The Medical Hall Alarm: Physician Qin Bo's Desperation
In the bustling yet orderly environment of the Dragon's Zenith Medical Hall, Physician Qin Bo was operating in a state of unprecedented professional crisis. The case of Lin Yan had consumed his focus for the last half hour, demanding every ounce of his extensive knowledge in spiritual and physical trauma. He had been forced to order the room cleared, leaving only the faintest, most basic healing arrays active, fearing any stronger stimulus. Around Lin Yan's simple cot, several diagnostic tools were arrayed: a Nine-Phase Pulse Tracing Array was faintly glowing on the floor, a Jade Scrying Mirror hovered above the boy's chest reflecting nothing but chaotic spiritual static, and a Vital Essence Pearl lay beside his wrist, refusing to achieve a stable luminescence. Qin Bo's usual scientific serenity was replaced by a visible, cold sweat clinging to his temples; he felt like an experienced alchemist facing an unknown prime element.
Just as Lecturer Xing Sen prepared to take his leave from the Stargazing Tower, the atmosphere was suddenly shattered. Dean Xuan Ji's inconspicuous, gourd-shaped jade pendant—a high-grade communication talisman reserved only for crises—suddenly emitted a soft but urgent ring of light, piercing the high silence of the Tower.
Xuan Ji's eyes, still focused on the implications of the Water Mirror's failure, instantly sharpened. He lightly tapped the pendant.
A hurried voice, laced with scientific incredulity, anxiety, and the raw exhaustion of a deeply baffled genius, immediately sounded at the top of the Stargazing Tower. It was a communication from Physician Qin Bo:
"Dean, I am Physician Qin Bo. The critically injured new student brought in recently—Lin Yan from the Divination College—his condition is profoundly peculiar. I felt I had to bypass conventional reporting immediately."
Qin Bo's voice was tight with stress, his breath audible as he attempted to organize his chaotic findings. "His left arm wound was indisputably caused by the Poison Leech King, deep enough to expose bone. By all established medical principles and Elemental Resonance readings, his body should be saturated with a deadly, corrosive Yin-aligned toxin."
He paused, running a tremor-filled hand over the inactive Vital Essence Pearl. "But—and this is the anomaly, Dean—after repeated, comprehensive spiritual and physical probes, including the use of the Seven-Star Diagnostic Needle Array, I find absolutely no trace of venom residue! The tissue is not neutralized; it is purified. The wound is surgically clean, healed at a fundamental level. It's as if some force of extreme Yang and utter purity, a signature I can only describe as Celestial Rigidity, completely purged the toxin. This signature is utterly foreign to the Academy's archives; it belongs to the realm of high antiquity, something known only in fragmented spiritual texts."
The physician continued, his voice rising with mounting desperation: "His current coma is not due to the venom, but due to severe depletion of Vital Qi and the absolute exhaustion of his spiritual consciousness. His body has autonomously entered a deep, protective slumber to slowly self-repair. It's an orderly stasis following a complete spiritual discharge. Though weak, his life is secured by this internal, stabilizing force. Dean, I cannot treat him because I cannot diagnose him. His mere existence defies every principle of our established (Pill) and (Array) medicine! I submit that this young man is suffering from an existential anomaly, not an injury."
The Hidden Object Theory and The Strategic Value
The communication ended, but the information plunged the top of the Stargazing Tower into a silence far deeper than before.
Xing Sen looked at the Dean, his composure finally cracking. "Dean, a purified wound... a self-imposed stasis... the instantaneous victory... and the interference with the All-Seeing Eye. They are all inexorably linked to Lin Yan. That disruption was not external; it was the backlash of his own power."
Dean Xuan Ji slowly walked back to the railing. "An alien principle, as we discussed. Qin Bo's description of 'Celestial Rigidity' confirms my fears. The force was not Mana; it was a law channelled through him. And Xing Sen, I recall the deepest archives concerning array interference: This level of localized suppression of the All-Seeing Eye is a deliberate act of concealment."
Xuan Ji turned, his gaze penetrating. "It leads to only one conclusion that fits the historical data: There is something inside Lin Yan that does not wish to be seen by the outside world. This extreme burst of Yang power and the accompanying disruption were the actions of a dormant seal or a concealed artifact desperately protecting its host."
