80. First Disciple

As Gavin and Fang Ping sat in the carriage at noon, having just healed another 25 people, Gavin reflected on his progress. This time, he didn't use his life energy but instead relied on his newly cultivated true essence. Though it required twice the amount compared to life energy for the same healing effect, after treating 25 people, he still had 70% of his true essence left. 

As the carriage rolled toward the princess's mansion, Gavin pondered his next move. 

In front of the mansion gates, a crowd had gathered—servants of aristocratic families, wealthy merchants, and officials. Unlike the outer city, where the plague had spread rampantly, the perpetrators had controlled its spread within the inner city. Still, misfortune struck some, and a few had contracted the disease. Unlike in the outer city, where deaths were common knowledge, the deaths in the inner city had been quietly suppressed—because the victims were mere servants or insignificant family members. Their deaths were kept secret to prevent entire households from being relocated to the outer city under quarantine. 

According to city policy, if someone died of the plague, all those they had contact with in the past week would be sent to the outer city for quarantine. But the risk of infection there was far greater. Now, the situation has changed. The ones infected were no longer just servants but young masters, young ladies, esteemed lords, and noble madams—people whose deaths could not be concealed. The loss of such individuals would be a devastating blow to their families. 

The crowd had gathered for him. He could sense their desperation, their unspoken plea for his aid. 

Gavin weighed his options. Should I agree? If he formed connections with these influential families, establishing a martial sect would be far easier. With their resources, he wouldn't have to scavenge for materials. However, he couldn't agree right away—not with Fang Ping beside him. If he revealed his full abilities now, his carefully crafted persona would crumble. 

A plan had already formed in his mind.

After five minutes, they heard the sound of a crowd gathering at the front, and soon, the carriage came to a slow stop. Fang Ping lifted the curtains to look outside and saw a large group of people gathered. The crowd had already set their sights on the carriage, recognizing the royal insignia and knowing that Gavin was inside. 

As soon as they saw Fang Ping, they swarmed the carriage, shouting: 

"Dr. Gavin, my family's young master has caught the plague! If you treat him, my master promises to reward you with 100 vitality gems!" 

"My master offers 100 vitality gems and a house!" 

"My young lady—110 vitality gems and marriage with her!" 

"My old lady -120 vitality gems!" 

One by one, they called out their offers, desperate for Gavin to heal their masters. 

Fang Ping raised her voice, "Everyone, listen! Dr. Gavin's energy is low, and he cannot heal your masters right now!" 

Gavin lifted the curtain on his side, revealing his pale, exhausted face. He spoke weakly, "Everyone, I cannot help your masters at this moment. But how about this—you write down the names of your families, and after I recover some energy, I will visit and check on them." With that, he let the curtain fall. 

"Okay, Dr. Gavin!" 

"Dr. Gavin, my family will wait for you!" 

Fang Ping added, "Now, please make way for us to enter the princess's mansion so Dr. Gavin can rest. Only then will he be able to visit your homes." 

"Yes!" 

"Everyone, let Dr. Gavin rest!" 

The crowd stepped aside, allowing the carriage to enter the mansion. 

As Gavin and Fang Ping stepped out of the carriage, a maid approached them. "The Princess wishes to see you," she informed them. 

They followed the maid to meet the princess. During their conversation, she asked Gavin if he could develop a treatment for the plague. Gavin responded that he would need at least two weeks to find a cure. 

After the discussion, they had a meal before walking out of the main house.

Outside, Fang Ping said, "Master Gavin, I will go to my room. You should also rest in your room." 

Gavin replied, "First, let's go to your room so I can teach you the practice method." 

Fang Ping nodded and led Gavin to his room. Inside, Gavin sat on a chair while Fang Ping knelt before him, serving him tea—a traditional ceremony to accept a disciple in this world. 

After completing the ceremony, Gavin said, "Hold still. I am sending the Martial Art Technique into your memory." He then transmitted the knowledge of the Healing Ring Martial Technique up to the first ring directly into Fang Ping's mind. 

For the first time, Fang Ping experienced a vast amount of foreign memory flooding his consciousness. The transmitted knowledge contained detailed meridian diagrams and the precise locations of acupuncture points. Seeing a complete meridian system for the first time, Fang Ping was in awe. He thought, Master's research on the human body is terrifying. Just how many corpses did he examine to map out all of this? 

He didn't believe his master had obtained this knowledge from someone else. Anyone who possessed a complete meridian diagram would guard it with their life. Fang Ping doubted anyone else, besides Gavin, even had this knowledge. Each meridian and acupoint had detailed explanations of their functions, proving its completeness. 

Then, he read through the Healing Ring Technique and how to cultivate it. His expression darkened as he absorbed the details. The initial phase required practicing yoga and a breathing technique. At some point within a month, his body would naturally generate internal energy. Only then could he use that energy to open his lower dantian, advancing to the Third-Grade Martial Realm. 

Fang Ping opened his eyes when he heard Gavin's voice. "Why are you frowning?" 

"Master," Fang Ping replied, "I thought I would experience internal energy today, but now I see I have to wait for it to generate." 

