The Martial Arts Hall is located at the back of the Azure Dragon Temple and is a large hall with extensive grounds.
When Zhao Ya and Gui Xuanqing arrived here, there were already disciples waiting inside.
Although the Azure Dragon Temple is not as it once was, over the years, it has still accumulated quite a number of disciples.
These people are mostly in the Fifth Realm, with ages varying widely, but even the youngest is over thirty.
So when the twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old Gui Xuanqing and the just-twenty-year-old Zhao Ya entered, they immediately drew many curious glances.
"Are these the disciples Elder Qin recruited from the Opening Ceremony?" someone asked in a low voice.
"It should be correct. They look so young, already in the Fifth Realm in their twenties. Are young people nowadays really that amazing?" someone else sighed.
But some only cast a cold glance at Zhao Ya and Gui Xuanqing, then turned their heads elsewhere.
Among them were even some covertly hostile glares.
Zhao Ya knew this full well but said nothing.
After all, with so many disciples, it’s no surprise to find some narrow-minded ones.
Zhao Ya never thought of making everyone like him.
He just chose a clean corner with Gui Xuanqing, sitting on the temporary meditation mats, waiting for the Instructor Elder’s arrival.
They waited for more than half an hour before hearing the sound of footsteps from outside, after which a middle-aged man walked in slowly.
This middle-aged man was well-dressed, had a clean-shaven face, and his sharp eyes showed his deep cultivation.
Upon seeing him, the disciples present all stood and saluted.
"Disciple greets the Instructor Elder!"
Zhao Ya and Gui Xuanqing naturally followed suit.
Gui Xuanqing was even quite excitedly whispering, "Senior brother, this Instructor Elder is so imposing."
"Hmm." Zhao Ya responded in a low voice, recalling Guo Luming’s assessment of this Instructor Elder from the previous day.
In Guo Luming’s words, Xia Jiye was quite strong, but his flaw was his poor patience.
I wonder how poor it must be, to be known even by Elder Guo, who seldom leaves the Library.
But Zhao Ya was soon to see for himself.
Xia Jiye didn’t bother acknowledging the disciples’ salutes, simply waved his hand and said, "Today, I will talk about Leg Skills."
Without checking if the disciples were ready, he began explaining immediately.
Zhao Ya listened, only feeling that Xia Jiye’s lesson was very dull, like reading directly from a book.
Beside him, Gui Xuanqing listened with a puzzled expression, frequently whispering, "Senior brother, did you understand? I can’t quite grasp it!"
Compared to Zhao Ya’s understanding of martial arts, Gui Xuanqing was virtually a novice, so he naturally had trouble understanding this recitation-style explanation.
Zhao Ya found it difficult too, but he listened with all his might, even if he couldn’t understand, trying to note it down, as he told Gui Xuanqing.
"Don’t speak, just write it down if you don’t understand."
Hearing this, Gui Xuanqing obediently closed his mouth and tried to take notes as Zhao Ya advised.
After about a quarter of an hour, Xia Jiye finished the lesson.
He didn’t ask if anyone remembered or had questions, he just said, "Alright, the lesson is over. Now you just practice according to my method."
With that, he turned and left.
Gui Xuanqing couldn’t help but feel anxious upon seeing this.
"Senior brother, I didn’t understand a word of it. How am I supposed to practice?"
Zhao Ya’s expression was also somewhat displeased.
He knew this Xia Jiye had little patience, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad.
This is simply perfunctory.
He could barely keep up with his years of accumulation, but many disciples like Gui Xuanqing, who only had the realm, must exist as well. What are they supposed to do?
At this moment, Zhao Ya noticed something strange.
As Xia Jiye left, several disciples in the crowd also followed him out.
What are they going to do?
A suspicion arose in Zhao Ya’s heart, and he wanted to follow.
But at this moment, someone blocked his way.
"Where are you two going?" The person blocking the way said with a friendly smile.
"Oh, it’s a bit stuffy in the hall; I want to go outside for some fresh air, is that not allowed?" Zhao Ya said immediately.
"It’s allowed, but it’s best not right now."
"Why?"
"Because it’s still not the end of the transmission time, the sect rules are that you’re not allowed to leave the Transmission Hall now," this person explained with a laugh.
"But those few senior disci..." Gui Xuanqing started to speak but was pulled back by Zhao Ya.
Then Zhao Ya gave a deep look at the person blocking him, nodded, and said, "Alright, senior brother, we’ll remember that."
"That’s good; if you two feel tired, you can rest over there."
The person blocking Zhao Ya left.
At this moment, Gui Xuanqing also understood, and said to Zhao Ya with a serious expression, "Senior Brother, is there some trick involved here?"
"Of course there is," Zhao Ya said calmly, "if I’m not mistaken, those disciples who went out with Xia Jiye likely have a secret session arranged for them."
