Despite that, Ou Yangming was delighted. Sure, Woo Lejia might have broken free from his illusion, but now that he had tested his tool out, he was finally certain that it was effective.
All he needed to do was to activate the magic tool’s charm skill, and with that, Woo Lejia was instantly mesmerized. In that case, what would happen if Ou Yangming were to combine the soundwave skill, the charm skill, and his Simulated Spiritual Fist? How powerful would the resulting attack be? Perhaps, it would be so strong that the Supreme Great Ancestor before him would topple like a domino upon being hit.
However, this was only wishful thinking. In truth, it would be difficult to carry out the act. After activating the charm ability, Ou Yangming realized that his essential Qi was being drained at a rapid pace, to the extent that it was mind boggling.
Only a short instant later, Ou Yangming had already exhausted a tenth of his essential Qi. If he were to smith a magic tool capable of using the soundwave attack and use all three skills together… Ou Yangming shuddered at the thought. ‘Would I still be standing before I’ve finished eradicating my enemies?’
‘I’m still far too weak!
He shifted his gaze towards Woo Lejia’s face, and upon noticing his expression Ou Yangming froze. In that instant, Woo Lejia had a complex look on his face, and he was blankly gazing into the air. He looked like he was happy but sad at the same time as if he was reminiscing a pleasant memory. Ou Yangming followed his gaze, but it had led to nowhere. With his brows furrowed, Ou Yangming questioned, “Brother Woo, a-are you alright?” Ou Yangming was slightly worried. Did his modified Simulated Spiritual Fist cause side effects?
Woo Lejia’s eyebrows twitched. As if jolted from a deep slumber, he forced a smile and responded, “Ah! It’s nothing…” With that, he then took one last look at the empty spot and retracted his gaze.
Ou Yangming was slightly skeptical. He asked, “Brother Woo, what did you see in there?” Woo Lejia panicked slightly. After all, with his rank of Supreme Great Ancestor, admitting to such a moment was no doubt awkward for him. Nevertheless, he could not bring himself to hide the truth from Ou Yangming. After clearing his throat loudly, Woo Lejia answered, “Brother Ou, as someone who has already merged their spiritual will and body into one, I originally thought that I would no longer fall prey to the imperial family’s Simulated Spiritual Fist. However, I…” He shook his head and asked exasperatedly, “Brother Ou, just how on earth did you manage to do
it?!
Ou Yangming gave him a secretive smile and answered, “It’s a personal secret, sorry.” Woo Lejia chuckled while shaking his head. “Actually, I can tell that it’s due to that particular piece of equipment you’re using.” Without hiding anything, he then continued, “While you were in the workshop, I sensed a powerful energy wave being emitted from it, and by my estimates, it probably enveloped half of the capital. Hehe, for such an overwhelming power to be emitted, it probably means a new magic tool has been created, right?”
Ou Yangming was startled by his analysis, and he smiled bitterly in response. “I see. I should’ve expected a strange phenomenon to ensue once I successfully forged the magic tool. Sigh, it seems like the truth is out.”
Woo Lejia nodded, but he did not prompt any further. Ou Yangming’s magic tool was his secret to keep and if Woo Lejia were to ask any further, he feared that he would incite Ou Yangming’s anger.
As such, even though Woo Lejia still longed to see those eyes again, he had decided to bury that desire deep within his heart.
A moment later, Woo Lejia stated, “Brother Ou, I’d advise you not to tell anyone that you’re improving your Simulated Spiritual Fist unless absolutely necessary.” Ou Yangming nodded seriously and answered, “I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Brother Woo.”
Although the imperial family’s Simulated Spiritual Fist was very well-known, due to how weak it was in practice, most top-tier powerhouses had paid it no mind.
In contrast, they had paid more attention to the Air-striking Fist Technique instead.
However, if one were to hear about Ou Yangming’s Simulated Spiritual Fist being effective against powerhouses of the Supreme Great Ancestor level, things would undoubtedly change.
If that were to happen, there would be people who would set out to stop Ou Yangming before he mastered the technique.
As such, Woo Lejia had advised Ou Yangming to master the technique before making it public.
