
Alarms ripped through the quiet of Salt Lake General at 11:47 p.m.
“Code blue, pediatric ward!”
Rick Franklin sprinted down the corridor, white coat flaring behind him. The smell of antiseptic clung to the air, mingling with panic.
Through the glass of Room 9 he saw the child, six-year-old Lila, her skin waxen, monitors screaming irregular rhythms. “Pulse forty and dropping!” a nurse shouted.
“Adrenaline, now!” Dr. Harris, the attending, barked. “We’ve lost hepatic response. Renal failure cascading, someone page ICU!”
Rick forced his breath steady. He was only twenty-four, still the youngest apprentice under Master Yuren Sun.
But in that moment the noise faded; he heard only the faint, stuttering beat from the monitor, Lila’s heart fighting to exist. “She’s not stabilizing,” Harris snapped. “Prep time of death in, ”
“Wait.” Rick stepped forward. “Let me try something.”
Harris shot him a glare. “This is no time for experiments, Franklin.”
“It’s not an experiment. It’s a pulse-stabilization sequence.”
“You’re an apprentice, not a miracle worker. Step back.”
Rick’s jaw tightened. The little girl’s mother sobbed in the corner, hands clasped until her knuckles turned white. “Please, someone.”
The door hissed open. Silence rippled. Master Yuren Sun entered. His gray hair was tied neatly, eyes calm and unreadable behind his glasses.
He said nothing, only observed, the way a hawk measures distance before striking. Rick felt his throat dry.
“He’s watching. Testing.” Harris muttered, “Master Sun, the organs are failing. We’re calling it.”
Yuren’s gaze shifted to the child, then to Rick. “Are you calling it, or surrendering?”
Harris stiffened. “Sir?”
Yuren gave a faint, knowing smile. “Continue, Doctor.”
Rick met the old man’s eyes and saw it, not permission, but challenge. He moved before he could think. “Scalpel and sterile needles, now.”
“Franklin!” Harris barked. “You’re off this case.”
Rick ignored him, rolling up his sleeves. “Monitor vitals. I’ll take responsibility.”
“Responsibility?” Harris scoffed. “For killing her?”
Rick didn’t answer. His hands shook as he arranged the silver acupuncture needles across the tray.
Something in his memory stirred, an image, half-dreamed: a circle of light, seven points forming an infinity loop. The Sevenfold Meridian.
He shouldn’t even know those diagrams; they were sealed in Yuren’s private scrolls. But his fingers moved as if remembering a forgotten melody. “Franklin, stop!” a nurse cried.
Rick’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Trust me… please.”
He pressed the first needle beneath the child’s collarbone. The monitor flatlined.
Gasps filled the room. “Idiot!” Harris lunged forward, but Yuren’s voice cut through, sharp as steel. “Let him continue.”
Everyone froze. Rick heard his own heartbeat echoing in his ears as he set the second, third, fourth points, down the sternum, along the solar plexus, tracing a forbidden path.
Each insertion sent a faint vibration up his fingertips, like the body answering. “Those aren’t standard points,” someone whispered. “That’s the Sevenfold.”
The final needle hovered above Lila’s wrist. His mind flashed, a shadowed hall, ancient hands guiding his. Eight points complete the circle.
He pressed the last needle in. The room fell utterly silent. Then, Beep. Beep. Beep.
The monitor spiked; color flushed back into Lila’s cheeks. A faint shimmer, gold under her skin, pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. Rick staggered backward, breath ragged. “She’s… stable.”
Harris stared, speechless. “That’s impossible.”
Yuren stepped forward, eyes narrowing, awe and dread mixed. “Those points were sealed for a reason,” he murmured.
Rick looked up, confused. “Master?”
But Yuren had already turned away, whispering something under his breath that Rick couldn’t hear. The miracle spread through the ward like wildfire.
The observation lights burned white against sterile steel. Rick scrubbed his hands in the sink until the water ran cold, trying to wash off the tremor.
Behind him, whispers gathered, nurses replaying the footage, interns craning to see. “Did you see her skin? It glowed.”
“Golden resonance, like old legends.”
“Or like radiation,” another muttered.
He stared at his reflection, eyes hollow, hair damp, a faint shimmer still coiling beneath the skin of his wrist.
The door slid open. Yuren Sun stepped in, closing it softly. “Master,” Rick began, voice hoarse. “She lived. I.”
