True to his word, Ye Renxin began teaching Chen Ming medical arts the very next day, after first organizing the notes he had recorded.
The Nine Heart Begonia lineage had been passed down for a thousand years, and over that time, they had accumulated an immense collection of medical texts, along with detailed records of countless illnesses and conditions.
Even for members of their own clan, mastering this knowledge required beginning from childhood and spending decades studying before one could fully grasp it. To go further—to refine, expand, and innovate upon it—demanded not only extensive research but also a tremendous investment of time.
Even though Chen Ming had only intended to learn a portion of it, Ye Renxin still considered the task exceedingly difficult. He had originally prepared himself to spend several months guiding Chen Ming through the basics.
Instead, what he saw was Chen Ming flipping through books at an astonishing speed.
When he asked about it—
Photographic memory. Not just the kind where one could memorize after a glance, but a near-perfect recall that allowed him to both retain and comprehend what he saw instantly.
Ye Renxin could only watch as Chen Ming tore through the clan's thousand-year collection like a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar—reading, recording, analyzing, and summarizing all at once. From time to time, he would even pause to comment on the contents of the texts.
"Senior Ye, aren't these two books just the same work with different covers? About seventy percent of the content overlaps, and the remaining thirty percent isn't particularly profound. In fact, because they reference different sources, there are even contradictions in certain sections despite the high overlap."
"Senior Ye, this book's edition seems off. Judging from the table of contents, it claims to be a medical text from the Star Luo Empire a thousand years ago, but the names of two or three Spirit Beasts mentioned inside were only established within the past two hundred years. And the material itself looks artificially aged—deliberately made to appear old. The knowledge itself is fine, but this definitely isn't a thousand-year-old text."
"Senior Ye…"
"Senior Ye…"
"Senior Ye…"
Throughout the day, Ye Renxin stayed by Chen Ming's side. Chen Ming read, while Ye Renxin watched him read, occasionally answering questions when they arose.
Sometimes, the issues Chen Ming pointed out were things Ye Renxin already knew. But at other times, even after decades of studying these texts, Ye Renxin found himself noticing flaws and inconsistencies he had never discovered before.
In the beginning, Ye Renxin would occasionally question Chen Ming in return, testing the limits of his memory—wondering if he might have misread or confused certain details.
But the more he probed, the more he realized that Chen Ming's recollection was even clearer than his own. Not only could he accurately reproduce the contents of the books, but he could also connect them with other knowledge, expanding and synthesizing them into something greater.
Later on, Chen Ming was able to flip through books while simultaneously answering Ye Renxin's questions—reciting the contents flawlessly and providing answers so refined that they sometimes surpassed Ye Renxin's own understanding.
Only then did Ye Renxin truly understand why Dugu Bo had called Chen Ming his "great fortune."
Such talent, such comprehension, and such creative ability to build upon existing knowledge and innovate—it was beyond imagination.
At times, Ye Renxin would rather believe that Chen Ming was a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast in human form than accept that he was merely an ordinary human. It had nothing to do with the value of Spirit Rings or Spirit Bones—he simply needed some explanation to reconcile this reality with the lifelong efforts of himself and his ancestors.
Yet no matter how thoroughly he examined him, the conclusion remained the same—Chen Ming was, without a doubt, just a normal human.
During his stay at the Nine Heart Begonia estate, Chen Ming also met Ye Renxin's granddaughter, Ye Lingling. However, she was naturally introverted, and aside from a brief greeting when they met, there was little interaction between them. They could be considered acquainted, but far from familiar.
In Chen Ming's view, the most valuable asset of the Nine Heart Begonia clan wasn't their techniques themselves, but rather the medical case records they had accumulated over a thousand years. These cases were often unique, involving conditions that differed from the norm, and each treatment method deviated from conventional approaches.
Injuries to one's origin, damage to the Martial Soul, harm to the soul itself…
Even the Nine Heart Begonia clan could not always cure such conditions, yet every generation faithfully recorded these cases, preserving them for future study—for themselves and for those who would come after.
Among these records, Chen Ming even found a small note concerning Dugu Bo. Though his name was not written explicitly, the annotation read: "Martial Soul backlash, origin in disorder. Poison seeped into the marrow, calamity extending to descendants." The contents clearly documented the condition of the Jade Phosphor Serpent toxin and Dugu Bo's situation.