Gavin smirked. "Yes. If I weren't here, then you would have to wait. But come here—I'll help you advance to Third Grade." 

Fang Ping's curiosity sparked. "How?" 

"With my true essence." 

Fang Ping hesitated. "Master, you need to save your true essence. You'll be treating patients again tonight." 

Gavin smiled. "Fang Ping, guess how much true essence I used to heal 25 patients." 

Fang Ping thought for a moment. "Eighty to ninety percent?" 

"Only forty percent." 

Fang Ping was stunned. If Master used just 40% of his true essence for 25 patients, then with his full reserves, he could heal more than 50 people. Unable to understand, he asked, "Why?" 

Gavin replied, "Never use 100% of your energy to heal someone. Stop at sixty percent, even if you think just one more percent could heal them." 

"Why?" 

"Because your life is more important. If you die while saving someone, you save only one life. But if you remain alive, you can save countless lives." 

Fang Ping absorbed Gavin's words. His master looked to be his age, but their experiences were worlds apart. Master has traveled extensively… He must have suffered a lot to gain such wisdom. 

Fang Ping nodded in understanding. 

Gavin gestured, "Come closer." 

Fang Ping obeyed. Gavin placed his right palm just above Fang Ping's navel. With a simple scan using his spiritual field, Gavin easily located the lower dantian. He infused a wisp of true essence, opening Fang Ping's lower dantian and leaving behind a trace of energy within it. 

Gavin instructed, "Now, use my true essence to open the required meridians." 

With this assistance, Fang Ping would be able to unlock the pathways needed to become a Third-Grade Martial Artist. 

Once Fang Ping began working on his meridians, Gavin stood up. "I'll be in my room," he said. 

Even from a distance, Gavin could monitor Fang Ping using his spiritual field, so he left to resume his practice.

Arriving in his room, Gavin took a bath and changed into a fresh set of clothes. He sat cross-legged on the bed, spreading his spiritual field to search for Sterza, Lou Xi, Wang Hao, Ruan Meng, and Jiang Quan. 

They had left the mansion earlier that morning, heading outside the city to investigate the river that supplied drinking water. The plague's source was still unknown, but since it wasn't highly contagious—spreading only through direct contact—the river was a likely candidate for contamination. As expected, they had discovered traces of the plague in the water and had continued upstream to locate its origin. Now, Gavin found them setting up camp by the river for the night. 

Confirming that Sterza was safe, Gavin refocused on his cultivation and began absorbing the plague energy. 

As the plague energy entered his body, it immediately clashed with his true essence, triggering an internal battle. The opposing energies ravaged his meridians, causing injuries throughout his body. He stopped once he had accumulated enough wounds, then circulated his true essence to heal himself. As the healing process progressed, he noticed that his true essence was becoming denser and more refined. 

Testing this newfound refinement, he extended his right palm, releasing his true essence, shaping it into a glove of energy around his hand. The energy took on a more solid form than before, proving its increased strength and control. Satisfied, he reabsorbed the energy back into his body and began absorbing vital energy to replenish his reserves. 

After an hour of recovery, he resumed absorbing the plague energy, continuing the dangerous but rewarding cycle of refinement.

Vital energy is a neutral energy with traces of life rules in it. However, it can be altered by external influences. In this city, due to the plague, portions of vital energy have transformed into plague energy and sunk into the ground. This corrupted energy accumulates underground, eventually forming an Earthly Evil Energy Core. 

Once the core is fully formed, it begins affecting the surface, altering the surrounding environment. If such a core were to form within the city, it would eventually become uninhabitable. The individuals responsible for spreading the plague are completely unaware of this consequence. Their objective was simple—to infect a large number of people so that the array they placed within the city could absorb the life spans of the afflicted. The life force is then transferred to a tree growing underground. This array does not work on healthy individuals; it can only harvest life spans from the sick, as their life source is already weakened. 

After several hours of absorbing and refining energy, a pleasurable sensation coursed through Gavin's body. His physique advanced a step within the Bronze Rank Lifeform, though not yet reaching Silver Rank—but he was progressing. His true essence also underwent a transformation. 

Rising from the bed, he left his room and walked toward the training field inside the mansion. Once there, he manifested his true essence into a sword and slashed at a wooden training dummy. The energy blade sliced cleanly through the wood. Previously, his true essence could only take the form of blunt weapons—they lacked sharpness and could only push enemies away. Now, however, it could form an edge, cutting through solid objects with ease.

To further test the sharpness, he plucked a few leaves from a nearby tree and tossed them into the air. With a swift strike of his true essence sword, he slashed through them. When the leaves fell to the ground, each was cleanly split in two. 

His strength had increased exponentially—both his physical power and the damage output of his true essence had reached a new level. Wielding a sharp weapon instead of a blunt one made a significant difference in combat effectiveness. 

After completing his tests, he turned and began walking toward his disciple's residence. It was time to check on the patients from the aristocratic, wealthy merchant, and official families. He was also well aware that the people behind the plague would send their men to attack tonight. 

Not only that, but he even knew the exact locations of their ambushes.