“I saw.” Yuren’s tone was even. “And I saw what you did.”
Rick swallowed. “I followed instinct. The points came to me.”
“Instinct?” Yuren’s gaze sharpened. “You pierced the Eighth Meridian Flow, a path sealed since the Imperial Pulse Wars. You could have stopped her heart permanently.”
Rick’s hands tightened on the edge of the sink. “But I didn’t. She’s alive.”
“Alive, yes. But at what cost?”
Rick met his eyes. “You taught me that a healer listens to life, not protocol.”
“And I also taught you that arrogance kills faster than disease.”
Silence stretched between them, thick as gauze. Yuren finally sighed, rubbing his temples. “There are forces, Rick, older than medicine. You touched one tonight. The Golden Meridian was forbidden because those who awakened it heard… too much.”
“Heard?”
“The pulse of heaven,” Yuren whispered. “And it drove them mad.”
Rick laughed, shaky. “I’m not hearing voices, Master.”
“Not yet.” Yuren’s eyes softened, weary. “Promise me, you will never use those points again.”
Rick hesitated. “If another child were dying, ”
“Promise.”
The weight in his tone silenced him. “...I promise.”
Yuren nodded once and left, robes whispering across the tiles. Rick stood alone, the fluorescent hum drilling into his ears.
Then he saw it, on his wrist, faint lines glowing gold, forming a rune he had never seen before.
He pressed his hand over it, heart pounding. The light faded, but not the sensation. Something alive had answered him.
The rooftop was silent except for the buzz of the city below. Dawn was a thin smear of gray over the horizon.
Rick leaned against the railing, coat open to the cold. He hadn’t slept. The adrenaline of the night still roared through his veins.
The door creaked. Yuren stepped out, carrying two paper cups of coffee. “You should be resting,” he said.
“So should you.”
Yuren handed him a cup. They stood in silence for a long moment, steam rising into the chill. “You disobeyed direct orders,” Yuren said finally.
“I saved her.”
Yuren nodded. “And you awakened something you do not understand.”
Rick exhaled. “You keep saying that like it’s a curse.”
“Because it is.”
He turned to face him fully. The wind tugged at his sleeves, revealing the faint scar of an old burn on his wrist.
“I once touched the Golden Meridian,” Yuren said quietly. “Only once. I heard every heartbeat in the city at once. It nearly killed me. I locked those scrolls away so no one else would hear that noise.”
Rick’s breath caught. “Then why test me? Why let me do it?”
Yuren’s eyes softened. “Because sometimes a student must break a law to understand its weight.”
Rick looked out over the city lights. “If compassion is a crime, then maybe I’ll keep breaking it.”
Yuren’s jaw tightened. “Be careful, Rick. Every miracle you steal from heaven takes something from you in return. Every life saved pulls another thread loose.”
The words sank like stones. Rick murmured, “And if that’s the price?”
“Then pray you can afford it.”
They stood until the first rays of sunlight touched the Salt Lake’s glass surface far below.
Rick lifted his wrist; for an instant, the golden sigil flickered beneath the skin, silent, pulsing in time with the dawn. He hid it quickly, afraid even of the light.
