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Dao of Healing - Chapter 140
🕑 Added 2025-06-03 12:55:43 +0000 UTCThe next day I did little in the way of work. I had been focusing constantly on
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The next day I did little in the way of work. I had been focusing constantly on the healing techniques and my various tasks, which had led to an accumulation of mental fatigue. I strolled through the forests, admired the natural flower formation of the mountain peak, and sipped my favourite blend of tea from a herbalist in Twisting Ridge City.
In addition to some relaxation, there was one important job that I couldn’t put off. An illustrious new building had sprung up on the mountain peak thanks to the efforts of the Yu twins. I met the two disciples outside where they awaited my final judgment.
Despite the time I’d spent in this world, it was still incredible to me how quickly construction work could be completed with the power of cultivation and the strength it gave its practitioners. I imagined with qi it would become an even more effortless feat.
The building, which was to be the sect’s library, stood like a magnificent bastion of knowledge against the picturesque beauty of Million Flowers Celestial Peak. I marvelled over it for a few silent moments of appreciation, before turning back to the twin disciples.
They had expectant gazes on their faces, eager for my approval and nervous of my judgment. “You have done an incredible job, Yu Bao, Yu Jin. Thank you for your hard work,” I said with a smile, pulling two golden spirit stones out of my spatial ring and tossing one to each of the boys.
Their eyes lit up and their brows shot to their hairlines. “Sect Leader, this… It’s too much,” Yu Jin exclaimed.
I flicked a sleeve dismissively. “Nonsense, you deserve it. All contributions to the sect will be rewarded. Perhaps it is a little generous, but you won’t be able to use them until the Qi Gathering Realm anyway. Think of it as an investment in the sect’s future if you must.”
The twins nodded gracefully and pocketed the stones. “Let us give you a tour, Sect Leader. We followed your specifications to the letter,” Yu Bao said, motioning for me to enter the building.
Just as they said, the library was all that I’d envisioned and more. The entrance was demarcated by two towering pillars of white marble veined with jade and gold in ornate, spiraling patterns. An empty jade plaque stood above the thick steel doors, awaiting the carving denoting the building’s name.
I paused beneath it. The twins stopped as they were about to push open the doors, turning to observe me.
Closing my eyes and taking a breath, I let my qi circulate. It flowed out of my dantian and through my spirit veins, cycling through each meridian in turn.
I gathered it in a single finger, forming the sharpest scalpel I’d ever wielded. I raised my finger. Two deft, fluid motions later, two characters were inscribed on the plaque in the language of the Celestial Jade Empire.
My qi and intent lingered in the characters, with the hope that any who saw them would feel what I felt when I looked to the future. The inscribed characters were simple yet meaningful: grasping knowledge.
I let the excess qi dissipate and lowered my finger. Perfect. I stepped forward to begin the tour, but found my two guides lost in thought as they stared up at the inscription.
I chuckled and left them to it. Who knew what insights they would glean from my handiwork?
The inside of the library turned out to be just as imposing as the outside, yet an atmosphere of tranquility suffused its every corridor. Towering shelves lined the walls and there was a desk in the centre of the room, obvious to any who entered.
The building consisted of three floors. I planned for each consecutive floor to contain techniques and manuals of greater complexity and value. The most powerful and well-guarded techniques of our sect would reside on the third floor.
For now, the library would remain quite empty. I didn’t have many grand techniques, but I had a myriad of lesser ones. I didn’t want to poison the cultivation of my disciples with too much choice, especially when most of them would be following the path of healing I laid down for them.
The first floor gained its first items. On the central shelf, I placed the jade slips for both the Body Restoration Technique and the Disease Purging Technique. On the small tablet at the top of the shelf, I inscribed the words ‘Grasping Life Arts First Layer’.
This shelf would be reserved for those techniques that I created for my disciples, which anyone of the Qi Gathering Realm or below could understand and practice. For now, that was a very small number.
Only Feng Mei, who was able to proficiently manipulate her blood essence, and a few older disciples who’d reached one-star Qi Gathering would be among them. I placed copies of various cultivation techniques, combat arts, movement techniques, and other useful techniques on the surrounding shelves.