Such knowledge was immensely valuable. Even in a world like Douluo Continent—where medical arts were often overshadowed by reliance on Martial Souls, Spirit Abilities, and medicinal substances—these accumulated methods and records of treatment remained priceless.
By analyzing and organizing these cases, Chen Ming not only successfully deduced a subtle, almost imperceptible method to gradually restore one's origin, but also uncovered several new possibilities.
For instance, one case recorded by the Nine Heart Begonia clan involved a prodigy from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan. This genius had been born with full innate spirit power and possessed an exceptionally pure bloodline, yet suffered from a fatal flaw in his dragon transformation.
As he aged and his strength increased, his draconic traits began to spiral out of control, permanently altering his body. In the end, he would become little more than a man wearing the skin of a dragon, his very mind gradually succumbing to beastly instincts.
The Nine Heart Begonia clan had been unable to cure him completely. They could only stabilize his Martial Soul, and after discussions with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, his Martial Soul was ultimately abolished to preserve his life.
Though this was recorded as an illness, it gave Chen Ming a new line of thought—if such a condition could be controlled in reverse, then perhaps this "defect" could be turned into a usable ability.
Cases like this were far from rare in the Nine Heart Begonia archives.
In more recent records, Chen Ming even came across documentation concerning Yu Xiaogang. The texts contained a detailed analysis of Luo Sanpao's characteristics and condition, along with a blunt annotation:
"Martial Soul mutation. Originally possessed limitless potential for benign evolution into the Golden Holy Dragon, but due to insufficient individual potential, failed and degenerated."
Following this was an extensive record of attempted solutions and experimental approaches regarding Yu Xiaogang's condition. Among them was a particularly cutting remark:
"If one could obtain a top-tier divine medicine or a hundred-thousand-year dragon-attributed Spirit Bone, there may be a chance to compensate for the innate deficiency."
Having once studied at Nuoding Academy, Chen Ming was certain Yu Xiaogang knew nothing of this note—otherwise, given his personality, he would never have let the matter rest.
...
To repay Ye Renxin for his generosity in granting him unrestricted access, Chen Ming presented him with an "answer" one month later.
He compiled most of the knowledge he had recorded, along with the results of his own deductions, organizing them into a structured work. It detailed the progression and causes of various common ailments, along with corresponding methods of treatment and alleviation.
It explained how to prevent illnesses, and how even with rudimentary medical knowledge and limited conditions, one could still administer effective care.
Rheumatic pain, muscle strain, insomnia…
Snake venom, diarrhea, abdominal pain…
Knife wounds, spear injuries, sword cuts…
Each category was written into its own section, systematically outlining methods of treatment. In the end, Chen Ming divided the work into four volumes.
One was a civilian edition, allowing ordinary doctors without advanced skills to treat common illnesses, control infectious diseases, and provide relief to the general populace.
Another was a version for Spirit Masters, detailing emergency response measures, detoxification methods, and how to treat injuries in the wild. It also explained how to stabilize damage to a Martial Soul, how to compensate for it, and how to handle meridian injuries without leaving lasting harm.
A third was a military edition, recording crude but effective battlefield emergency treatments and healing methods. It placed particular emphasis on common issues such as blade wounds, infections, and trauma, offering targeted solutions that could significantly improve survival rates and combat effectiveness.
The final volume served as a comprehensive compendium, meticulously documenting all methods and underlying principles.
Strictly speaking, this was not true innovation, but rather an expansion built upon the systematic organization and synthesis of existing knowledge. The portion that could be considered entirely new was actually quite small.
Yet that did not make the achievement any less extraordinary. Some people—despite being born into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan and even studying within the Spirit Hall—could copy vast amounts of knowledge and still fail to truly understand it, sometimes even making things worse by adding unnecessary complications.
Measured by its contribution to medicine, Chen Ming's work systematically connected and articulated a vast body of knowledge. It was enough to establish him as a grandmaster in the history of medical arts.
Facing this "answer," Ye Renxin could only sigh in admiration.
Each generation brings forth its own geniuses.