“Need him? What’s going on? Tell me!” Ye Congjun raised his teacup, blew gently across the surface, and asked calmly.

“The annual ace soldier competition between the seven military districts has started again! For the past six years, our Northwest Military District has always ranked last. It’s not that we expect to make the top three, but we should at least be able to move up and get rid of this ‘last place’ title! But there’s nothing we can do. We get worse every year, and the time it takes for our fighters to get knocked out gets shorter and shorter. When it comes to this competition, the Northwest Military District is becoming a laughingstock! The Old Man has given the order. If we can’t shake this last-place ranking this year, we should all just pack our bags and go home. It’s a disgrace! An absolute disgrace! Now, whenever the Old Man goes to Beijing, he can’t hold his head high when the competition is mentioned. His subordinates aren’t pulling their weight, and it’s really hard on him!” Ye Jiguang sighed, shaking his head with bitter self-mockery.

When he spoke of these things, his face was grim. He would only dare say such things in front of his own father; otherwise, he would have been too ashamed to mention them.

To be last every year… the humiliation is almost unbearable! Just as he said, even moving up one spot would be enough to cast off this shameful burden!

“So, you heard about Qin Fan’s prowess and now you want him to go coach them?” Ye Congjun asked with a slight smile, shaking his head.

“Yes! I also happened to hear about the climactic battle at the Golden Summit of Emei Mountain, so I want to invite him. But I know my own standing, and from what little I’ve heard about Qin Fan’s personality, I can imagine how hard it’ll be to coax a young Grandmaster out of seclusion. Second Brother and Fourth Brother said he gets along well with our family and respects you a great deal. That’s why I came back to discuss it with you, Father, to see if you might be willing to step in!” Ye Jiguang said with a sighing laugh.

“Why not let that little rascal, Fourth Brother, go talk to him? He’s always hanging around with Qin Fan!” Ye Congjun joked.

“I did! But he refused. He said he doesn’t want to do such a thankless job. He also said that from what he knows of Qin Fan, asking would be a waste of breath—it would be a definite no!”

“Fourth Brother isn’t wrong. It’s hopeless. Forget about it,” Ye Congjun chuckled, shaking his head. “You’d be better off finding another target.”

With Qin Fan’s personality, would he really waste time being an instructor? Forget being an instructor; even if he were offered a high-ranking official position, he would absolutely scoff at it!

“The problem is, there’s no one else! Father, you know why the Beijing Military District takes the crown every year, strutting around so arrogantly. It’s all because Master Hua built their foundation of instructors! The other military districts have Martial Arts Masters to help them, but what does the Northwest Military District have? Just a bunch of wimps who’ve been bullied until they’re practically useless. Even our King of Soldiers can’t last more than a few rounds against one of their elite soldiers!” Ye Jiguang continued to lament this history of shame.

“Forget it. It’s hopeless. I can’t bring myself to ask. If he were to agree, that would be one thing, but if he refused, I’d lose face. If you really want to get him out of seclusion, you can try getting your Old Man to come over. If he approaches with a sincere attitude, I can go with you both. Also, tell your Old Man that if he can actually convince Qin Fan to go, you won’t have to worry about last place—first place will be an absolute guarantee. I know his personality. He either doesn’t do something, or he does it in a way that shakes the heavens. So, you should weigh your options,” Ye Congjun said with a smile.

Ask the Old Man to step in? Just to recruit a coach? Would that even work? Keep in mind, Hua Xiaotian himself was only a Lieutenant Colonel when he brought his prized recruit onto the team!

“Stop thinking about it! You have two paths before you. One, give up on this idea. Two, have your Old Man come and give it a try. Figure it out yourself,” Ye Congjun said, taking a sip of tea.

「While the father and son were discussing this…」

A flight from Beijing to Jiangzhou landed smoothly at Bai Yun Airport as night fell. Several stern-faced men with slightly bulging temples stepped off the plane. They quickly exited the terminal, boarded a waiting jeep, and sped off toward the city.

“Do you think the young Grandmaster will join the Institute?” the man in the driver’s seat asked seriously, gripping the steering wheel. The “Institute” he mentioned was the Huaxia Guardian Institute.

“We’ll do our best to recruit him. Joining the Guardian Institute is a dream for countless Martial Artists, but with his once-in-a-century talent—reaching the rank of Grandmaster at such a young age—it wouldn’t be surprising if he isn’t tempted,” someone in the back seat replied.

“Right. In the past, it was always Master Hua who went to sweet-talk new recruits. Why didn’t he come this time?”

“Because Master Hua knows it would be a waste of effort. It’s for the best that he didn’t come. Unfortunately, the higher-ups specifically ordered the Guardian Institute to make an attempt, so Master Hua had no choice but to send us. Oh well, let’s just treat this as a trip, heh,” said the middle-aged man in the passenger seat. He was the same man who had stood behind Hua Xiaotian and witnessed that unprecedented, climactic battle.

Slaying Lan Xiaosheng with a single sword strike, shaking the entire world with one battle… how could such a heaven-defying youth willingly enter an institute and be bound by its rules? It’s simply impossible. Hua Xiaotian saw this clearly and was certain of it, which is why he didn’t waste his time coming here.

“I refuse to believe we can’t pull it off! No matter how heaven-defying he is, he’s still a kid under twenty. We’ll use a mix of coaxing and trickery, hit him with a big speech about national duty, and then sweet-talk him with a heart-to-heart. I don’t believe we can’t make this work!”

“You’re talking about yourself, aren’t you? If I recall correctly, that’s how you got in, right?”

“Alright, enough of this useless chatter. Wait until we meet him, then you can work your magic with your silver tongues,” the middle-aged man in the passenger seat said with a sigh and a wry smile.

Amidst the resplendent and gleaming lights of myriad homes, the jeep left the suburbs and turned onto the Ring Road, speeding towards the Half Mountain Villa District.

As the jeep reached the entrance barrier of the Half Mountain Villa District, several security guards approached the dusty vehicle with its unfamiliar license plate.

“Excuse me, please show your entry pass. For the security of the villa district, you’ll need a pass or confirmation from a villa owner,” a guard said with a polite but firm smile, knocking on the window.

Ever since Qin Fan had given them a good thrashing last time, the security guards here had learned their lesson.

The middle-aged man in the driver’s seat smiled slightly upon hearing this and took out a red booklet, handing it to the guard.

Glancing at the booklet, whose shape and color were all wrong, the guard immediately grew wary. “I’m sorry, this is not a villa pass!”

“Take a look. It’s fine,” the man said.

Cautiously peeking into the jeep, the lead guard gave a subtle nod to the other guards, who instantly and discreetly spread out. Taking the booklet, the guard flipped it open.

A Huaxia Pass? What in the world is this? Are they here to cause trouble?

“Sorry, this doesn’t look right,” the guard said tensely.

“Look again. Look further down,” the man instructed.

The guard hesitated, his eyes moving to the bottom of the page. When he saw the official seal and the signature there, he was so frightened he almost dropped the booklet.

He wasn’t born yesterday. He knew what this implied.

“Don’t question its authenticity. After all, nobody would dare forge a document that would get them beheaded in an instant. Besides, there are security cameras everywhere. So, let us through,” the man said with a smile.

“Yes, sir!” The guard immediately straightened up, snapped a salute, and waved them through.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep