He Hanyang seemed to not be surprised by the voice as he commented, “If I wanted to kill him, I could’ve done that when I attacked him with my palm.”
Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows. It seemed like that was the case, and He Hanyang held back indeed, but would the outcome change even if he gave his all?
A thin elder walked out from the dark. He nodded at Ou Yangming from afar and responded to the great ancestor, “Brother He, Master Ou has just earned the Advanced Blacksmith’s title, and he became closely acquainted with Master Jin Shengjie and Master Wu Hongxi. Master Wu even said he wants to invite him to join his smithing team for the magic tool. Have you not heard?”
He Hanyang asked with a straight face, “So what if I heard about it?”
The thin elder smiled plainly. “Since you’ve heard of Master Ou, do you really dare to kill him?”
Ou Yangming twitched his mouth. He Hanyang displayed great momentum when he appeared as if he wanted to kill the young fellow, but his palm attack exposed his real thought; he was deep in fear.
He Hanyang finally turned around and expressed coldly, “Brother Bai, I don’t want to offend the blacksmith masters in the capital, but for the sake of Changlong County and Linlang County, some things must be done even if it means offending everyone in the world!”
“Including killing me?” Ou Yangming asked as he took a step forward.
“If you insist on not backing away, I’ll definitely kill you for the sake of countless other lives!” He Hanyang stared at the young fellow coldly, and his words were so spine-chilling that the air seemed to have frozen.
The thin elder flashed and stood between them.
“Brother He, regardless of the grudge between you, Master Ou is the Yi Pavilion’s guest.” He looked at He Hanyang without showing a weak impression.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t plan to kill him anyway.” He Hanyang could not help but laugh. He later turned and walked outside, but his voice could be heard. “Ou Yangming, you better behave.”
As the thin elder watched He Hanyang leave, he shook his head and said, “Master Ou, you must’ve been frightened.”
Ou Yangming quickly responded, “Thank you for your saving grace, senior, but you’re…” The elder answered, “I’m Bai Cangling. Ah, may I know why there’s an enmity between you and that old man?”
“Ah, you’re the pavilion master. Please forgive me.” Ou Yangming’s face changed. He forced a smile and continued, “It’s hard to explain the resentment between me and the He family…”
Seeing as Ou Yangming was not going to talk about the matter in-depth, Bai Cangling let it be. He noted, “Master Ou, no matter what it is, as long as you’re in the Yi Pavilion and the capital, I guarantee that you won’t be threatened by them.”
Ou Yangming was rather moved. “Thank you, Sir Bai.”
“Master Ou, you don’t have to be so polite, it’s the Yi Pavilion’s duty.” Bai Cangling chuckled. He then remarked with a faint smile, “But if it wasn’t because the old man came to stir up trouble, I wouldn’t know that you’re a martial arts powerhouse!”
Chapter 287 - The Martial Arts Battle
Chapter 287 The Martial Arts Battle
Ou Yangming smiled and said, “I do have some experience in martial arts, but please don’t laugh at me, senior.”
“There are indeed very few people from the younger generation who can exchange blows with Old He for so long.” Bai Cangling smiled faintly and sighed. “Unfortunately, you’re not a Yang Grade martial artist.”
‘What do you mean…’ Ou Yangming was stunned, but when he looked at Bai Cangling, he had a feeling that the elder schemed something against him.
Bai Cangling suddenly noted seriously, “Master Ou, you don’t need to worry about Old He in the capital, but if you leave the capital, I’m afraid…”
Ou Yangming asked in a deep voice, “Senior, what do you mean?”
“You became popular after the Blacksmith Assessment and became an Advanced Blacksmith. Moreover, your full set of equipment at the peak of Fine Grade Rank Five pushed you to the teeth of the storm. As daring as Old He is, he won’t dare to do anything to you in the capital. Hehe, he reached his limit by coming here to scare you,” Bai Cangling explained.
The young fellow’s face twitched, and he came to a sudden realization when he recalled the exchanges of blows between him and He Hanyang earlier.
