The Venerable One cleared his throat and asked, “Ou Yangming, I heard that it wasn’t strenuous for you to refine the flying carpet, and that you finished it very quickly?”
“Senior, do you believe that?” Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched.
“Ah, that…” Yuqi the Venerable One pondered for a while then answered seriously, “Given that an Intermediate Caster can refine flying carpets, what else can I not believe in?”
Ou Yangming was dumbfounded. He never thought that he would be shooting himself in his foot.
Nonetheless, he shook his head and expressed, “Senior, frankly speaking, the refinement of a flying carpet might seem simple, but the energy consumed is out of the ordinary. Besides, many complicated preparations must be made. Even if I do my best, it’ll be quite tough for me to refine a flying carpet within 10 to 15 days.” He sneered and added, “Heh, even a Venerable Blacksmiths will find it difficult to refine one every day, right?”
Yuqi the Venerable One nodded after some thought. Although Tian Yinghao said that Ou Yangming had refined the flying carpet with ease, the Venerable One had his judgment.
It seemed like Ou Yangming had probably prepared everything thoroughly in advance to increase his success rate during the real refinement process. Therefore, he was right that he had consumed far more energy and time than what Tian Yinghao saw.
“Hehe.” Yuqi the Venerable One chuckled. “Alright, since that’s the case, I won’t force you. You should make arrangements to meet them, or they’ll lose patience.”
Ou Yangming knew who were the outsiders that the Venerable One was troubled by. In any case, it would also be great for him to meet those beings because nobody knew which of them would eventually become a Venerable One.
It would be much better for him to become well-acquainted with them at this time instead of fawning over them in the future if they became Venerable Ones.
Under Yuqi the Venerable One’s purposeful arrangement, news about the successful refinement of the second flying carpet instantly spread within the Beast King Sect. A majority was delighted—especially the top-grade Spiritualists that had stayed in hopes of getting the second flying carpet, they were thrilled.
This was because they finally believed that Mao Jianbi’s flying carpet was not a rare miracle.
The first thing that exceeded their understanding would be the most sought-after item. This was because nobody could guarantee that flying carpets could be refined.
Ou Yangming had expressed that he had refined the flying carpet on his own, and Yuqi the Venerable One had even shown up.
Nevertheless, top-grade Spiritualists or spirit beasts had their understanding of flying carpets, by which they thought that the carpets were not something that could be fiddled with by cultivators that were not Venerable Ones.
Perhaps Ou Yangming had occasionally encountered one after endless coincidences, but nobody believed that such near-miracle coincidences would happen on the small human again.
Therefore, when Ou Yangming successfully refined the second flying carpet and invited the top-grade Spiritualists, who were superior and almost stopped asking about foreign affairs, to meet him, they agreed to it without any hesitation.
With that, 20 over might top-grade Spiritualists gathered. They were either from the Humans or the Beasts, but each of them carried a fearsome aura. Even if they released their energies by accident, one would be afraid.
Ou Yangming cursed internally when he received the powerhouses outside his courtyard.
‘It was Sir Venerable One’s idea to serve these top-grade Spiritualists, but he gave the idea without acting on it at all, and he left the task to me. This is really frustrating.’
Despite cursing internally, he still flashed a friendly smile on his face.
Before long, the top-grade Spiritualists were guided into his courtyard. They seemed to have agreed to a certain schedule, where they arrived one after another and had sufficient time to interact with Ou Yangming causing him to have rather clear impressions of them.
Ou Yangming treated them extremely politely because it would be beneficial for him to be acquainted with them.
All of a sudden, Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up as he was surprised. “Senior Immortal Fox, you’re here too.”
A fox was standing in front of him at the moment. The fox did not look much different from a typical fox, but his aura was as deep as an ocean—unpredictable. Furthermore, Ou Yangming was familiar with the aura as it belonged to the top-grade spirit fox that he met on the 10,000 Beasts Ridge back then.
Immortal Fox nodded and said to the young fellow, “What a pity.”
“What?” Ou Yangming was taken aback.
