Invincible Little School Doctor
Chapter 1148: 1147 Time Forest (Part 1)

Chapter 1148: Chapter 1147 Time Forest (Part 1)

The registration went relatively smoothly, and the next day Ye Haochuan arrived early at the Holy Medical Alliance examination site.

Although the Holy Medical Alliance headquarters is in the city center of the Imperial Capital, the examination site is located on the outskirts. This is because the exam requires a large expanse of land, which is not feasible in the city center.

The buildings here are all retro-style pavilions, constructed entirely with wood, giving them an elegant and exquisite appearance.

Outside the examination site, over thirty people were gathered. They were all there to take the licensing exam, but their cultivation levels were generally quite low.

Many people have been stuck at the Postnatal or Innate realm their entire lives, unable to progress further in cultivation, so they seek alternative paths. Practicing medicine is clearly a good option; as long as one obtains the Holy Medical Alliance’s license, securing a position at any major hospital would ensure a lifetime without worries.

An examination site official opened the door, and once it was time, he allowed everyone to enter. The first thing that came into view upon entry was a bamboo grove.

Morning light filtered through the trees, scattering mottled patches of light on the forest floor. The shadows of the bamboo swayed, and stone stools were scattered everywhere in the forest.

The official said, “This is the Time Forest, the first test by the Holy Medical Alliance for all of you.”

“Time Forest?” Many were confused, and Ye Haochuan was also perplexed, so he asked, “What is this Time Forest used for, and what does it have to do with practicing medicine?”

The official explained, “This Time Forest is a formation left by our predecessors. The flow of time inside is much faster than outside; one hour inside equates to one year outside, two hours to two years, three hours to four years, and so on…”

“Wouldn’t cultivating inside be defying the natural order?” Ye Haochuan’s eyes lit up, and he spoke excitedly.

“What are you thinking? The extended time is just an illusion, and the actual duration is still only one or two hours. If there truly existed something that could alter time like that, it would have long been taken by the Great Powers, who would leave it here?”

“Uh…” Ye Haochuan was rendered speechless.

Someone else spoke up, “How does this relate to healing and treating illnesses?”

The official replied, “By entering this forest, one can gain insight into a person’s inner state. The better the inner state, the longer one can stay. I believe everyone understands the importance of inner state in one’s cultivation path. Additionally, it manifests one’s endurance. In practicing medicine, you will encounter many patients. If a medical practitioner lacks patience or a strong inner state, they can’t become a competent medicinal cultivator!”

With his explanation, the crowd finally understood and asked, “So, how long do we need to last in the Time Forest to pass?”

The official said, “For those below Foundation Establishment, one hour is passing. Foundation Establishment cultivators, two hours is passing. Core Formation cultivators… Seeing there are no Core Formation or above cultivators this time, I won’t elaborate further. Please proceed.”

Over thirty individuals separately found stone stools to sit on within the bamboo grove. Suddenly, a fiery red crystal stone flew out of the pavilion outside the examination site and embedded itself into the formation. A deep voice echoed from afar, resonating through the whole bamboo forest.

“Everyone, please close your eyes, the test begins!”

“Tick, tick, tick…” The Time Forest formation activated, sounding like the ticking of a clock.

Time slowly passed, and the Time Forest was serenely silent.

In the distance within a pavilion, three elders sat by a table, which was laid out with a tea set. Boiling water was steaming, continuously emitting white vapor.

These three individuals were elders of the Holy Medical Alliance, one of whom was He Qing, along with a black-robed elder and a blue-robed elder.

The black-robed elder was named Fu Pingyang, whose medical skills were on par with He Qing.

The blue-robed elder was named Tu Zhengxiang, the overall person in charge of the examination site.

“Old He, why would you personally come for such a small examination?” Tu Zhengxiang poured tea for them and spoke slowly.

Fu Pingyang said, “Old He must have come for that Ye Haochuan.”

Tu Zhengxiang also said, “I heard about the incident from days ago.”

He Qing said, “If he were just an ordinary person, it would be fine, but I distinctly saw him using the Holy Hand’s eighteen needles. I’m certain he has inherited the Holy Hand legacy, though I’m unsure how much skill he’s learned!”

Fu Pingyang laughed and said, “I’m afraid it’s more than that. I also heard that there was some past encounter between you in the Sub-Thunder Element Dimension Realm?”

“…”

He Qing was momentarily lost for words, and Tu Zhengxiang said, “Old He, why do we need to be evasive among us three?”

He Qing finally said, “Since he has the Holy Hand legacy, shouldn’t the examination be made correspondingly more difficult for him?”

“Haha!” Tu Zhengxiang laughed, “Old He, I understand your intentions. Not only should the difficulty be increased, but even preventing him from obtaining the Holy Medical Alliance license wouldn’t be out of the question.”

Here, Tu Zhengxiang alone made the decisions.

…

Half an hour later, there was finally some movement in the Time Forest as a middle-aged man couldn’t hold on any longer and dashed out of the forest.

The Holy Medical Alliance official grabbed him and said, “Sorry, you’re out.”

“What? I’ve been sitting for so long, hasn’t it been an hour yet?” The man was utterly disheartened, but seeing everyone else still sitting with closed eyes in the bamboo grove, he could only leave dejectedly.

With the first departure, there followed a second. Over the next half-hour, more people began scrambling out of the Time Forest as they lost patience, and a total of thirteen were eliminated.

After an hour, those below Foundation Establishment had passed, but a few people continued to sit quietly, indicating their inner states were good, likely to break through to Foundation Establishment in the future.

At this moment, another fiery red crystal stone flew out from the pavilion and embedded into the formation, while the previous stone simultaneously turned to dust.

In the pavilion, Fu Pingyang said, “Old Tu, if I didn’t see wrong just now, that crystal stone should be an upper-grade one, right?”

Tu Zhengxiang nodded and said, “Indeed, the energy from this stone can double the time flow rate in the Time Forest.”

For this examination, there were three individuals with the Foundation Establishment stage. Given He Qing and others’ intent to target Ye Haochuan, the other two could only be casualties.

The flow rate within the Time Forest subtly changed, and Ye Haochuan instantly noticed it. He curved a smirk and coldly laughed in his heart, “Did I raid your ancestors’ graves? Is it really necessary to target me this way?”

Nevertheless, this slight acceleration did not pose much impact on Ye Haochuan.

Another half-hour passed, and all those below Foundation Establishment could no longer endure and rushed out of the bamboo grove, though they had passed.

At this moment, only three Foundation Establishment cultivators were still struggling to endure.

One of them was already quite uneasy, and after another ten minutes, he finally opened his eyes and ran out of the bamboo grove.

“Sorry, you’ve been eliminated,” the official beside him said. The Foundation Establishment cultivator said bitterly, “Wasn’t it supposed to be two hours equaling two years? Why do I feel like I’ve been sitting for three to four years?”

However, in this place, the Holy Medical Alliance’s word is final. If they say you’re eliminated, then you’re eliminated!

Time passed bit by bit, and finally two hours elapsed. At this point, the two people in the forest were both considered to have passed!

Another person opened his eyes and asked, “Did I pass?”

The official nodded.

The person then stood up and slowly walked out.

However, Ye Haochuan remained seated inside with no signs of movement. He knew he had passed, but he just wouldn’t leave.

Ye Haochuan mused to himself, if you don’t announce the end, I’m not leaving; that crystal stone maintaining the formation must be quite valuable, right?