The He family’s Supreme Great Ancestor was not merciful because he feared the Yi Pavilion, but because of Ou Yangming’s reputation.
“But if you leave the capital…”
“Senior, don’t worry. If I leave the capital, he won’t be able to track me down.” Ou Yangming assured Bai Cangling with a smile.
“Okay, I’ll be at ease.” Bai Cangling laughed. He was initially worried because he would not know what to do if the youthful Ou Yangming confused right and wrong, but seeing as the young fellow was sensible, he was relieved. Bai Cangling hesitated for a while before he asked, “Lil’ Friend Ou, what do you think about the Martial Arts Battle?”
Ou Yangming blinked and asked in return, “The Martial Arts Battle… What’s that?”
This time, Bai Cangling was startled instead. He asked in shock, “Do you not know about it?”
“I really don’t.”
Bai Cangling had a strange look on his face. “You’re here to participate in the Myriad Treasure Meet, so how can you not know about the Martial Arts Battle?”
“Senior, nobody told me that the Myriad Treasure Meet is related to the Martial Arts Battle!” Ou Yangming responded snappily. “You’re not from the capital, and you’re a blacksmith and an appraiser, so it’s natural that nobody told you about it.” Bai Cangling was dumbfounded for some time, but he laughed after that. He paused and added, “If I didn’t witness the battle between you and Old He, I wouldn’t have such a thought too.”
Ou Yangming was smart, so he immediately understood what the elder meant. “Senior, are you asking me to… Join the Martial Arts Battle?”
“Yes.” Bai Cangling grinned. “But the choice is yours, and I won’t force you to join it.” “Senior, please tell me what the Martial Arts Battle is.” Ou Yangming looked confused.
Bai Cangling explained, “During the past Myriad Treasure Meets, forces from different places will send martial artists to perform or compete skills on the stage. The performances aren’t much, whereas the competitions are something greater.” Through his introduction, Ou Yangming soon understood what the Martial Arts Battle was.
Treasures in the world would be gathered during the Myriad Treasure Meet, which was held once every decade. Each time it was held, it was magnanimous such that even the imperial family would participate in it.
Given its large scale, it would give rise to many results. If two forces had resentment or disliked each other, they would send a martial artist each to compare skills, which would usually be rewarding. As time passed, nobody knew if someone encouraged it behind the scenes or it naturally developed this way, but those who went on to the stage could join the final Martial Arts Battle on the last day of the Myriad Treasure Meet.
ev
If someone could be victorious in the end, that person would be highly rewarded by the imperial family. The reward would be generous and unordinary, which could certainly move most people. Ou Yangming kept quiet for a while before he asked, “Since you know I’m a blacksmith and an appraiser, why do you hope I’ll take part in the Martial Arts Battle?”
“The Yi Pavilion will benefit greatly if you’re the victor, and it’ll be the best chance for you to promote what you came here for,” Bai Cangling explained sternly and added, “Whether it’s His Majesty or the ordinary spectators, they’ll regard the victor with special respect. If you become the victor and present the upgraded economical military saber in public, it’ll result in an unexpected effect.”
Ou Yangming was deeply moved after he heard the elder, and his eyes lit up.
It seemed like the upgrading of
pieces of affordable equipment would offend some people with vested interests. Whether it was Jin Shengjie or Wu Hongxi, they were very concerned about it. Even though they were willing to help, they were not absolutely confident about it.
If joining the Martial Arts Battle would be helpful toward this matter, Ou Yangming would not hesitate at all.
“Senior, if I participate in the battle, will I stand a chance to be the victor?” Ou Yangming asked.
If the participants included Supreme Great Ancestors, Ou Yangming did not need to consider it anymore.
After his battle with He Hanyang, he understood that the Spiritual Fist would be an amazing killing weapon against martial artists in Yang Grade or below, where it could suppress them such that they could not exert half of their strength.
However, if his opponent was a Supreme Great Ancestor, the Spiritual Fist’s oppression would seem quite weak.
