He Liangce was truly shocked as he said, “Yin Grade, Class Three…”
Chapter 174 - A Promise Made In The Past
There was usually an extremely obvious feature in a martial artist’s cultivation when one arrived at a certain state.
A Yin Grade martial artist could curb one’s essential Qi and even one’s breath of life to accumulate the power in one’s body. It was done so that one could move into Yang upon reaching the extremity of Yin.
Nonetheless, although a martial artist in Yin Grade Class One and Class Two could hold back one’s overflowing aura, one could not restrain one’s breath of life.
A martial artist had to have the cultivation base of at least Yin Grade Class Three to achieve it.
He Liangce did not attach importance to the fact that Ou Yangming was in Yin Grade Class Three, but the young master was only in Class Two when they last met. Hence, He Liangce was shocked that Ou Yangming advanced to the next class after just a few days.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming was even more surprised; or appalled. He looked at his opponent with bright eyes and uttered, “Yang Grade!”
Although He Liangce did not look a day older than thirty years old, he was already a Yang Grade powerhouse. When He Liangce tapped with his folding fan earlier, enormous essential Qi poured down, which was definitely a Yang Grade powerhouse’s power. The power was also so scarily abundant that it frightened Ou Yangming more than Zhang Yinli did.
Yang Grade powerhouses were separated into powerful and weak ones.
He Liangce had only attacked once, but he was certainly the one among many other Yang Grade powerhouses who gave Ou Yangming the greatest sense of danger.
Ou Yangming could not help but wonder.
This fella is so young, so how did he cultivate to become like this?’
Despite that, Ou Yangming had no idea that He Liangce, who watched as he stood tall like a javelin while holding an invisible spear, was having the same thought too.
He Liangce had a grave expression as he remarked, “Brother Ou, your improvement is shocking!”
Ou Yangming scoffed. “Brother He, you’re being too polite, I’m still far from you.”
Even though Ou Yangming had killed a Yang Grade powerhouse and even escaped a Supreme Great Ancestor, when he faced He Liangce, he felt like he could not perceive someone for the first time ever.
The He family’s eldest young master was definitely the direct descendant in an influential family, so who knew what treasures and unique abilities he had?
Ou Yangming dared not say that he could kill the young master.
He Liangce cupped his hands at Ou Yangming and expressed with sincerity, “Brother Ou, please think thrice before you act.”
“There’s no need for me to think thrice, let’s just wait and see.” Ou Yangming laughed and narrowed his eyes, then flashed and fluttered away.
In actual fact, Ou Yangming was already full of killing intent when he heard He Liangce’s request. That said, Ou Yangming was not entirely confident about killing his enemy, who was also the one who chose their meeting place, hence as dumb as he was, he would not fight a battle of life or death here.
Therefore, Ou Yangming immediately decided to flee.
He Liangce watched with his hands behind his back when Ou Yangming left, and he did not intend to stop him.
An elder quietly approached him from behind and greeted him softly, “Young Master.” He Liangce nodded and sighed. “I have a feeling that we’ll fight sooner or later.”
There was a fierce look in the elder’s eyes as he responded, “Young Master, if that’s the case, how about…”
“What are you worried about?” He Liangce smiled faintly. “Do you think I’ll lose?”
“I dare not,” the elder quickly replied with a different look on his face
“You know I was born for that, and I only have one final goal in my life. Even if the matter will cause destruction to both sides, I won’t hesitate at all,” He Liangce said and smiled after a pause. “If I don’t even have the guts to challenge someone of my kind, and I try to gain victory through wicked schemes instead, won’t I die a graveless death when the real disaster happens?”
The elder lowered his head and gave a respectful response, “Yes, Young Master, you’re very far-sighted, whereas I’m still far from that.”
He Liangce looked up at the sky. “More powerhouses are needed among Humans, so if you have the potential, quickly grow up. There isn’t… Much time.”
XXXX
Even when Ou Yangming entered the prefecture with a straight face, he was still extremely perturbed.