To begin with, every disciple would receive a copy of the two techniques in the Grasping Life Arts First Layer. However, in future, they would need to contribute to the sect and exchange merits in order to take a copy of a technique from the library. It was how I would keep them motivated, while not limiting the sharing of knowledge too much.
That was one thing I had learned in my past life, which limited cultivators here. Sharing knowledge led to great progress, while keeping it hidden would give one a limited perspective on their problems. It wasn’t simply a case of adding two people’s work together, but when you brought multiple perspectives on the same issue into collaboration, a multiplicative effect was seen.
Thus, I had no desire to limit or restrict knowledge too much from my disciples. The contribution barrier was simply a way of keeping them motivated and moving forwards, instead of stagnating on their path.
Satisfied with the construction of the library and my plans for it, I made my way back outside. The twins were still standing in the same spot, but their eyes were less hazy than when I’d entered.
As I took a step beyond the towering steel doors, Yu Bao was the first to rouse from his trance. Yu Jin followed soon after.
“Ah! Sect Leader, my apologies for the distraction. Let us show you inside right away,” Yu Bao exclaimed in horror as he realised what had happened.
I chuckled in amusement. “No need, Disciples Yu. I have already inspected the library. It is perfect,” I told them before making my way back towards my house. “Don’t forget to be outside the palace this evening.”
“Yes, Sect Leader!” they shouted in unison with a bow to their waists.
****
When the sun began to sink towards the horizon and the golden-violet hues of dusk lit up the evening sky, I gathered myself to meet my disciples once more. I hoped most of them would still be here after yesterday’s debacle, but not everyone was cut out for this life.
For those who had chosen to stay, despite the heavy handed use of the stick I had employed, there was a sweet, juicy carrot waiting for them. Two carrots, in fact.
I walked out of the Grasping Life Palace, halting in surprise for a moment before smiling and continuing towards the front of the crowd. As far as I could tell, every single disciple who had been present yesterday was still here today.
“I am glad to see you all here today. I will reiterate once more that from today onwards, there will be zero tolerance for the nonsense that occurred a few nights ago.” There was little reaction from the crowd. Determined nods and eager eyes were all I saw. It pleased me.
“With that being said, dedication and loyalty have their own rewards. I told you all yesterday that I have devised the first foundational healing techniques for the Grasping Life Sect. These will be the lynchpin of our sect, from which you will all grow into talented healers and renowned cultivators!” An excited cheer went up at that, putting a genuine smile of happiness on my face.
Once the chatter died down, I continued. “To that end, a grand library has been under construction for a short while. I am sure many of you noticed and wondered what the purpose of the building was, but today I can tell you exactly that. All disciples will be able to receive a copy of the two foundational healing techniques, the Body Restoration Technique and the Disease Purging Technique, from the library today. Alongside these are many other cultivation manuals, movement and utility techniques, and more. All have been handpicked by myself to suit your continued growth and advancement. However, only the two techniques you receive today will be a gift from the sect. In future, you must exchange contributions to receive copies of a technique,” I explained.
The reactions were mixed. A few understood the system while others had no clue what it entailed. They would learn over time.
“Some of you may know Miss Yu. She will be appointed as the manager of the library and the contribution system, so make sure not to cross her if you wish to keep your path open,” I joked. Yu Chun smiled and waved at the disciples, clearly satisfied with the role I’d offered her.
Actually, learning that she had the talent to cultivate and just hadn’t been given the opportunity took another weight off my shoulders. Management wasn’t a role she needed to be an exceptional fighter for, so even her reaching the Qi Gathering Realm would please me.
“In the coming days, I will be organising an official schedule for classes. When Guest Elder Li returns, he will be teaching the art of formations. There will of course be classes on the many intricacies of healing, and for those of you who don’t have the aptitude for healing, there will be vocational courses on alchemy, herbalism, and combat. A sect requires many pillars to stand tall, even if our focus is on healing. Don’t forget that and work hard to become the foundation for the Grasping Life Sect!” A loud cheer went up from the crowd of disciples. I saw their fervent passion; their belief in both themselves and me—their Sect Leader.