One who could become a Supreme Great Ancestor was surely someone with unusually firm willpower. Besides, martial artists at this level had vaguely reached the path of spiritual cultivation. As such, it would be wishful thinking to want to limit their movements through pressure.
Bai Cangling pondered for a while and answered, “Theoretically, you’re quite hopeful since you’re able to fight Old He for a long time. That said, while the participants are at most in Yang Grade, some powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade possess extremely fearsome powers. Even if I were to fight them, I might not be able to defeat them easily.” Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched. “What did you say?”
This time, he was incredibly shocked.
It was worth noting that there was a huge gap between Yang Grade martial artists and Supreme Great Ancestors. Although one at the peak of Yang Grade was only a class away from a great ancestor who had just arrived at Extreme Grade, there was an apparent disparity between them.
In a way, a person who became a great ancestor had passed a competitive test and became entirely different from before.
It was evident that Bai Cangling was not one who had just become a Supreme Great Ancestor, so the fact that he had such high remarks for martial artists at the peak of Yang Grade made Ou Yangming feel strange.
Bai Cangling sighed and noted, “The world is huge and there are plenty of talents everywhere, especially powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade that were brought up by the imperial family and some superb clans. Hehe, you must be careful if you face them!” Ou Yangming instantly thought of He Liangce.
He Liangce was at the peak of Yang Grade, but Ou Yangming felt that he was more threatening than ordinary Supreme Great Ancestors.
Needless to say, Ou Yangming understood that it was because He Liangce cultivated the Iron Blood Loyal Heart Secret Technique. If He Liangce unleashed everything regardless of costs, given that he could likely kill a spirit beast, Ou Yangming did not think he could defeat him.
Since the He family had such an extraordinary and unique member, what about the various big aristocratic families with noteworthy inheritances? What about the imperial family?
Ou Yangming shook his head. ‘I’ve been thinking that the other people in the world are too ordinary, but I’m not the only genius in the world.’
“I’m not requesting that you become the victor; I’ll be content as long as you’re one of the top three, but…” Bai Cangling said in a serious tone and dragged out the last word before he added, “I hope you’ll use unique pieces of equipment.”
The young fellow was dumbfounded, and he soon had a strange look on his face. “Are you asking me to use the upgraded pieces of inexpensive equipment?”
“That’s right. That’ll be the most effective way,” Bai Cangling responded in a sonorous voice.
Ou Yangming smiled bitterly. “Let me consider it…”
Bai Cangling nodded. “Let me know if you’d like to join the battle, and you ought to be careful of the three sons of the capital because you must at least defeat one of them to be in the top three.” Following that, he turned around and flashed to disappear.
Ou Yangming frowned. While Bai Canglang asked the young fellow to consider the matter, it sounded like he had decided for him already.
The young fellow would not bother if someone else had done the same, but at that moment, he pondered for a long time and sighed helplessly, then he returned to the house.
When the servants went to his courtyard the next morning, Ou Yangming asked them to fetch Du Gaoge.
Before long, Du Gaoge arrived at the courtyard. Ou Yangming cut to the chase. “Shopkeeper Du, I’d like to join the Martial Arts Battle, so please make the necessary arrangements.” Du Gaoge was dazed and in disbelief. He asked after some time, “Master Ou, are you joking?”
Ou Yangming asked him in return, “What do you think?”
Shopkeeper Du was struck dumb, and he said with a bitter smile, “Master Ou, you’re an Advanced Blacksmith and an appraiser, so you don’t need to use weapons!”
‘I don’t want to join that Martial Arts Battle too, but I must contribute for the sake of the ultimate goal,’ Ou Yangming thought.
He looked deeply at the shopkeeper and uttered resolutely, “I’ve decided, so go and make the arrangements!”
Seeing as Ou Yangming was not going to change his mind, Du Gaoge forced a smile and left. He reported the matter thinking that the higher-ups in the pavilion would stop the young fellow, but much to his surprise, the matter was approved without any issue.