Latest Chapter
Chapter 574
The impact shook the cavern, but Rick did not move a single inch. His feet were rooted to the sacred ground. "You cannot beat me," the monster hissed, struggling to push its spike forward. "I have the power of the Void Sap! I am a god!""You are just a sick man," Rick corrected him softly. "And your surgery is overdue."Rick squeezed his hand. The giant bone spike shattered into a million pieces of white dust. The monster screamed in shock and stumbled backward. Rick did not stop. He walked forward slowly, steadily, powerfully. He raised his right hand. He pointed his finger directly at the swirling black hole in the monster’s open chest. "Earth Pulse," Rick commanded. "Purifying Dawn."A massive, concentrated, blinding beam of pure green and gold light shot from Rick's finger. It was the combined magic of the ancient temple and Rick's own compassionate soul. The beam hit the black hole in the monster's chest. The reaction was beautiful and violent. The black hole tried to eat t
Chapter 573
"It is pure, concentrated Void Sap," Isaac warned sharply. "It is the raw, toxic waste of the Mother Seed. It deletes biological matter. If he throws that at us, we will melt into nothing."But Doctor Thorne did not throw the syringe. Thorne unbuttoned his white coat. He pressed the thick, sharp needle of the syringe directly against his own chest, right over his heart. "No! Stop him!" Rick yelled, running forward. But he was too late. Doctor Thorne pushed the plunger down. He injected the entire bottle of boiling black liquid directly into his own heart. Thorne threw the empty glass syringe to the floor. It shattered.For one second, Thorne stood perfectly still. Then, he let out a horrific, blood-curdling scream. "GAAAAAAHHHHH!" It was not a human scream. It sounded like a heavy iron door tearing off its hinges. Thorne’s body began to mutate violently. The neat, clean white coat ripped into shreds. His bones cracked and popped loudly, shifting under his skin. His skin turned
Chapter 572
Rick walked slowly toward the center of the massive room. He looked at the floor. The floor was covered in intricate, detailed carvings. They were pictures of human bodies. The carvings showed the magical pathways, the blood veins, and the beating hearts. They were perfect medical diagrams. "Rick," Luna said, her voice shaking with emotion. She pointed to the far wall. "Look."Rick lifted his eyes. At the very back of the room, there was a massive, raised platform made of pure white stone. Sitting on top of the platform were twelve large stone chairs. They were arranged in a half-circle. Carved into the stone wall directly above the chairs was a giant symbol. It was a perfect circle. A jagged heartbeat line running through the middle. And a beautiful lotus flower blooming in the center. It was the Pulse Seal. "My god," Rick whispered. Tears instantly filled his eyes. He dropped his staff. He walked slowly toward the giant carved symbol. He reached out his trembling, bare hand
Chapter 571
"I will catch it!" Rick yelled, preparing to summon a magical shield. "You cannot catch it!" Doctor Thorne laughed cruelly. "I am not throwing it at you!"Doctor Thorne raised the heavy glass jar high into the air. He threw it straight down at his own feet. The glass shattered on the floor of the Sapphire Vault. The thick black liquid splashed across the metal tiles. The reaction was instantaneous and absolutely catastrophic. The black liquid began to hiss and boil with terrifying heat. It ate through the shiny metal floor in one second. It ate through the heavy steel support beams underneath the floor. It melted the solid gold bars sitting nearby, turning them into liquid orange puddles. "The floor is failing!" Isaac shouted. A massive, deafening sound echoed through the giant room. The entire center of the Sapphire Vault collapsed. The thick steel floor broke completely in half. A giant, gaping black hole opened up right under their feet. "Jump!" Rick roared. He lunged forw
Chapter 570
The heavy steel doors of the Sapphire Vault were completely blown open. Inside the giant room, a fierce, terrifying battle exploded. Fifty corrupt doctors charged forward. They wore spotless green coats, but their hearts were completely black. They held dangerous weapons. Some carried glass guns filled with boiling green acid. Others held sharp, buzzing surgical saws that sparked with dark purple magic. "Kill the intruders!" Doctor Thorne shrieked. The Head of Surgery pointed his long, bony finger at Rick. "Burn the book! Do not let them leave with the ledger!"Rick did not take a single step back. He spun his smooth wooden staff in his hands. The brilliant, emerald green light blazed at the tip. "Stay behind me!" Rick roared to Doctor Lin, Luna, and Ash. A corrupt doctor raised his glass gun. He pulled the trigger. A thick stream of boiling, toxic green acid shot through the air, aiming directly for Rick’s face. Rick stepped forward. He did not dodge. He slammed the bottom of
Chapter 569
“March 12th. Poisoned the water supply in Sector Nine with diluted Iron Rot. Estimated casualties: 400. Projected profit from painkiller sales: 50,000 gold coins.”Doctor Lin began to cry. The tears fell onto the old pages. "They killed them," Lin sobbed, turning the pages wildly. "They killed my own mother. She died in Sector Nine three years ago. They killed her for gold."Rick walked over. He placed his warm, strong hand on Lin's shaking shoulder. "They will never do it again, Lin," Rick promised softly. "We have the proof. We will take this book to the broadcasting room. We will read every single page to the entire city. The people will know the truth."Rick reached out to take the book. Suddenly, a loud, slow clapping sound echoed from the shadows at the back of the vault. "Very noble, Ghost Doctor," a cruel, scratching voice sneered. "Very dramatic."Rick spun around. He raised his glowing green staff. Isaac drew his silver pistol. The shadows parted. Stepping out from behi
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