After the news was made, there was a huge sensation everywhere.
Before the Humans’ disaster happened, the news of Ou Yangming helping 100 cultivators from the capital at the peak of Yang Grade break through to Extreme Grade was already spread.
During normal times, it would have spread far and wide such that everyone in the world knew.
However, the disaster happened at that time, hence the matter was subconsciously held up. Despite that, the powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade still paid a lot of attention to it because it was related to their personal interests, thus they must not be careless at all.
The only thing they regretted was their absence when Master Ou Yangming helped the powerhouses from the capital at the peak of Yang Grade advance. If that was not the case, they might have become Extreme Grade cultivators already.
When the imperial family and the inherited aristocratic families from the 8 counties made the announcement, almost all such powerhouses could not sit still anymore.
They registered in their areas according to what was mentioned in the order. In fact, even old cultivators, who already had one foot in the grave, could not help but join in too.
The old cultivators must not be underestimated at all; due to the little time they had left, they would naturally die soon if they could not break through, but they could live for at least a few decades if they entered Extreme Grade by luck. They might not have great potential because they were pressured by their lifespans, but they were not less enthusiastic at all.
Since the imperial family and the inherited aristocratic families worked together, everything was arranged orderly.
Under their arrangements, the powerhouses that came from the 8 counties did not live in luxurious residences in the city but newly-built humble dwellings in the suburb.
The fact that the cultivators were at the peak of Yang Grade proved that they were confident people that thought highly of themselves. After seeing the crude condition of their accommodation, some of them frowned but stayed without saying a word, some of them laughed as they were unbothered, but most of them were furious.
Based on their statuses, they were given corresponding treatments wherever they went, so they felt like they were bullied to the extreme for being arranged to stay in simple buildings.
Having said that, as soon as they raised their conditions, they received a message.
Master Ou Yangming was the one that ordered the cottages to be built, and he requested the powerhouses to sharpen their minds while staying in them.
Those that aspired to enter Extreme Grade could stay, whereas those that disagreed with his arrangement could leave.
The dissatisfied powerhouses fell silent after hearing that, and they entered the cottages obediently without saying anything else.
After all, the Simulated Spiritual First was a shortcut for them to advance to Extreme Grade. They would not complain about living alone in the wilderness for years to experience the fist art, let alone tempering their minds in a cottage.
As the imperial family and the inherited aristocratic families from the 8 counties cooperated, almost all powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade among the Humans were found after a month.
Back then, the capital itself housed over 100 cultivators at that grade. Now, when the Humans mobilized as many powerhouses as possible without being picky, the number of such powerhouses gathered turned out to be more than what was estimated by Ou Yangming and the others.
Far away, Ou Yangming asked as he looked at the similar cottages, “How many people are there now?”
Besides him, Bai Shixue answered without any hesitation, “There are 1,346 people now, but 128 more will arrive within 3 days.”
Ou Yangming nodded as he was pleased. He remarked with a smile, “Young Pavilion Master, I knew you were going to arrange everything else.”
Bai Shixue covered her mouth and chuckled, then she winked at the young fellow. “Brother Ou, thankfully, you recommended us to His Majesty, or the Yi Pavilion couldn’t have gotten this task.”
The young fellow’s mouth twitched, but his heart pounded as he thought, ‘Young Pavilion Master is becoming more unrestrained.’
That said, faced with the unbridled Bai Shixue, he did not know if he should be happier or more alert.
“Hehe.” Ou Yangming chuckled to avoid the topic, then he said, “Young Pavilion Master, since the number of people is about right, we may begin.”
A graceful figure slowly approached and notified him, “Brother Ou, the secret realm has been coordinated and opened, so you can enter at any time.”
Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up. He cupped his hands and uttered, “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Wu Hanning looked deeply at him and commented, “Brother Ou, you’re becoming distant again.”
Ou Yangming touched his nose and smiled bitterly, but he could not explain himself.
After he had a discussion with Wu Yuanwei, not knowing if it was intentional or unintentional, the imperial family sent Wu Hanning to get in touch with him.
During his discussion with Her Royal Highness, Ou Yangming recommended the Yi Pavilion for the reception matters because he was grateful for Bai Shixue’s help in the past. Now, it seemed like he was asking for trouble.
Ou Yangming curbed his thought and shook his head. “Your Highness, what do you think about this? Send 10 people in every time, and I’ll give them enough pressure. Once someone’s going to break through, let them cultivate in the secret realm.”
