(Book 1&2 Complete!) Dao of Healing [Transmigration Healer Xianxia]

The benefit of reaching the Foundation Building Realm was that I could maintain a high level of control over the qi I expelled outside my body. What that meant in practical terms was finally achieving a long-held dream of all humans—flight.

Well, not quite. It was more like forming platforms of qi beneath my feet and walking on them. True flight was something only Core Forging masters and Nascent Soul Sages could accomplish, but it was the first step towards it.

Either way, the vast majority of those present today wouldn't know the difference between the two. Thus, as I stepped out of the waiting room and into the sky above the arena, silence fell over the crowd of over ten thousand.

I looked down, a moment of nervous hesitation taking hold. I gulped. I had never addressed so many people at once and it was a little terrifying.

Then, I remembered why I was here. To show off the potential of healing techniques to the world. To see the efforts of my disciples.

The beginning of my dream to change this broken world.

With that in mind, I was able to find my courage. I clasped my hands behind my back and stood tall, gazing down at the people below, who awaited my speech.

"Welcome, disciples of the Grasping Life Sect and people of the surrounding regions, to the first intra-sect competition of the Grasping Life Sect!" I said, my voice level but empowered by qi to reach every single person present.

Outside the arena, I could see the screens projecting my image to the waiting crowds. "Those of you who have sought our services or who live nearby may have heard of our sect already, but I am sure there are many of you who have not. The Grasping Life Sect is unlike any other sect in the Celestial Jade Empire, and perhaps the world. We do not seek violence or conflict with our neighbours and the vast majority of us do not seek to reach the pinnacle of this world through violence." My words hung in the air, endless different reactions unfolding across the crowd.

Some were simply here for the tournament and didn't much care what I said. Others didn't believe me. They knew the nature of cultivators well and didn't believe we were different.

Then there were those who had been healed by us or had family and friends who had been healed by us. Their eyes were burning with passion and admiration.

"We are the first sect of healers in the empire. Our cultivation techniques are designed to mend wounds, cure diseases, and bring harmony to the world. It might seem strange to those of you who know the truth of this world as I do, but my heartfelt goal is to change this world for the better. I made this competition public in the hopes that you may all see the talent of my disciples and know what is possible. In the future, it is my hope that the Grasping Life Sect will reach out across the entire empire, bringing life and hope to all."

A great roar erupted from the crowd. It was led by the disciples and our former patients mostly, but many others joined in. Humans were tribal and followed the crowd.

Whether people believed me or not didn't matter. Soon they would see the truth in front of their eyes.

"All of you have come for excitement, however, not to listen to an old man droning on," I joked. "Today will be the open round, where those who do not follow the healing or martial paths will display their talents for all to see. The winner will become the first inner disciple of our sect. So, without further ado, let the Grasping Life Sect competition begin!" I roared, clapping my hands together and making a sound like thunder.

I then 'flew' down to a box in the best viewing position in the arena. There were three chairs prepared and the central one was mine. On either side of me sat Wang Ren and Yu Chun. We were to be the judges for today.

The chatter in the crowd flowed once more. They were all excited or curious for different reasons. Outside the arena, enterprising local merchants had set up shop, selling various wares and even food.

I noticed a few of my disciples had even thrown their hat into the ring. Those who were competing on another day or not at all, but wanted to earn a bit of coin on the side, were blending in seamlessly with the mortal merchants.

The Golden Leaf Consortium had more than one stall. I had of course given Manager Zheng a heads up as she was now my most valued trading partner.

The first entrant was a female disciple with mousy brown hair. She seemed timid, her shoulders slumped under the attention of the crowds. Despite that she made her way to the centre of the raised stage and bowed to each of us judges in turn.

"I am Disciple Shi An. Today I will be displaying my skills in the zither. I discovered a few months ago that playing the zither for the patients relaxed them and made complications less likely," she announced.

Then she ran off the stage, before returning with a beautifully carved zither. The wood was dark and the strings seemed invisible. She sat cross-legged on the ground, resting the instrument on her lap and preparing herself.

Her fingers were lithe and delicate, held over the strings in preparation. I raised a hand and the crowd fell silent. No one would disrespect my disciple's performance if they wished to remain inside the arena.

Then, when the only sounds that remained were the gentle whispering of the wind and distant birdsong, Shi An began to play.

At first the tune was a little disjointed. Her fingers were jerky and her arms seemed to tremble as she plucked the strings, but the quality of the instrument made up for her errors.

The notes struck at the heartstrings of the audience as an emotive song played out. She found her stride and her plucking grew more confident. The tempo quickened.

To me, the song seemed to be one of action. Her face held traces of sadness, but the tune was upbeat. It was a tale of accomplishment and vigour. The tempo slowed as Shi An approached the climax of her tune. The final note faded as raucous applause erupted.

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Honestly, it was a novel display. Music wasn't necessarily the first thing that came to mind when one considered medicine and healing, but there were certainly real applications. Many therapies back on Earth involved music.

If, as Shi An had said, it helped relax the patients, then her contributions were just as valid as those of the other disciples. As long as she earned her place there were no useless talents.

I joined the applause. "Thank you for your moving performance, Disciple Shi An. You may join the others. We will announce the winner after all the entrants have displayed their skills," I said.

She nodded, bowed, and exited the stage. The next disciple made their way up, bringing out a cauldron and alchemy equipment. "I have a feeling this will be less exciting than the music," Wang Ren muttered.

"Don't be a downer, Elder Wang," I scolded him. "All talents are equally worthy of judgment. If you're already bored, perhaps I should have chosen a different judge…"

"Bah! As if. I just know what I enjoy. I can still be impartial," he replied.

