Nonetheless, if they were going to talk about serious business, they could not just stay at the door.
After entering the smithing workshop, Yan Haobo instantly noticed the different pieces of equipment piled up in a corner. He wondered, ‘Brother Sui really didn’t lie to me, Ou Yangming’s a powerful master.’
The smithing workshop was extremely simple, but they did not bother about it.
Ou Yangming checked out Yan Chengcai’s physique, then proceeded to pick an armor, a military saber, and a pair of arm guards for him. He initially wanted to retrieve a helmet or a pair of greaves too, but he decided not to.
Being an orphan, he knew very well that things that could be acquired easily would not be well-appreciated.
If he wanted Yan Haobo and the others to serve him, the right thing to do was to adopt a long-term plan in return for something big.
“Hehe, Brother Yan, take a look if these pieces of equipment are suitable?” Ou Yangming handed the items to Yan Chengcai.
Yan Chengcai quickly thanked him as he was elated, whereas Yan Haobo had a grave expression on his face.
It did not make sense that Ou Yangming spoke so nicely and even gave two extra pieces of equipment; even Sui Hezhi did not receive that treatment.
When Yan Chengcai put them on and wielded the military saber for a while, it was obvious that he was so satisfied that he did not want to let them go.
Uncle, these are all of Good Grade! Mm, I think they’re slightly above Good Grade?” He was thrilled.
Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows. “Slightly above Good Grade? Hehe, would I have shown them to you if they’re not at the peak of Good Grade?”
Sui Hezhi and the others gasped right away and inhaled deeply. Yan Haobo’s eyes reddened when he looked at the three pieces of equipment.
After exhaling deeply, Yan Haobo looked at Ou Yangming. “Master Ou, let me know if you need anything!”
If one sowed nothing, one reaped nothing. Since Ou Yangming was being so generous, it only made sense that he had something to ask too. Nevertheless, Yan Haobo decided that he would get it done perfectly no matter how hard it would be.
Putting aside the fact that his nephew gained three valuable items, he was already driven knowing that he would be acquainted with Ou Yangming.
Ou Yangming replied straightforwardly, “Squad Leader Yan, I heard that the Guards hunt in the dense forest every ten days.”
Yan Haobo answered, “Yes. If you’d like more quarries, I’ll get them for you.”
Ou Yangming shook his head. “I do have a desire for good food, but I’d like to see how you hunt. I’ll be very grateful if I can tag along when you enter the forest.”
Although he entered the dense forest, he only stayed along the border without going deep in.
This was because he knew how dangerous it was, and he might not be able to withstand it. Besides, he did not have the experience of surviving in a forest, hence it would not be wise for him to go deeper.
Yan Haobo was stunned and was clearly troubled. “Master Ou, the dense forest is a dangerous place. Even when we entered in the past, we were occasionally injured when we encountered strong, ferocious beasts. I’m afraid that the general won’t allow you to join us.”
Ou Yangming rolled his eyes. “Did I ask for the general’s approval? We can just hide it from him!”
Yan Haobo and the other were speechless as they looked at each other.
“Squad Leader Yan, those pieces of equipment are at the peak of Good Grade. If you bring me there once, I’m willing to repay you with three of them. What do you think?” Ou Yangming pointed as he mentioned.
Yan Haobo and the rest were instantly moved. They might reject Ou Yangming if he only offered one, but he offered three at once…
Upon noticing the passionate look in Sui Hezhi and his nephew’s eyes, Yan Haobo knew that if other people found out about this, even if he rejected Ou Yangming, the other squad leaders would approach him like hungry wolves.
“Master Ou, since you’re so determined, I’ll bear the responsibility.” Yan Haobo stomped his foot. After pondering for a while, he asked, “I heard that you’ve been practicing martial arts too?”
Ou Yangming nodded. “I learned a bit.”
