That’s why Lu Dingtai repeatedly said that if Zhao Ya could successfully advance to the Fifth Realm before turning thirty, he would spare no effort and pull all the strings to let Zhao Ya enter his master’s school.
Compared to such an existence, the Golden Saber Institute clearly falls short.
And that’s just one reason.
The most important thing is, if I join the Golden Saber Institute, what will happen to this whole mess right now?
Zhao Ya didn’t think these three would offend Wei Hongbin on his behalf, after all, the Wei Family is a top-tier family in the Capital City.
And the three sects, two institutes, and one villa are all in the Capital City, where they frequently interact. How could they risk offending the Wei Family?
So, in response to Wang Tiancheng’s words, Zhao Ya simply smiled and then said,
"If I join your Golden Saber Institute, would you be willing to help me deal with Wei Hongbin?"
Wang Tiancheng was slightly stunned, his expression becoming a bit complex.
It wasn’t just him; even Xu Niannian and Gu Chaoyue were the same.
Wang Tiancheng lightly coughed, "I know about the matters between you and Wei Hongbin. Actually, many things don’t concern you at all. So you can stay out of it. I assure you, if you join the Golden Saber Institute, the Wei Family will not pursue your issues anymore."
"Then what about my master and senior brothers?" Zhao Ya said calmly.
"Them... Honestly, do you think they can really survive the forthcoming battles?" Wang Tiancheng said.
"Why not? Although Wei Hongbin has a lot of cavalry under his command, the city streets are a maze, which is not favorable for cavalry battles. So they can only choose street fighting. In that case, even if we can’t win, they won’t gain much either," Zhao Ya said.
Wang Tiancheng sighed, "Well, it seems you don’t know yet, so I’ll tell you. As soon as Wei Hongbin entered the city, he sent people to the Capital City to ask his family to dispatch experts to suppress your side. Judging by the time, the experts sent by the Wei Family should arrive soon, within a day or two at the latest."
Zhao Ya’s expression gradually became solemn.
"What level of experts? Meridian Opening?"
Wang Tiancheng, Xu Niannian, and Gu Chaoyue all laughed at this.
Xu Niannian said, "The Wei Family does have some strength, but it’s not enough to command Martial Artists at the Meridian Opening Realm. So the ones they sent should also be Fifth Realm Martial Artists."
"How many? A squad?" Zhao Ya continued to ask.
"How’s that possible? Even in the entire Capital City, it’s hard to find a squad of Fifth Realm Martial Artists. Given the Wei Family’s strength, they probably worship around ten Fifth Realm Martial Artists. So I estimate that they’ve sent no more than two this time."
Hearing this, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He had just assumed that there would be Meridian Opening Realm Martial Artists. If that were the case, he would immediately choose to abandon and flee the Commandery City with the Martial Arts Hall companions.
For no other reason.
Simply because they couldn’t be beaten.
While the Meridian Opening Realm and the Fifth Realm seem to differ by only one realm, they are fundamentally different entities.
Once at the Meridian Opening Realm, the human body surpasses its limits, reaching an unbelievable state, not something an ordinary martial artist can contend with.
Upon hearing that only two Fifth Realm Martial Artists were coming, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although the situation remained dire, at least it wasn’t a dead end with no options.
As if seeing through Zhao Ya’s thoughts, Wang Tiancheng solemnly said, "I want to remind you, even among the Fifth Realm, there are huge differences. Those worshipped by the Wei Family are top-notch experts. If you wish to confront Wei Hongbin, you must not be complacent."
By this time, Wang Tiancheng realized that it was nearly impossible to persuade Zhao Ya.
Although he felt regret in his heart, he greatly admired Zhao Ya’s courage to forsake an easily attainable opportunity and face dangers for the loyalty to his master, even if it meant risking his life.
Martial artists should possess such a diligent spirit. Otherwise, even with achievements, they would ultimately become mundane and fade into obscurity.
