Chapter 531: Five-star or Six-star?

Chapter 531: Chapter 494: Five-star or Six-star?

But Song Ciwan was currently using Xing Lan’s alias, which made her an unregistered individual with no official identity. Getting a new token was a necessity.

While Zhou Mu was quietly explaining things to Song Ciwan, Mr. Liu over by the city gate had already finished registering.

He answered, “I am Liu Mingzhong. My Cultivation is at the Perfection of the Qi Refining Stage. I come from Lingshu Mountain and hold a Four-star Token from Willow Leaf Hall.”

‘What in the world is a Four-star Token?’

At that moment, Zhou Mu explained to Song Ciwan, “Fairy, the tokens from Willow Leaf Hall are categorized by star level, similar to the titles for Spiritual Materials grades. It’s for ease of differentiation.

A Medical Cultivator with a Four-star Token can treat cultivators at the Divinity Transformation Stage, the Innate Third Transformation… or any other equivalent and lower realms.”

The system was indeed simple and clear. Just as Four-star Level Spirit Pills were generally used by Divinity Transformation Cultivators, a Medical Cultivator with a Four-star Token could, at best, heal the injuries of someone at Divinity Transformation.

Song Ciwan understood immediately.

Back at the city gate, when the West Wind Army general heard that Liu Mingzhong, despite only having a Qi Cultivation base, possessed a Four-star Token from Willow Leaf Hall, his tense expression softened considerably.

His tone gentled as well. “Doctor Liu, please come this way. Wait for a moment. I will remain here for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Within that time, all Medical Cultivators who answer my call directly may travel with me to Demon Suppression Pass.”

The Silver Armored General raised his voice for the last part of his announcement. Before the towering city gate, everyone in the queue, which stretched for miles, heard him clearly.

The Silver Armored General of the West Wind Army continued, “This recruitment call for Medical Cultivators is a long-standing official notice. All who answer the call at Three-star Level or higher will be rewarded with one Middle Grade Magical Treasure. Four-star Level or higher, one Upper Grade Magical Treasure. Five-star Level or higher, one Top Grade Magical Treasure.”

At this, the Silver Armored General paused slightly. His next words sent a shockwave of excitement through the crowd below the city wall.

He said, “A healer with a Six-star Token will be rewarded with one Spiritual Artifact!”

A Spiritual Artifact!

Those two words, “Spiritual Artifact,” were like a drop of water splashing into a sizzling pan of oil.

In an instant, the cultivators lining up in a winding queue beneath the towering city wall erupted into a feverish clamor.

Countless voices rose in unison, shouting, “A Spiritual Artifact! It’s actually a Spiritual Artifact!”

“Celestial Lord, did I hear that right? A Spiritual Artifact just for answering the call? This… this would require so many Spiritual Artifacts for rewards!”

“I… I don’t even have a single Magical Treasure… I’m still using a Magical Artifact!”

In the crowd, Zhou Mu’s hand went to the bell at his waist, a look of embarrassment on his face.

He also used a Magical Artifact. His wasn’t even a Top Grade Magical Artifact, just a mere Upper Grade Magical Artifact.

The gulf between a Magical Artifact and a Magical Treasure was already as vast as mountains and seas. But a Magical Artifact versus a Spiritual Artifact… there was simply no comparison.

The frenzied cultivators were on the verge of losing their minds. Many voices, casting aside all decorum, began to wail, “Why… why didn’t I become a Medical Cultivator?”

Of course, someone shot back, “Why didn’t you become a Medical Cultivator? Heh, why do you think? Because you have no aptitude for it! Do you think just anyone can become a Medical Cultivator?”

These words provoked another round of roaring laughter. The initial uproar at the city gate gradually subsided, but the hubbub of scattered discussions lingered on.

“A Medical Cultivator with a Six-star Token can even treat a Celestial Immortal. What kind of person is that? Would such a grand figure be lacking a Spiritual Artifact?”

Someone else laughingly responded to the earlier comment about “how many Spiritual Artifacts would be needed,” saying, “In all of Demon Suppression City, there are only two Six-star Medical Cultivators, and they’re both grand figures we’d never even get to see. I bet the lords of our West Wind Army are only worried that not enough experts will show up to claim the Spiritual Artifacts. Why would they worry about not having enough to give away?”

That remark really struck a chord with everyone.

More and more people joined the discussion. “A Six-star Medical Cultivator… if an expert of that caliber were to enter or exit the city, they wouldn’t be using this gate with the rest of us, would they?”

