Li Xinfan was the commanding general in the military camp, whereas Ni Xuetian was a great ancestor from Changlong’s Ni family. Since Master Lu had learned the path of runes from the Ni family, he was obviously familiar with the latter.
Even so, the master could not afford to offend any one of the big bosses.
Ni Xuetian quickly came back to his senses and uttered with a smile, “Brother Li, please.”
“Excuse me.” Li Xinfan did a fist salute then went forward to take the military saber without any hesitation.
The general was neither an appraiser nor a blacksmith, but as a powerful martial artist and after being in the military for many years, he could tell a weapon’s quality at one glance. In actuality, the military saber was nothing much to Li Xinfan. Based on his status, he could easily acquire an Attribute Military Saber at the peak of Fine Grade, let alone a Good Grade military saber.
Nonetheless, the general’s hand shook when he held the military saber.
The saber seemed to be heavier than a magic tool to him.
Good Grade—it was indeed a Good Grade military saber. Moreover, it was not a saber that was smithed through hard work, but one that was upgraded from a Common Grade military saber by carving a rune on it. “Hahaha! Hahaha…” Li Xinfan laughed out loud all of a sudden and simply disregarded his noble status; he laughed like an unrestrained madman.
Nevertheless, nobody around him belittled him because of that. In particular, the eyes of Master Lu and the other protectors became faintly red.
The Military Saber Upgrade Rune, which was desired by many, was finally born!
Although the Rune Mold was still unsatisfactory because it was only a prototype, given that there was a good start, perfecting it would not be out of reach.
It was similar to walking in the dark; without any clues, finding the right direction would be as difficult as scaling the heavens. On the contrary, if there was a light ahead as guidance, even if it was dim, they would be confident enough to walk to the end of the
path.
Li Xinfan finally stopped laughing after a long time. He lifted his robe abruptly and bowed his head to the ground at Ou Yangming
Ou Yangming was initially smiling with his eyes squinted because Li Xinfan was wild with joy.
At that moment, he felt that a month’s worth of hard work was worth it.
Who knew, Li Xinfan, the mighty Supreme Great Ancestor, did such a big salutation.
As such, Ou Yangming’s face changed, and he moved away without any hesitation and asked, “General, what are you doing?” Li Xinfan did not get up. In fact, Master Lu, Wang Leshui, and the other people from the military kowtowed at the young fellow too after some time.
On the other hand, Ni Xuetian shifted backward, but he looked at Ou Yangming with admiration and respect.
The young fellow actually did it.
Old Craftsman was startled, and he immediately went forward to help Li Xinfan up. With a pale face, he commented, “General Li, you’re going to shorten that young fella’s life if you do this—you mustn’t do this!”
The old man was the Immense Forest Military Camp’s chief Military Fire Blacksmith, which was a status not worth mentioning for Li Xinfan.
Despite that, Li Xinfan dared not ignore Old Craftsman’s other identity.
Ou Yangming’s guardian and mentor.
Therefore, when Old Craftsman did his best to help Li Xinfan get up, the general stood up without resisting. General Li sighed. “Old Craftsman, Master Ou designed a rune to upgrade military sabers, which is a huge favor for the Humans; my salutation is nothing compared to that.”
Old Craftsman shook his head and persisted. “General Li, you’re exaggerating it; it’s just a military saber. Besides, the rune is incomplete and is far from perfect.” Li Xinfan forced a smile, but he was not daring enough to tell Old Craftsman the real reason behind it. He turned to smile apologetically at Ou Yangming. “Master Ou, I won’t say much. All in all, if you need someone to run errands for you in the future, I, Li Xinfan, and everyone in Changlong’s military camp will take all risks, go to all lengths, and will never refuse to help!”
“Take all risks, go to all lengths!” Everyone else roared, causing an intense masculine aura to fill the air, which was soul-stirring.
“Everyone, you’re being too polite.” Ou Yangming chuckled and added after a pause, “Since this rune is effective, it proves that my idea is right. That said, more time is needed for testing if I’d like to complete the rune, so please lend me a helping hand.”