Woo Lejia widened his mouth and laughed out loud, “You don’t need to hold anything back with me, Brother Ou. The reason I am who I am today is because of you, after all!” He then patted his chest and continued, “Just come to me whenever you want to test your technique on someone. I swear I won’t let a single soul hear about this!”
Ou Yangming nodded with gratitude. Woo Lejia was a good friend indeed.
Unbeknownst to Ou Yangming, however, Woo Lejia’s heart was set ablaze. He could not wait to take on the new Simulated Spiritual Fist once more!
Chapter 345 - Zuoqiu’s Challenge
Chapter 345 Zuoqiu’s Challenge
Ou Yangming happily left the Woo Residence after his duel with Woo Lejia. He had gained a deeper understanding regarding the two special skills that were inscribed into his arm guard.
Both skills were extremely powerful, and they had both surpassed his expectations. This was especially true once they were used in conjunction with the Spiritual Fist, as it was potent even against Supreme Great Ancestors. However, the downside to it was that it expended a huge amount of energy, to the extent that even Ou Yangming was having trouble dealing with its consumption.
Perhaps, he could only use the ability without restraint only after he had advanced into Extreme Grade.
However, by that point, these gimmicks would no longer be of use to him. As Ou Yangming had declined Woo Lejia’s offer to take a carriage, once he left the Woo Residence, he wandered around and constantly fretted on what his next move should be.
Not long after, Ou Yangming’s senses suddenly perked up. Ou Yangming lifted his head, and instantly, he spotted a straight figure in front of him. Upon realizing who the person was, Ou Yangming froze. ‘Zuoqiu Hongyuan! It was the first challenger of the Myriad Treasure Meet’s ring domination event, Zuoqiu Hongyuan! The young powerhouse from Huangsha County had originally planned to make his grand debut on the stage of the Myriad Treasure Meet, and he was even willing to go head to head against Her Royal Princess, Wu Hanning to make a name for himself.
Alas, fate was a cruel entity, and his dreams were shattered by the weirdo, Ou Yangming who had seemingly popped out of nowhere. By the time Ou Yangming had utilized his Simulated Spiritual Fist to force the Yang Grade powerhouses to become Supreme Great Ancestors, the door to his stardom had slammed shut. Be it Zuoqiu Hongyuan or even Wu Hanning herself, they were both equally outshined by Ou Yangming, and as a result, they had unanimously decided to back out of the ring domination.
After all, he had no chance of stealing Ou Yangming’s spotlight. Thus, retreating was undoubtedly the best course of action. Nevertheless, Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s sudden appearance had still left Ou Yangming visibly surprised. After giving a slight nod of acknowledgment, Ou Yangming asked, “To what pleasure do I owe this visit, Brother Zuoqiu?’ Zuoqiu Hongyuan extended his hand and made an inviting motion. “Brother Ou, could you come at me?” There was a fervent battle hunger emanating from his eyes, and although he did not radiate an aura, his eyes had told Ou Yangming all he needed to know.
After giving it some thought, Ou Yangming suddenly found himself enticed by the same thirst for battle as well.
They were both equally influential personalities who stood at the pinnacle of their era, and as such, they had only needed a glance to understand what the other was thinking. “Sure,” Ou Yangming softly replied. Zuoqiu Hongyuan then turned around and marched away, and Ou Yangming followed suit. Although they moved at a normal pace when they arrived at a crowd, their movements became as ethereal as a ghost’s, and befor
e long, they had vanished within the crowd.
Once they had disappeared, several martial artists suddenly ran out in a panic. They were all martial artists that Woo Lejia had sent to watch over Ou Yangming in secret. These people were only Yin Grade at best, and their goal was not to protect Ou Yangming, but rather, to take down Ou Yangming’s whereabouts. However, once the two geniuses vanished before their eyes, they instantly exchanged glances at one another, as they could no longer complete their task.
“What do we do, boss?” “No clue! I’m just as lost as the rest of you are!” A middle-aged man angrily stamped his feet. “Bah, I don’t care anymore, let’s just report it as it is. Those two are prodigies, and there’s no way we can keep track of them!”
“Noted!”
With that, the group hurriedly turned back to report their findings to the clan leader and the two Supreme Great Ancestors.