The spirit fox smiled faintly. “Had I known you’re so capable, I would’ve captured you away even if I’ll risk being punished by Sir Venerable One.”
Ou Yangming was struck dumb. He commented with a bitter smile, “Senior, you’re kidding.”
Who knew, Immortal Fox shook his head and responded, “Who’s kidding? Based on the fact that you can refine flying carpets and interspatial bags, any force would be moved.”
The young fellow asked softly as he was struck with a thought, “Senior, did you receive any news?”
“I only heard that some fellas are going to aim at you, so be careful.” Immortal Fox grinned.
Ou Yangming nodded. “Thanks for your pointers, senior.”
Immortal Fox swung its tail and blurted, “Have you really refined the second flying carpet?’
“Yes.” Ou Yangming smiled calmly. The calmer he was, the more the spirit fox’s heart itched.
“What do you think about selling it to me?” Immortal Fox asked, “As long as you’re willing to sell it, everything can be discussed.”
Ou Yangming smiled bitterly after some thought. “Senior, don’t make things difficult for me.”
Immortal Fox looked at him at some thought and finally sighed. “Forget it, I’m still a step too late. I wonder how long it’ll take for me to find my fated opportunity.” It swayed its tail and looked rather lonely.
As Ou Yangming looked at the spirit fox’s back view, which made it look like it had passed its prime, he was moved and almost called out to it.
However, 2 different powers suddenly surged in his sea of consciousness.
It was the blazing Military Fire, as well as the strange giant head, which exhaled cold air out of the blue.
The sudden clash between the hot and the cold sent a chill down Ou Yangming’s spine. He was stupefied for some time before his face took on a weird expression.
A misconception—it was a misconception!
Immortal Fox had adopted a trick to give him a wrong impression.
The spirit force was not a simple being at all; it was regarded as one of the supreme powerhouses that would most likely become a Venerable One. As such, it would be impossible to say that it was dispirited and lost its fighting will.
Ou Yangming looked hatefully at Immortal Fox, which was about to take a turn. This time, he looked at it with an entirely different mental state.
‘Which part of it looks old?
‘Damn fox, you were going to make me die from your lie but not compensate for it! Luckily, I’m adept in mental power, or I would’ve been tricked.’
It was worth noting that none of the potent top-grade Spiritualists were simple, so much so that the reputable Yuqi the Venerable One could not completely suppress them.
Chapter 707 - Threaten And Reward
Ou Yangming lamented for a brief moment before he curbed his thought and waited for new guests at the door again.
On the other hand, at the turning, Immortal Fox paused and had a grave look on his face.
‘This little intermediate human cultivator is quite capable indeed; he noticed my decoy and came back to his senses very quickly. I’ve never met anyone as gifted as him before this.
‘That said, without these unusualities, this young fella couldn’t have successfully refined flying carpe
ts.’
Afterward, top-grade Spiritualists arrived one after another, but there were instantly intense condemnations when Mao Jianbi entered the courtyard cheerfully,
“Mao Jianbi, why are you here?” Bear Li immediately stood up and shouted angrily.
“Ah, Brother Bear, you’re here too.” Mao Jianbi smiled brighter than before.
Bear Li rolled its eyes and responded, “Of course, I’m here.”
Mao Jianbi beamed and asked, “Brother Bear, since you can come, why can’t I?”
The spirit bear was stunned. It did not answer him, but it had a fierce look in its eyes.
“Brother Mao, you can naturally come but if you’d like to bid for another flying carpet, we might have to seek justice.” A faint voice was heard. It was Immortal Fox that spoke.
The fellow was lying lazily on a big chair. It was unquestionably the smallest among the top-grade Spiritualists, but the other Spiritualists shut their mouths when it spoke as though they were afraid of offending it.
Ou Yangming recalled that the small fox seemed to have also had the center spot on the 10,000 Beasts Ridge back then. Even when a being as powerful as Ghost Mo was present, the insect Venerable One still showed enough respect to the spirit fox.
