Chapter 499 - 499: When It Comes to Showing Off, Zhao Yuan Is the Man

The masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine all shivered in unison.

They suddenly realized that challenging Zhao Yuan had been a terrible mistake.

But by now, the words were out. Not only had everyone at the scene heard them, but they had also been broadcast via livestream. They couldn't back down, nor would they be allowed to. They could only bite the bullet and hold their ground. "Then we will await your arrival in Japan, Lord Zhao!"

With that said, the masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine, fearing another incident if they lingered, turned and fled as if their lives depended on it.

Watching their pathetic retreat, the crowd gathered in the hospital plaza erupted in derisive laughter.

This little interlude did nothing to dampen the crowd's high spirits.

Escorted by the crowd, Zhao Yuan returned to his hotel. Kang Fengyu, the chairman of the Chinese Medical Exchange Forum, had already prepared a victory banquet in the hotel restaurant.

As the guest of honor, Zhao Yuan was naturally seated at the head table. Aside from the teachers and elders from West Hua Medical University, everyone else at his table was a Divine Level figure in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine, renowned for their peerless medical skills!

The seating arrangement alone showed that despite his youth, Zhao Yuan had already earned the right to be considered an equal among these esteemed seniors of the medical world.

Seeing this, people were envious, but not jealous. In fact, many felt it was only right, a matter of course.

Because Zhao Yuan had both the skill and the prestige to back it up!

Even after arriving at the restaurant, the crowd's excitement had hardly subsided.

Everyone took out their phones. They logged into their favorite medical forums or opened social media apps, excitedly recounting everything they had just witnessed. They also posted plenty of photos from the event, including no shortage of pictures taken with Zhao Yuan.

Their firsthand accounts of watching the competition up close made netizens incredibly envious. Likes and comments poured in. The photos with Zhao Yuan, in particular, attracted a flood of replies, and within minutes, their posts were trending.

Kang Fengyu raised his glass and stood up. "Come," he said, "let us all raise a glass to congratulate Zhao Yuan on his victory in this momentous competition!"

Everyone rose to their feet, glasses held high, and roared in unison, "To Zhao Yuan! To victory! To Traditional Chinese Medicine!"

Zhao Yuan's face was already flushed red before he even took a sip.

It was from sheer excitement.

Zhao Yuan stood as well, raising his glass to everyone at the table. "Thank you, my esteemed seniors," he said. "I couldn't have won this competition without your help and encouragement."

Seeing him remain so humble even after such a huge victory, the crowd's affection and admiration for him deepened.

After a round of toasts, the hot dishes began to arrive. Kang Fengyu asked Zhao Yuan to say a few words, but he honestly had no idea what to say. After a long, awkward pause, he managed to squeeze out two words: "Let's eat!"

The crowd broke into good-natured laughter and, taking his cue, sat down and began to dig in. Throughout the banquet, person after person came to toast Zhao Yuan. Relying on his superhuman constitution, he accepted every single one. After several rounds, people were astonished to find his tolerance for alcohol was incredible. He seemed able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and they couldn't help but marvel.

After another group of well-wishers departed, Ma Guotao seized the opportunity to ask, "Zhao Yuan, you said you were going to Japan to challenge their practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Were you serious about that, or was it just something you said in the heat of the moment?"

Zhao Yuan set down his glass. "Of course I'm serious!" he replied. "They let those Japanese bastards come to China and challenge me, but I'm not allowed to go to Japan and kick down their doors? Where's the justice in that!"

Zhao Yuan said it casually, but everyone could feel the overwhelming, heroic ambition brimming in his words.

To go to Japan alone and challenge the various Traditional Chinese Medicine schools... just the thought of it was enough to make one's blood boil with excitement!

Xiao Xianlin exclaimed with admiration, "Such audacity! Zhao Yuan, if you were born in ancient times, you'd be a true knight-errant! A legendary hero who 'slays a man every ten steps, leaving no trace over a thousand miles'!"

Ma Guotao's heart was also pounding. "Excellent!" he shouted. "When the time comes, we'll go with you! We'll be your cheering squad!"

Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, chiming in, "Yes, yes, we'll all go with you! Haha, if we missed out on witnessing something so satisfying in person, we'd regret it for the rest of our lives!"

Of course, Zhao Yuan wouldn't refuse this request from his teachers and seniors. He smiled and agreed, "Alright, we'll all go together and turn their world upside down!"

"Yeah!" the crowd roared, their excitement peaking. They wished they could storm Japan right then and there, take down every single one of those Traditional Chinese Medicine schools, and let them know that your daddy is always your daddy, even in defeat! If you try to replace your father or climb on your old man's head, you're just asking for a spanking!

After the bout of laughter, Qiu Haogu asked, "When do you plan to go to Japan?"

"It'll be a while yet," Zhao Yuan replied. "For one thing, getting a passport and visa will take time. For another, my skills aren't good enough yet. I need to use this time to learn more. If I'm going to Japan, I'm not going halfway. I'm going to defeat every single one of the Traditional Chinese Medicine schools that challenged me today!"

Hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions a mixture of odd emotions.

'My skills aren't good enough? I need to learn more?'

'Does he have to be so modest!'

After a long silence, someone—no one was sure who—sighed and said, "A prodigy is scary enough, but a prodigy who's also incredibly diligent... Zhao Yuan, if word of what you just said gets out, you'll drive countless people mad with envy!"

"It might not drive them mad, but he'll definitely be accused of humblebragging by a lot of people," Yang Jingbo said with a laugh.

"That's right!" the group chorused with another laugh. "When it comes to humblebragging, Zhao Yuan is in a class of his own!"

Many in the group were professors at medical universities who dealt with students daily, so they were quite familiar with the slang and jokes popular among the younger generation.

After dinner, the group escorted Zhao Yuan back to his room. They urged him to get some rest and then took their leave.

Even though they all had more they wanted to say to Zhao Yuan, they knew he had been under a great deal of stress for the competition over the past few days, and no one wanted to keep him from his rest.

Zhao Yuan's phone was also returned to him.

He hadn't used it in two days, so the battery had long since died, and the phone had shut down. Zhao Yuan plugged it into the charger and, after letting it charge for a bit, turned it on.

As soon as it powered on, he saw multiple missed calls and unread messages.

Zhao Yuan took a look. The calls and messages were mostly from his teachers and classmates at the university, as well as friends like Fang Yi.