In response, Woo Lejia and the others had only chuckled at the news. They were aware of Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s goal, but they could do nothing to stop them.
The only choice they had was to pray that they would not go overboard, as otherwise, it would become a disastrous fiasco.
The two traveled quickly, and before long, they had left the city’s gates in the dust. At their current level of strength, a no holds barred duel between them would no doubt cause massive destruction. Due to this, the city was no place for them to exchange fists, and instead, the two had unanimously chosen to leave the city. Right as they stepped out of the city, Zuoqiu Hongyuan suddenly halted and asked with a smile, “Choose the direction, Brother Ou.” Surprised, Ou Yangming exclaimed, “You led me out of the city without a destination in mind?” Zuoqiu Hongyuan folded his hands and responded, “This is only my second time visiting the capital. As such, I am unfamiliar with the place aside from a few popular spots.” The corner of Ou Yangming’s lips twitched. For the first time ever, he realized that the person before him was not as trustworthy as he thought. Ou Yangming’s eyes wandered about, and soon after, Ou Yangming’s sights had locked onto a mountain range at a distance. Zuoqiu Hongyuan followed his gaze, and he chuckled in response. “That’s a good place, now let us set off!” With that, he sprinted ahead like a bolt of lightning.
Although they were both respected geniuses with immense talent, there were still some lines that were not to be crossed. If they were to fight within the capital, panic would ensue. However, if they were to fight outside the city, they would be like birds liberated from their cages, and they could finally go all out without a care in the world.
Ou Yangming laughed out loud, and with a flash, he then gave chase.
Although Ou Yangming looked as if he was fooling around, he was actually giving it his all as he pursued Zuoqiu Hongyuan.
Ou Yangming had learned a unique set of body techniques in the ring, and he had incorporated them into his physical movements. At that moment, Ou Yangming was using the body technique to its fullest potential, and because of it, Ou Yangming was gradually shortening the distance between himself and Zuoqiu Hongyuan.
However, just as Ou Yangming had finally closed in onto Zuoqiu Hongyuan, the latter suddenly picked up in speed, and an instant later, Ou Yangming was left in the dust once more. A cold gust washed over Ou Yangming’s heart, and he had contemplated activating his Blood Fight Art. However, Ou Yangming pushed down the thought just as quickly as he had thought of it. The Blood Fight Art was one of his greatest trump cards, and unless the situation demanded it, he refused to reveal it. With his thoughts cleared, Ou Yangming decided not to enter the state of integration of Heaven and man, and instead, he trailed behind Zuoqiu Hongyuan as if he had given up on catching
up.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan noticed Ou Yangming trailing behind, and with his goal of gauging Ou Yangming’s maximum speed accomplished, he slowed down as well.
The path uphill was steep and dangerous, but it posed no problem to them. Not long after, the two had reached the top of one of the mountains.
The location was not desolate, and although its surface was slightly bumpy, it could be considered relatively flat. As such, it was considered a good location for their duel. As the two stepped forward, Ou Yangming suddenly joked, “You’re a pretty good guide, Brother Zuoqiu.” Zuoqiu Hongyuan joked back in response, “Well, you were the one who chose it, so I needed to do my best to meet your expectations.” There seemed to be a deeper meaning towards his words, which prompted Ou Yangming to think. Not long after, however, he sighed and responded, “Indeed, my path is absolute, after all!” A moment later, Ou Yangming then commented, “Brother Zuoqiu, your sudden visit today is both surprising and saddening to me.” Confused, Zuoqiu Hongyuan asked, “What do you mean by this?”
Ou Yangming coldly responded, “You should’ve challenged me sooner!”
Zuoqiu Hongyuan laughed out loud. “Brother Ou, you just advanced into the Yang Grade not too long ago! Logically speaking, I should wait for your boundary to stabilize first, right?”
A spark of realization flared up within Ou Yangming’s eyes.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan was much more prideful than he had let up. Had Ou Yangming not advanced into the Yang Grade during his time in the palace, the young powerhouse from Huangsha County would likely not have challenged him, regardless of his accomplishments.