If he was in He Liangce’s shoes, he would have never made such an absurd request to his rival in love.
‘What exactly was He Liangce thinking? Is he so opinionated that he’ll defeat me for sure, or… His brain shorted out?’
Ou Yangming figured after some thought that the latter was more likely the case. Regardless of He Liangce’s plan, Ou Yangming was not going to take even half a step back.
‘Yang Grade…
‘Heh, isn’t it just Yang Grade! As long as I’m given more time, I’ll surely catch up to him and surpass him!’
Ou Yangming walked leisurely in the prefecture and arrived at the Ni residence before long
The few doorkeepers at the entrance were delighted when they saw Ou Yangming such that one of them even ran toward the inner residence. The other doorkeepers looked regretful when they realized that they reacted too late.
Ni Yunhong and his younger sister quickly came out after a brief moment, and they sighed a breath of relief when they saw that Ou Yangming was not hurt. When Ni Yinghong scanned the young fella with her beautiful eyes, her silky eyebrows stood out, causing Ou Yangming’s heart to beat.
However, Ou Yangming could not act abnormally in front of his future brother-in-law.
He forced himself to calm down and greeted, “Brother Ni, how have you been?!”
Ni Yunhong shook his head and commented, “Brother Ou, you’re really… Brave!”
Ou Yangming was stunned. “What?”
“It’s fine that you stuck out for your comrade in the military, and it’s not a big deal that you offended the imperial merchant, but why did you clash with a Supreme Great Ancestor? Heh, I heard you clashed with more than one Supreme Great Ancestor too. Even if you clashed with them, since there were two great ancestors present, why did you leave with one of them? Don’t you know that he can crush you into powder with just one little finger?” Ni Yunhong expressed sternly.
Ou Yangming was suddenly feeling grateful. It was true that Ni Yunhong was lecturing him fiercely, but the young master really cared about him.
If Ni Yunhong did not treat Ou Yangming with sincerity and did not regard him as a close friend, he would not have reprimanded him.
“Yes, it’s not worth it at all.” Ni Yinghong pouted her lips, and her cheeks were slightly puffed up as though she was quite furious. “Even if you don’t think for yourself, you should think about… Old Man!”
Ni Yunhong glanced at her strangely and wondered, ‘Little Sister, did you want to say Old Man or yourself…’
He could only keep it to himself because his dear little sister would definitely turn against him if he questioned her.
“Thank you for your concern, but I only followed the great ancestor because I was confident,” Ou Yangming responded after he cleared his throat. Seeing as the siblings were still indignant, he quickly added, “The Fang family’s great ancestor and your clan’s ancestor were also present at that time. Did you think that they’ll ignore the matter if I was really in danger?” Ni Yunhong and his younger sister were a little startled, and they had a strange look in their eyes.
They conversed as they entered the residence.
Ou Yangming obviously went to meet Old Craftsman first. Much to his surprise, the old man was in great condition, and he seemed to be much healthier than before.
Once the old man recovered, he kept h
imself busy.
He spent at least half of his day in the smithing workshop, and he had been smithing pieces of equipment that were adequate, be it the quantity or their quality.
According to Old Craftsman, he did not want to be a freeloader, thus he had to pay for the Ni family’s kindness.
The Ni family naturally was not bothered about his compensation, but they did not talk the old man out of it because he was so excited, hence they gave him freedom.
Ou Yangming was elated to see that Old Craftsman was in a bright and cheerful mood.
Nonetheless, the old man looked worried after they chatted for a while.
“Old Man, what are you thinking?” Ou Yangming quickly asked. Ni Yunhong and his younger sister exchanged glances and sighed. Although they had been doing their best to serve and please the old man, their degree of intimacy with him was different.
Old Craftsman would not show them some of his feelings.
“Ah, b*stard, do you still remember what I asked you to do?” “Old Man, I remember everything you asked me to do!” Ou Yangming was stunned, but he immediately tapped his chest. After a while, he blinked and asked carefully, “But what exactly are you talking about?”