“As I told you before, hard work is always rewarded. I wish to see you all putting in the effort to develop your own skills and contributing to the sect. Thus, I have decided that in one year, the Grasping Life Sect will hold the very first intra-sect competition. There will be three categories: healing, combat, and the sect open. Doing well in this competition will bring many rewards, which I will reveal closer to the date, and also those who emerge victorious will be granted the greatest reward of all…” I paused to let the tension build as the disciples devoured my words. “...They will become the first inner disciples of the sect! Now, don’t slack off and make me proud.”
With everything said, I dismissed the disciples and stood tall, hands clasped behind my back as I watched them stream down the mountain. I saw the excitement in most of their eyes—the eagerness to advance.
Even a few of those who hadn’t reacted well during yesterday’s punishments seemed to have a change of heart overnight. I didn’t believe that all of them were perfect individuals aligned with my own goals, but I had set out systems that would ensure the sect developed how I wanted it to.
Wang Ren made his way towards me from near the back of the crowd. He had been keeping a close eye to ensure no more trouble occurred.
“I approve of all the decisions you’ve been making lately. You’re truly shaping into a worthy Sect Leader, Zhao Dan,” he said with a rare smile. “Looking at you I can barely recognise the timid boy who used to get bullied every day in the Cloudy Falls Sect. I am proud of you, Junior Brother.”
I froze in shock. Did he really just break his own rigid laws to call me his Junior Brother? My face lit up in genuine joy as I dragged him into an embrace. He protested, but eventually relented and hugged me back.
“You too, Senior Brother. Elder Bang would be proud of the warrior you have become, I am sure of it,” I said as we pulled away.
His expression fell a little at the mention of his deceased master. I could see the smoldering fires of resentment and hatred deep within his eyes. “Don’t worry, those responsible will pay when the time is right. We are almost at the level of those scheming Elders,” I said, clasping his shoulder.
“You’re right, Sect Leader. Let’s keep working hard. I’m going to go and train,” he replied, giving me a final nod and marching towards the sparring grounds.
Seeing how hard he was working made me more motivated to reach for my own goals. There were two things I would work towards achieving in the year leading up to the first intra-sect competition. Refining my brain and completing the first layer of my Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique, and attempting to decipher the ancient and enigmatic manual the Spring and Autumn Sage had given me as my reward for completing his trials.
Only having two goals seemed simple, but both were challenging prospects to tackle. I was motivated and confident in my abilities, however, so without delay I headed towards the forest to begin.
****
Two weeks later, I had made little progress when it came to deciphering the ancient tome. It was not only written in an ancient language I didn’t recognise, but even the words I could break down and understand spoke of concepts far beyond my comprehension.
However, while my progress with the tome had stagnated, the refinement of my fifth and final organ for the first layer of my physique was progressing smoothly. With the plethora of natural treasures I had obtained in the Blossoming Heavens, it was only a matter of time before I finished refining my brain.
In fact, I was confident I could achieve it within the next few days. I estimated my current progress to be around ninety percent, thanks to non-stop cultivation in the forests of the peak.
Unfortunately, I was interrupted in the middle of concentrating by the arrival of a disciple. I didn’t really recognise them, but I had seen their face around once or twice.
“Sect Leader, sorry to disturb you but a lady arrived at the gates requesting a meeting with you. She said her name was Manager Zheng,” the disciple said with a bow, a nervous expression on their face.
My annoyance at being disturbed was replaced by excited anticipation. Finally, she had finished her business and arrived!
“Thank you for letting me know,” I told the disciple. “Please escort Manager Zheng to my house and inform her that I will be with her shortly.”
The disciple nodded and bowed before scurrying away. Most of them now looked up to me, but they still feared my strength. It was natural, given the gulf between our statuses and cultivation.
Putting away the treasure I had been about to consume, I stood up and stretched my legs. There was still plenty of time to cultivate before the competition. Right now I was more interested to see Manager Zheng and talk business.
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