Li Xinfan raised his eyebrows and expressed out loud, “Master Ou, please let us know if there’s anything you need; we’ll get it for you.”
Ou Yangming laughed and glanced at Ni Xuetian.
‘What should I do if Ou Yangming suddenly says that he wants to meet Ni Yinghong?’ Ni Xuetian’s heart skipped a beat. If he declined the request, judging from the look in the soldiers’ eyes, they would possibly tear the Ni residence apart.
Ou Yangming approached Ni Xuetian and stared at the great ancestor, who looked extremely worried. “Senior, I have a presumptuous request.”
Ni Xuetian sighed. ‘What’s bound to come will come.’
“Go ahead.”
“I was only inspired because I read books from your residence’s library,” Ou Yangming said with a stern face, “I’d like to continue to read so that I’ll perfect the rune’s effect, and I hope you’ll grant me the permission to do so, senior.”
“Huh? Wh-what?” Ni Xuetian was dumbfounded because he was not expecting Ou Yangming to make such a request.
“Brother Ni, it’s true that your residence’s library is a forbidden area, but Master Ou’s doing it for the greater good,” Li Xinfan remarked unhappily, “Please open up your library. As for the compensation, I’ll report it to His Majesty, and I’ll make sure you won’t suffer any loss.”
Ni Xuetian glared at him. “Brother Li, what are you talking about? Master Ou’s our clan’s chief tributary even though he has a different surname. His status is equivalent to a great ancestor’s, so the library is open to him whenever, and he doesn’t need my permission at all.”
Ou Yangming wondered, ‘When did I become the Ni family’s chief tributary? Why wasn’t I informed at all?’
However, when he thought about the treatment he received at the Ni residence, especially the fact that he had the right to enter the library at any time, it seemed like that was the case.
Li Xinfan laughed out loud. “Alright. The Ni family is sensible of the general interest indeed; I’ll certainly report it to His Majesty accordingly.”
He later looked at Ou Yangming as though he had something to say, but he swallowed his words in the end. After all, it was a crucial time for Ou Yangming to study runes, so it was best to leave the other matters for discussion the next time.
Ou Yangming returned to the Ni family once he obtained the two Supreme Great Ancestors’ support. While he continued reading books in the library, he attempted to carve runes in a newly renovated cabin outside the library.
Each time he smithed a Rune Mold, Master Lu and Old Craftsman would take it away like it was a treasure, and they would test it with a Common Grade military saber.
To ensure that Ou Yangming was not affected by external factors, Wang Leshui and Ni Xuehai personally guarded outside with their men after they received permission from the Ni family’s Three Great Ancestors. Between the two of them, one was a powerhouse in the military while one was a Yang Grade great elder from the Ni family, so the library was strongly guarded like never before.
Ou Yangming read extensively in the library as he slowly deepened his knowledge of the rune in his sea of consciousness. The young fellow finally left the library after half a month, and he smithed a new steel mold while the Ni family’s great ancestors, Li Xinfan, and the other people waited.
Master Lu and Old Craftsman inspected the mold. There was an enormous change between the veined patterns on the new mold and the ones of
the previous mold. Most importantly, the rune could now be clearly seen, and it carried a mysterious feeling.
After testing with ten Common Grade military sabers, which were prepared in advance, the two blacksmith masters announced the outcome at the same time.
The rune that could improve Common Grade military sabers was successfully developed, and they were pleasantly surprised that the mold contained a mysterious power of flames; the military sabers also had a 3% chance of counterattacking fire mastery damages, which was a unique ability.
Nonetheless, it was quite a pity because the 3% counterattack ability seemed to overlap the Counterattack attribute on the arm guards.
In other words, even if a soldier was equipped with arm guards and a military saber, both of which had the Counterattack attribute, only 3% of probability would come into effect.
Ou Yangming felt incredibly troubled too, but even he had no idea how to adjust the relationship between the arm guards and the military saber.
