Zhang Fan ignored Master Qian's mocking gaze. For him, facts spoke louder than words, and he saw no need to waste breath. He would let the results do the talking.
Zhang Fan walked to the sickbed, placing a hand on Lin Dahai's wrist. A wisp of pure spiritual energy entered his body, roaming within before finally reaching Lin Dahai's internal organs. After a while, Zhang Fan withdrew his hand.
Seeing Lin Yueru's apparent nervousness, Zhang Fan offered her a smile.
He looked at Lin Yueru and said, "A trace of faint true energy was injected into your father's lungs. It's not a major problem; we just need to expel it."
Everyone was somewhat astonished. How could he know Lin Dahai's injury? Before this, none of them had known the specifics of Lin Dahai's condition.
Master Lin, standing nearby, inwardly conceded, "This kid actually has some skill," upon realizing Zhang Fan could discern Lin Dahai's exact injury.
However, Zhang Fan's latter statement irked Master Qian. After all, he had just declared the illness untreatable. Zhang Fan claiming it was not a major issue was tantamount to slapping him in the face.
Before Lin Yueru could breathe a sigh of relief, Master Qian reignited her anxiety.
"Hmph, you say it so easily. Even if it's faint true energy, it's still Innate True Energy. How dare you call it not a major problem! Do you think you're an Innate Grandmaster?" Master Qian sneered.
"Innate True Energy?" Xu Youran and Lin Yueru were both startled.
"Is my father's opponent an Innate Grandmaster? How is that possible!" Lin Yueru's face instantly turned pale. Having practiced martial arts with her father for several years, she understood what an Innate Grandmaster signified. They were beings beyond ordinary humans, defying conventional reasoning.
"Innate Grandmaster? What level is that?" Zhang Fan furrowed his brow. In his past life, upon reaching the Nascent Soul Heavenly Immortal realm and returning to Earth, his single thought could encompass half of China. He had observed that many people then had this so-called true energy within them, but he was truly unclear about their cultivation levels.
"Haha, kid, where did you crawl out from? You don't even know what an Innate Grandmaster is." Master Qian wouldn't miss any opportunity to belittle Zhang Fan.
Lin Yueru, already pale upon hearing "Innate True Energy," ignored Zhang Fan's question.
Xu Youran glanced at Zhang Fan and calmly explained, "Martial arts cultivation is divided into three major realms: Internal Energy Warrior, Acquired Warrior, and Innate Grandmaster."
"Fewer than one in a hundred martial artists can cultivate internal energy. Those who transform internal energy into true energy and step into the Acquired Warrior realm are even rarer. There wouldn't be more than a handful in the entire Donghai. Uncle Lin is an Acquired Warrior. Such masters can dodge conventional bullets and can contend against a hundred ordinary people, earning them the title of True Energy Master."
"As for Innate Grandmasters, they are legendary figures. They can walk on water, their bodies are protected by Innate True Energy, making them impervious even to bullets. They are veritable martial arts myths."
"Innate True Energy protects the body and can withstand bullets?" Zhang Fan mused inwardly. Innate Grandmasters indeed possessed some ability. At least, at his Qi Refining complete stage, he hadn't condensed enough spiritual energy to form a protective aura. However, as a cultivator, his perfected Qi Refining body was already capable of withstanding bullets.
Still, compared to the protective aura of an Innate Grandmaster, he was somewhat lacking, as his body still had vulnerable points, such as his eyes and... that particular area.
"It seems an Innate Grandmaster is equivalent to the Profound Enlightenment stage of cultivation," Zhang Fan thought to himself. After Qi Refining came Foundation Establishment, which was also divided into three stages: Profound Enlightenment, Divine Sea, and Heavenly Human.
Despite this, Zhang Fan was confident that even against an Innate Grandmaster, he, at the complete Qi Refining stage, would not be intimidated.
Based on Zhang Fan's estimation, with the sparse spiritual energy on Earth, condensing a Golden Core would be extremely difficult. As for those martial artists with rudimentary cultivation techniques, anyone who could break through to the Innate Grandmaster realm must possess exceptional talent. Beyond the Innate Grandmaster, figures would likely be exceptionally rare.
"I wonder if there are any realms higher than Innate Grandmaster?" Zhang Fan asked curiously.
"Innate Grandmasters are already considered martial arts myths. As for higher realms, I don't know what they are," Xu Youran replied with a vague shake of her head.
Zhang Fan nodded, indicating he understood.
"You two, come here and help him sit up," Zhang Fan instructed Lin Yueru and Xu Youran. He could sense that both of them had cultivated a trace of internal energy, so such a physical task should be easy for them.
"What do you want to do?" Lin Yueru looked at him blankly, while Xu Youran asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Naturally, I'm going to treat him. Didn't you invite me to heal him?" Zhang Fan replied.
"Are you sure you can do it?" Xu Youran sounded doubtful. She had heard Master Qian say that only an Innate Grandmaster could expel the wisp of Innate True Energy from her Uncle Lin's body. Could this young man be an Innate Grandmaster, a martial arts myth?
"Hurry up!" Zhang Fan's displeasure was evident. A woman questioning his capability.
"Oh, alright, Yueru, come and help." Seeing his reaction, Xu Youran could only nod.
The two women then assisted Lin Dahai to sit up on the bed, one on each side. Zhang Fan leaped onto the head of the bed, cross-legged behind Lin Dahai. He formed a hand seal, condensing a dense amount of spiritual energy in his palm before striking Lin Dahai's back with a powerful blow.
"Pfft." Lin Dahai spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood shot out like a crimson arrow, so fast and sharp that it embedded itself in the pristine white wall, creating a finger-sized crater.
The sudden spectacle startled everyone. They then looked at the hole in the wall with disbelief. Could a mere spit of blood possess such power? Was this young man truly an Innate Grandmaster?
Zhang Fan withdrew his hand and told the two women, "Alright, you can lay him back down now."
"It's over?" Xu Youran asked, stunned.
"It's over," Zhang Fan confirmed.
"That simple?" Xu Youran still couldn't believe it.
"It's just a wisp of faint true energy. Does it need to be complicated?" Zhang Fan countered.
"Then why hasn't Uncle Lin woken up yet?" Xu Youran inquired, and the others also looked at Zhang Fan. Master Qian, evidently stunned by Zhang Fan's previous display, dared not utter any further mockery.
"He's awake," Zhang Fan stated.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Dahai, who had been lying down, coughed softly. This time, however, no blood emerged from his mouth.
"Dad." Hearing the gentle cough, Lin Yueru's tense, pretty face finally relaxed.
"Although I've expelled the true energy from his body, his lungs have sustained some damage. It's a minor issue. With proper rest, he should recover without major problems," Zhang Fan told Lin Yueru. Lin Dahai himself was an Acquired Warrior who had cultivated true energy, making his physique much stronger than an ordinary person's. This minor issue was indeed not much for him.
"Dad, why are you getting up?" Lin Dahai, upon waking, tried to sit up. Lin Yueru quickly held him back, "Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. You should lie down and rest."
"It's fine," Lin Dahai waved his hand. His complexion had already returned to normal. After getting up, he bowed deeply to Zhang Fan and said sincerely, "Thank you, young brother, for saving my life."