Upon hearing this, both Xu Niannian and Gu Chaoyue showed expressions of surprise.
Zhao Ya was unaware, but they knew who Wang Tiancheng’s master was.
He was one of the Seventh Elders of the Golden Saber Institute, a top expert renowned in the Capital City, a giant in the Martial Dao.
Now Wang Tiancheng wanted to recruit a disciple on behalf of his master, which meant that Zhao Ya would enter the Golden Saber Institute as a true disciple of the Inner Sect, an incredibly high starting point.
However, to their surprise, Zhao Ya didn’t show any excitement, instead looking at Wang Tiancheng with a face full of doubt.
"So you’ve been observing me in secret for so long just for this?"
Wang Tiancheng smiled slightly, "Isn’t this enough?"
When he said this, Wang Tiancheng’s gaze was somewhat passionate.
One must know that no matter when or where, talent is indispensable, and this holds especially true for a sect.
If a sect lacks talent, it is not far from destruction.
In Wang Tiancheng’s eyes, Zhao Ya was precisely the kind of talent that the Golden Saber Institute was in dire need of.
In both aptitude and character, he was an exceptional choice.
Most importantly, he also displayed extraordinary talent in the art of the saber.
Moreover, after Zhao Ya successfully passed two trials and demonstrated his potential to the Half-Step Fifth Realm, Wang Tiancheng could no longer hold back and took the initiative to appear and recruit him.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Ya shook his head at his offer.
"I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s necessary."
Wang Tiancheng was taken aback and then asked, "Why? Since you know about the Three Sects, Two Institutes, and One Manor, you should understand the strength of the Golden Saber Institute. If you could join, nothing else, but when you ascend to the Fifth Realm, the sect can provide comprehensive support."
Hearing this, Gu Chaoyue showed a look of envy.
Compared to the affluent Golden Saber Institute, her Mirror Moon Sect was quite poor.
Even when she ascended to the Fifth Realm, she had prepared for a long time, relying on her own efforts to gather enough resources, with little help from her sect.
This was also why she tended to advantage of opportunities.
After all, if possible, who wouldn’t want to live comfortably in the Capital City instead of coming to this wilderness to suffer?
Wasn’t it because of financial constraints and insufficient cultivation resources?
Now, hearing that Wang Tiancheng offered such favorable conditions to Zhao Ya, Gu Chaoyue felt a twinge of envy.
To be honest, Zhao Ya was indeed tempted by Wang Tiancheng’s offer.
He knew that these long-established sects typically had Secret Techniques that could help people cleanse the poisons in their bone marrow, allowing them to easily reach the state of Postnatal Great Perfection.
Even in some major sects, there were special methods that could grant one extra talents during Breaking Realm.
For instance, the woman he encountered in the Earth Cave had taken a bead from the Giant-winged Blood Bat, likely intended for Breaking Realm.
Similarly, during the Beast Tide, Zhao Ya had obtained two beads from the Mountain Demon and the Ghost Child, but he had never known how to use them, so he temporarily put them aside.
Once he joined the Golden Saber Institute, Zhao Ya anticipated gaining access to these resources.
However, his interest only lasted for a split second before he shook his head and refused again.
"It indeed sounds nice, but I still decline."
"Why?"
Not only Wang Tiancheng was puzzled now, but even Xu Niannian and Gu Chaoyue were full of confusion.
"Because I have a master. Although having multiple teachers is not uncommon, my master is currently still in a coma and I can’t just switch allegiance while he is like this."
Wang Tiancheng fell silent upon hearing Zhao Ya’s reasoning.
He had not considered this aspect.
More importantly, Zhao Ya’s explanation was very reasonable, leaving him without a counterargument.
As for Gu Chaoyue, she looked at Zhao Ya in disbelief.
Ordinarily, if someone heard such news, they wouldn’t care about anything else and would likely kneel and call for their senior brother on the spot.
Not to mention the explosive situation in the city, like a powder keg ready to explode anytime. It’s hard to fathom what Zhao Ya was thinking.
"Your master is indeed formidable, able to contend evenly with the Ghost Child at Half-Step Fifth Realm, which is something to be proud of. But have you ever considered that no matter how powerful he is, he’s unlikely to improve further, and now that you are at the same realm as him, what else can he teach you?" Wang Tiancheng advised patiently.
There was another thing he didn’t say.
Who could guarantee your master would ever wake up?
After being in a coma for so long, it was clear that his fundamental Qi Blood had been affected, and even if he woke up, he’d likely be a wasted man.
But such words were too hurtful.
So Wang Tiancheng kept them to himself.
Zhao Ya, however, caught the underlying message in Wang Tiancheng’s words.
Yet, he remained unwavering.
Indeed, now that he had advanced to Half-Step Fifth Realm, Lu Dingtai might not be able to teach him anything if he woke up.
But let us not forget that both Meng Lei and Lu Dingtai came from the same sect.
Zhao Ya still retained that token.
And from the fragments of information Lu Dingtai had let slip, their sect was extremely powerful, where Meridian Opening was merely fundamental for true Inner Sect Disciples.
As for him and Meng Lei, they were merely on the fringes of the outer sect disciples.
Lu Dingtai was somewhat better off, reaching the Fourth Realm when he left the sect, while Meng Lei was worse off, only at the Third Realm.
At such a level, they couldn’t even be considered disciples within the sect, merely considered as errand boys.