Chapter 811: The Meddlesome Donkey

As a peak six-star physician, his control over his body had reached an extremely profound level. How could he not know whether he had been poisoned?

Just now, he realized that the deadly poison had already invaded his heart and lungs, reaching a depth that even he could not treat.

In other words... he had been poisoned without even realizing it!

Hadn't the Zhou Tian Furnace Detoxification Method neutralized the poison?

What was going on?

"Correct, you never detoxified..." Zhang Xuan looked over.

"Not detoxified? How is that possible!"

His body trembling, You Xu hurriedly circulated his true qi, trying to suppress the poison within him, but found it completely ineffective: "Could it be that your venom wasn't in that green swill liquid? You... tricked me!"

He had expelled all the urine he drank, not a drop left, yet he was still poisoned. Could it be that this guy used the holy beast's urine only as a diversion, while the real poison was elsewhere?

"Tricked you?"

Zhang Xuan looked over coldly, his voice carrying interrogation, piercing straight to the heart: "I approached you to buy the Ten-Leaf Flower with a sincere attitude and not a single word out of line. You refused to sell, that's fine, but you lured Wei Changfeng to gather Cloud Mist Flowers at Cloud Mist Ridge, causing him to be besieged by holy beasts and die tragically... Was that me tricking you?"

He walked forward as he spoke, exuding an aura that made people dare not confront him directly.

"Sending someone to gather Cloud Mist Flowers? That... isn't that sending them to their death?"

"Could this be the root of their conflict?"

"I thought earlier that this Zhang Xuan challenged the vice dean just for fame, but it turns out the latter was the one being unreasonable first..."

...

Hearing the resonant voice like a bell from the stage, the crowd below erupted in uproar.

Many present knew that Zhang Xuan had challenged Vice Dean You, but not the reason; only now did they understand.

"I..."

Hearing the accusations from below and the mention of Wei Changfeng's death, You Xu's heart panicked, and he involuntarily stepped back.

"I obtained the Cloud Mist Flower, but you insisted it be alive. Fine, I revived the Cloud Mist Flower, and you went back on your word again... Was that me tricking you?"

Zhang Xuan continued forward, his gaze like lightning.

"I..."

You Xu's body trembled, unable to refute, and stepped back again.

"You said the Ten-Leaf Flower wasn't mature and couldn't be sold. I used a special method, consuming true qi to ripen it, yet you still refused to sell, disregarding the reputation of a master teacher... Was that also me tricking you?"

His words were like knives, as if piercing the other's soul, and his voice was like a great bell, resounding across the entire stage.

"I..."

Having said 'I' three times in a row, You Xu's lips trembled; he wanted to explain but couldn't.

Everything the other said was correct; even if he wanted to refute, he had no grounds.

"There's such a thing?"

"So Master Zhang sought out Vice Dean You to buy medicine... Not selling and even deliberately making things difficult—that's too much!"

"I used to admire Vice Dean You, but I never thought he was this kind of person. He's simply a disgrace to the Physician Academy!"

...

Hearing Zhang Xuan's words, the crowd below erupted in uproar.

Earlier, many senior students thought that Zhang Xuan, as a freshman, challenging the vice dean was overreaching and disrespectful of hierarchy, but only now did they realize it was all forced by the latter!

A dignified six-star master teacher, going back on his word and breaking promises—not just Master Zhang, but anyone would be furious and unforgiving.

"The medicine I cultivated, I sell if I want, and I don't if I don't! Does refusing to sell to you make me guilty?"

Seeing public opinion leaning entirely against him, You Xu steadied his steps and clenched his teeth.

"The Ten-Leaf Flower is indeed yours to sell or not; that's up to you, and I have nothing to say! But... in a physician's life-and-death duel, I challenge if I want to. What can you do about it?"

Zhang Xuan's expression was stern.

"You..."

You Xu's whole body stiffened.

In a contest of detoxification, he was no match; in other contests, he would surely be even more hopeless!

In other words... in a physician's life-and-death duel, he simply could not win.

This time, with so many people watching, even if the other didn't dare kill him, he couldn't withstand being challenged anytime!

Each challenge would strip him of his skin; after a few times, even if he didn't die, he'd be as good as dead.

"This time... I admit defeat! Tell me what compensation you want, and I'll pay it. At worst, I'll give you that Ten-Leaf Flower." Gritting his teeth, You Xu said.

"Compensation?" Zhang Xuan stepped forward: "Can you compensate for Wei Changfeng's life?"

You Xu stepped back: "Then what do you want?"

"Simple... pay with your life for Wei Changfeng!"

Zhang Xuan looked over coldly.

Wei Changfeng's death was all because of this guy. So he had only one thought—a life for a life!

He was beaten to death by holy beasts for his daughter, for his obsession as a father. And you, the culprit, how could you remain alive in this world!

"Pay with my life?" You Xu's face twisted: "I am the dignified vice dean of the Physician Academy, a six-star upper-grade master teacher. Pay with my life for a nobody like him? On what grounds!"

"On what grounds? Haha!" Zhang Xuan laughed loudly: "Then I'll tell you on what grounds!"