I chuckled and turned to watch as the new disciple introduced himself. This would be a long day, but I was happy to see the development of my sect on display.

****

Aside from the musician, a few other notable performances were had. The first alchemist wasn't that talented. He refined a single batch of three pills, which supposedly were basic spirit enhancement pills—essentially spirit stones in pill form, but far weaker.

Each of us judges tried one. My physique immediately let me know the pill was more impurities than beneficial elements, but both were useful to me, even in such minor quantities.

Unfortunately for the disciple who presented them, that wasn't a good enough display to beat even the musician. He wouldn't learn that until the end, anyway.

There were more alchemists and herbalist displays, some more talented than others. One disciple even forged a sword on the stage, which was actually quite an arduous process. The crowds seemed excited to watch despite this first day being rather boring in comparison to what was to come. I suppose if you were a mortal who spent most of their days farming or doing a menial job, any distraction was interesting and exciting.

This was the smallest cohort of disciples competing. The vast majority were in the healing competition and the combat competition that would be happening on the next two days. Once all the disciples had given their display, I addressed the audience and let them know we needed some time to deliberate and they could browse the various stalls that had popped up outside.

Wang Ren leaned in. "I personally think the one who forged that sword should win. The blade itself was only Mortal grade, but he had talent. If you nurture him properly and give him sufficient resources, he would eventually become a valuable asset to the sect," he said.

"He was talented, but enough to claim a spot as an inner disciple of the sect? To be honest, I was leaning towards the first disciple. That performance was exceptional and if the medical applications are potent enough, she could be a star of the Grasping Life Sect," I replied, tapping my chin in thought.

Then it was Yu Chun's turn to chime in with an unexpected suggestion. "I don't think it's a good idea to announce the first inner disciple today. This is a healing sect, but you'd be making the first inner disciple someone who isn't a healer nor a combatant of the sect. It might send the wrong message."

All of us fell silent. She made a great point, one that I hadn't considered when setting up the order of the competitions. "To be honest, you're right. What do you suggest instead?" I asked.

"You should announce that there will be an award ceremony after the conclusion of the final day of the competition, where all of the inner disciples will be named at once. It will give the audience and the disciples something to look forward to," Yu Chun explained.

It was a perfect solution. This was exactly why she'd been made the Administration Elder of the sect. I narrowed my eyes and glanced at her. "Are you already at the six-star Body Tempering Realm!?" I exclaimed.

She smirked. "Manager Zheng and I had a very productive discussion. The Golden Leaf Consortium has a lot of valuable resources that we aren't exploiting enough. For someone so talented, you often seem quite ignorant of the wider world, Sect Leader."

Wang Ren burst out laughing while I put on an offended expression and clutched my heart in shock. "Traitors, the both of you," I said, before joining them in the laughter. "You're right though, but that's why I have you all to help,"

"Indeed, at least you know how to delegate properly. That's what makes you an effective figurehead—ahem, Sect Leader," Wang Ren quipped.

I harrumphed. "Even my own Elders treat me this way. How will I keep face in front of the crowds? Fools. Alright, we've agreed to award all the inner disciple spots on the final day, but we still need to pick a winner for today."

"I still think the artifact refiner," Wang Ren said.

Yu Chun giggled, a melodic sound that pleased the ears. "Of course you do, you battle-crazed brute. Even when it comes to non-combat professions you pick the one who forges weapons," she joked. "I agree with the Sect Leader's choice. The musician. However, the refiner is definitely close in the running. Invest in both of them, regardless of which receives the inner disciple position."

"We should have a top three for each competition, I suppose. It's tradition," I said, still tapping my chin absentmindedly. "I have a fantastic idea to decide between the top two, but we'll need to wait for the third day. That alchemist disciple who made the pain numbing pills gets third place."

"That works for me," Wang Ren said.

I could tell he wasn't too invested in today's competition. He was eager for tomorrow to come, for the martial competition. He'd been training all the disciples for the past year in anticipation.

"An excellent decision, as expected of the Sect Leader," Yu Chun said with a smile.

With that, I stood up to address the crowds and my disciples. It didn't matter if some of them hadn't made it back to their seats, as the screens outside would transmit my speech to every single person in the area.

"I'd like to thank each and every one of my hard working disciples for showing off their talents today. Also, thank you to the people of this region, some of whom travelled for days to come and watch our long awaited competition!" I began to raucous applause from the crowd.

Raising a hand to silence them, I continued. "There has been a difficult discussion between myself and the two Elders, but we have come to a decision. All of the inner disciple spots and the results of the competition will be announced in an awards ceremony after all three competitions have completed.

"If you wish to find out which disciple emerged victorious, stick around for the full duration of the competition. Today's open competition has concluded, but the martial tournament's first round will begin early tomorrow." The crowd was silent at first, but then a wave of applause and cheers spread through them as I concluded my speech.

I saw the tension in my disciples' faces, but that only ratified my decision. Yu Chun had been right.

After that I made my way back to my house on Million Flowers Celestial Peak. I would spend the night continuing to study my spiritual body. The more I mapped it, the closer I felt myself drawing to an invisible epiphany. I knew there was a grand discovery related to healing on the horizon, but I couldn't quite figure it out.

Another benefit to all of my learning about the spiritual body and the development of my internal sight was that my dao fragment of healing seemed more… real. I wondered if that was the breakthrough I could feel, or if it was simply another benefit of the past year of cultivation.

The night passed in the blink of an eye. The rising sun greeted me as I stepped into the crisp dawn air. Already there was a crowd stretching to the horizon from the arena at the base of the mountain.

It was time for the martial competition. Wang Ren stepped out of his house, greeting me with a beaming smile. I wasn't sure who was more excited for this—the crowds or Wang Ren.