Du Gaoge was gloomy for a long time after he heard the response.
‘Letting an Advanced Blacksmiths, who’s also an appraiser, to join the Martial Arts Battle?
‘Which son of a b*tch approved it…’
Chapter 288 - Myriad Treasure Meet
Chapter 288 Myriad Treasure Meet
The Myriad Treasure Meet was one of the grandest and most important events within the capital.
Every ten years, powerful families and various powers would come together to participate in the meet, and usually, they would demonstrate their strengths in the view of the public.
In a sense, the meet was a place for the attending parties to show off their capabilities. If they could successfully prove their overwhelming strength in comparison to their competitors, these parties could reap massive benefits within the next decade.
Ou Yangming poked around a little and had caught wind of a surprising piece of info.
There was a high likelihood that the aristocratic families with the longest and oldest inheritance would not participate in the meet. Such families had included the Ni family of Changlong, and the He family of Linlang.
Apart from those two families, the other renowned aristocratic families within the two counties had paid an abnormal amount of attention and had invested a great deal of effort into the meet.
Ou Yangming was confused at first, but he soon realized the intent behind their decisions.
Should the beast tide remain unvanquished, and if the hundred-year cycle were to repeat itself, would that not mean that the Ni family and the He family’s positions on the social ladder would remain unchanged? In that case, was there a need for the Ni and He families to expend any effort to participate in the event?
Regardless, Ou Yangming did not laze around during the next few days. This was especially true, as ever since his rank of Advanced Blacksmith was made known, he had gotten visits daily, from people wishing to improve their relations, and those who wanted him to forge equipment for them.
Moreover, all this had happened while Jin Shengjie and Wu Hongxi were still privately researching ways to create magic tools, and as such, their connection with Ou Yangming had yet to be revealed.
Had anyone learned that Ou Yangming had received the teachings of Master Wu Hongxi, the number of his daily visitors would no doubt increase exponentially.
Despite that, Ou Yangming did not accept any of his visitors’ requests, regardless of their social status. Although his actions had angered most of his visitors, no one had dared to stir up trouble within t
he Yi Pavilion, and as such, things had proceeded peacefully. A few days later, it was finally time for the Myriad Treasure Meet to begin.
First thing in the morning, right after Ou Yangming had woken up, he was immediately led to the Yi Pavilion by Du Gaoge, who had been waiting by his side. A flirtatious smile hung on Bai Shixue’s lips as she stood at the main hall, and upon Ouyang Ming’s arrival, she sent him an enigmatic wink without an ounce of hesitation.
Ou Yangming’s heart skipped a beat in response, and he mentally howled in pleasure…
Despite having mental power that was stronger than the ordinary individual, Ou Yangming had come close to breaking under Bai Shixue’s charm. Had anyone else seen her, they would probably have the living daylights charmed out of them.
Fortunately, she was the young master of Yi Pavilion, and a Supreme Great Ancestor was living there. Had that not been the case, the peaceful days she experienced would never have existed in the first place.
By the time Ou Yangming had reached the scene, several people were already seated in the hall. Even after Ou Yangming had seated himself, several more people continued to pour into the hall.
After doing a headcount, Bai Shixue then stated with a smile, “To the masters present, you are all candidates that the Yi Pavilion or the head shopkeepers throughout the region have personally chosen.” Bai Shixue paused for a moment before continuing with a courteous smile, “The Myriad Treasure Meet this time will depend on the efforts of all of you masters present.”
“You’re too kind, young master! We’ll do our best!”
“Indeed, since it’s the young master herself who’s welcoming us, we’ll put out all the stops this time.”
The crowd clamored in support of her, but their gazes towards Bai Shixue was split between desire and evasion.
Even Ou Yangming, despite his strong mental power, had dared not to stare directly at Bai Shixue, let alone anyone else.
With the exception of elderly men who possessed a wealth of experience like Jin Shengjie, Bai Shixue’s Body of Charm was capable of crushing the will of those who stood before her.
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