Chapter 544: The Boundless Desert, a Teacher in a Party of Three

Chapter 544: Chapter 505: The Boundless Desert, a Teacher in a Party of Three

That day at Noon, right after Zuo Yuzhi and her group had said their goodbyes and departed, Yu Wenxu wasted no time, immediately gathering his troops to return to Demon Suppression Pass.

Having accepted the recruitment offer, Song Ciwan would naturally go with them.

As for Song Ciwan’s Identity Token, that was easily handled. After her earlier treatment of the Poisoned Cultivators, including Wu Yanjun, Song Ciwan had already proven her strength. By the standards of Demon Suppression City’s Willow Leaf Hall, she was fully qualified to be directly issued a Five-star Level Medical Cultivator’s Identity Token.

Hall Master Sun went through the motions. He took out a Memory Stone to record the process of Song Ciwan’s magical test within Willow Leaf Hall. Soon after, a brand-new Five-star Level Medical Cultivator token, inscribed with the two words “Xing Lan,” was ready.

The token was made of Magical Treasure-grade materials. It could bind to its owner, be inscribed with the owner’s information, record Battle Merit Points, and even had some special permission functions. It was quite interesting, something for Song Ciwan to study when she had the time.

One side of the token was engraved with the three words for Willow Leaf Hall, while the other side bore the name Xing Lan. Above her name, five brightly lit, small silver stars were arranged in an arc.

Behind the small silver stars were two more gray, unlit stars.

This signified that the overall Medical Cultivator ranking certified by Willow Leaf Hall was Seven-star. If Song Ciwan were to level up in the future, she could take her token to any Willow Leaf Hall branch at the Four Great Demon Passes. After being certified, she could then light up the remaining stars.

However, a Six-star Level Medical Cultivator could treat a Celestial Immortal, and a Seven-star Level Medical Cultivator could even treat a True Immortal. If Song Ciwan ever actually reached the Seven-star Level, she wouldn’t need to go for certification. Willow Leaf Hall would likely dispatch people immediately to come before her, respectfully requesting her permission to light the remaining stars.

Song Ciwan had originally thought her Cultivation was profound and her Medical Techniques powerful. But after this experience treating the Poisoned Cultivators, her previous positive and lofty self-perception had been shattered.

Now, despite obtaining a Five-star Level Medical Cultivator token and having saved the lives of several Poisoned Cultivators under extreme circumstances, she was beginning to feel that her Medical Techniques were still far too flawed.

‘The Mythical Realm isn’t like the common Mortal World, and a Cultivator’s body isn’t like that of an ordinary mortal.’

‘Just having Magic like the Exorcism Talisman, Recovery Spell, and Ganlin Healing Skill doesn’t mean you can cure all illnesses!’

‘There are too many strange and bizarre injuries and illnesses in the Mythical Realm. If I can’t even achieve Limb Regeneration, what kind of miracle doctor am I?’

Song Ciwan began to reflect on herself.

Yu Wenxu said, “The situation is urgent. I have already sent a message back to the main camp about the Nine Transformation Lotus Pool and the Earth Palace. For now, everyone can ride with my soldiers on the Red Blood Horses. We’ll cross the Mingqiu Desert quickly and reach Demon Suppression Pass!”

The Mingqiu Desert was located between Demon Suppression Pass and Demon Suppression City.

Song Ciwan had previously crossed the Mingqiu Desert with Zhou Mu and the others to return to Demon Suppression City. Now, she was about to cross it again with Yu Wenxu’s group, heading toward Demon Suppression Pass.

The process needs no lengthy description. In short, it was a similar journey, but a different experience.

To summarize, the West Wind Army’s speed was countless times faster than that of Zhou Mu and his group.

The party of eighty people—including ten Medical Cultivators and seventy elite cavalry from the West Wind Army—galloped on their Red Blood Horses, their four hooves kicking up the wind. They were like a long, crimson blade, leaving a turbulent fiery wake as they cut through the sun-scorched, sand-filled winds and under the vast sky of the setting sun…

From noon until sunset, they covered one-third of the tens of thousands of miles of the Mingqiu Desert in a single afternoon.

According to Yu Wenxu’s plan: “We will make camp for one night. By tomorrow afternoon, we can return to the Pass.”

The reason they didn’t travel through the night was the same old rule, the same old reason—it was too dangerous!

Even with an Acupoint Fusion Realm Military General like Yu Wenxu leading them, and with a team of elite West Wind Army cavalry, traversing the Mingqiu Desert at night was still a forbidden act.

Yu Wenxu would never make such a decision unless it was absolutely necessary.

They made camp at dusk. The setting sun painted the desert sands, and fiery clouds filled the sky. Long lines of sand stretched to the horizon. In the distance, black whirlwinds ran rampant, ravaging the dunes, and the cries of avian Demon Beasts occasionally echoed from afar.

SCREECH!

SCREEECH—

Wings flew past, stirring up more storms. The howling wind whistled through the air, seeming to draw closer from the distance.

These scenes, terrifying as they were, held a kind of tumultuous silence, as if imbued with an infinite, boundless romanticism.

This was the freedom of the vast sky, the ultimate clash of life itself. It offered a dangerous thrill and a sense of expansive openness that the densely packed cities could never provide.

Therefore, even though the desert was fraught with danger, as they galloped across it on horseback, they couldn’t help but immerse themselves in its desolate splendor. Their spirits seemed to soar with the vast sky toward the infinite horizon.

Now that they had made camp, the thrilling sensation of their horses’ hooves pounding the yellow sand still lingered.

Since they weren’t in a hurry to travel, the group sat around fires, chatting idly.

A Defense Array Plate was set up, and roaring bonfires were lit. The eighty people gathered around a total of six fires.

Deputy General Cai An sat down next to Song Ciwan and asked with a grin, “Xing Lan Fairy, not only is your medical skill incredible, but your combat power also seems quite formidable. Your method of high-speed travel is also outstanding, unlike any ordinary Medical Cultivator. I am truly curious, if Xing Lan Fairy were to fight someone skilled in combat at the same realm, what would the odds of victory be?”

Throughout the day, the other Medical Cultivators had all shared a mount with one of the West Wind Army soldiers. Only Song Ciwan had once again refused to ride with someone else. She used Shrinking Inches to keep up with the group effortlessly, even maintaining her position at the front of the formation.

As the saying goes, in the world of Martial Arts, speed is unbeatable. Although the identity Song Ciwan presented to the world was not that of a Martial Artist, the great truth that speed is paramount applied just as well to Cultivators.

After all, as long as you were fast enough to hit your enemy while they couldn’t hit you, you had achieved a state of invincibility.

Of course, there were some strange Dharma Gates that defied logic and followed their own rules, but those were exceptions not worth comparing.

Song Ciwan smiled faintly and said, “If General Cai is so curious, would you like to have a sparring match with me?”

The question completely stunned Cai An.

‘Hey! A challenge to a sparring match… shouldn’t that be something a Military General like me brings up first? How did a Medical Cultivator beat me to it?’

‘Who’s the Medical Cultivator here, you or me?’

To be honest, if Song Ciwan hadn’t suggested sparring, Cai An had been fully prepared to do so. But now that she had brought it up first, he found himself hesitating.

He suddenly felt like it was a trap!

‘She’s a Medical Cultivator,’ he thought. ‘If I, Cai An, spar with her and win, it’s only expected. It might even be seen as a dishonorable victory. But if I lose? How humiliating would that be?’

‘It would be the most humiliating moment of my life!’

‘Nope, can’t do it. I’m not falling into that trap.’

Cai An’s curiosity vanished in an instant. He quickly let out a hollow laugh and said, “Xing Lan Fairy, you must be joking. You are our top priority for protection. The night winds are sharp, and we must remain vigilant on patrol and night watch. Now is not a good time for sparring.”

Song Ciwan smiled and didn’t mention the matter of sparring again.

She turned to chat with the other Medical Cultivators instead, particularly the elderly Mister Liu Mingzhong.

Don’t be fooled by Liu Mingzhong’s low Cultivation. His medical experience was incredibly rich. With a solid foundation and vast knowledge, he was completely different from Song Ciwan, who relied purely on brute-forcing things with powerful Magic.

After just a brief chat with him, Song Ciwan felt as if her eyes had been opened.

She had always lacked systematic learning. It was a strange feeling, but speaking with Liu Mingzhong, who was only in the Qi Cultivation Stage, felt like she had found a teacher.

Liu Mingzhong said, “Of all things between heaven and earth, the human is the most wondrous. This is because chaos birthed Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang birthed the Five Elements, and the Five Elements formed all of creation. Such is the state of the world, and the human body is the same!

The Yin and Yang and Five Elements within the human body correspond to the creation of all things. Therefore, the unification of the Five Elements corresponds to the great Dao of heaven and earth. Why do demons learn to be human? For this very reason!”