As for the other people, they were even more in the dark-absolutely clueless.
Despite the shortcoming, Li Xinfan and the other people were so content that they would not make other unreasonable requests.
For the next few days, Ou Yangming stayed in the military camp as he went all-out to forge new molds. Based on his speed, even if he held back on purpose, he still produced over a hundred molds a day, which was an overdone result.
Master Lu and Old Craftsman did their best to learn the new mold’s smithing method.
The molds’ value was far greater than the arm guards’ such that the smithing method became the most popular skill to be learned the moment it was confirmed.
After several days, Li Xinfan found Ou Yangming and voiced out with a smile, “Master Ou, the military saber has more than one weapon.” Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. “Are you asking me to come up with Upgrade Runes for other weapons?”
“That’s right,” Li Xinfan answered seriously, “Apart from military sabers, arrows and spears are commonly used in the military. If you’re able to design the runes, the military’s combat power will surely be increased by a few times.”
“I’ll try.” Ou Yangming beamed. In actual fact, after the Military Saber Upgrade Rune was formed, Ou Yangming withdrew it from the Runes Formation and visualized an arrow to replace it.
He had not arrived at a solution yet, but it was only a matter of time.
Li Xinfan was delighted to hear the young fellow’s reply, and he questioned after a moment of hesitation, “Master Ou, I’d like to invite you to the capital to meet the emperor; would you be willing to do so?”
Chapter 235 - Deal
Chapter 235 Deal
“Enter the capital to meet the emperor?” Ou Yangming’s face took on a strange expression.
The emperor was the present monarch. All lands in the world belonged to the emperor, and everyone in the world was the emperor’s people.
In other words, whether it was Ou Yangming, Li Xinfan, or the Ni family, which was a superb clan, they were all the emperor’s subjects.
Needless to say, in a world where the strong was revered, great ancestors, whose cultivation bases were at Extreme Grade, had a certain immunity from prosecution such that some even ignored imperial power.
Nonetheless, a nominal ruler in the world was enough to be worshipped.
Li Xinfan nodded slowly and explained, “I suggest you meet the emperor because I’m considering the world. By now, you should know the reason the Immense Forest Military Camp was built, right?”
Ou Yangming hesitated and answered, “The disaster of being attacked by ferocious beasts.”
“Yes. Each time the beast tide occurs, it’ll be a huge disaster, and the disaster isn’t limited to Changlong and Linlang only.” Li Xinfan sighed.
“Do other places have it too?” Ou Yangming asked as he was surprised.
Li Xinfan nodded seriously. “The Wu Dynasty has eight counties; the imperial family from the capital keeps watch in the middle while the eight counties prevent attacks from the four directions because every direction has a disaster.”
Ou Yangming’s heart pounded because he could tell from Li Xinfan’s facial expression that the disasters from the three other directions were not any better than the one faced by Changlong and Linlang. “General, why are the Humans faced with these disasters?” Ou Yangming asked with a deep voice.
“I don’t know. Perhaps we’re just bound to face the disaster that happens once in a hundred years,” Li Xinfan answered with a bitter smile.
Seeing as Li Xinfan looked gloomy, Ou Yangming comforted him, “General, the Humans got through the disasters for many years, so we’ll definitely be able to overcome it this time as well.”
“We’ll be victorious, but each time the disaster happens, our vitalities will be drained. That said, the situation will be completely different this time because we have you.” Li Xinfan smiled abruptly and raised his voice. “The molds that are forged by you can increase the military’s strength on a large scale. Hehe, this time, we must let them have a taste of our power!”
Ou Yangming responded softly, “General, I only did what I should do.”
“I’m glad you’re not claiming credit and being arrogant, but people from later generations will assess if it’s a merit or a demerit, so you don’t need to be so humble.” Li Xinfan could not help but laugh, then he looked at Ou Yangming with a serious face. “I’m inviting you to the capital to meet the emperor so that you can promote the molds there for everyone in the world to use.”
Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched. “General, I’ve smithed the Rune Molds, so you just need to get Runes Masters and blacksmiths to imitate the references, and there shouldn’t be a big difference. As for entering the capital to meet the emperor… I don’t think it’s necessary.”
If he had his heart set on progressing in the military, meeting the emperor would unquestionably be a shortcut, but his mind was no longer in the military.
Li Xinfan pondered for a while and asked, “Master Ou, do you know why the imperial family keeps watch in the center?”
Ou Yangming was startled. “No, I don’t.”
“The imperial family is situated in the center to provide support to any of the directions at any time. If any of the defenses fail, powerhouses from the imperial family will make a move.”
“Did Humans ever fail?” Ou Yangming’s face changed.
“Yes!” Li Xinfan answered without any hesitation, “Throughout a thousand years, we resisted disasters from different sides many times. Although every county has a trump card, there were times when we failed, only then will powerhouses from the imperial family step out to clean up the mess. Heh, in the past generations, numerous powerhouses from the imperial family have died because of the disasters; even a Saint who surpassed Extreme Grade had fallen as a result.”
Ou Yangming’s heart skipped a beat. “A Saint who surpassed Extreme Grade? Did a person like that exist in the imperial family?”
Li Xinfan smiled faintly. “Yes, among Humans, the imperial family is the only one that can guarantee a powerhouse like that in the past generations.”
Ou Yangming was deeply moved, and his eyes lit up.
He had been thinking hard for a way to kill the spirit beast, but he felt hopeless at the thought of the spirit beast being superior to a Supreme Great Ancestor.
A spirit beast was a powerhouse that did not belong to this world. It was just like a magic tool, which was shackled by the world’s power, and the mighty divine weapon could not be smithed through normal means.
Ou Yangming knew very well the great destructive power of a magic tool on a piece of equipment at the peak of Fine Grade.
What about spirit beasts?
Would it be easy for them to kill Supreme Great Ancestors?
Therefore, while Ou Yangming pledged, he did not have a specific implementation direction to complete it.
Now, he vaguely saw silver lightning.
A p
ower that was beyond a Supreme Great Ancestor was the only thing that could resist a spirit beast. In that case, could Ou Yangming find the answer from the imperial family?
The young fellow looked up and expressed, “General, I’m willing to enter the capital to meet the emperor.”
“Okay!” Li Xinfan laughed out loud. “Master Ou, the Humans will be blessed if you could quickly spread the method of smithing molds to the rest of the world.”
Ou Yangming had a grave look on his face. “General, I’m sure it’s achievable even if I’m not in the picture.”
Li Xinfan shook his head. “How can their molds be mentioned on equal terms with the ones that were personally smithed by you. Hehe, 3% of Counterattack attribute will certainly make an unexpected impact in tangled warfare.”
Ou Yangming twitched his mouth and thought, ‘I see, General Li is planning to use me for labor.’
However, as long as he could find a way to exceed a Supreme Great Ancestor, he would be willing to do so.
Ou Yangming was instantly relieved after settling the matter with Li Xinfan, such that the hard work and pressure that he had for a month disappeared at once.
Honestly, Ou Yangming knew he might not necessarily find his answer if he entered the capital to meet the emperor.
If it was easy for one to break through Extreme Grade, the imperial family would not have been the only one to have a Saint in the past generations.
Despite that, at least Ou Yangming had a direction to work in as compared to having no clue at all.
After bidding Li Xinfan farewell, Ou Yangming went to look for Ni Xuetian.
He cut to the chase. “Senior, I’d like to meet Elder Sister Ying, and I hope you’ll fulfill my wish.”
Ni Xuetian’s face changed, and he sighed. “Master Ou, you probably know the difficult reason behind our actions now.”
Ou Yangming replied to the elder sternly, “Yes, I’m aware.”
“If you have other requests, the three of us will get things done for you even if it means risking our reputations and lives. Ying’er’s matter affects countless lives from two counties, so please forgive me for not agreeing,” Ni Xuetian said in all seriousness.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 140