Sure enough, Mao Jianbi’s face changed. He chuckled and replied to the fox, “Brother Fox, you misunderstood; I’m only here to join the fun, and I don’t intend to compete with any of you so don’t worry.”
Ou Yangming’s eyelids flickered. He looked warily at Immortal Fox.
Mao Jianbi was the Beast King Sect’s great elder. In terms of seniority, other than Yuqi the Venerable One, he was unmistakably one of the top 5 figures in the sect too. Nonetheless, he was obedient toward Immortal Fox.
Ou Yangming kept guessing Immortal Fox’s background, but he could not figure out anything because he was clueless.
Immortal Fox nodded and asked, “Master Ou, you’ve invited us here, but shouldn’t you show us the item first before we proceed further?”
“Of course,” Ou Yangming responded. He looked up at the top-grade Spiritualists as he retrieved the second flying carpet from his interspatial bag.
The powerhouses were top-grade Spiritualists. Their momentums could not resist Venerable Ones but given that so many of them were gathered, their momentums were so forceful that a high-rank spirit beast would be frightened out of its wits.
Having said that, Ou Yangming was neither humble nor haughty in front of them as if he would not be affected whether they were top-grade Spiritualists or ordinary people.
This alone caused the top-grade powerhouses to regard him with special respect. After all, they had also advanced from the intermediate rank, hence they knew they could not have done the same in the past.
Nevertheless, everyone was still focused on the flying carpet at the center of the courtyard.
It was undoubtedly more outstanding than the first flying carpet. After all, its material was not a middle-rank spirit beast’s fur, which Ou Yangming had anyhow used as a tester, but a high-rank spirit beast’s fur, which was carefully selected by the Beast King Sect. Moreover, since the young fellow had succeeded once, everyone exclaimed the moment he revealed the second flying carpet.
“Hey?” Mao Jianbi widened his eyes and looked strangely at Ou Yangming.
‘Were the first and the second flying carpets refined by the same smithing master?’
Immortal Fox’s eyes lit up, but it still asked steadily, “Master Ou, can I try it?”
Ou Yangming chuckled and answered, “I don’t mind as long as you don’t leave your auras on the flying carpet.”
The spirit fox could not help but laugh. “Master Ou, don’t worry, we care about our image, so we won’t be so shameless.” It paused for a while before it added, “I assure you that if anyone does that, he’ll definitely pay the price.”
It was somewhat threatening the others, but Ou Yangming found it odd that none of the Spiritualists expressed their dissatisfaction. In fact, even the top-grade powerhouses from the Beast King Sect did not say a word.
This made Ou Yangming even more curious about the fox’s background.
With that, Immortal Fox swayed and jumped up to the flying carpet.
It did not seem to have done anything, but the flying carpet rose into the sky. Subsequently, the carpet kept drifting in different ways in the sky above the courtyard and even rolled twice in mid-air at one point.
Ou Yangming mumbled to himself, ‘Looks like it isn’t Immortal Fox’s first time controlling a flying carpet.’
Top-grade spirit beasts were formidable, but they had to adapt to everything before they became good at them. Even for Venerable One, they would not be able to fully master the control of flying carpets right away if they had not done it before.
After a brief moment, the flying carpet landed quietly. Immortal Fox made its way down from the carpet and nodded as it commented, “It’s a precious item. It’s not of the best quality, but the details were handled quite well.”
Mao Jianbi was moved after he witnessed Immortal Fox’s performance. He suddenly retrieved his flying carpet and asked, “Brother Fox, why don’t you take a look at this flying carpet?”
Immortal Fox cast a sidelong glance at him. It went forward to feel the carpet and sneered. “Brother Mao, are you testing my judgment or patience?”
Mao Jianbi quickly answered, “Brother Fox, I wasn’t joking with you. Tell me the truth.”
The spirit fox was slightly dumbfounded. Seeing as Mao Jianbi did not seem to be doing this on purpose, it remarked, “There’s a huge disparity between the 2 flying carpets.”
Bring the person that refined the flying carpets, Ou Yangming agreed with it very much. Not only were the carpets made from different materials, but the experiences of their refinements were completely dissimilar, thus it was not shocking that there was a gap between their effects.