“10 people?” Wu Hanning was surprised. “Why 10 people at once? Isn’t it better to send them in one by one?”
The young fellow giggled. “God knows how long it’ll take if they take turns one by one, so we might as well let 10 of them go at one time.”
“10 of them at one time.” Wu Hanning’s face changed, and she exclaimed, “Brother Ou, are you saying that you’ll perform the fist technique on 10 powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade at one time?”
She finally understood what Ou Yangming meant, but it was the exact reason she was in disbelief.
In actuality, Wu Hanning’s mental power was already at the world’s limit, and she would face the Heavenly Thunderbolts if she were to advance another step.
Nonetheless, great mental power did not mean being gifted in the Simulated Spiritual Fist. Therefore, whether it was Wu Hanning or Ni Yinghong, they could not do the job for Ou Yangming.
Nevertheless, Wu Hanning had some understanding of the Spiritual Fist and knew how difficult it was, which was why she was shocked. It was worth noting that luring 10 powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade into a simulation in one go would not merely be 10 times tougher.
Even if Wu Hanning had the gift, she would not dare to boast about being able to accomplish that if she was in Ou Yangming’s shoes.
“Don’t worry, I can do it.” Ou Yangming grinned. He glanced at the little red bird on his shoulder and asked with a smile. “Right?”
The little red bird glared snappily at him because it knew the young fellow was planning to use it again.
It would certainly be challenging to baffle the consciousness of 10 cultivators at the peak of Yang Grade, but everything would be much simpler if there was help from the little bird’s spiritual world, which belonged to the Phoenixes.
Wu Hanning pondered and finally nodded. “If that’s the case, please arrange the candidates, Young Pavilion Master.” Her eyes flickered as she said to Ou Yangming, “I’ll wait for you outside the secret realm.” Following that, she waved her long sleeves and fluttered away.
Bai Shixue sighed. “Brother Ou, are you really going to let down the beautiful lady’s deep emotions?”
Ou Yangming glared at her and said, “Is this the time to talk about this now? I’ll be going too, Young Pavilion Master, thanks for the hard work.”
Seeing as Ou Yangming avoided the serious topic and hurried away, Bai Shixue shook her head helplessly.
Fortunately, she had everything planned out. As long as ev
erything was done according to her plan, everything would be under control.
Once she gave the order, the first batch of people from the cottages was transferred.
Even though there were only 10 people, the news seemed to have spread quickly as though it grew wings. As such, the other Yang Grade powerhouses were moved too.
In spite of that, they were steady people, by which they were more disciplined the closer they were to success. Instead, the guards, who were in charge of maintaining the place’s safety, made a fuss about the situation.
Bai Shixue watched as 10 powerhouses were accompanied by guards to the imperial palace. She was startled for some time before she finally shook her head and sighed.
‘Wu Hanning’s a beautiful lady with deep emotions, but what about me? What am I?
‘That damn Ou Yangming—I already returned to the capital, so why did you come to provoke me again!’
If Ou Yangming heard her thoughts, what would he think?
Chapter 535 - Acknowledge As Their Teacher
The imperial family’s secret realm had always been the most important place for the imperial family.
In fact, it would also be difficult for the emperor’s grandchildren to be permitted inside the realm.
Nonetheless, everything seemed to have changed in one day. The guards in the palace were stupefied as they watched powerhouses being sent by Her Royal Highness into the secret realm one after another.
Although the entrance was still heavily guarded, letting 10 cultivators at the peak of Yang Grade in at one time was an unprecedented feat.
Even so, nobody—not even Wu Yuanwei, who was the greatest powerhouse—from the imperial family said a word about it, hence the other people dared not say anything.
In actuality, if it was not because of the construction of a permanent passage, the imperial family would not have allowed so many Supreme Great Ancestors to appear. The capital and the 8 counties had a vast territory, but they could not accommodate over 1,000 great ancestors.
Unless the Humans’ disaster was near, the number of powerhouses would definitely cause trouble for the ruling of the imperial family and the inherited aristocratic families from the 8 counties.
Now, the Humans’ disaster had ended long ago. It was initially estimated that there would be plenty of casualties, so it would be good enough if there were half of the Supreme Great Ancestors left, let alone Yang Grade cultivators.
Nevertheless, nobody guessed that even though the disaster happened on time, the Humans did not suffer a huge loss.
If that was not the case, it would have been impossible to gather 1,000 over cultivators at the peak of Yang Grade.
