'Unforgivable!'
Dan Yeo ground her teeth.
She despised Wi Jicheon.
They were opposites in every possible way.
If Dan Yeo was darkness and shadow, then Wi Jicheon was light itself.
While she was often met with indifference or disdain, Wi Jicheon was surrounded by warmth and affection.
Anyone could see how fond the members of the Divine Healer's House were of their youngest disciple — even a glance from afar made it obvious.
And to be fair, it wasn't hard to see why.
He had a face that drew people in.
He was quirky, yes, but fundamentally kind — someone who genuinely cared for others. (If Jang Sam had heard such a description, he would've clutched his neck in disbelief.)
Compared to Dan Yeo, whose heart had long since twisted under bitterness, Wi Jicheon was a radiant being she could never measure up to.
Still, she hadn't minded.
Because Dan Yeo had her skill.
Her medical knowledge was the one thing she could rely on — her only weapon to survive in a world that had never been kind to her.
All of her struggles, she believed, would one day become the foundation for her greatness.
Until—
'He's a genius in medicine too?!'
She wasn't stupid.
She had seen the extraordinary growth Wi Jicheon had shown over the past month.
And it made her feel utterly small.
All she had was relentless effort — nothing else.
'At least… I'll win at the medical debate!'
It was a promise they had made a month ago.
Dan Yeo knew it didn't truly matter.
Wi Jicheon was destined to surpass her — that much was certain.
But even so, she wanted to win just once.
This would likely be her first and last chance to ever beat him.
So she had challenged him.
And now—
"..."
The hall fell silent.
She had lost.
A medical debate was a contest of reasoning, where each healer argued their own diagnosis of a patient's condition.
Dan Yeo's logic had been completely dismantled by Wi Jicheon.
Her face went blank in disbelief, while Wi Jicheon clicked his tongue inwardly.
'Of course she'd lose. In a debate, I have the advantage.'
In terms of raw medical knowledge, Dan Yeo still surpassed him.
After all, Wi Jicheon had only crammed the essential lessons needed to pass the examination under Wi Jigang's intense crash course.
But knowledge alone was meaningless.
Wi Jicheon's grasp of the principles behind that knowledge ran deeper than anyone else's.
'Good enough for a prelude. Now, I should set things straight.'
He understood that Dan Yeo had her circumstances.
Even if he didn't want to hear it, rumors spread — that she was an illegitimate child, that her background was disgraceful.
To Wi Jicheon, it all sounded petty.
'So what? Who doesn't have a tragic story in this vast world?'
Compared to many, Dan Yeo's life wasn't even that tragic.
So, without hesitation, Wi Jicheon decided to use her.
"Now, will you acknowledge me as your senior?"
"…Yes, Senior Brother."
"Then, as your senior, may I say a word?"
"…Go ahead."
Dan Yeo lowered her head, bracing herself.
She expected to be scolded.
But instead—
"Good work."
"!!"
Her head snapped up.
What did he just say?
"I know how hard you've studied. You work harder than anyone here. Even during the debate just now, your reasoning process was remarkable. With more experience, I'm certain you'll become an excellent physician."
He meant every word.
Of course, it was odd for someone who had only recently begun studying medicine to talk about "experience," but no one in the hall questioned him.
Because they all felt it — Wi Jicheon's praise was genuine.
'Ah…'
Just like your mother, you worthless brat.
No matter how hard you try, you'll always be nothing.
Dan Yeo had never heard kind words before.
No matter how hard she tried, people had only mocked and dismissed her.
This was the first time.
Someone had recognized her effort.
Not knowing how to respond, she bit her lip tightly.
"T-this is nothing. I didn't even show half my true ability in that debate!"
"Yes, yes. I look forward to seeing it."
"I mean it! Next time, I'll definitely beat you, Senior Brother!"
Watching her stomp her feet in defiance, the other new disciples couldn't help but smile warmly.
After all, Dan Yeo was still just a sixteen-year-old girl.
To the older, grizzled new students, her fiery determination looked nothing but endearing.
'The Senior Brother keeps impressing me.'
Truthfully, they'd all expected Wi Jicheon to scold her harshly.
But instead, he had encouraged her — gently, firmly.
'He's not just kind — he's broad-minded.'
'No wonder he was the one who saved us from our debts. Only someone like him could do that.'
Seeing their softened expressions, Wi Jicheon nodded inwardly.
'Authority doesn't always come from fear.'
If this were an army or a martial sect, harsh discipline might work. But this was a medical house.
These were healers — people who would treat the sick and suffering.
Could someone who ruled through fear truly show compassion to a patient?
No — the foundation of discipline here must be respect.
'They're the Divine Healer's House's hardworking slaves— I mean, disciples. Might as well make them useful.'
Having secured the mood, Wi Jicheon moved on to his next tactic.
"Then, I'll take charge of your medical cultivation lessons. I know some of you are worried, but rest assured — Brother Wi Jigang will supervise the sessions and step in if anything goes wrong."
