Chapter 197 – Screening

More and more people who wanted to study medicine were arriving at the Riverside Tribe.

That day, Jian Mo carried a huge load of food to find Qing Kuo and the others.

The load on his back was so heavy that it bent his waist.

Qing Kuo quickly helped him take the basket down. “My goodness, why did you carry something this heavy all the way here? Wasn’t the chief at home? Why didn’t you let him carry it? Or if you met any beastmen along the way, you could’ve just asked one of them to help.”

Jian Mo wiped his sweat. “It’s fine, it’s not far. Just a short walk. I brought these ingredients for you—use them when you cook.”

Qing Kuo frowned. “We already have food here. Every evening, when the tribe distributes ingredients, they set aside a portion specifically for us.”

Jian Mo waved his hand. “This is just my own goodwill. I included a lot of spices—you’ll definitely find them useful when cooking.”

So many people had come to the Riverside Tribe to study. For the tribe, this was a good thing.

Once lessons officially started, the Riverside Tribe would be responsible for everyone’s meals and lodging, and no one had to provide supplies.

Jian Mo knew this was the tribe’s arrangement, but he still felt uneasy about it. So he deliberately carried food over today, wanting everyone to eat a little better.

Qing Kuo patted Jian Mo on the shoulder, sighing. “You’re such a stubborn one.”

Jian Mo smiled. “It’s fine. I’ll head back first—I still need to feed Jiujiu and Ying’ao.”

Qing Kuo said, “Go on then. But don’t bring more food next time. If we really need anything, I’ll tell the tribe.”

Jian Mo nodded, waved, and headed home.

On the way, he passed the gladiator field, where a group of young people were sparring.

At that moment, Dan Guan and Jiu Yin were in the ring. Dan Guan’s ringworm had mostly cleared up, and he had come to study too. He had only arrived yesterday, yet today he was already on the field.

From afar, Jian Mo watched for a while. He thought Jiu Yin still seemed stronger.

The crowd around the arena shouted loudly, some cheering for Dan Guan, some for Jiu Yin.

With so many visitors, the Riverside Tribe felt unusually lively.

Jian Mo had expected this, so he wasn’t surprised to see people fighting in the arena.

Burning off energy like that was actually a good thing.

Soon, Jian Mo was ready—the first day of assessments officially began.

There were 327 outsiders who had come to the Riverside Tribe, plus 14 from the tribe itself, making 341 people in total. Of these, only 72 were beastmen, and the rest were sub-beasts.

Jian Mo had already told everyone they would need to pass an assessment before being accepted as students, and no one objected.

For the assessment, Jian Mo divided them into ten groups, led them up the mountain, and carried a notebook to score each person’s performance.

Qing Kuo and Wu Jiong acted as his assistants.

Looking at the huge crowd, Qing Kuo felt his scalp tingle. “With this many people, can you really keep track of everyone?”

Jian Mo shook the notebook in his hand and whispered back, “As long as I write down what they do, I’ll remember them.”

Qing Kuo muttered, “It’s so many people… if we hadn’t hosted the hunting festival before, we’d never be able to handle this many guests.”

Jian Mo replied, “It’s fine. Most people don’t realize how tough studying medicine is—they only see the prestige of becoming a healer. Give it two days, I guarantee more than half will be gone.”

Qing Kuo gave the line of marching people a doubtful glance, but nodded.

When they gathered on the mountain, Jian Mo picked an herb and began to explain:

“…This herb is called Yang Bai. It clears heat and detoxifies. Look, its features are long, sharp leaves. The underside is whitish, the top dark green, and the roots are like a bundle of threads.”

As he spoke, he passed the freshly picked herbs around for everyone to examine.

Jian Mo continued: “Today, we’ll be collecting this herb. Autumn is when its medicinal strength is at its peak. Once dried, it can be stored for a year. You can collect it in other seasons too, but autumn harvests are the best for storage.”

Everyone nodded seriously, memorizing the details while studying the herb.

Jian Mo added: “When gathering herbs, only pick the mature ones. Don’t touch the seedlings. And always leave half behind—never strip the place bare. We healers have a saying: ‘Harvest without leaving, the medicine won’t heal.’ If you show no respect for the herbs, then even if you use them, they won’t be effective.”

Everyone solemnly said they understood.

“Today’s first test is herb gathering,” Jian Mo said. “I’ll grade based on how you collect them. Now, go into the mountains.”

The crowd quickly split up—some in pairs or trios, others alone—heading into the forest.

The area wasn’t dangerous. Jian Mo had Jiujiu and Ying’ao circling overhead. If anyone was seriously hurt, they would cry out loudly, and Jian Mo’s group could rush over.

So the three instructors stayed behind at the foot of the mountain to rest.

Qing Kuo handed a waterskin to Jian Mo. “After that long lecture, I feel dry-mouthed myself. Teaching is really not easy.”

Jian Mo’s voice was hoarse. “It’s fine. At least everyone is cooperative—no interruptions, no idle chatter. Otherwise, it would’ve been much harder.”

Qing Kuo shook his head. “I don’t think I’d have the patience.”

They rested until sunset, when people began trickling back down.

Jian Mo scored them one by one.

Some clearly had poor memory—only remembered one herb, and picked the wrong ones.

Some were careless—yanking herbs out roughly, breaking roots and leaves.