“Please exchange a few blows with Chengcai, I have to take a look at your foundation,” Yan Haobo mentioned seriously, “You mustn’t misunderstand me because I’m not making things difficult for you on purpose. I have to see how far we can go in the dense forest by judging your skills.”
It was clear that he was stressing on safety first. If Ou Yangming was strong enough, it would be fine for them to go deeper, but if he had a few fancy tricks, it would be best for them to stay in the periphery.
Even though Ou Yangming would definitely be protected in the forest, protecting a weak scholar was very different from protecting a powerful martial artist.
Ou Yangming’s eyes shone. “That’s exactly what I wanted. Please come with me.”
Chapter 36
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Although a smithing workshop was not small, it was definitely not a place to compete with martial art skills.
When Ou Yangming brought Sui Hezhi and the others to his courtyard, they envied him as it was spacious.
Nonetheless, they knew that only Military Fire Blacksmiths were given such treatment, which was similar to how captains were treated. A low-rank officer and normal soldiers like them could not compare.
Ou Yangming gave a fist salute after they entered the courtyard. “Brother Yan, please.”
Yan Haobo and his nephew were shocked. The moment Ou Yangming stood at the center of his courtyard, a forceful aura was sensed. He stood as straight as a javelin that was stuck to the ground, and did not bend at all.
It was not a mere form because it was the most standard stance for a fist art in the military.
Sui Hezhi widened his eyes as he was in disbelief.
He was the one who taught Ou Yangming the fist art and the blade technique, and it had only been roughly a month since. A normal person would be considered amazing to be able to match the techniques in some sense, but Ou Yangming who was solemn and upright at the moment did not seem like he had only practiced the fist art for only a month.
“Master Ou, be careful,” Yan Chengcai mentioned, then shifted his body to charge at Ou Yangming like a hunting leopard, and aimed a punch at his chest.
Instead of dodging him, Ou Yangming yelled and punched as well.
Their movements were somewhat equal since they performed the standard military drill.
The fist art was simple and straightforward, but was the most effective killing technique during the war.
“Boom—”
When the fists clashed, Yan Chengcai was forced to stop, and his fist hurt so much it was as if he had punched an iron plate.
On the other hand, Ou Yangming scoffed and staggered backward. His right hand swelled, and half of his body went numb.
One could easily tell the strong from the weak, and it was obvious that Ou Yangming was not a match for Yan Chengcai.
Despite that, Sui Hechi could not help but shout, “This, it’s impossible…”
Yan Chengcai and Ou Yangming turned a death ear to him as they focused on each other.
The former had practiced fist arts and blade techniques for over ten years, thus he already had the disposition. Nevertheless, Ou Yangming had also been training in the dense forest once every few days for a month, so he was different from before.
When the two young men looked at each other again, Yan Chengcai shouted and dashed again. This time, he did not underestimate his opponent at all, and was determined to suppress Ou Yangming by using stronger power.
On the opposite, Ou Yangming lowered himself to not go head-on against him, but instead got away from Yan Chengcai’s punch like a fish.
He was extremely familiar with the usage of the purple energy in his mind and the
purple light was automatically activated the instant he was in danger, smithing weapons, or cultivating martial arts.
At the moment, his consciousness was already split into two. A part was controlling his body to resist Yan Chengcai, while the other was detached in an odd way that allowed him to watch the battle clearly from above.
Knowing that he was not as strong at his opponent, Ou Yangming stopped looking for trouble. He moved by performing the step technique taught by Sui Hezhi, and was able to dodge Yan Chengcai’s punches by swaying his body. Additionally, he waited for the right moment to sneak a few attacks, which truly made Yan Chengcai feel troubled.
As Ou Yangming’s purple energy increased, he had a better grasp of his surroundings.
The instant there was a movement from Yan Chengcai’s wrist, Ou Yangming identified his punching direction. In the beginning, he had been dodging in advance which meant that he dodged when Yan Chengcai had just started his hits. As such, Yan Chengcai was able to change his punching path halfway through to continue attacking.