Old Craftsman did not know to laugh or to cry, whereas Ni Yunhong and his younger sister simply smiled.Seeing as the old man was starting to look displeased, Ou Yangming went behind him right away to massage his shoulders and whispered, “Old Man, there are other people present, so please give me some face…” Old Craftsman glanced at the siblings, then he finally gave up the thought of wanting to teach the young fellow a lesson. He asked, “Young fella, did you forget about the weapon?”
Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up as he came to a sudden realization. ‘Oh, Old Man has been thinking about this.’
“Old Man, don’t worry, I’m already well-prepared,” he answered without any hesitation, then he glanced at Ni Yunhong and his younger sister mysteriously before he continued, “You have no idea, but the Ni family has a precious and valuable material. It’s unusually tough, and it is even superior to featured steel. Whether it’s its tenacity, its suitability of being smelted by the Military Fire, or any other aspects, it is much better than featured steel.”
“Really?” old Craftsman asked as he was dumbfounded.
“Of course. I’ve already asked Brother Ni to handle the matter, so I’ll be able to acquire the material in no time,” Ou Yangming assured with a serious face, “As long as I obtain that material, I’ll start smithing. Hehe, don’t worry, I’ll definitely smith a magic tool, and I won’t ruin your reputation!”
“A magic tool!” Old Craftsman’s eyes flowed. He had never smithed a magic tool in his life, but if Ou Yangming could do it, the sense of accomplishment would be more satisfying than if he accomplished the task instead.
“Brother Ni, when can you get me the material?” Ou Yangming turned to wink at Ni Yunhong
Ni Yunhong had already secretly cursed at Ou Yangming, but he answered as if he was troubled, “Ah, it’s really a tricky matter, so it won’t be easy.”
Chapter 175 - Taking Preventive Measures
Ou Yangming expressed pretentiously, “Ah, Brother Ni, you didn’t say that the last time! You said you’ll be able to get it very soon!”
Ni Yunhong gritted his teeth but saw Old Craftsman’s eager face, so he could only smile bitterly. “Brother Ou, it’s such a valuable item, and my clan doesn’t have many of it too, so how could I get it so soon…”
Old Craftsman was stunned, and he turned to reprimand Ou Yangming, “B*stard, don’t force him. If it’s such a valuable item, how can he take it so easily?”.
Ni Yunhong pouted his lips and thought, ‘I can still think of a way if I know what it is, but what the hell is he talking about?’
Since he was also a blacksmith, he was familiar with materials’ qualities.
There was naturally a reason why featured steel was widely recognized as the best material for the smithing of Fine Grade equipment. Putting aside its cost, it was because its attributes were relatively balanced.
Many materials could overpower featured steel in terms of individual properties like the degree of solidity, smelting difficulty, or toughness, but if all those properties were considered as a whole, no material could be on par with it.
A material that was greater than featured steel in every aspect was unheard of. Therefore, Ni Yunhong could only keep quiet in front of Old Craftsman.
“Old Man, I shall not force Brother Ni.” Ou Yangming laughed, then he clapped his hands after a pause as if he recalled something. “I know, I need to be authorized by the Ni family’s great ancestors to use the material. I’ll go meet them now.”
Following that, he waved his hand and left swiftly.
Old Craftsman was startled for some time before he gasped.
“The Ni family’s great ancestors are legendary Supreme Great Ancestors.’ The old man quickly called out to Ou Yangming, but the young fellow could not hear him as he had gone far away.
“Ah, Young Master Ni, Young Lady Ni, stop that hothead quickly!” Old Craftsman was so anxious that beads of sweat were seen on his forehead. “If that b*stard bothers your great ancestors, he’ll probably be slapped to death!”
Ni Yunhong and his younger sister looked at each other and wondered.
‘Our great ancestors didn’t hesitate to confront the governor and another Supreme Great Ancestor for him, so why would they kill him over a trivial matter?’