Some picked everything indiscriminately, big or small.

All of these were unqualified.

As Jian Mo graded, he thought to himself: Qing Kuo’s worry won’t happen. Forget two days—half of them can be eliminated today.

He also checked if anyone was injured, and had Qing Kuo prepare medicine for them.

There was every kind of injury—scratches from branches, tumbles, bites from poisonous insects.

Though beastmen and sub-beasts were used to such things and didn’t care, Jian Mo still treated them and deducted points accordingly.

After all, both herb gathering and practicing medicine had risks. Careless people were not suited for this work.

They spent the whole day in the mountains. Back in the tribe, they still couldn’t rest—they had to process, wash, and dry the herbs.

This wasn’t Jian Mo being harsh—it was simply how healers lived. Herbs had to be treated fresh; laziness wasn’t allowed.

Since Jian Mo was bringing them into the profession, he wanted them to see the reality of it.

That night, after dinner, Jian Mo gathered everyone around the bonfire. With his notebook in hand, he summarized the day and had them share their reflections.

Many realized that being a healer was nothing like they imagined—it wasn’t fun, and it wasn’t glorious.

Jian Mo then cited the example of Healer Lian Ke, explaining why the standards for healers were so high, what would happen if they weren’t upheld, and the consequences.

In just one day, between eliminations and voluntary withdrawals, two-thirds of the candidates were gone.

The next morning, when Jian Mo called them together again, only 113 people remained.

He turned to Qing Kuo. “See? I told you not to worry.”

Qing Kuo smirked. “Didn’t expect it. You usually look so kind, but you’re pretty strict with students.”

Jian Mo said seriously, “Of course. Lives are at stake—we have to be strict.”

He didn’t care about tribe or past friendships when cutting people. For example, even A Hu and Dan Guan were eliminated on the first day, and most of the Riverside Tribe’s own members were dropped too.

It was probably the first time many people experienced the cruelty of exams. Jian Mo just hoped it wouldn’t traumatize them.

Qing Kuo asked, “So what’s today’s task?”

“Still herb gathering,” Jian Mo said. “But today there’ll be a lot of memorization. To be a student, memory and comprehension are essential.”

Qing Kuo raised a brow. “You mean you’ll teach and then immediately test, and whoever fails gets cut?”

“Pretty much,” Jian Mo nodded.

With only a hundred or so left, things were easier.

But even so, after a half-day of lecturing, Jian Mo’s voice was already hoarse.

In the afternoon, each student had to recite the herbs they collected and their properties in front of him. Between explaining and testing, Jian Mo’s throat grew even worse.

The students didn’t have it easy either. Many were sweating bullets, saying it was more nerve-wracking than facing a wild beast.

That day, fewer were eliminated outright, but many voluntarily quit.

They realized becoming a healer was far harder than they imagined—hunting and gathering seemed much easier. Those without firm resolve left after Jian Mo encouraged them to reconsider.

By the end, Jian Mo rewrote the student register. Only about fifty people remained—a proper class size.

Hoarsely, Jian Mo asked Qing Kuo, “Well? No pressure now, right?”

Qing Kuo poured him water. “I don’t feel any pressure—but you should look at yourself. Your throat is almost gone.”

Jian Mo smiled. “It’s fine. I wasn’t used to talking so much. Going hoarse is normal. I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

Qing Kuo frowned. “You should brew yourself some medicine. Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t be able to speak tomorrow.”

Jian Mo grinned. “No need. With fewer people now, it’ll be fine.”

Many who were eliminated or quit didn’t immediately leave. They wanted to see who Jian Mo would finally accept, and also to enjoy a few more days in the Riverside Tribe.

Seeing this, Wu Jiong and Dejiang were tempted.

The people who came—beastmen and sub-beasts alike—were generally motivated and capable.

Wu Jiong had observed them carefully during the exams and had a strong impression of several.

Since they weren’t continuing with medicine, Wu Jiong went around inviting them to teach the tribe’s little ones a few lessons.

The invitees were stunned and flattered.

“Chief Wu Jiong, are you sure you want me? I’m only good at traps, and I’m not even that skilled.”

“I only know birds. When it comes to beasts, I’m clueless. Do kids really need to learn something that niche?”

“In combat, I only know one move—ground throws. If the opponent’s in a huge beast form, I can’t do anything.”

Wu Jiong replied seriously to each:

“Bian Ya, your traps are perfect for catching small prey. Simple, practical, and ideal for beginners and cubs.”

“Heng Wu, your bird recognition is unmatched. You can even read their emotions from their calls before catching them—no one else can do that.”

“Jiang Xie, your ground throws are the best beginner’s move. With you teaching, the cubs will learn a lot.”

The chosen ones were delighted and agreed readily. “If you think we’re suitable, Chief Wu Jiong, then we’re honored.”

Someone asked, “Chief Wu Jiong, can we also bring our tribe’s cubs to attend the classes?”

Wu Jiong nodded. “Of course. But it might be hard for them to keep up. I suggest tribes that want to send cubs should first have their adults attend, then set up classes back home tailored for their own little ones.”

The person was thrilled. “Then we won’t hold back.”

Wu Jiong nodded firmly. “Don’t be polite. And if running classes in a single tribe feels too heavy, you can do as we did—several nearby tribes can join together to set up classes. That way it’s easier and more efficient.”