Silver Needle is the dedicated healer sect in Where Winds Meet. Joining it starts with tracking down Dr Yuan and proving you understand the sect’s idea of what a “proper” doctor is: helpful, but never working entirely for free. Once you are in, the sect reshapes your build around fan-based healing arts and a weekly routine of treating other players.
Dr Yuan location in Qinghe
Dr Yuan appears in the Qinghe region, tied to the healing profession and the Three Questions trial. His placement shifts slightly depending on how you approach the clue, but the references all point to the same area.
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Region | Qinghe |
| Broad area | Moonveil Mountain |
| Local landmark | Sage’s Knoll / Sage’s Refuge healing camp |
| Nearby terrain | Encircling Lake and Tiger Ridge, south‑western Qinghe |
| Quest tie‑in | “Three Questions” entrance trial for Silver Needle |
When you first arrive at Sage’s Knoll, you usually find an apprentice rather than Dr Yuan himself. Speaking to the apprentice reveals two key hints:
- You are close to the Silver Needle admission area.
- Dr Yuan is further along a nearby river; follow the water downstream to reach his camp.
From Sage’s Knoll, move toward the river and follow it to its end. Dr Yuan is set up near the main road that runs by Encircling Lake and Tiger Ridge, on the south‑western side of Qinghe. He appears as a physician NPC and a Silver Needle disciple or leader (he is also referred to in some in‑game text as Sun Yuan, but it is the same character and entry point).
Talk to him once to register your interest in Silver Needle; this conversation starts the Three Questions trial that decides whether you can join the sect.
Requirements before meeting Dr Yuan
The Silver Needle entrance is locked behind the healing profession. Without it, you cannot see the proper clue or complete the trial.
| Step | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1. Character level | Reach at least level 13. |
| 2. Profession unlock | Visit Mu Ji’an in Mercyheart Town to learn the Healer profession. |
| 3. Entrance clue | After becoming a Healer, travel to Sage’s Knoll in Qinghe to pick up the Silver Needle clue. |
| 4. Trial access | Speak to Dr Yuan near Sage’s Knoll / Moonveil Mountain to begin the Three Questions of Apricot Grove. |
Only one sect can be active at a time. Joining Silver Needle replaces any previous sect affiliation and starts you at its lowest rank.
How to join Silver Needle with Dr Yuan’s Three Questions
Dr Yuan’s entrance exam is framed as “Three Questions of Apricot Grove”. In practice, it is a short quest in which you treat three patients and choose how to handle their payment. The sect believes “each life has its price”, and your answers are used to judge whether you understand that idea.
| Step | What to do | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Speak to Dr Yuan | At Sage’s Knoll / Moonveil Mountain, talk to Dr Yuan and accept his offer to test you for Silver Needle. | Commitment to the healer path. |
| 2. Patient 1 – sick merchant | Find the sick merchant on the road south of Dr Yuan. Choose “Ill‑Gotten Wealth” as payment and agree to treat him. | Whether you are willing to take tainted but valuable payment. |
| 3. Patient 2 – injured villager | Locate the injured villager near the road in the nearby woods. Choose the “Jar of Parting Tears” as payment and complete the treatment. | Whether you value emotional or symbolic payment. |
| 4. Patient 3 – poor patient on the hill | Walk up the small hill from the second patient and treat the last one under a tree. Both payment choices are almost worthless; after picking one, choose to treat them for free when that option appears. | Whether you can balance fair compensation with genuine compassion. |
| 5. Report back to Dr Yuan | Return to Dr Yuan and hand over the medical records of your three treatments for judgment. | Confirmation that you accept the sect’s view that doctors should seek fair, not exploitative or zero, compensation. |
| 6. Accept membership | After he explains the lesson, accept formal membership in Silver Needle to complete the trial. | Unlocks the sect system, Panacea Fan, and access to further ranks. |
Each attempt at the trial produces a medical record item that you submit to an entry elder. Once judged acceptable, you are recognized as a Silver Needle disciple.
What Silver Needle gives your character
Silver Needle orients your character around medicine and support. Joining it immediately grants signature fan martial arts and access to a sect‑specific shop and title system.
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Panacea Fan martial art | Unlocked as soon as you join. A healer‑focused fan that can heal and even resurrect allies. Its kit includes Fourfold Inquiry (basic string), Emerald Dewtouch (healing skill), Mistbound Aid (support skill), and Light Dust After Morning Rain (charged skill). |
| Inkwell Fan martial art | An additional fan style emphasizing utility and shielding, with skills such as Jadewind Shield, Glow & Flow, and Moonlit Spring. |
| Sect shop | A dedicated vendor that trades healer‑oriented cosmetics and items for coins and sect reputation. |
| Healer gameplay loop | Right to treat other players’ illnesses and injuries that would otherwise be handled by NPC doctors, and progression hooks into high‑value potions and medicines. |
| Titles and elections | Rank‑based honorifics such as Novice, Doctor, Senior Doctor, Renowed Doctor, and Divine Healer, along with weekly elections that let top members hold the Divine Healer title for a limited time. |
Panacea Fan is the main draw. It plugs into many builds as a second weapon set, letting you pivot to large, reliable team heals without giving up your primary damage weapon entirely. Pairings with Soulshade Umbrella are especially common for a support‑tank role.
Silver Needle rules and weekly expectations
Silver Needle is not a casual cosmetic choice. The sect runs on strict rules tracking how you practice medicine each week. The core precept, “One Life, One Price”, demands that every treatment carries some kind of payment, even if it is symbolic.
| Rule | Practical requirement | Effect on sect precept value |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Healing | Participate in multiplayer content and successfully heal other players using your fan skills. | Increases precept value (examples show +10) when you complete qualifying sessions. |
| Healing Bodies and Minds / Patient Praise | Earn at least 15 “likes” or Patient Praise points per week from players you treat. | Maintains or boosts your value if you meet the quota; falling short applies a penalty (examples show –10). |
Two things matter here:
- Healing must happen in multiplayer. Solo questing with a fan equipped does not satisfy Shared Healing.
- Other players have to acknowledge your work. Their Likes are counted as Patient Praise toward your weekly quota.
If you consistently miss the 15‑praise target or avoid multiplayer healing, your precept values fall. That can slow or reverse your progression through Silver Needle ranks and limit access to higher‑tier rewards in the sect shop.
How to progress Silver Needle ranks
After joining, your standing in Silver Needle rises or falls based on how you practice each week. Internally, the sect treats this as a ladder of healer titles, from entry‑level to Divine Healer.
| Rank (high to low) | Example title | What typically changes |
|---|---|---|
| Top rank | Divine Healer | Highest voting weight in sect elections; access to all shop items and the ability to hold the weekly Divine Healer office. |
| High rank | Medical Scholar | Eligibility to register as a candidate for Divine Healer, at the cost of a 10,000‑coin campaign fee. |
| Mid rank | Chief Physician / Physician | Unlocks more cosmetic pieces such as Silent Current hairstyle and appearance pack and small perks like free reputation gift boxes. |
| Entry rank | Keeper (Novice) | Basic sect membership, Panacea Fan access, and the starting cosmetic avatar. |
Progress depends on three main factors:
- How often you heal real players in group content.
- Whether you meet or exceed the weekly Patient Praise quota.
- How consistently you avoid penalties from ignoring sect rules.
Sect status is visible on a dedicated Sect page in the character interface. There, you can see which specific challenges still need to be met for the next promotion and what cosmetic or functional rewards come with it.
Silver Needle shop and cosmetic rewards
Silver Needle runs its own sect shop with items bought using coins and sect reputation. The inventory is layered behind rank thresholds, so only committed healers gain access to certain looks.
| Rank requirement | Example item | Cost type |
|---|---|---|
| Keeper | Silent Current player avatar | 450 sect reputation |
| Any | Herbs and basic medical items | Coins |
| Any | Buddha’s Tear, Jade Tower Peony, Wei’s Purple Peony | Higher coin prices for rare flowers and materials |
| Physician | Silent Current hairstyle and full appearance pack | 2,500 reputation (hair), 6,000 reputation (pack) |
| Chief Physician | Reputation giftbox | Free once you reach the rank |
Cosmetics bought from the sect shop remain on your account even if you leave Silver Needle later. That makes it possible to join purely to earn a specific look, then move to another sect once you are done, though you still need to clear the sect’s exit trial.
How Silver Needle compares to other sect choices
Sect choice heavily shapes your day‑to‑day playstyle in Where Winds Meet. Silver Needle is the one aimed squarely at reactive support and healer role‑play, while others lean into damage, justice, mischief, or darker trade‑offs.
| Sect | Signature weapon(s) | Core fantasy |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Needle | Panacea Fan, Inkwell Fan | Traveling doctors who heal for a price, measuring every life and consultation fee. |
| Well of Heaven | Thundercry Blade | Righteous protectors who prioritize justice and the weak. |
| Midnight Blades | Infernal Twinblades | Assassin‑style fighters who gain infamy by hunting other wanderers. |
| Nine Mortal Ways | Mortal Rope Dart | Tricksters and masters of disguises, pranks, and risky “fun”. |
| Hollow Vale | Soulshade Umbrella | Life‑and‑death balance, offsetting every healed life with an equivalent poisoning. |
If you enjoy watching health bars go up instead of down, like being needed in co‑op boss runs, and do not mind depending on others for Likes, Silver Needle will feel natural. Players focused on solo DPS, pure PvP, or chaotic mischief often prefer other sects.
How to leave Silver Needle if it is not for you
Sects are not permanent commitments, but Silver Needle does not let members walk away without proving they mean it. Exiting requires a specific in‑game process and a Severance Trial.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open the main menu while logged in with your character and go to the Sect tab. |
| 2 | Use the Betray Master button shown at the bottom right of the sect screen. |
| 3 | Confirm the decision when prompted. This starts the departure request. |
| 4 | Complete the Silver Needle Severance Trial by playing one full match of the Perception Forest mode. |
| 5 | Wait out the imposed cooldown before joining another sect, if any applies. |
During the Severance Trial, you can technically join another sect, but the trial itself is not considered complete until one match of Perception Forest is finished. Progress and titles tied to Silver Needle are lost when you leave, but any cosmetics bought from its shop remain usable.
Finding Dr Yuan and stepping into Silver Needle turns your character into a working healer with clear obligations: treat real players, ask for fair compensation, and build a reputation strong enough to carry the sect’s fan‑based arts. For anyone who enjoys that dynamic, the river down from Sage’s Knoll in Qinghe is the path into one of the game’s most distinctive roles.
