Greenwood Island

The next day.

Dawn was just breaking.

Snow drifted past the window, and a rooster suddenly crowed.

Flying Needles (Grandmaster 1/3200)

After practicing diligently throughout the night, Zhao Huaian had finally raised his Flying Needles technique to the Grandmaster level.

As his Flying Needles technique reached the Grandmaster level, Zhao Huaian felt his vitality and mental energy grow more abundant. He was full of energy.

"With the 300-year-old Frost Grass and my improved Flying Needles technique, I'm almost certain to be accepted into Greenwood Sect this time."

Feeling the brocade box in his arms, Zhao Huaian smiled faintly, his face brimming with confidence.

This 300-year-old Ice Grass was crucial to whether he could successfully join Greenwood Sect.

According to the information he had gathered, one of the people in charge of Greenwood Sect's disciple recruitment assessment this time was named Lei Yangwen.

He was a fire-attribute cultivator. They said that a few years ago, a mistake in his cultivation had triggered a Fire Toxin Backlash, and he often needed Extreme Cold Items to suppress the fire toxin in his body.

Now that he had obtained 300-year-old Ice Grass, he could use it to befriend Lei Yangwen, which would greatly reduce the difficulty of entering Greenwood Sect.

The more Zhao Huaian thought about it, the more at ease he felt.

He stretched, then stood up and looked at the pale light outside.

"It's time. I can head to Greenwood Sect and take the assessment today."

Muttering to himself, Zhao Huaian washed his face and got himself into peak condition before opening the door and stepping outside.

The Golden Sand Island dock.

"Creak... creak..."

A group of boys shivered on the thick blanket of snow, stamping their feet over and over.

By now, the sky had grown bright.

Zhao Huaian mingled with the crowd. Around him stood fifty or sixty boys about his age.

They were all on their way to Greenwood Sect to take the assessment.

Everyone gazed out toward the sea, looking expectant and anxious, as if waiting for something.

Under their watchful eyes, before long, a huge ship slowly made its way toward the dock.

"It's here!"

Looking at the enormous ship, Zhao Huaian smiled faintly.

As the ship drew alongside the dock, a straight-backed figure stepped onto its bow.

It was Wang Haiping, the island master of Wind Sand Island. The duty of transporting those taking Greenwood Sect's assessment rotated every three years, and this time it had fallen to him.

"Island Master Wang!"

When they saw Wang Haiping, everyone brightened and called out to him with smiles.

"Something held us up along the way. You haven't been waiting long, have you?"

Wang Haiping scanned the crowd and saw the boys shivering with cold. A smile appeared on his face.

Everyone hurriedly waved their hands. "Not at all, not at all. We only just got here."

Wang Haiping nodded and said, "Since everyone's here, let's set out. I hope Heaven looks kindly on you from Golden Sand Island this time, and that some of you manage to join Greenwood Sect."

"Sorry for the trouble, Island Master!"

Everyone shouted in unison.

Wang Haiping smiled and led them aboard in an orderly fashion.

As the ship set sail, everyone stood excitedly on deck, gathering in groups of three or five to discuss their trip to Greenwood Sect.

As the most famous divine doctor on Golden Sand Island, Zhao Huaian naturally drew the admiration of the youths from the surrounding islands.

Zhao Huaian had no desire to entertain such empty praise. After politely exchanging a few words, he returned to the cabin alone.

He would rather use the time to study Medical Skill and Flying Needles.

Of course, the main reason was that whether these people could join Greenwood Sect was still up in the air.

Someone with a more prominent background, who was certain to be accepted into Greenwood Sect, would naturally be an exception.

"Your Divine Doctor Zhao from Golden Sand Island sure is aloof."

A boy from another island shook his head as he watched Zhao Huaian enter the cabin.

"Hey, what's the big deal? Divine Doctor Zhao is so young and already has such impressive Medical Skill. If it were me, I'd be even more aloof than him."

A boy from Golden Sand Island stepped forward to defend him.

"Fair enough!"

At the mention of Zhao Huaian's extraordinary Medical Skill, envy and admiration shone in everyone's eyes.

Before long, as the youths from the nearby islands grew familiar with one another, they began to play and joke around, chatting about the major events that had happened recently.

"I'm telling you, a genius from the Lin Family on Wind Sand Island was supposed to take Greenwood Sect's assessment, but who could've guessed that the entire family would be wiped out overnight, just last night?"

"I heard about that, too. It seems the Lin Family had something that someone else coveted, and that's why they were wiped out."

"Didn't a genius from the Lin Family join Greenwood Sect three years ago? And still someone dared to slaughter the whole family? This is going to get interesting."

"What's there to get excited about? The ones who did it were apparently a bunch of desperados. No one can find them now. After wiping out the Lin Family, they vanished without a trace."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Huaian was in the cabin, studying Medical Skill and Flying Needles.

After three days of painstaking practice, he had become much more proficient in both Flying Needles and Medical Skill.

"Not bad. As my Grandmaster-level Flying Needles and Medical Skill become more and more practiced, my whole body's vitality and mental energy are improving a little, too. That'll be a huge help with the upcoming Greenwood Sect assessment."

Feeling the vitality and energy within him grow stronger, Zhao Huaian smiled with satisfaction.

He looked out the window. Snowflakes drifted down, and a huge harbor had appeared in the distance.

Before long, the ship rocked, and cheers rang out from outside.

"Greenwood Island's here!"

Looking at the bustling harbor outside the window, Zhao Huaian smiled and opened the door.

Greenwood Island was the largest island within thousands of miles. It covered an enormous area, and Greenwood Sect, one of the four great cultivation sects in the Huai'an Water Region, had built its Training Hall there to recruit disciples from the surrounding islands.

It was the season for Greenwood Sect to open its gates and recruit disciples. The harbors across Greenwood Island were packed with people, and ships of every size filled the docks.

Their purpose in coming here was obvious: they had come to take part in Greenwood Sect's disciple selection.

Though the harbors were packed, Greenwood Sect's authority kept everyone in check. Those coming ashore formed orderly lines of their own and headed toward the Training Hall where Greenwood Sect recruited disciples.

As soon as Zhao Huaian disembarked, he parted ways with the group led by Wang Haiping and headed in another direction.

"Island Master, Divine Doctor Zhao is gone!"

Someone in the crowd noticed that Zhao Huaian had disappeared and hurriedly reported it to Wang Haiping.

"Leave him be. Who is Divine Doctor Zhao, after all? His Medical Skill is extraordinary. He must have his own reasons for leaving on his own."

Wang Haiping glanced in the direction Zhao Huaian had gone, then shook his head and said, "You can't compare yourselves to Divine Doctor Zhao. Just stay with me, and don't get lost. Otherwise, if you fail the assessment, you'll be stuck here for the rest of your lives without even knowing what starved you to death."

Wang Haiping might have kept an eye on the others, but he wasn't about to meddle in the affairs of Zhao Huaian, a young divine doctor, and ruin something important to him.

"Yes, Island Master!"

Everyone shouted. Their hearts tightened, and they hurriedly followed Wang Haiping in an orderly line.