However, perhaps it was his pride that had allowed him to reach this level of cultivation.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan cheerfully stated, “Take care, Brother Ou.” With that, he then raised his hands and fired off an air fist.
A chill ran down Ou Yangming’s spine as he was suddenly bombarded with an overwhelming sense of danger from all directions. Although the fist had clearly been launched in front of him, for some reason, Ou Yangming’s senses had told him otherwise. It was as if there was a Zuoqiu Hongyuan in each cardinal direction, and they had attacked at the same time. There was a crushing weight to their attacks, and Ou Yangming felt as if he was about to be trampled.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming took in a deep breath, and with a sway of his body, he returned an air fist of his own.
The Air-striking Fist Technique. The Air-striking Fist Technique was a mystical technique capable of energizing and expanding space itself. As such, if Ou Yangming’s counterattack were to land onto Zuoqiu Hongyuan, it would cause major damage to him.
Waves upon waves of strange energy emanated from Ou Yangming’s body as he constantly swayed about and dodged Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s fists like a demon-possessed madman. It was the spectacular result of his combination of the integration of Heaven and man, together with his thoroughly meticulous state. “Nice!”
Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s eyes lit up as he shouted in praise. He then began to sway as well, and in that instant, Ou Yangming noticed that his mental lock on Zuoqiu Hongyuan had disappeared, resulting in his powerful Air-striking Fist missing completely. ‘Integration of Heaven and man!’
Ou Yangming had encountered many powerhouses before this, and though some of them had learned of the integration of Heaven and man as well, those who shared his deep understanding of it were few and far between.
After all, Ou Yangming had also mastered the even tougher thoroughly meticulous, and though the two techniques were not the same, they had greatly complemented one another. Nevertheless, Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s performance was staggering to Ou Yangming, as the young man’s mastery of the integration of Heaven and man was on par with his own. “Woosh…Woosh…Woosh…”
Strong gales surrounded the arena in an instant, and the powerful swirling winds marched towards Ou Yangming like a tornado sowing destruction. At that point, no amount of body techniques could save Ou Yangming, as there was no place to hide from the omnidirectional whirlwinds. A faint smile appeared on Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s face. The winds were a technique that he had purposely honed to deal with Ou Yangming, as they would completely suppress Ou Yangming’s movement and leave no opening for him to escape.
Chapter 346 - The Battle Between Two Tigers
Chapter 346 The Battle Between T
wo Tigers
Ou Yingming’s eyelids twitched upon noticing the amazingly subtle change in his surroundings. It was only through his combined state of the integration of Heaven and man and thoroughly meticulous that Ou Yangming noticed the minute changes. Nevertheless, what surprised Ou Yangming even more, was that he had also detected a faint trace of the imperial family’s supreme elder’s power.
Ou Yangming’s thoughts wandered back to the scene where Wu Yuanwei had controlled the elements as if they were an extension of his own body. Although Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s ability was still a far cry from Wu Yuanwei’s, be it from his control of the winds, or the pressure he exerted, Ou Yangming was still forced to acknowledge their similarities.
Ou Yangming was no longer swaying his body, as all body techniques, regardless of how mystical they were, were useless against the encroaching gales. He lowered his gaze slightly as if he had already given up on the battle. All that was left was for the violent whirlwinds to sweep him away.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan observed Ou Yangming’s plight with his arms crossed. An item gleamed around his waist, and his complexion was slightly paler than before. Nevertheless, the twinkle of excitement within his eyes was brighter than ever. “Close in…”
On Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s command, the raging gales approached the center and threatened to swallow Ou Yangming completely.
However, at that moment, a blinding light had suddenly erupted from the center of the fierce whirlwinds.
Without any sort of warning, the light instantly shattered the furious gales’ blockade, and an object could be seen rushing at Zuoqiu Hongyuan at immense speeds.
With an intensity that was as overwhelming as the weight of the sky, an iron fist infused with rampant energy mercilessly slammed down into the direction of Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s skull.
Right before the whirlwinds had enveloped Ou Yangming, he activated the ultimate technique, the Blood Flight Art, in a last-ditch effort to break through the whirlwinds. Upon breaking through at the very last second, Ou Yangming chose not to flee from the battle, and instead, unleashed the most aggressive counterattack he could muster.
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