After a few times, Ou Yangming learned his lesson. His consciousness watched Yan Chengcai’s every move from above, and when there were no new changes to Yan Chengcai’s punching sequences, he shifted his body to avoid being attacked.
While it seemed like a dangerous method, it was the best way for Ou Yangming to deal with his enemy as he had the advantage of watching as an outsider.
Eventually, he even became obsessed with the thrill of dodging at a crucial moment, and the battle against Yan Chengcai was no longer a difficult task to him as it became an enjoyable martial arts cultivation.
Only outstanding soldiers in the military could join the Guards led by Chen Yifan.
Though it was not compulsory for the soldiers from the Guards to be near the Yin Boundary like Sui Hezhi, they had to at least be in Force Grade Class Five, only a step away from having hidden energy.
Yan Chengcai was confident about joining the Guards because he was already at that level.
Needless to say, the punches from a martial artist in Force Grade Class Five could definitely suppress Ou Yangming who was only in Class Three. However, Yan Chengcai realized from the exchange of blows after this that he could not get the upper hand at all.
Ou Yangming might not be as powerful as him, but his body technique definitely surpassed his.
Although he could tell that the body technique learned by Ou Yangming was the same as what he learned in the military, the effects were Heaven and Earth apart when they performed it.
Ou Yangming could somehow find the loopholes in Yan Chengcai’s punches, and was able to dodge the attacks by using the body technique. He was rather impatient in the beginning, but after finding a balance point, he became more composed.
He seemed like a toddler who experienced adolescence and youth so quickly that he became matured in a flash.
In other words, he transformed from being a rookie into an experienced martial artist in the blink of an eye, which was simply unbelievable.
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…”
Fist winds filled the air as Yan Chengcai launched multiple hits, and each punch was so vigorous that he looked like he was dominating in the battle. In spite of that, Yan Chengcai knew very well that he should have hit his opponent if there were no mishaps.
Ou Yangming remained expressionless as he drifted leisurely amidst Yan Chengcai’s fist winds, which made him look like he was taking a walk in the park.
Yan Haobo glanced at Sui Hezhi then asked, “My boy, how long did you say that Master Ou has been practicing martial arts for?”
The muscles on Sui Hezhi’s face twitched when he answered, “About three months.”
“About… Three months?”
Yan Haobo repeated after him. His heart beat fast, and his face reddened.
The distress that they were feeling at that moment was indescribable.
‘Three months, the fella had only trained for three months, yet he’s able to resist Yan Chengcai who practiced martial arts for more than ten years,’ Sui Hezhi said to himself.
“You, didn’t you say that he only has the cultivation base of Force Grade Class One?”
“Mm, it’s true that he was only in Force Grade Class One, but now… I suppose he broke through?”
Yan Haobo remained silent, but was screaming in his head, ‘Broke through… Your *ss! Have you met anyone who repeatedly broke through and arrived at Force Grade Class Three in three months? Is Ou Yangming a reincarnated martial god?’
In actual fact, Yan Haobo and Sui Hezhi could tell from Ou Yangming’s punch at Yan Chengcai earlier that his martial arts cultivation base was definitely not in Force Grade Class One.
On top of that, they were also in awe of his performance after that. If they had not witnessed it, they would not believe that Ou Yangming was a newbie who only cultivated for three months.
Ou Yangming’s boundary advancements were at least explainable since he could have consumed precious medicine or was simply gifted, but the fact that he grew so fast in terms of combat experience made him a freak.
A thought crossed Yan Haobo and Sui Hezhi’s mind when they looked at each other.
‘It’s a genius’ world, we… We won’t get it!’
“Boom…”
Ou Yangming and Yan Chengcai’s fists clashed for the second time since the beginning of their battle. However, the outcome was different from the first time as they both shook and separated from each other.
Based on that, they were on par with each other.
Yan Haobo and Sui Hezhi were becoming more astounded. They could tell that Ou Yangming was able to resist Yan Chengcai not because his power grew, but because he punched from a tricky angle that it was tough for Yan Chengcai to exert force. With that, the result was equal.