Mao Jianbi’s face took on a grim look at once. He smiled bitterly at Ou Yangming and asked, “Master Ou, why did you fool me with this flying carpet?”
Ou Yangming flushed and looked at the 2 carpets. It was really hard to explain.
Immortal Fox asked in a high spirit, “Master Ou, you smithed these 2 flying carpets?”
“Yes.” Ou Yangming laughed embarrassedly. “The first flying carpet was made for practice, which is why it’s quite crude.” He proposed after some thought, “Senior Mao, how about I refine another one for you?”
“Okay.” Mao Jianbi’s eyes gleamed. He answered without any hesitation.
“Hmph, how can that be?” Bear Li glared at him. “Mao Jianbi, if you want Master Ou’s new carpet, let me have this first!”
“No, let me have it first!”
Before long, arguments filled the air. They had heard that while Ou Yangming did not refine the flying carpets slowly, he was not fast too. Judging from his speed, they did not know how long it would take for their turns to come.
After all, not many people had heard about the news yet. If the news about someone being able to refine flying carpets spread to every corner of Danzhou, most of the powerhouses present at the moment would probably be hopeless.
Therefore, despite knowing that Ou Yangming’s fire flying carpet was crude, the powerhouses did not despise it.
“Woosh!” Mao Jianbi quickly kept his flying carpet and said, “Stop having wishful thinking! This flying carpet belongs to me, and I won’t let anyone else have it!”
Bear Li was infuriated. “Hmph, if that’s the case, you shouldn’t think about getting the new flying carpet, or we won’t let this matter drop no matter what.”
“Yes, we won’t let it drop no matter what!”
Ou Yangming felt troubled as he listened to noises. That said, now that he also had a deeper understanding of how attractive flying carpets were, he could understand why the top-grade Spiritualists would be so thick-skinned over the equipment.
Immortal Fox suddenly cleared its throat and spoke, “Master Ou, let’s talk abo
ut this flying carpet first. How do you plan to sell it? Or should we present you with our treasures for you to choose?”
Everyone fell silent and focused on Ou Yangming.
Ou Yangming began to ponder. After recalling Yuqi the Venerable One’s suggestion, he looked up and expressed, “Everyone, you’re powerful top-grade Spiritualists, and I dare not offend any of you.”
The spirit fox could not help but laugh. “Master Ou, you said it the other way round; none of us dare to offend you.”
Everyone else smiled faintly but did not disagree with the fox.
Ou Yangming’s cultivation base was not high enough but as long as he could continue to refine flying carpets, anyone would attend to him if he needed anything. Not to mention the powerhouses present, even Venerable One might not be willing to offend him.
The young fellow chuckled, then he noted with a straight face. “Frankly speaking, I’m sure you’re aware that martial law has been enforced in the Beast King Sect lately.”
Everyone looked at each other, but none of them replied to him.
News about the Insects’ invasion had not been spread, but it was not a secret to powerhouses like them.
Perhaps normal cultivators would have left long ago because they were afraid of the mighty Insects, but the powerhouses here were skilled and bold, so they did not care. In particular, the top-grade spirit beasts decided that they would not help any of the parties and would only stay to trade for the flying carpet.
They even hoped that the Beast King Sect would crumble so that they could capture Ou Yangming and claim all of the flying carpets for themselves.
Ou Yangming looked around and added sternly, “I hope that the bidding for this flying carpet will only be done after the Insects retreat.”
The faces of the crowd changed, and there was instantly a tense atmosphere in the courtyard.
Immortal Fox voiced out after a while, “Master Ou, you’re threatening us to participate in the war between the Humans and the Insects.”
It did not speak loudly, but its voice gave Ou Yangming a penetrating chill.
Ou Yangming took a deep breath and drove out the feeling at once. He responded loudly, “I dare not do that. However, the Insects’ invasion is affecting my mood. If they’re fended off, I’m willing to reward the 3 most valiant powerhouses with flying carpets.”
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 417
