Chapter Eight: The Peerless Physician (Part Two)

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Such a phenomenon had never occurred before. Zhao Li was no stranger to beautiful women, but never before had one affected him quite like this. His eyes would involuntarily follow her graceful movements, utterly beyond his control.

“All right, Christine, stop teasing the newcomer and hurry up to see what’s wrong with him!” Instructor Arnold, perhaps embarrassed to see his own soldier rendered flustered and speechless by Christine the medic, intervened to rescue him.

Christine finally let out a delicate laugh. Whatever method she used, Zhao Li felt as if he’d escaped from a blazing furnace, the feverish sensation in his body vanishing entirely. Now, when he looked at her again, she no longer possessed that world-shaking allure. Clearly, the problem had stemmed from the female medic herself.

After this experience, Zhao Li resolved that, no matter how grueling training might become, he would do his utmost to avoid returning to the infirmary. To be so toyed with by such a temptress left a wound on a young man’s pride.

Unfortunately, this wish was not so easily fulfilled. When Zhao Li explained his reasons for not practicing the first-level cultivation technique, not only was the female medic surprised, but even Instructor Arnold fell into deep thought.

No one could yet say whether this approach was right or wrong. At the very least, both the instructor and the medic were veterans, well aware that for young recruits, the intensive practice of the first-level technique offered little real benefit after entering the military. To be honest, its advantage was only felt in the early stages, before official military cultivation began—providing a slight edge in stamina or other attributes. Once formal military training commenced, that edge was quickly erased.

Never before had anyone encountered a recruit with Zhao Li’s mindset. In this way, he had bought himself at least an extra year to practice the foundational body-strengthening technique. Christine and Arnold exchanged glances, each recognizing the value of what they’d discovered. To resist the temptation of advanced techniques and persist with the basics for a year required extraordinary willpower.

“Very good, soldier. Since there are no injuries, return to training.” The medic overstepped her authority and issued the order herself. Strangely, Arnold did not object. Zhao Li responded promptly, saluted, turned on his heel, and jogged out of the infirmary. It would be best to avoid this “dangerous” place in the future.

Yet the alluring features and graceful figure of Christine, the medic, lingered in Zhao Li’s mind. He had never realized just how defenseless he was in the face of a beautiful woman. It was rather humiliating to admit.

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“What’s your take?” Instructor Arnold asked, turning to the medic after Zhao Li had vanished from sight. She was already entering something into the terminal, her purpose unclear.

“He’s quite impressive, at least able to resist temptation,” she replied, drawing up Zhao Li’s file and evaluation results as she spoke.

“Excellent physical condition—how did this guy achieve that?” she murmured in surprise as she skimmed his medical report. “The local medical examination standards must be lacking. He’s never practiced the first-level technique, yet still rated as excellent.”

“In fact, aside from sweating a bit, the kid never slacked off in a single drill,” Arnold objected. “At least the initial shock didn’t faze him.”

“You mean to say he achieved this condition relying solely on the foundational body-strengthening technique?” Her beautiful eyes flicked to Arnold’s face, almost flirtatiously.

Arnold seemed almost unable to withstand her gaze, subconsciously taking two steps back, but he still nodded firmly in agreement. She scrutinized him for a long moment, finding no hint of favoritism or deceit, then returned to studying Zhao Li’s file.

“Impressive. Among all those being groomed for official military roles, he’s probably the youngest,” she noted after glancing at the assessment. “Recommended for management of high-security prison inmates—whoever made this evaluation is spot on. With such steadfastness, he’s a perfect fit.” When Christine spoke of official matters, all traces of her earlier teasing vanished, her brow furrowing in concentration.

“I think this suggestion should be reported up the chain,” Arnold said. For his part, his only duty was to turn these new recruits from fledglings into provisional soldiers—the rest would be handled by specialists in other fields.

“Very well,” Christine replied, still studying Zhao Li’s profile. “You see to his physical training, I’ll take care of the records.”

Poor Zhao Li had no idea he’d already become a special focus. Returning to the squad and facing the curiosity, concern, and sympathy in his comrades’ eyes, he dared not utter a word—he simply resumed his drills.

Only before lights-out did he finally find a chance to recount his encounter with a stunning beauty. Rest time was in name only; in fact, it was time for cultivation. These days, nearly everyone could replace sleep with practice, and still guarantee proper rest. Still, human nature was not so easily changed—each week, they needed a full day of real sleep.

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“You mean the medic in the infirmary is a beauty?” Adams, on the neighboring bunk, shot upright, his voice suddenly twice as loud. A gleam of wolfish excitement flashed in the eyes of those on the other bunks.

“Keep it down, will you? If the instructors hear, we’re dead!” Zhao Li had to scold them. At once, everyone fell silent, quieting themselves as if through sheer willpower.

“She’s not just a beauty,” Zhao Li said, playing hard to get. Seeing their evident disappointment, he added with emphasis, “She’s not merely beautiful—she’s breathtaking!” The moment he finished, her enchanting figure and irresistible gaze filled his mind again, leaving him momentarily dazed.

His comrades were stunned—a breathtaking beauty? Such good fortune in this training base? Judging by Zhao Li’s expression, they guessed he was telling the truth. That look could not be faked. Instantly, everyone began plotting—should they fake an illness during tomorrow’s training to get a glimpse of the beauty in the infirmary?

Only Zhao Li remained puzzled. He knew he was never so easily enticed, so why did Christine leave him so utterly undone? He simply couldn’t figure it out.

Christine—a beautiful name, and she couldn’t be more than a few years older than he was. Damn it, what was he thinking?

Conflicted, Zhao Li finally forced down his wandering thoughts and lost himself in the bliss of cultivation.

Three chapters completed. During the ranking sprint, your support, recommendations, and favorites are warmly welcomed—thank you!