If not for the constraints of his school, Wang Tiancheng might have wanted to join Zhao Ya to have a good fight against Wei Hongbin.
But helplessly, circumstances constrained him, so he could only use this method to remind Zhao Ya to be cautious.
Zhao Ya was quite grateful and cupped his fist, saying,
"Thank you for the reminder, I will be careful."
At this point, saying more would be meaningless. Wang Tiancheng could only return the gesture.
"I hope to see you again after this incident. If you have nowhere to go at that time, you can come to the Golden Saber Institute in the Capital City to find me."
"Thank you. If there’s an opportunity, I’ll certainly visit."
The three left.
After seeing them off, Zhao Ya returned to the Martial Arts Hall.
Today’s events were a wake-up call for him, so upon return, he wasted no time and immediately gathered everyone to explain the situation.
When they heard that Wei Hongbin had sought experts from the Capital City to deal with them, the crowd stirred.
"What should we do?"
"Yes, the experts invited from the Capital City must be formidable. Can we handle them?"
These words were not out of cowardice but a habitual mindset.
After all, for most people, those coming from the Capital City are inevitably powerful, a preconceived notion.
Most people’s eyes fell on Zhao Ya.
Zhao Ya understood well that if this wasn’t handled properly, it would greatly affect their morale.
After contemplating for a moment, he said, "It seems Wei Hongbin has been biding his time, waiting for these people from the Capital City."
"At this point, our best option is to strike first!"
Hearing this, everyone was invigorated.
"What do you mean by strike first?" Jiao Yousong was the first to respond.
"Simple. We’ve always been on the defensive, but tonight we’ll catch him off guard. If we can break into the government office before the people from the Capital City arrive and eliminate Wei Hongbin, we’ll have the upper hand," Zhao Ya said.
This statement excited everyone.
"Great, this should have been done earlier."
"Storm into the government office and finish Wei Hongbin!"
The young martial artists started clamoring.
However, Shang Tiefeng and other prudent individuals slightly frowned.
Such matters cannot be accomplished with rashness.
Detailed and meticulous planning is essential.
Zhao Ya clearly understood the concerns of people like Shang Tiefeng and continued,
"Everyone, calm down. To achieve success, we must follow orders strictly, heed my commands, and not act rashly. Can you do that?"
With those words, Jiao Yousong and Miao Shaocheng among others began to call out.
"Everyone, quiet down."
"Listen to Ya."
Soon the excited young martial artists quieted down, attentively looking at Zhao Ya.
Zhao Ya said, "Before doing anything, one must prepare for both success and failure. Since we intend to fight to the death with Wei Hongbin, we must prepare a retreat path in advance. Nie Jingnian, you take a group to seize the South City Gate and hold it without failure. Can you do it?"
Hearing Zhao Ya’s instructions, Nie Jingnian was initially stunned but then a bright gleam flashed in his eyes.
The South City Gate being lost was originally his failure, weighing heavy on his heart, making it hard for him to lift his head.
Now Zhao Ya asking him to seize the South City Gate was akin to offering him a chance of salvation.
So, he excitedly nodded strongly, "No problem, I assure you it will be done."
"Good, don’t rush into action. When you get to the South City Gate, hide first. When you see my signal, launch the attack."
"Yes!"
The decision to choose the South City Gate as a retreat route was thoroughly thought over by Zhao Ya.
Firstly, outside the gate is a mountain forest, ideal for hiding their tracks. Secondly, a short journey into the mountains leads to another official road, providing straightforward routes either to the Capital City or to other Commandery Cities.
As for why Nie Jingnian...
Sometimes those who make mistakes endeavor more to prove themselves.
Especially since it was Nie Jingnian who lost the South City Gate, he would likely stop at nothing to secure this retreat path.
Then Zhao Ya looked at the remaining people.
Eyes filled with fighting spirit met his gaze, young ones especially eager to stand out, longing for Zhao Ya to notice them.
"The rest of you, split into three teams, and encircle the government office from three directions. Await my command to simultaneously launch an attack."