“Hah, that part of the notice is just for show. There’s only a handful of Six-star Medical Cultivators in the entire world. Whether they’d come or not is something the higher-ups would have arranged long ago. Would they really need to use an official notice to recruit them?”

…

Amid the clamor of discussion, everyone’s focus shifted entirely to the Magical Treasures and Spiritual Artifacts. The earlier talk of the “crisis on the front lines” was gradually forgotten.

During this time, a few more Medical Cultivators stepped forward to answer the call.

Medical Cultivators didn’t need to wait in line, so these few came directly from the back of the queue.

Of the five Medical Cultivators, four were Three-star and one was Four-star.

As for Five-star, there were none.

And there was no need to even mention Six-star. Just as the crowd had discussed, the number of Six-star Medical Cultivators in the world was countable, so how could one possibly appear before the gates of Demon Suppression City, queuing with so many low-level cultivators to get in?

Before the city gate, the incense stick was already more than half-burnt.

The waiting West Wind Army general was named Yu Wenxu. At this moment, clear disappointment was beginning to show on his stern face.

Beside him, his confidant, a Deputy General named Cai An, tried to console him in a low voice, “General, it’s impossible to recruit any true masters here at the city gate. We shouldn’t be too disappointed. Getting two Four-star Medical Cultivators this time is already quite good.”

Yu Wenxu sighed and said quietly, “I hope Willow Leaf Hall will take the initiative and send a few more people over.”

When he said “a few more,” he really meant a few more at the Five-star Level. Anything below that wasn’t worth mentioning.

But Cai An had a pained expression. “General, even if Lord Guo went in person, Willow Leaf Hall wouldn’t budge. After all, what happened over there…”

He trailed off, saying no more.

But Yu Wenxu understood his meaning without needing him to finish.

In yesterday’s great battle, the Medical Cultivators had personally gone to the battlefield, to the Wind Mist Plain. As a result, of the three Five-star Medical Cultivators who went, two died on the spot!

Who could possibly bear such a loss?

No wonder Willow Leaf Hall refused to budge, no matter what was said.

Even Yu Wenxu himself felt his heart ache when he heard the news.

This was also part of the reason why, upon coming to Demon Suppression City to handle supply logistics, he had personally brought the official notice to the city gate to recruit Medical Cultivators—

The conflicting torment in Yu Wenxu’s heart was indescribable. He simply let his expression remain grim and fell silent.

More than half the incense stick’s time had passed when two more Medical Cultivators came forward from the rear. One was a middle-aged man of the Three-star Level, and the other was a young man, but he was Four-star Level.

This young Four-star Level Medical Cultivator made Yu Wenxu hesitate for a moment. He leaned in and tried to dissuade him gently, “Xiang Qing? Is that your name? You’re only twenty-one, yet you’re already a Four-star Doctor. Surely you don’t lack for an Upper Grade Magical Treasure?”

The young man named Xiang Qing was tall and slender, like a stalk of bamboo. His expression was proud and defiant. “No, I do lack an Upper Grade Magical Treasure!”

…

Yu Wenxu didn’t press the matter. He had only tried to dissuade him as a token gesture; in truth, he was happy to have another Four-star Level recruit.

Xiang Qing stepped aside and walked over to Liu Mingzhong, waiting with him.

By now, the incense stick was about to burn out completely. Deputy General Cai An began to glance frequently at the burning stick nearby.

Since no more Medical Cultivators were cutting the line, the queue of cultivators waiting to enter the city began to move forward again.

Zhou Mu and his group shuffled further and further forward. Having finished explaining everything he knew about Willow Leaf Hall, Zhou Mu asked Song Ciwan in a low voice, “Fairy, will you be answering the recruitment call?”

This time, Song Ciwan answered Zhou Mu’s question directly. “I’m going.”

Then she added, “Captain Zhou, thank you all for your care these past few days. This is where we part ways. May your immortal paths be smooth, and may we meet again if fate allows.”

After speaking, a smile touched her lips as she gave them a slight nod in farewell.

Liu Qingqing looked reluctant to let her go, and Liu Tantan grabbed her hand.

Song Ciwan stepped out of the line and walked to the front of the city gate.

The incense stick was just about to burn out. Yu Wenxu was a man with a very strict sense of time; he wouldn’t wait a moment longer, nor would he end a moment sooner.

With just the very tip of the incense stick left to burn, Yu Wenxu turned to Song Ciwan and recited the same questions he had asked the others: “Name? Cultivation? Do you have an Identity Token? Are you registered with Willow Leaf Hall?”