The Greenwood Domain was vast, but it was by no means open to just anyone. Not just anybody could freely enter its boundless territory.
It was said that the outer perimeter of Greenwood Mountain was protected by an enormous barrier formation—a barrier that sealed the sky and locked the earth, one that even a Half-emperor couldn't budge. It perfectly isolated Greenwood Mountain from the outside world, and even the sect's disciples and elders could only enter and exit through special entrances, presenting their identity tokens.
However, this was the day when Greenwood Mountain held its annual disciple recruitment, so the sect had withdrawn its majestic and formidable protective barrier. The gates were truly wide open—one could enter Greenwood Mountain from any direction.
And because Greenwood Mountain's recruitment paid no attention to one's identity, appearance, or even race, but only looked at talent, the people preparing to join Greenwood Mountain alone—not counting their companions—numbered in the billions.
Most of these people were children who had only just reached the age at which one could begin cultivating. After all, Greenwood Mountain was the most powerful force in the Greenwood Domain, and everyone wanted their child to become a disciple of Greenwood Mountain and receive the finest training.
Those from wealthy families could manage the journey easily enough, but those from impoverished backgrounds had it terribly difficult. Without the money to pay for the Ancient Teleportation Array, they had to travel on foot to Greenwood Mountain. And because they lacked swift and powerful means of transportation, their pace was agonizingly slow. Some families had even started their journey the very day their child was born, and by the time they finally arrived at Greenwood Mountain, the child might already be over a dozen years old.
So while the number of people gathered at Greenwood Mountain seemed enormous, these people came from every corner of the Greenwood Domain—some had traveled for over a decade just to get here. When you looked at it that way, the total of several billion—both prospective disciples and their companions—actually didn't seem like that many, given the sheer vastness of the Greenwood Domain and its unimaginably large population.
That said, although Greenwood Mountain's recruitment didn't consider status or position, it placed great importance on talent. Out of the several billion people preparing to join the sect, after layer upon layer of selection, the fact that even a few tens of millions could remain would already be quite impressive.
But disciples like Chu Feng and the others, sent by their affiliated forces, didn't need to participate in any examination or go through any screening. They could directly become the most honored Core Disciples of Greenwood Mountain.
When the people who had traveled thousands of miles to join Greenwood Mountain saw the various affiliated forces passing overhead in grand procession, heading toward the depths of the mountain, their eyes were filled with envy and jealousy.
At this moment, in truth, a vast plaza on Greenwood Mountain—as large as an entire plain—was already packed with people. It was a true ocean of humanity.
Greenwood Mountain had five first-tier affiliated forces, several hundred second-tier affiliated forces, and over a thousand third-tier affiliated forces. Each one of these forces was required to deliver the finest talent to Greenwood Mountain every year.
Most of the affiliated forces had already arrived, and among them, three attracted the most attention: Eastern Greenwood, Western Greenwood, and Northern Greenwood.
These three forces were not only first-tier affiliated forces of Greenwood Mountain but also the most orthodox, sharing the same roots as Greenwood Mountain itself. They were hailed as the leaders among all affiliated forces.
These three forces now each brought over five thousand disciples. Together, they totaled more than fifteen thousand—a number of tremendous significance, as it meant they would be delivering fifteen thousand Core Disciples to Greenwood Mountain.
This number, compared to the dozens or even single-digit numbers from other affiliated forces, was staggeringly large. It fully demonstrated the might of these three forces.
"Truly worthy of being the Three Greenwood Forests—every year they manage to maintain this many disciples delivered to Greenwood Mountain. Not only is the quantity staggering, but the quality of their disciples is also remarkable."
"Indeed. Lin Yan of Eastern Greenwood, Jiang Hao of Western Greenwood, Huang Juan of Northern Greenwood—all of them were already famous geniuses before they even arrived here. Seeing them in person today, they truly live up to their reputation."
"At such a young age, they're already Third-stage Martial Kings. Truly formidable—extraordinarily so."
The disciples of the Three Greenwood Forests became the focal point of everyone's attention. And among those fifteen thousand disciples, three stood out like pearls in a desert—blazingly radiant.
Two were men and one was a woman. The first man, of average appearance—neither tall nor thin, neither fat nor short—was named Lin Yan. He cultivated a forbidden Mystic Art and commanded numerous powerful techniques. He was the strongest disciple of Eastern Greenwood.
It was said that his combat power was extraordinary—despite being only a Third-stage Martial King, he could fight a Fifth-stage Martial King head-on. Ordinary Fourth-stage Martial Kings were simply no match for him. He was an undisputed genius.
The other man was Jiang Hao, the strongest disciple of Western Greenwood. Jiang Hao was much like Lin Yan—not particularly handsome, but the unique aura the two possessed far surpassed mere good looks. They were not only the center of attention at the gathering but also the ideal princes and dream lovers of countless female disciples.
There was nothing to be done about it. A beautiful woman could win affection, but a man needed real strength to be loved. Some men without ability would grovel and humble themselves like servants and still not find a wife. But powerful men, proud and disdainful, couldn't care less about beautiful women—yet they had no shortage of them. Jiang Hao and Lin Yan were clearly this kind of person.
As for the last one—a woman named Huang Juan, a disciple of Northern Greenwood. Huang Juan was extraordinarily seductive in appearance, heavily made-up and provocatively dressed. Her look was more that of a woman from the entertainment quarters—"vixen" would be the most apt description.
But Huang Juan was far more than just a sexy and alluring exterior. Her strength was in no way inferior to Lin Yan's or Jiang Hao's. A beautiful woman could win affection, but a powerful and beautiful woman was a goddess—held high atop a pedestal by countless men.
If Jiang Hao and Lin Yan made countless female disciples' hearts flutter, then Huang Juan was the goddess who stirred the hearts of countless male disciples, who would willingly bow before her.
"Those three geniuses may be formidable, but I've heard that the most impressive disciple in this year's batch is no longer from the Three Forests, but from the Stargazing Observatory," someone suddenly said.
"My friend, you mean that young man named Yuan Qing?" another asked upon hearing this.
"Exactly—Yuan Qing. The only person since ancient times to have activated the Ancient Immortal Needle. This young man's talent is simply unprecedented. His future accomplishments will be truly limitless," the first replied.
"Yes, yes! Why hasn't the Stargazing Observatory arrived yet? I truly want to see Yuan Qing in the flesh." At this, everyone nodded in agreement, their faces brimming with anticipation.
Over the past several months, the Stargazing Observatory had used every means at its disposal to publicize Yuan Qing's activation of the Ancient Immortal Needle far and wide. Although the Greenwood Domain was vast beyond imagination, thanks to the Observatory's efforts, those who hadn't heard of Yuan Qing were truly in the minority. At the very least, all the major forces knew of his exploits.
This had made Yuan Qing the hottest and most eagerly anticipated genius of all. Some even believed that after Yuan Qing joined Greenwood Mountain, the positions of the sect's existing powerhouses would be shaken—at the very least, another monster-tier figure would be joining their ranks.
"Look! It's the Stargazing Observatory—they've finally arrived!"
Suddenly, someone shouted, pointing southward. And at that moment, nearly everyone on the vast plaza turned their gaze in that direction.
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