Although Chen Fei hadn't used much force, his slap still knocked out one of Sunx Long's teeth, sending a trickle of blood down the corner of his mouth.

Truth be told, he really couldn't comprehend what was going through that idiot's head. It was bad enough that the man started with veiled threats and ridicule, but then he had to act all high and mighty. 'Do you know who I am?' What kind of status? The Sunx Family... What the hell does any of that have to do with me? How great does he think he is? Does he really believe he can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun?

Instantly, the entire courtyard fell into an eerie silence, so quiet that one could hear a leaf fall. Only Dr. Mo's expression was strange. In the distance, numerous medical staff stared in disbelief at Sunx Long and the fresh blood slowly dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

They found the scene hard to imagine. After all, this was Sunx Long, a disciple of the Sunx Family and the newest registered disciple of Elder Quan. In Capital City, how many people would dare to be so presumptuous in front of their big boss, Quan Qiusheng? To do it in front of so many people, no less? And the perpetrator was just a young man in his twenties, still wet behind the ears.

"Doctor Chen, Elder Quan..."

Moments later, a complicated look appeared on Chen Zhenjun's face. His complex, wry smile wasn't directed at Sunx Long, but at Chen Fei and Elder Quan.

After all, he had personally gone to Northern Mountain City in Jiangnan to invite Chen Fei to treat his son. Chen Fei was his only hope now. But... Elder Quan Qiusheng's status was far from ordinary. Even with his position as the Executive Vice Minister of a certain department, he was still out-ranked in front of such a senior figure. He couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. Because of Chen Fei, a huge problem has just landed in my lap!

However, what happened next left him, and everyone else present, dumbfounded. After a long silence, Elder Quan, leaning tremulously on his cane, suddenly shook his head and said faintly, "You're not wrong. I have indeed failed to teach my disciple well."

He paused for a moment, then hunched over and turned to face Sunx Long, who was still clutching his face in a stupor. The elder coughed faintly. "You should leave now. You have failed your test."

Failed what test? Naturally, it was the test to become Quan Qiusheng's official disciple.

Sunx Long's previous status was merely that of a registered disciple under Elder Quan. Only by passing his test could he be promoted to an official disciple. But now, it seemed he had failed.

This inexplicable reversal stunned not only Sunx Long but also the onlookers like Chen Zhenjun and Dr. Mo. Sunx Long's face paled, and he cried out in a panic, "No, Master, what are you doing? Why...?"

He knew that although he came from the Qingniu Medical Valley, that status couldn't compare to being an official disciple of Elder Quan. Not to mention, Quan Qiusheng's name alone represented immense resources and power. His Sunx Family had given him a strict order: seize this opportunity to connect with Elder Quan and become his official disciple. But now, he had been declared a failure! How am I supposed to explain this when I get back?

But Elder Quan acted as if he hadn't heard a word. He simply gave Chen Fei a look that seemed to say, 'Are you satisfied now?' then extended a trembling hand in invitation. "Please. The patient's condition is becoming quite dire."

"Master! I... Master...!" Sunx Long shouted in protest, his eyes boring into Chen Fei's back with venomous resentment.

But someone immediately stepped forward and emotionlessly 'escorted' him out of the courtyard.

Since his status as Elder Quan's registered disciple had been revoked, he no longer had any reason or right to remain. After all, this was not a courtyard just anyone could enter.

***

A short while later, Chen Fei and the others arrived in a room filled with various instruments. The air was thick with the bitter scent of Chinese medicine. On the bed lay an emaciated young man, unconscious and deep in a coma.

Strangely, his entire body was covered in gray patches of varying sizes that would make one's skin crawl. His flesh was lumpy and uneven, a dreadful sight.

"...I've heard about you from Xunn Lun." Inside the room, Chen Zhenjun and the others had not followed; only Chen Fei and the cane-leaning Elder Quan were present. He glanced at the person on the bed, coughed, and slowly continued, "He mentioned that your medical skills are quite impressive, but... this illness... can you really treat it?"

"Elder, why must you test me like this? It's quite meaningless," Chen Fei replied with a half-smile, a sharp light flickering in his jet-black, glass-like eyes. "It's just a Thousand Bone Worm Cup, isn't it?"

Elder Quan was taken aback. After all, Chen Fei was still so young. Even though he knew of Chen Fei's monstrous cultivation level and had heard about him from Elder Xunn, the Master of the Medical Sage Hall, he still found it hard to place much hope in someone so young.

