After half a year of relentless cultivation, Xu Su was finally going to take Physician Wu's test.
Zhan Yue was fidgeting as he stood close to Xu Su. His behavior was nothing strange, as Zhan Yue had told Xu Su that for the past six months he had made no progress on the oracular chant given to them by Physician Wu.
Xu Su knew that Zhan Yue's efforts in cultivating the oracular chant were no less intense than his own. Although Zhan Yue was unlike Xu Su, who practiced like a madman, the efforts he expended could still be considered conscientious and diligent!
Strangely, the oracular chant seemed to be useless to Zhan Yue. No matter how much effort he put in, he wasn't able to produce even the slightest amount of effects. It seems like Zhan Yue would never successfully cultivate the oracular chant.
Xu Su's mind was unsettled. He knew that Zhan Yue would probably fail the test. Even though Xu Su was slightly successful in learning the oracular chant, he was not stronger than Zhan Yue in any way, so there was a high chance of both of them failing Physician Wu's test.
Fearing the worst, Xu Su had assiduously cultivated, and by the time of the exam, the strange energy flowing in his body had increased by a little. If the energy was as thin as a strand of hair in the past, it was now slightly thicker, resembling a thread of cotton. Even so, this did not reassure Xu Su, who feared he might not pass Physician Wu's test.
"Are you guys prepared? Let me take a look at the fruits of your cultivation." Physician Wu squinted his eyes as he sat and coldly stared at the two of them.
"We are ready!" Xu Su and Zhan Yue could only put forth a bold face and agree.
Physician Wu, slowly rose from his chair and stood up. He put the book that always seemed to be nearby down on the table.
"Extend your hand"
"Circulate your Qi for me to see."
Physician Wu held Zhan Yue's right wrist with one hand and placed his other hand on top of Zhan Yue's Dantian.
After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Physician Wu retracted his hands and closely evaluated Zhan Yue.
Zhan Yue's face was flushed as he nervously put his hands behind his back, lowering his head and not daring to look Physician Wu in the eye. He knew Physician Wu had most certainly discovered that he made no progress in the oracular chant and would probably punish him to teach the two of them a lesson.
"It's your turn."
To their surprise, Physician Wu didn't even show the slightest indication that he would punish Zhan Yue. Some slight hints of disappointment flashing past Physician Wu's eyes were the only reactions Physician Wu had. After examining Zhan Yue, he turned to Xu Su and motioned for him to come closer. He then held Xu Su's wrist and began the inspection.
'His touch feels just like ice. It doesn't feel like the touch of a human being,' Xu Su mused in his mind.
The skin on Physician Wu's hand was dried and full of calluses. As he held Xu Su's hand, Xu Su could feel slight waves of sharp pain.
Perhaps it was because the external interference agitated the energy within Xu Su's body, but the strange flow of energy actually started to circulate by itself. It flowed through his meridians and energy channels, passed all his acupoints from his Dantian to his head, and flowed to his four limbs. It completed a full cycle before flowing back to his Dantian. The moment the strange flow of energy circulated throughout his entire body, Xu Su's pain from Physician Wu's touch immediately dissipated.
"Ai!" Physician Wu involuntarily let out a sound of surprise; it appeared that he had discovered the strange flow of energy in Xu Su's body.
"Quick, circulate your energy according to that chant that I taught you once again." Although Physician Wu tried his best to suppress his elation, traces of madness and excitement still flashed through his eyes, causing Xu Su to be secretly alarmed.
"Slowly, slowly… let me take a good look." Physician Wu added as his usually cold tone of voice became rushed, placing his other hand on Xu Su's Dantian.
Xu Su could feel both of Physician Wu's hands tremble slightly. As Xu Su circulated the strange energy, Physician Wu became quite agitated.
"Not bad! Not bad! This feeling… this is the feeling that I wanted. I'm not wrong, I'm not mistaken! Hahaha!"
Physician Wu, after a thorough examination, could no longer hold back and started laughing maniacally, both his hands tightly clutched on Xu Su's shoulder. Even his normally squinty eyes enlarged as they intensely stared at Xu Su. It was as if he had seen a rare and valuable treasure, his eyes flashing with faint traces of madness.
Xu Su's ears were ringing from Physician Wu's unceasing laughter and he felt a slight pain in his shoulder. Seeing the madness in Physician Wu's eyes, Xu Su could not help but feel terrified.
"Good, very good." From the expression on Xu Su's face, Physician Wu could tell that he was frightened. Only then did Physician Wu realize that he had been overeager; thus, he controlled himself and regained his composure.
"In the future, you must work as hard as you're working right now. From this day onwards, you will be promoted to my personal disciple." After saying that, Physician Wu released his tight grip on Xu Su's shoulder and proceeded to pat him in encouragement.
Physician Wu regained his usual calm look almost as if his loss of control had never happened. But from his occasional glances at Xu Su, one could tell that he was still tremendously excited.
"As for you…" Physician Wu finally shifted his gaze onto Zhan Yue.
Zhan Yue was thunderstruck by the events that unfolded earlier. Seeing that Physician Wu shifted the topic of conversation to him, Zhan Yue awoke from his daze with a start.
Just thinking that he failed the assessment and would be asked to leave the mountain caused traces of bitterness to appear on Zhan Yue's face as he looked at Physician Wu.
"Your talent is questionable. Despite such a long period of time, you still could not produce even a small trace of energy. Accepting you as my personal disciple would be too much of a stretch." Physician Wu repeatedly shook his head.
Zhan Yue's heart fell down to the bottom of an abyss after seeing Physician Wu shaking his head.
But suddenly, Physician Wu seemed to have thought of something interesting, as he gazed at Zhan Yue with a bizarre expression in his eyes.
"Looking at your bone structure, I may have a suitable martial arts technique for you. I just wonder if you are willing to learn from me..." Physician Wu's sudden shift in demeanor caught the two by surprise. It was as if Physician Wu wanted to allow Zhan Yue to pass the test
The moment Zhan Yue heard Physician Wu, how could he reject the offer? He immediately gave his consent and said that he would be willing to learn from Physician Wu.
"Good, very good! The two of you can depart first. Tomorrow, I will hand you both new cultivation techniques." It could be seen that Physician Wu's current spirits were excellent!
Xu Su and Zhan Yue both looked at each other and felt that today's test had been full of twists and turns. After all, both of them had actually passed, leaving them both relieved and satisfied.