Chapter 1: Stitching Dreams at Tuyu Hospital

Inside the intern dorm at Tuyu Hospital, other roommates were either on night duty or fast asleep.

Only one handsome young man was diligently practicing suturing.

“201 stitches, 202 stitches…”

Every time he sewed a stitch, Zhou Can silently kept count.

Today’s goal was to complete 300 stitches.

Even though exhaustion had overtaken him and waves of sleepiness crashed in, he gritted his teeth and pressed on.

He had to be tough on himself. His one-year internship was nearly over, and with the residency recruitment exam in just two days, this was his only chance.

Tuyu is a provincial top-tier hospital, fully equipped and home to renowned doctors.

Staying here meant not only learning advanced techniques but also broadening his horizons and boosting his career. The growth potential was enormous and his future shone bright.

Everyone wanted to stay, so the competition was bound to be fierce.

His forte was pathology diagnosis, although his other skills lagged behind those of the outstanding interns.

If he wanted to stay, he had to work harder than everyone else.

The pigskin, marked with countless stitches, bore the testimony of his sweat.

Pigskin closely resembles human skin, making it an ideal practice tool.

The closer the material is to human skin, the more effective the training.

As sleepiness deepened, the wall clock had already struck midnight.

He splashed cold water on his face to shake off the drowsiness and continued with determination.

After nearly two hours, he managed to complete 300 stitches with unwavering resolve.

【Congratulations on completing 100,000 sutures! Experience system activated. Both practice and surgery now award you medicinal experience points.】

Zhou Can shook his head forcefully.

What on earth is this?

As his thoughts flowed, something even more astonishing occurred.

A display interface materialized before his eyes.

【Zhou Can, Intern Doctor】

【Pathology Diagnosis Level 2: Current EXP 89.5/100. Diagnostic ability at the level of excellent residency doctors.】

【Incision Level 1: Current EXP 7.6/10. Dissection skills are at an average intern level.】

【Suturing Level 1: Current EXP 8.1/10. Suturing skills are at an excellent intern level.】

【Ligature Level 1: Current EXP 8.5/10. Ligature skills are at an excellent intern level.】

【Hemostasis Level 1: Current EXP 4.8/10. Hemostasis skills are failing for an intern.】

……

After reviewing all his attributes, he found every score to be remarkably accurate.

Pathology diagnosis had always been his strong suit and his sole advantage.

In departmental case discussions, he outperformed most of his peers.

He practiced suturing and ligature more than any other skills.

So reaching an excellent intern level was hardly surprising.

With limited energy, he couldn’t focus on every technique, so some lagged behind.

“What use is this experience system?”

Zhou Can had read many novels where protagonists soared after obtaining a system. Now that fortune had smiled on him, he was determined to dig deep into this ‘goldmine.’

He tried a stitch on the pigskin.

【Suturing EXP +0.1, Ligature EXP +0.1.】

A surge of joy overwhelmed him.

Previously, after 100,000 practice stitches, his EXP barely reached 8.1. Now, with just one stitch, it jumped to 8.2 – his progress was skyrocketing.

At this rate, only 18 more stitches would upgrade his suturing skills to Level 2.

Instantly, his energy soared, banishing his sleepiness.

Ignoring that the clock still read midnight, he continued practicing on the pigskin.

His EXP steadily inched upward.

When he finished the fourteenth stitch, it felt as if an electric current surged through him, revitalizing his entire being.

【Congratulations! Your Ligature skill has advanced to Level 2! Current EXP 0/100. Ligature ability at a lower-than-residency level.】

His grasp and execution of ligature seemed to have reached a new pinnacle.

Wow, he had reached residency level so quickly!

With that, he felt invincible.

Impulsively, he tried tying a square knot with his bare hands.

It took only 0.5 seconds.

Before, a square knot took him at least 5 seconds – now he was ten times faster.

Compared to his previous knots, both the neatness and firmness were incomparable.

Rumor had it that department heads could tie knots with one hand using needle holders on tofu pudding or a lump of cotton, ensuring the tofu remained undamaged while the knot stayed secure.

Imagine, tofu pudding is so fragile that even a slight tug would ruin it.

Zhou Can was still far from that level.

But he believed that with this incredible experience system, outclassing the department heads wasn’t impossible.

After practicing with both hands, he attempted a one-handed knot, taking 18 seconds. It produced a fairly secure knot with the suture site slightly tighter.

He didn’t try tying knots with one hand holding forceps.

If he couldn’t manage with his bare hands, handling forceps would be even more challenging.

Like a swordsman perfecting his blade work until it became an extension of his arm, true mastery required relentless practice.

Forceps and tweezers in his hands still felt lifeless.

They were even a bit clumsy, lacking finesse.

Zhou Can continued his rigorous practice, head bowed in concentration.

With his enhanced ligature skills, his suturing speed also improved.

Soon, his suturing EXP happily reached 10/10.

【Congratulations! Your Suturing skill has advanced to Level 2! Current EXP 0/100. Suturing ability at a lower-than-residency level.】

At last, he leveled up.

He grinned foolishly.

The thrill of mastering advanced techniques completely captivated him.

It meant that the gap between him and the top interns was narrowing.

At this pace, it wouldn’t be long before he caught up with them.

After leveling up his suturing, the previously confusing aspects of the technique became crystal clear, transforming his application and execution.

He could hardly wait to experience his upgraded suturing technique.

Gripping the needle holder, he pierced through the pigskin, emerging on the other side, then tied a knot.

Every movement flowed seamlessly, exuding the air of a master.

Each stitch now took nearly 50 seconds less, and the quality improved drastically – the skin edges aligned perfectly, the needle entered at just the right angle, and the distance from the cut was ideal.

This was the power of his advanced suturing.

At that moment, he looked back at his previous stitches.

In just two words: “Trash!”

Every flaw in his earlier work was immediately obvious.

It was like reviewing a first grader’s homework after sixth grade, muttering, “Who wrote such ugly characters? How can someone get simple arithmetic wrong? So clumsy.”

He felt his medical skills soaring, and the invisible pressure from the top interns had nearly vanished.

In its place, a surge of confidence radiated from him.

By then, the pigskin was completely covered in stitches.

Zhou Can picked up a scalpel, determined to extract every last bit of value from it.

After finding the right angle, the scalpel cautiously sliced through.

【Incision EXP +0.1.】

With every cut, his incision EXP increased by 0.1.

After 21 cuts, the pigskin was rendered useless.

Seeing that his incision skill was just 0.3 EXP shy of Level 2, though reluctant, he had to discard the worthless pigskin.

He promised himself that tomorrow he would buy another pigskin, convinced his incision skills would soon reach Level 2.

The clock had now struck 1 AM – time for bed.

After all, he had work in the morning.