These were all concerns Jin Fu had.
Now seeing the elders of the rumored Azure Dragon Temple being so kind and amiable, the big stone in Jin Fu’s heart finally landed.
By the evening, the five disciples from Nandian Town also arrived.
The once desolate Azure Dragon Temple Outer Sect suddenly became lively.
This made Tian Yixin, who returned empty-handed, smile bitterly.
People really can’t be compared.
He spent a whole day finding nothing, while others recruited six disciples, the disparity truly astonishing.
Seeing this, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but smile and gently patted Tian Yixin on the shoulder.
"Alright, Senior Brother Tian, this is just good luck on my part; we’ll still need to work hard together, us brothers."
Tian Yixin nodded.
"Hmm, I understand."
Thus, through Zhao Ya and Tian Yixin’s joint efforts, the Azure Dragon Temple Outer Sect gradually got on the right track.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Though the ice and snow in the mountains and forests had not yet completely melted, the weather had warmed considerably.
On this day, Zhao Ya did not go out but came to the martial arts training ground.
Currently, about twenty people were diligently practicing martial arts on the training ground.
The one instructing them was Tian Yixin.
Although most of these people had no martial arts foundation, everyone was practicing very hard.
"How’s it going?"
During a break in practice, Zhao Ya asked Tian Yixin.
Tian Yixin nodded, "They’re all doing well, especially that Jin Fu you brought in, who’s progressing rapidly."
Tian Yixin increasingly felt that Zhao Ya’s idea of recruiting disciples from impoverished families was very wise.
Even though these individuals, due to their family conditions, couldn’t compare physically to nobles raised with rare elixirs and ingredients.
They were exceptionally hardworking and resilient.
Sometimes Tian Yixin couldn’t bear to watch and had to force them to rest.
They were also very obedient.
Tian Yixin could even imagine how excellent disciples would become when trained in this manner.
"That’s because you teach well, Senior Brother Tian," Zhao Ya said with a smile.
"Cut it out."
The two brothers exchanged a few more words before Zhao Ya left.
This time, he wasn’t planning to find disciples in nearby villages and towns but headed into the mountains, found a secluded spot, and began to practice martial arts.
This had become a daily routine.
No matter how busy he was, Zhao Ya always set aside at least one hour each day for training.
Because true strength is the foundation of everything.
And powerful strength cannot be achieved overnight; it requires persistent practice.
Today was no exception.
Zhao Ya practiced several rounds of fist techniques, then worked on sword techniques, and finally sat cross-legged in meditation.
After closing his eyes, Zhao Ya quickly entered a state of introspection.
In his dantian, starlight was brilliant, and the Ren and Du Meridians were constantly awash with starry light.
And on both shoulders, several acupoints were also shining brightly.
These were Yun Sect, Central Mansion, Celestial Mansion, and Xia Bai Acupoint.
These are acupoints on the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian.
The reason for choosing the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian as the breakthrough focus, was because this meridian is significant, and every Meridian Opening Realm practitioner needs to open this meridian first.
Once opened successfully, it can connect the arms and Dantian True Power, meaning both fist and palm techniques can be enhanced with true power, making its power imaginable.
Zhao Ya silently regulated his breathing, gently guiding the Star-devouring True Power downward, soon reaching the Cizze Acupoint.
This acupoint is located right in the center of the elbow, a critical position, so breaking through it is somewhat difficult.
But after two or three days of accumulation and the support of other major acupoints along the way, the Star-devouring True Power broke through the Cizze Acupoint with ease.
Moreover, this breakthrough happened simultaneously in both hands.
Thus only six more acupoints were left to completely open the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian.
This pace was not considered slow.
Even though Zhao Ya had been busy with the Outer Sect matters every day for the past month, the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian was symmetrical on both hands.
This means that Zhao Ya needed to open dual acupoints simultaneously, and the difficulty of this was imaginable.
Zhao Ya gradually finished his practice and stood up, concluding with a round of the Eight Vajra Longevity Skill.
Once everything was completed, Zhao Ya opened the attribute panel.
Name: Zhao Ya. Age: 21 years. Remaining lifespan: 3000 (+ 99 days) years.
Skills: Eight Vajra Longevity Skill (Peak Performance 99%).
Wind-Slaying Saber Technique (Extraordinary to Saint).
Immovable Ming King Fist (Returning to the Essence 19%).
Stepping on Snow Without Leaving Traces (Extraordinary to Saint).
Spirit Turtle Hibernation Technique (Returning to the Essence 90%).
Great Stone-Throwing Hand (Peak Performance 99%).
Golden Body Armor Technique (Returning to the Essence 73%).
Planting Lotus in Fire (Returning to the Essence 15%).
[Large Intestine Unlock Progress: 29%]
[Small Intestine Unlock Progress: 32%]
All data steadily increased, especially the remaining lifespan, which surpassed the three-thousand-year mark after advancing to the Meridian Opening Realm.
In contrast, the unlock progress of the large and small intestines was a bit slow.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t something to worry about.
Content, Zhao Ya closed the panel and planned to head a hundred miles away to Qujiang City to purchase some items.
During this time, with the increase in disciples, the needed resources also greatly increased.
For instance, low-grade jerky was a significant consumption.
Particularly because the newly recruited disciples had average family backgrounds, they couldn’t afford jerky themselves.
So the Azure Dragon Temple had to pay for it.
Guan Xuejiang was quite generous about it, allocating a sum of money directly.
Despite this, Qin Jianji and Zhao Ya didn’t dare to use it lightly; they engaged in thorough discussions before deciding how to use the funds specifically.
For instance, the decision to purchase supplies from Qujiang City was made after careful comparison.
The reason being that Qujiang City produces a type of low-grade dried fish that supplements Qi Blood, making it the most cost-effective choice.
Zhao Ya headed towards Qujiang City.
The hundred-mile distance was merely half an hour’s journey for him.
Upon arriving at Qujiang City, Zhao Ya familiarly proceeded to the shop selling dried fish and directly ordered twenty pounds of it.
Given the current consumption rate of Jin Fu and others, these twenty pounds would last them a month.
Due to the large quantity, the shop didn’t have enough stock on hand and needed to gather it from various sources.
Taking advantage of this free time, Zhao Ya roamed the streets to buy some clothing and shoes.
Especially shoes.
Don’t underestimate this point; due to daily martial arts practice, the shoes of Jin Fu and others wore out extremely fast.
Sometimes they needed a new pair every three to five days.
Also, since the weather was getting warmer, he needed to buy some light clothing.
Zhao Ya increasingly felt like a housekeeper who needed to consider everything.
Yet seeing his disciples gradually growing was a gratifying experience.
Meanwhile, as Zhao Ya wandered the streets, in a distant teahouse, a plain-looking man spoke softly.
"See him? That’s the person."
Standing behind the man was a charming young girl, although youthful looking, her eyes carried an alluring charm, with only occasional glimpses of coldness from her eyes revealing her extraordinary nature.
"He’s quite handsome," she remarked blandly.
"Don’t underestimate him; he has a calm temperament. Though only in the Fifth Realm, he once fought against someone in the Meridian Opening Realm without falling behind."
"I know. I’ve reviewed his information more than ten times; you don’t have to babble," the girl licked her lips.
"Alright, make sure to disguise it as an accidental death, leaving no flaws," the man instructed last.
"Understood. Since he’s so handsome, I’ll let him die comfortably. How about a quick death?"
"As you wish."
The girl giggled, then turned and went downstairs.
Once outside the teahouse, she had already transformed her appearance.
The previously alluring lady was gone, now replaced by a pure and innocent-looking girl next door.