"On the grounds that I alone solved five hundred and three difficult and complicated diseases on the Wall of Difficulties!"

"On the grounds that I left four hundred and thirty-two diagnostic methods on the Disease Platform!"

"On the grounds that I provided new treatment plans for many diseases left by predecessors, making many inherited diseases easier to cure!"

"On the grounds that I, in my assault on six-star physician, made no mistakes and left the most correct prescriptions for seventy-three diseases!"

"Although I destroyed the Physician Tower, I left behind more medicinal formulas for treating diseases, prompting the headquarters to approve my physician's life-and-death duel. And you ask me on what grounds?"

"My grounds are my upright identity as a physician; my grounds are that in the life-and-death duel, I defeated you!"

With each sentence, Zhang Xuan stepped forward, his voice like a torrent, making him seem like a deity descending from the heavens, not to be slighted or insulted.

"I..."

Stepping back repeatedly, You Xu suddenly felt his feet give way and realized he had retreated to the edge of the stage.

Indeed, the other had used no tricks; he relied on strength, on the life-and-death duel, on an upright contest. If he refused to admit defeat, he would have no excuse or pretext.

"Kill yourself!"

Seeing the other's face turn pale, unable to speak, knowing his confidence had been completely shattered, Zhang Xuan waved his hand grandly.

"I..."

His body trembling, You Xu's face turned ashen. In an instant, he felt his life was utterly worthless; living was worse than dying.

He raised his hand and, without hesitation, struck straight at his own head.

"Stop!"

Just as his palm was about to hit his head, a loud shout suddenly rang out from the sky, and a figure descended straight down from the air.

At the shout, the previously despondent You Xu suddenly shuddered, then looked at Zhang Xuan with bloodshot eyes.

"You dared to use Teacher's Word of Heaven on me? I'll kill you..."

Now, even a fool would know that the other had just used Teacher's Word of Heaven, leveraging the pressure of heaven and earth to make him lose his mind and act involuntarily. If the figure's shout had come half a step later, he would have already killed himself.

Boom!

His whole body moved, You Xu charged at Zhang Xuan, erupting with狂暴 power, carrying an invincible碾压.

The full aura of a Saint realm first layer peak was released, and the entire stage seemed unable to bear it, on the verge of collapse.

Unfazed, Zhang Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, proudly on the stage, exuding an aura that seemed dismissive of the attack.

"Enough, Dean You!"

Just as the attack was about to land on Zhang Xuan, the earlier shout rang out again. The figure waved his hand, and You Xu's overwhelming attack instantly dissipated.

Seeing the attack vanish, Zhang Xuan sighed, feeling it was a pity.

A physician's life-and-death duel, since approved by headquarters, was naturally under their supervision and sanction. If You Xu's palm had actually landed, he would likely have been killed from afar by headquarters!

Pity, he was stopped.

Turning to look at the figure, it was a white-bearded old man wearing master teacher robes, with a dignified brow, clearly extraordinary.

"You are Zhang Xuan?" The old man looked over indifferently, with a condescending air.

Seeing this guy stop him from killing You Xu and still putting on airs, Zhang Xuan frowned.

"I am Lu Feng, dean of the Alchemy Academy!"

After introducing himself, Dean Lu Feng's eyes carried pressure, giving an undeniable force: "You Xu, after all, is a teacher of the academy, a dignified vice dean. Even if he made a mistake, it doesn't warrant death. How about this: I'll have him compensate you with the Ten-Leaf Flower and some spirit stones, and let this matter rest!"

"Let it rest?"

Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

If not for this old man's interference, You Xu would surely be dead!

A Ten-Leaf Flower and spirit stones... could these two things exchange for Wei Changfeng's life?

"Indeed, the academy has its rules. As a student, challenging a teacher is already a violation of rules and of the etiquette between teacher and student. If you let this matter go today, the academy will also show leniency in your punishment..."

Waving his hand grandly, Dean Lu Feng's tone carried benevolence.

"Leniency?" Zhang Xuan's gaze turned cold: "What if I don't want compensation, only his life?"

"His life? Hmph, this is the Master Teacher Academy; we won't allow a student to do as he pleases!"

Seeing that even after his personal intervention, the freshman was not grateful and tearfully thankful, but instead dared to openly defy him, Dean Lu Feng's face turned livid.

"Moreover, You Xu is not only a physician but also a six-star upper-grade master teacher registered with the Master Teacher Pavilion. How to deal with him requires joint deliberation between the Master Teacher Pavilion and the academy; it's not for a small-time four-star figure like you to meddle!"

"Are you the academy dean?" Zhang Xuan squinted.

"No!"

Unexpectedly asked this, Lu Feng was taken aback, then said: "However, with the old dean missing, and the Alchemy Academy being the largest, many matters of the Master Teacher Academy are decided by me. I am acting as interim dean. Rest assured, my decisions are final; even You Xu dare not contradict them!"

"Since you're not the dean, what right do you have to interrupt here? There's grass by the river; we don't need a meddlesome donkey! Get lost!"

Hearing that the other was not the dean, Zhang Xuan raised his eyebrows and flicked his sleeve.

"Otherwise, believe me, I'll go challenge your Alchemy Academy right now!"