I Became a Peak Master With No Disciples?!

Returning to White Lotus Peak from the Medicine Hall with a crate of medical ingredients, Bai Qingxian passed the courtyard. Lin Yao, who was arranging wooden swords on a rack, watched her walk toward the study with a happy smile.

’The Peak Mistress is indeed responsible,’ Lin Yao thought. ’She is keeping a watch on Master. I must make sure no one disturbs them.’

Bai Qingxian pushed open the study door. Su Ming sat at his desk, surrounded by new sheets of parchment covered in structural vectors, angles, and mathematical nodes.

"You are just in time," Su Ming said, gesturing to the papers. "I have refined the meridian node placement. By utilizing high-grade Qi, we can weld the broken marrow paths without causing a structural collapse. The calculations are complete."

Bai Qingxian walked over, looking down at the drawings. The diagrams were beautiful, but her clinical mind immediately recognized the lack of a practical medical foundation.

"Your calculation is clean, Peak Master Su," she said, her voice calm but carrying a dangerous edge. "But let us discuss the actual process. What needle method are you trying to use to stabilize the nodes during the insertion?"

Su Ming blinked, looking at his drawings. "Needle method? I was just planning to use standard steel acupuncture needles. If they are clean, they should be sufficient to guide the energy."

Bai Qingxian’s left eyebrow twitched. "Steel needles? To guide spiritual Qi into a shattered foundation? And what healing catalyst are you using to bind the bone marrow once the connection is made?"

"Catalyst? Hein?" Su Ming raised a brow, completely unfazed. "I was going to use high-grade Qi. If I inject it under high pressure, the local heat will naturally fuse the elements. Why would we need a catalyst?"

A vein pulsed on her forehead. "High-pressure Qi? You are welding bone, not forging iron. What is the medium for the meridian guide?"

"Medium? Why?" Su Ming pointed to a blue line. "Can’t we steer the Qi directly along the coordinates? It is simple Qi control."

"It is meridian pathways!" she said. "Which acupuncture point is your starting anchor? The Heavenly Pivot, Spirit Court, or Bubbling Spring?"

"Anchor?" Su Ming scratched his chin. "I was going to start at the shoulder and work down. Starting at any other place would create unnecessary resistance."

Bai Qingxian took a deep breath, her fingers tightening into fists. "And what pressure-venting sequence are you using on the sea of Qi to prevent the spiritual pressure from bursting his lower abdomen during the weld?"

"Venting sequence?" Su Ming shook his head. "Can’t we just let the excess energy leak out naturally through his skin? The body has pores. It should vent itself."

"Pores," she repeated, her voice trembling. "You want to vent raw spiritual pressure through simple pores. How do you plan to purge the local corpse-Qi and spiritual impurities from the surgical area to avoid meridian corruption during the awake incision?"

"Impurities? I was just going to use a purification talisman," Su Ming replied calmly. "It kills all the impurities and keeps the area clean."

"Purification Talisman?" She stared at him, her mind struggling to process the word, though the simplicity of his solution made her chest tighten. "And what marrow-cooling medicine will you apply to regulate his blood temperature when the needle friction boils his marrow?"

"Marrow-cooling medicine? I was going to use Ice on him if he gets too hot. Or maybe have Lin Yao stand nearby with her chilling cold flames."

Bai Qingxian’s jaw tightened. She leaned over the desk, her face inches from his. "What about soul-anchoring incense? What spirit-soothing pill will you burn to prevent his three hun and seven po from dispersing during the needle insertions?"

"Incense? Pill?" Su Ming looked at her as if she were asking for unnecessary luxuries. "I was planning to tell him to grit his teeth and bear it. A sword cultivator’s path requires enduring pain anyway. If he cannot handle that, he has no business cultivating."

"And how do you plan to soften his bones and marrow so they do not snap like dry twigs when you weld the new meridians?" she asked, her voice dangerously quiet.

Su Ming looked up from the page, blinking. "Soften them? I was hoping his natural recovery would handle that. Or we can just weld them very slowly."

