The previous battle between Zhao Ya and Jin Cunyue had been witnessed by all of them.
However, they subconsciously believed that Jin Cunyue was apprehensive due to being in the Yan Capital City and thus did not exert his full strength.
So when Zhao Ya chased after him, both of them felt a bit uneasy, even thinking Zhao Ya was being somewhat reckless.
If things went wrong, he might end up failing to pursue and instead get injured by the opponent.
But unexpectedly, Zhao Ya not only returned safely but also brought back shocking news.
Jin Cunyue was seriously injured and fled.
It was imaginable how Wang Tiancheng and Xu Niannian felt at this moment.
"Alas, it seems we’re really getting a bit old!" Xu Niannian suddenly sighed.
Even though he was only thirty years old, facing Zhao Ya, who had proved himself in the Fifth Realm at the mere age of twenty and could fight back and forth with experts of the Meridian Opening Realm, he couldn’t help but feel he was old.
Zhao Ya smiled upon hearing this, "What are you saying, Senior Brother Xu? If it weren’t for you holding Jin Cunyue back earlier, I wouldn’t have had this chance. Please come inside and rest for a while!"
"No need, dawn is almost here. We’ve both been busy all night and are a bit tired, so we’ll head back to rest first!" Wang Tiancheng declined Zhao Ya’s offer.
Zhao Ya didn’t insist but simply nodded and said, "Alright, if that’s the case, I won’t see the two of you off. After everything is settled, I will certainly visit to express my gratitude."
"You’re too kind!"
Wang Tiancheng and Xu Niannian left.
Zhao Ya returned home.
As expected, Shang Luoluo and Zui’Er hadn’t gone to sleep.
Moreover, Shang Jingchuan was also sitting in the room, his expression a bit solemn.
He had heard what happened tonight from home, but when he was about to rush out, he found that someone had locked him in.
By the time he finally climbed over the wall, the battle was long over, and Zhao Ya had gone chasing after the unknown assailant.
So Shang Jingchuan stayed at Zhao Ya’s home to wait.
Only when Zhao Ya returned did Shang Jingchuan’s tense heart finally relax.
"How did it go?"
"I drove them off; everything’s fine now!" Zhao Ya said casually.
"That’s good!" Shang Jingchuan breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up and said,
"I’ll head back first. You’ve been busy all night; be sure to rest soon!"
"Alright."
Shang Jingchuan left.
After he left, Zui’Er immediately asked, "Ya, are you hungry? Should I make you something?"
Zhao Ya smiled indulgently, "No need, I’m not hungry right now."
Shang Luoluo looked at Zhao Ya with a worried expression but ultimately didn’t ask anything, only gently said, "I just asked them to invite the two senior brothers inside, but they insisted on staying at the doorway."
Zhao Ya smiled, "It’s nothing. I owe them for this matter, and I’ll repay them in the future."
"You two have stayed up all night too; go to sleep quickly. I’m going out for a bit."
Zhao Ya didn’t say where he was going, and neither Zui’Er nor Shang Luoluo asked.
As he stepped outside, the east had already begun to lighten, and the rain had stopped.
Zhao Ya silently soared over the eaves of various houses; even the early risers only saw a flash of white light, dismissing it as a trick of the eye.
Soon, Zhao Ya arrived at the small courtyard where Mo Qi lived.
As soon as he landed, Mo Qi’s voice came from inside the house.
"Did you kill him?"
"Mm!"
There was no need to hide anything from Mo Qi.
Because he was likely the person who understood Zhao Ya’s strength best in the entire Yan Capital City.
Upon hearing this, there was silence in the house.
Zhao Ya pushed the door open and walked in, seeing Mo Qi sitting in a chair, his expression somewhat complex.
There was confusion, puzzlement, and a hint of excitement.
"Honestly, before your breakthrough, I was pondering how much stronger someone elevated by a Double Realm Break might be compared to a typical Fifth Realm fighter."
"At the time, I thought you might be, at most, twice as strong as a regular Fifth Realm fighter, just about that. After all, those boosted by a single Realm Break usually are only thirty to fifty percent stronger than the average Fifth Realm."
"Though this is already a significant gap, you still surprised me more. I never imagined you’d be able to kill a Meridian Opening expert from Bright Moon Valley."
At this, a note of pride appeared on Mo Qi’s face.
"Bright Moon Valley went to great lengths to seize our Medicine Saint Shrine’s refining methods, even drove me to this remote place, yet they never expected their Meridian Opening men couldn’t beat the Fifth Realm I personally groomed!"
At the end of his speech, Mo Qi’s tone was full of madness.
Zhao Ya didn’t make a sound. He knew Mo Qi had certainly been suppressing his feelings for too long.
After all, carrying the vengeance of a destroyed clan, hiding his identity in the Yan Capital City for so long, though he never spoke of it, the pressure in his heart was imaginable.
But soon, Mo Qi regained his composure and then spoke earnestly to Zhao Ya, "I must tell you now, you must not become arrogant just because you killed Jin Cunyue, thinking that the Meridian Opening Realm is no big deal."
"From my observations, Jin Cunyue seems to be a mere trash who opened only one meridian."
"Oh? You mean to say Jin Cunyue wasn’t a genuine Meridian Opening?" Zhao Ya immediately queried.
"No, Jin Cunyue certainly was a legitimate Meridian Opening: you could tell from his ability to use Dantian True Power, but there are different kinds of Meridian Opening."
"There are those naturally gifted, reaching their state smoothly, opening several or even dozens of meridians through their efforts—top Meridian Openings. Then there’s trash like Jin Cunyue, who opened only one meridian."
It turns out the strength differentiation of the Meridian Opening Realm is simple and straightforward, focusing on just one thing.
That is, the number of meridians you’ve opened.
Those who opened many, as Mo Qi mentioned, achieving several or even dozens of opened meridians, are immensely strong.
While those like Jin Cunyue, opening just a single meridian, though they can use Dantian True Power, cannot compare in strength.
Here, Mo Qi displayed a hint of disdain.
"Bright Moon Valley loves to do this sort of thing. To bolster their reputation, they often recruit such Meridian Opening fighters. Though they appear impressive, they are, in reality, messy and trifling."
"But because of their methods, they have many pawns. My sect was destroyed because of them."
A hint of sorrow flickered in Mo Qi’s eyes but quickly returned to normal.
"So you must remember this: don’t let this battle make you complacent. Although your strength in the Fifth Realm is formidable, until you open meridians and lay a Foundation of True Power, there remains a considerable gap between your power and that of truly strong Meridian Openings."
"After all, Dantian True Power is the fundamental escape from the shackles of flesh and bone!"