Sui Hezhi shook his head as he mentioned, “Make them stop.”
After seeing the second clash of their punches, Sui Hezhi and Yan Haobo knew that Yan Chengcai would not gain an advantage if they continued fighting. In the end, Ou Yangming might actually turn the table.
Moreover, they brought Yan Chengcai to collect his equipment, not to make him lose confidence.
If Yan Chengcai really lost, the impact on him would likely affect his performance during the selections, and the equipment gained would not make up for his loss.
Yan Haobo sighed and nodded. He shouted, “Stop!”
Upon hearing him, Yan Chengcai immediately stopped and retreated, but he was completely embarrassed. He wanted to stop long ago.
Ou Yangming was startled. He felt like he had not gotten enough of the battle.
Nevertheless, he quickly curbed his thought and withdrew his fist. After getting rid of the dirt on his clothes, he smiled proudly. “Squad Leader Yan, did I pass?”
“Master Ou, you’re joking. Based on your… Performance, you’re good enough to be a scout.” Yan Haobo1 smiled bitterly, then said seriously, “I underestimated you earlier, please forgive me.”
“Squad Leader Yan, you don’t have to be so polite.” Ou Yangming giggled.
He was actually elated because he benefited a lot from the battle against Yan Chengcai. At the very least, he took a big leap in grasping the body technique.
It was not merely an improvement in agility, but he gained the skill to use space reasonably.
Ou Yangming had a vague feeling that the skill would play a decisive role in his future.
Chapter 37
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Upon seeing Ou Yangming who was eager to try, and the dejected Yan Chengcai, Yan Haobo had an idea. “Master Ou, I heard that other than a fist art and a body technique, you’re adept in a blade technique too?”
‘I only taught Ou Yangming the simplest blade technique and fist art in the military saber, I didn’t mention that he’s adept in the blade technique,’ Sui Hezhi wondered as he was stunned. Nonetheless, after witnessing Ou Yangming’s fist art and body technique, he hon
estly looked forward to his blade technique too.
“Squad Leader Yan, are you testing my blade technique too?” Ou Yangming chuckled.
“Master Ou, you misunderstood. You won’t need to make a move if you join us in the forest, so having a body technique is enough,” Yan Haobo quickly explained, “I’m just excited to see you do what I love to do, so I’d like to see how deep exactly your foundation is, and how deep we can go in the dense forest.”
Just as he mentioned, Ou Yangming would not be attacking wild beasts even if he followed them into the forest. As long as his body technique was good enough that he would not be a burden, they would be glad.
Nonetheless, the stronger Ou Yangming was, the more confident they would be, so much so that they could go deeper into the forest as planned since they would not be affected.
Ou Yangming nodded. He knew that the better he performed, he would be less restrained in the forest and could go deeper with the others.
He entered his house to retrieve two military sabers. “I refined these two sabers for fun. Though they’re of Good Grade, they’re not at their peak, so just put up with it for now, Brother Yan.”
Yan Haobo and the others thought to themselves, ‘Put up with a Good Grade military saber? Why does it sound so awkward…’
Nevertheless, they knew that Ou Yangming was not shaming them on purpose. After realizing that he could carelessly give three pieces of equipment at the peak of Good Grade to someone, they understood that their vision and financial ability were not comparable with his anymore. As such, it was normal for the master to ask Yan Chengcai to put up with the two Good Grade military sabers.
Just as Yan Chengcai was about to accept the saber, a big hand snatched it away.
Everyone was stunned because it was Yan Haobo who took it.
“Uncle, what are you doing?” Yan Chengcai asked as he was shocked.
Ou Yangming was confused too. He was rather confident about battling Yan Chengcai, but if he were to defeat a squad leader, a squad leader of the Guards led by Chen Yifan… As presumptuous as he was, he knew that it was impossible for him according to his current power.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 22