ma," she said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have something very important to discuss with Zhao Yuan."
Ma Hanqing nodded. Confused, Zhao Yuan got up and walked out of the classroom. "Sister Pan, what's wrong?"
Pan Mei's expression was grim. "Zhao Yuan, I need to ask you something. Are you out there conning people under the banner of the Jinling Zhao Family?"