Everyone nodded.
After what they had seen, their trust in Wi Jicheon had grown considerably.
"Before we begin, there's something else. Each of you, take this pill."
"…What is it?"
"This is Taiso Pill (太素丹) — an elixir that will grant you the equivalent of two to three years' worth of inner energy."
"!!"
It was the same elixir Wi Jicheon had concocted and taken himself not long ago.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
"A-a spirit elixir? For us?"
'The sooner you lot become useful, the sooner I can work you to the bone. I'll squeeze ten times the cost of those ingredients out of you.'
Unaware of his wicked thoughts, the disciples were overwhelmed with gratitude.
'I'll devote my life to the Divine Healer's House!'
'Senior Brother, we love you!'
'Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty!'
Wi Jicheon decided to personally help them absorb the elixir's energy — otherwise, most of it would simply dissipate.
"First, memorize the chant I recite. It's called the Earth Spirit Medical Art (지령의공)."
"Earth Spirit Medical Art?"
"I've revised the original Earth Immortal Medical Art to make it more effective."
He modified a medical cultivation technique?!
The disciples murmured in shock and glanced toward Wi Jigang, who had joined as an observer.
To their surprise, Wi Jigang made no move to object.
That silence meant one thing — he had already approved it.
'Am I dreaming?'
Originally, Wi Jigang had absolutely no intention of letting Wi Jicheon teach any cultivation.
Even after witnessing his unexpected potential during the hellish training, he still hadn't trusted him fully.
But that changed when he saw the revised chant himself.
"Who taught you this?"
"Pardon?"
"I said, who taught you this incantation? No one in this world could've!"
"I… I modified it myself…"
Smack!
He had been so shocked that he instinctively flicked Wi Jicheon on the forehead.
"You little liar! Did you steal this? From Huazhong House? No, impossible! Their technique could never reach this level! Don't tell me you plundered it from South Zhong before it fell?!"
It had taken him a long time — and a lot of shouting — before he finally believed him.
'That boy… truly is a prodigy.'
No, prodigy didn't even begin to describe it.
To revise a medical cultivation technique meant understanding every single layer of its structure — and how each change would affect the practitioner's flow of qi.
Such feats were reserved for the Grand Masters of medicine.
Wi Jicheon, who had only recently begun learning medicine, was no Grand Master.
Which only meant one thing — his talent approached that level.
'Our foolish youngest… was a monster all along.'
Even so, part of him still couldn't believe it.
Wi Jicheon wasn't the type to lie — but this defied all logic.
'We'll see when he teaches.'
That was why Wi Jigang had permitted it — to see for himself.
And soon,
"Once you've memorized the chant, I'll guide your internal flow one by one. Aseob, step forward first."
The real training began.
And then — Wi Jigang's eyes flew open wide.
It was unbelievable.
He could scarcely believe what he was seeing.
A mere genius? No.
It was as though a true Grand Master had descended into the world.
'Well, medical cultivation is child's play anyway.'
After all, who was Wi Jicheon?
In terms of handling qi, not even the greatest of the Ten Immortal Healers or the Ten Peaks could match him.
'Of course, controlling qi alone doesn't make one a great healer.'
A true physician needed more — the ability to diagnose accurately, to understand the cause and nature of a patient's suffering, and to choose the most fitting treatment.
'In other words, I have the sharpest knife in the kitchen — I just need to learn how to cook with it.'
But what a knife it was.
One day, it would become his greatest weapon as a healer.
As his knowledge and experience grew, that brilliance would only shine brighter.
'Though, realistically, I'll mostly be handling the external affairs of the Outer Hall, supporting Father, Brother, and Sister in their medical work.'
His uncle Wi Jimu, the chief of the Outer Hall, didn't avoid treating patients entirely — all senior officials in the House were physicians by qualification.
The physicians of the Outer Hall mainly handled external matters, tending to patients whenever time allowed.
Wi Jicheon would likely follow the same pattern.
'The cultivation lessons are going well. Everyone's keeping up nicely.'
It helped that he had simplified the technique so that even beginners could grasp it.
As the lessons continued, the disciples' respect for Wi Jicheon grew exponentially — not just gratitude, but true admiration for his skill.
'But this is only the beginning. It's time for real training.'
If the disciples had heard his thoughts, they would've panicked.
'My goal isn't just to have everyone pass… I want everyone to earn the Gold Medal.'
A sly smile curved on his lips.
'I'll use the Mara Extreme Meridian Method (魔羅極穴大法).'
It was a technique he had once used while training martial arts — torturous, excruciatingly painful, and if misused, could cripple or even kill.
But the path of learning was never meant to be easy.
'By the way… I heard Binghak Sama So came as an examiner?'
Wi Jicheon's eyes gleamed darkly.
He didn't know why such a giant of the medical world had appeared in Nanyang.
'But if he's here… I might just make use of him.'