"Slowly..." Bai Qingxian’s voice trembled. "And how will you trigger the skeletal fusion to anchor the new meridians directly into his flesh? What catalyst will you use to stimulate the bone marrow rhythm?"

"A catalyst?" Su Ming shook his head. "I thought the Qi itself would weld it if I pushed hard enough. Do we need an external catalyst for that?"

Finally, she closed her eyes, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous murmur. "Peak Master Su. Have you ever performed a medical procedure on a living patient before? Have you ever even held a surgical needle?"

Su Ming adjusted his collar, answering with confidence. "No, this is my first time. But my calculations are flawless. I have run the simulation three times."

This was the breaking point.

Qingxian’s calm exposure completely shattered. She whirled away from the desk, pacing the study and rubbing her temples in sheer frustration.

"You are going to kill him!" she cried, her voice cracking as she whirled back to face him. "You are planning to weld his bones and stitch his flesh with nothing but pure logic, steel needles, and ice! This is not medicine, Peak Master Su. It is manslaughter! You talk about simulations and coordinates, but you are dealing with a human life. A single drop of unpurified energy will corrupt his veins and leave him a vegetative husk!"

Su Ming stood by the desk, hands in his sleeves, unoffended. He knew the library’s medical scriptures were basic, lacking high-grade principles. His math was a desperate attempt to bridge the gaps, but as she detailed the realities—boiling marrow, dispersing soul—he internally conceded. Calculations could not replace medical science.

"The structural calculations are sound, I know," he clarified quietly. "But I realise my knowledge is limited. I was attempting to bypass the missing steps using force Qi control."

"Force Qi control does not stop a soul from dispersing!" she snapped, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. She had spent years maintaining her composure, hiding her identity, and keeping her emotions guarded. But the sheer, stubborn ignorance of this Golden Core cultivator had broken through her defenses.

To break through his stubborn logic and command the room, she stood tall. The polite healer vanished, replaced by an aura of cold, ancient authority.

"I am the former Saintess of the Medicine Valley of the Spirit Jade World," she said, her voice ringing with absolute clarity in the quiet room. "And the last direct descendant of the hidden Bai Clan. My ancestors spent generations perfecting the Sacred art of Healing, Meridian manipulation, and soul preservation. If you attempt this reconstruction with nothing but your steel needles and ice, you will destroy that boy."

Su Ming raised his eyebrows slightly, adopting a look of mild surprise that was just a second bit too delayed. "A Saintess from another world?" he bowed slightly, his voice carrying a flat, polite note. "I am honored to have such a guest."

Bai Qingxian stared at him, her composure threatening to shatter again. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You are a terrible actor, Peak Master Su. Your expression did not even change until I finished my sentence, and your voice carried all the emotion of a wet stone. You already knew."

"Well," Su Ming let the theatrical posture drop instantly, his face returning to its usual lazy, calm expression as he tucked his hands back into his sleeves. "Elder Lu was not particularly subtle with his hints. And a random ’princess’ and her guardian do not just fall into a collapsing secret realm out of nowhere. But I appreciate the formal introduction."

Bai Qingxian let out a sharp sigh, deciding it was pointless to argue. "If you want this boy to survive, you cannot guide the Qi blindly. You must learn the Spirit Piercing Needle Technique to control the energy flow at a microscopic level. It is the only way to reconstruct the meridians without causing permanent collapse."

Su Ming looked from the blueprint to her. Having a former Saintess stabilize the life force while he handled the actual procedure would double their chances.

"And how long will it take to learn this technique?" Su Ming asked, his voice returning to its pragmatic tone.

"We have weeks before the surgery," Bai Qingxian replied, her voice firm. "I will train you daily, and you will follow my directions. There will be no steel needles, no ice, and no cold flames. You will use the tools of a real physician."

Su Ming nodded once, a faint, subtle smile touching his lips. "We have a deal, Saintess Bai."

"Call me Miss Bai, instead. I am no longer a Saintess", Bai Qingxian replied.

Their alliance was finalized under the luminous moon, marking the true beginning of Wang Tian’s meridian reconstruction.