"I knew it, no wonder the Instructor Elder gives such brief lessons, it’s deliberate!" Gui Xuanqing, not being a fool, naturally understood the meaning behind it, and couldn’t help feeling indignant.
"Even if you know he’s doing it on purpose, what can you do?" Zhao Ya sighed.
"What do you mean, ’what can you do’? We can go find Elder Qin or the Grand Elder and report it right now!" Gui Xuanqing said.
Zhao Ya turned to look at Gui Xuanqing and, seeing his upset expression, suddenly smiled.
"Senior Brother, what are you smiling at?" Gui Xuanqing asked, bewildered.
"Nothing much, have you been practicing martial arts at home since childhood and rarely ventured into the Jianghu?"
"Yes, my father wants me to break through the Fifth Realm before I turn thirty, so I haven’t rested all these years, let alone gone out. Is there a problem?"
Zhao Ya thought to himself, no wonder he’s so naive, he’s been too well protected by his family.
"Do you believe that if you go to Elder Qin or the Grand Elder now, they might indeed help us a little, but from then on, the two of us would be completely isolated, and our situation might be even tougher than it is now?"
Hearing Zhao Ya’s words, Gui Xuanqing was stunned.
The initial ambitious spirit dissipated by more than half, "But... why?"
"There is no why, there are only two words: interests!"
Zhao Ya now understood how tactfully Guo Luming had spoken the previous day.
It’s not really about a lack of patience. This is clearly a deliberate attempt to force disciples to offer tributes.
The disciples who went out obviously have already paid tribute, which is why they got the chance for a private lesson.
And because Gui Xuanqing and I just joined, these people don’t know our backgrounds, so they didn’t even let us in on the secret.
Although Gui Xuanqing may not be worldly-wise, he’s certainly not stupid.
In fact, being able to attain the Fifth Realm at this age means he can’t be dull-witted.
So after thinking it through, he understood the stakes involved, and the remaining bit of ambition was thoroughly worn away.
"How could it be like this, if I had known earlier..." Gui Xuanqing said, despair written all over his face.
"And what if you had known earlier? Do you think this situation only exists in the Azure Dragon Temple?" Zhao Ya said calmly.
Gui Xuanqing fell silent and, after a long pause, asked, "Then what should I do?"
Zhao Ya patted him on the shoulder, "There’s no choice, if you can’t beat them, the only option is to join them."
Guo Luming said he could clear things up for me because he appreciated me, but that doesn’t mean others can, so Zhao Ya didn’t take the liberty of assuming.
Gui Xuanqing’s eyes lit up as if he understood something, nodding heavily, "I get it, isn’t it just about money and things? My Gui family may not have much, but we’re definitely not short on money."
Saying this, Gui Xuanqing straightened his back, filled with bravado, "Senior Brother, don’t worry, I’ll cover your share too."
"No need, I’ve pretty much remembered everything he’s taught, although there are a few small issues, I can probably figure them out after some thought. There’s no need to waste money," Zhao Ya politely declined.
Gui Xuanqing didn’t insist further.
The two of them lingered until the session ended and then left the Transmission Hall to return to their respective quarters.
Meanwhile, the disciple who had previously blocked Zhao Ya was reporting the situation to Xia Jiye.
"Master, these two were quite sensible. After I stopped them, they just turned back directly."
"Did that Zhao Ya I asked you to pay special attention to say anything?"
"No, on the contrary, he stopped Gui Xuanqing, seemingly understanding the implications as well."
Xia Jiye frowned.
Even though Zhao Ya’s behavior seemed impeccable, Xia Jiye still felt something was off.
After all, this person was brought back personally by Qin Jianji and was praised as a genius by the Grand Elder.
It’s said that during the initiation ceremony, he opened his meridians with a punch, making quite a splash.
Could such a person really be so prudent and adaptable?
But soon, Xia Jiye relaxed.
Even if he’s dissatisfied, what can he do?
Even if he complains to the Grand Elder Guan Xuejiang, all that would happen is I’d get a scolding.
If he dares to do that, he can forget about getting by in the Azure Dragon Temple in the future.
Thinking of this, Xia Jiye sneered, "This works better, saves me trouble; next, keep a close eye on that Gui Xuanqing, he’s a fat sheep."
"If he’s not dumb, he should try to reach out to you within the next couple of days. Remember to ask for a high price, after all, the Azure Dragon Temple’s esoteric knowledge can’t be sold cheaply."
"Yes, I remember." The disciple replied.
While Xia Jiye was plotting how to exchange the Azure Dragon Temple’s martial arts for maximum profit,
In the library, Zhao Ya met Guo Luming.
"How was your first day in the Transmission Hall?" Guo Luming asked with a smile.
"My impression is that this Elder Xia is truly impatient," Zhao Ya replied frankly.
"Hahaha, you’ll get used to it, by comparison, he’s actually pretty good. The previous Instructor Elder didn’t even give this much of a lecture, purely relied on self-understanding," Guo Luming laughed.