Although they did not understand why, they had a feeling that the three great ancestors valued Ou Yangming more than they valued them.
At the very least, if the siblings were the ones who were involved in the matter that day, the great ancestors would not have allowed them to do the same.
“Old Man, don’t worry! Our great ancestors have met Brother Ou many times, and they’re even planning to take him as a disciple, so he’ll be fine.” Ni Yinghong smiled.
“Huh?” Old Craftsman was dumbfounded, but he was quickly delighted. “That b*stard didn’t tell me. He deserves a beating!”
“Old Man, perhaps Brother Ou wanted to give you a surprise!” Ni Yinghong quickly explained.
The old man finally nodded, but when he glanced at Ni Yinghong, he hesitated for a while before he expressed, “Ah, if he becomes your great ancestors’ disciple, it’s probably not a good thing…”
Ni Yinghong blushed a little because she immediately understood what Old Craftsman meant. As her eyes wandered about, they looked as tender as water.
On the other hand, Ni Yunhong shook his head and lamented.
* XXX
The Ni residence was an influential family’s top-notch residence. There were strict rules in the residence such that outsiders could only wait at the outer courtyard without being able to enter the inner courtyard at all.
Nonetheless, when Ou Yangming arrived outside the inner courtyard and requested to meet the three great ancestors, the steward flashed a flattering smile at him. “Young Master Ou, the great ancestors have informed us that you have full access to everywhere in the residence without needing to report yourself.”
Ou Yangming was shocked. As silly as he was, he knew that the treatment he was given was by no means insignificant.
He was not only treated as a part of the family. In fact, he was treated like one of the top elders in their clan.
Though Ou Yangming helped them find the Land of Inheritance, he felt that the treatment was too much.
Ou Yangming was puzzled, but he followed the steward to the courtyard.
Once they arrived, the steward behaved carefully as if he was making a pilgrimage, and the look of devotion on his face was chilling.
‘The three Supreme Great Ancestors are such fearsome beings to the ordinary people in the Ni family,’ Ou Yangming wondered.
“Hehe, Lil’ Friend, you’re here. Quickly come in.”
Ni Jingtong appeared in a flash and greeted Ou Yangming smilingly. Ou Yangming quickly bowed and thanked, �
��Thank you, senior.” As they entered the courtyard one after the other, the steward watched in shock as he was in disbelief. ‘Did Great Ancestor just address Young Master Ou as Lil’ Friend? Young Master Ou didn’t panic at all and accepted it calmly.’
The butler shrunk his neck and left soundlessly. Nevertheless, he remembered Ou Yangming well because he knew he must not offend the young master no matter what.
Once Ou Yangming entered the courtyard, he saw Ni Jingshen and Ni Xuetian smiling with narrowed eyes at him.
Ou Yangming quivered a little as he vaguely sensed a chill in the air.
‘These three bosses are suddenly so polite to me. What exactly are they scheming?
‘No love or hate in the world is without rhyme or reason.
‘If something’s unusual, there had to be something strange behind it.’ That said, Ou Yangming could not think of anything valuable he had that was worth being invested by the three great ancestors.
He cast aside his doubt and greeted, “Greetings, seniors.”
Ni Jingtong nodded and commented, “You’ve indeed grown after following Chen Dishou for a few days.”
They were able to see due to their outstanding vision that Ou Yangming already had the cultivation base of Yin Grade Class Three, but they thought he had broken through because of Chen Dishou’s pointers.
“Thank you for your praise, senior,” Ou Yangming responded with a bitter smile. He decided after some thought to cut to the chase. “Seniors, I’ve come to request something.”
“Oh, Lil’ Ou, you don’t have to be so polite. You found the Land of Inheritance for our clan, which was a huge contribution. If you have any requests, just let us know.”
Ou Yangming nodded and said, “When I previously entered the Chaos Cave and encountered the Black Magic Crawlers, I saw some ores that are similar to featured steel. I want to smith a magic tool, so I’d like to request for some ores.”
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 104