This was because the Gu Insect inside the young man on the bed was no ordinary creature. It was the Thousand Bone Worm King Cup, hailed as one of the ten great Gu Kings of the Southern Borderlands! This pest was cultivated by Gu breeders who combined a hundred poisons of the Southern Borderlands, using the legendary—and supposedly extinct outside the region—Thousand Bone King Worm as the parent body. It was incredibly fearsome and aggressive. It loved to inhabit the bones of animals, beasts, or humans, feeding on their skeletons... For the victim, this was nothing short of hellish torment. The very thought was enough to make one's skin crawl.

In fact, the only reason the victim was still alive was that the Thousand Bone Worm King Cup inside him was merely a newly hatched larva. Furthermore, an Innate Expert had acted in time to trap it and force it into hibernation, delaying its rampage.

But this was merely a temporary solution, a drop in the bucket. It would eventually awaken.

And yet, Chen Fei had identified the Gu Insect in a single glance, even audaciously dismissing it as 'just' a Thousand Bone Worm Cup?

Instantly, the way the cane-leaning Elder Quan looked at Chen Fei changed again. He said slowly, "It seems this old man has been narrow-minded. My apologies."

Regardless of whether Chen Fei could actually remove the Thousand Bone Worm King Cup, the fact that he could identify it at a glance was a testament to his astonishing mastery of medicine and obscure knowledge. After all, even he, Quan Qiusheng, had not been able to recognize the Thousand Bone Worm King Cup at first. He only stumbled upon a clue after poring over numerous ancient texts from the Southern Borderlands.

Putting aside all his previous reservations, Elder Quan looked at Chen Fei with a solemn expression and said with a tremor in his voice, "In the ancient Southern Borderlands texts, I read that this Thousand Bone Worm King Cup is extremely difficult to deal with. It's one of the ten great Gu Kings of the Southern Borderlands. If the Gu Insect were a mature adult, even seniors at the Later Stage of the Innate Realm wouldn't dare take it lightly. Although the one in this young man seems to be just a juvenile, we are still helpless... What should be done?"

Even experts at the Later Stage of the Innate Realm wouldn't dare take it lightly? It certainly lives up to its reputation as one of the ten great Gu Kings. How impressive. However, Chen Fei just chuckled noncommittally, a hint of mockery in his faint smile. Later Stage of the Innate Realm?

Although he didn't actually know anything about the ten great Gu Kings of the Southern Borderlands, this Thousand Bone Worm Cup was quite famous even in the Cultivation World. If a Thousand Bone Worm Cup were fully mature, even cultivators at the Late Stage of Qi Refining—the seventh, eighth, or ninth layers—wouldn't dare to underestimate it! In fact, they would go out of their way to avoid it.

As for the so-called Late Innate Ancient Martial Artists Elder Quan mentioned, they were at best equivalent to the peak of Mid Stage Qi Refining, or the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. Compared to a fully mature Thousand Bone Worm Cup, they were far too weak.

However, Elder Quan was right about one thing: the Gu Insect inside the patient is a juvenile. I wouldn't dare to even think about, much less provoke, a mature one, but a mere larva... isn't so terrifying. Chen Fei's eyes narrowed slightly. If I could subdue the juvenile Thousand Bone Worm in this patient, it would be a huge, unexpected boon.

With this in mind, he suddenly asked, "Elder, could you please step outside for a moment?"

"...Can't you let me observe?" the old man asked after a moment of stunned silence.

"My sect's teachings cannot be shared with outsiders. I apologize," Chen Fei replied inflexibly. He had no choice. The methods he was about to use were from the Cultivation World, and he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

"Very well then. I'll take my leave." Seeing there was no room for discussion, Elder Quan left with a look of disappointment, his body trembling as he went. He even thoughtfully closed the door on his way out.

Chen Fei stood in silence for a long moment, ensuring the old man was truly gone and that there were no hidden surveillance devices in the room. Only then did he wave his hand. A spark ignited on the floor, and a terrifying fluctuation of energy surged as a dense fog filled the room.

"What is this!?"

At that same moment, Elder Quan, who was already some distance away, suddenly jolted. His clouded, ancient eyes shot back toward the patient's room as he murmured in a daze, That boy... he even knows Mystic Sect Formations? What a little monster. He coughed. It was clear that Chen Fei had stunned him yet again. A young man in his twenties possessing the strength to take down an expert at the Early Stage Peak of the Innate Realm was already astonishing enough. It was even more incredible that his medical skills were so profound. And now, he even knew Mystic Sect Formations?

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