Deep night had fallen. The sky was dark, without a star in sight.
Liu Yu and the others had already waited outside for more than two hours, yet the two inside the hall still had not emerged.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded.
Liu Yu and the others hurried to stand before the hall doors and await them.
"Island Lord Zhao, since that is settled, I shall take my leave. I entrust this child to Linghua Island!"
"Rest assured, Senior Zhao. We will teach this child well!"
Zhao Xinghe nodded, beckoned the little boy over, and said, "Jin'er, stay here and cultivate diligently. Once you have completed your training, you can return to visit Little Wave Island!"
The little boy nodded, clutching Zhao Xinghe's robes and sobbing quietly.
Wang Ping stepped forward, took the child's hand, and drew him to his side. "Rest assured, Senior Zhao. Now that he has joined our Linghua Island, we will naturally treat him the same as everyone else!"
Zhao Xinghe nodded and cupped his hands toward everyone around him. "I shall be off!"
With that, he turned into a streak of azure light and departed.
Zhao Yi watched Zhao Xinghe recede into the distance, standing still for a long while.
"Wang Qing, take this child to Jade Pearl Island and entrust him to Zheng Ji's care. There is no one to keep him company here, but there he can spend time with children his age, like Feiyu and Chen Feng!"
Wang Qing nodded, picked up the child, and flew away.
"It is late. Everyone, go get some rest."
Liu Yu glanced at Zhao Yi, who indicated that nothing was wrong. He nodded, and they all left.
Zhao Yi returned to his own room as well.
There were more and more people on the island now. It was