Xing Sen felt a profound dread. "A concealed object... If this is the case, should we not place the boy under immediate, strict containment?"
Dean Xuan Ji did not immediately answer. He paused, his gaze fixed on the spot where Lin Yan had appeared in the Water Mirror, taking the fatal strike. "Look at the footage again, Xing Sen," he instructed softly. "This child's initial reaction was not self-preservation, but to throw himself in front of his teammate. His courage and sense of duty are flawless. His heart is pure; he intends to protect. This confirms the quality of his spirit."
Xuan Ji then looked directly at Xing Sen, his voice firming with strategic resolve. "Since he possesses an unseen power, it is the Academy's paramount duty to cultivate it, not to stifle it with fear. He has done nothing wrong; he broke no rules of the trial, and his motivation was selfless. Therefore, we have no grounds, either morally or academically, to punish or confine him. Furthermore, this colossal potential—this innate Celestial Rigidity—is exactly the force the Academy requires for the future. We must transition from fearing this power to mastering it, making it our strength. He is a genius in waiting, and our priority is his quiet growth."
The Final Edict: Absolute Seclusion and Quiet Cultivation
Xuan Ji closed his eyes briefly, accepting the monumental task of shielding a nascent divine power. The strategy must be low-profile, firm, and entirely protective.
He opened his eyes, the decision set.
"Xing Sen, the medical protocol is non-negotiable: Qin Bo uses the Five-Element Soul Restoration Pills only—a passive effect. Lin Yan is under quarantine until medically cleared, and Physician Qin Bo is his sole medical authority."
"And the external world?" Xing Sen asked, already drafting the necessary cover-up. "The twenty-nine-minute record has already spread."
Xuan Ji spoke clearly, defining the new policy: "The mission's success must be downplayed. Xing Sen, we do not need a public frenzy that attracts external prying or internal jealousy. Award them the 'Grade A Mission Evaluation' in the records, but handle the distribution quietly. The official line is simply that 'the team achieved a new record due to unforeseen synergy, but the critical nature of the injury necessitates discretion.' No grand ceremony, no official announcement."
"Understood," Xing Sen nodded firmly. "Quiet rewards, minimal exposure."
"Now, for the critical action," Xuan Ji commanded. "Lin Yan must be protected from all interference—external spies, internal curiosity, and those who seek to exploit his power. We cannot risk the hidden force activating defensively against simple harassment. This protection is key to his cultivation."
"You will summon the 'Shadow Guards' —the Obsidian Contingent. You will contact their Commander, General Mu, and issue the order for Absolute Passive Guardianship. Their mission is solely defensive: They will establish a triple-layer, silent perimeter around Lin Yan's room and his eventual residence. Their duty is to intercept and neutralize any individual—Academy staff, student, or outsider—attempting unauthorized contact or investigation into Lin Yan's health or powers. This is not a surveillance; this is a shield to ensure his peace and quiet growth."
"Finally, the witnesses," Xuan Ji concluded. "Li Shulai, He Lingxuan, and Chen Ruipeng. Their silence is our foundation. You will convene them privately. Tell them they have been exceptionally rewarded for their courage, but the details of the marsh—the gold light, the speed, the annihilation—are now classified under the highest Academic Secrecy Act. Tell them the Academy is protecting Lin Yan's recovery and the unique powers he displayed, and any breach of this confidence will be met with the severest possible disciplinary action. We will use the threat of Academic law to ensure the silence that protects the teammate they risked their lives for."
Xing Sen bowed low, his expression now one of complete understanding and renewed purpose. The complexity of the deployment was immense, but the strategy was clear: Cultivate the asset, shield the talent, and maintain absolute silence.
"Yes, Dean. The Obsidian Contingent will be deployed for absolute passive guardianship. The record will be muted, and the witnesses bound to silence. We will ensure this genius grows safely and quietly within the Dragon's Zenith."
As Xing Sen vanished from the Stargazing Tower, transforming into a streak of urgent spiritual light, he knew that the peaceful days of routine novice trials were irrevocably over. The Dragon's Zenith Academy was now the unwitting guardian of a secret that touched the very fabric of the Dao, embodied by a frail boy in a deep, protective slumber, whose potential was now the Academy's most precious hope.