“Boom…”
The faces of the 10 powerhouses that entered the imperial family’s secret realm changed because they felt dizzy the instant they entered. It was as though they suffered strange attacks at that moment, causing them to respond slower.
Ou Yangming, who had entered the secret realm long ago, slowly focused on the powerhouses, whereas the little red bird on his shoulder was indifferent.
It was merely an interspatial fluctuation, which was intentionally done by the secret realm’s master to display severity to the 10 outsiders. Despite that, the slight change was simple and crude to the little bird, which was enough to prove that the mastermind behind the realm was an idiot in space.
If Wu Yuanwei knew what the little red bird was thinking, he would probably go all-out to fight it.
The first batch of powerhouses that entered the imperial family’s secret realm was carefully chosen based on various aspects. They were young and energetic people, by which they would also likely become great ancestors in the future without the Simulated Spiritual Fist’s help.
Since there was such a path to assist them, apart from God-favored people such as He Liangce, Zuoqiu Hongyuan, and so on, nobody would want to miss the opportunity.
The powerhouses composed themselves and stabilized themselves from the interspatial shock, then they noticed Ou Yangming sitting with his legs crossed.
They were familiar with the reputable Master Ou, who met them on the first day they moved into the cottages. Moreover, they understood very well that they could offend anyone in the capital but not Master Ou Yangming.
“Greetings, Master Ou.”
The 10 normally proud and arrogant powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade bowed at the young fellow.
Ou Yangming grinned and reached out his hand to guide the powerhouses as he responded, “You don’t need to be so polite. I’m only providing you some help, and it’s still up to you to break through in the end.”
A middle-aged man expressed seriously, “Master Ou, I’ll surely do my best. Whether or not I’ll break through, you’ll forever be my teacher.”
The other people were stunned at first, but they immediately uttered, “We pay you our respects, teacher.”
Cultivators that could arrive at the peak of Yang Grade were definitely taught by masters. The powerhouses had inquired about Ou Yangming’s background, so they knew he was unordinary. Not only did he possess the Spiritual Fist Secret Technique, which could help people break through their limits to advance to the peak of martial arts, but he was also the first superb blacksmith at the present age that could smith magic tools. They heard that those that became Supreme Great Ancestors because of him were given a magic tool each, which were even legendary magic skill tools.
Since they met such a figure, how could they not flatter him?
It would be quite impossible for them to regard Ou Yangming as their master, but it would be fine if they took a step back and honored him as their teacher instead.
Not to mention the rogue cultivators at the peak of Yang Grade, even those with inheritances had discussions beforehand, thus this would not be a psychological burden to them at all.
Ou Yangming was dumbfounded for some time, but he could tell at one glance what they were thinking. He wondered quickly before he said, “Fine, I won’t totally reject you since you have this thought. If any of you advance to Extreme Grade, I’ll spare time to customize a magic tool for you.”
The 10 powerhouses could not help but feel elated. They were being respectful earlier, but they knew better who Ou Yangming was. Based on his achievements and the 2 fearsome spirit beasts that he subdued, he probably would not bother about their flatters as they were only at the peak of Yang Grade.
Who knew, Ou Yangming was so generous that he accepted their wish to rely on him and even promised to customize a magic tool each for those that succeeded.
Those were magic tools, after all, and they would be custom-made.
In other words, they would be pieces of Skill Equipment.
Becoming a Supreme Great Ancestor and obtaining a piece of Skill Equipment were simply two events coming one after another. If the powerhouses present were not strong-willed, they could not have controlled themselves.
The little red bird looked strangely at Ou Yangming and asked, “When did you become so kind?”
Ou Yangming answered with a smile, “Lil’ Red, since the passage is going to be built, will magic tools still be precious items when the two realms connect?”
“Uhm… I suppose it’s still precious for the people in this realm?” The little red bird was uncertain.
“Hehe, if they’re able to enter Extreme Grade, they’ll surely acquire magic tools in the future, but if I give them magic tools before the passage is built, it’ll be an entirely different favor.” Ou Yangming smiled with his eyes squinted.
“You’re trying to buy popular feelings?” The little red bird was confused.
“No, only the powerhouses’,” Ou Yangming answered without any hesitation, “Besides, if they’d like to receive magic tools that’ll suit them the most, they’ll definitely show me their ultimate abilities, right? Hehe, given that there are 1,000 Supreme Great Ancestors, I’ll at least gain hundreds of new runes.”
The little red bird finally realized why Ou Yangming was being so gene
rous. It turned out that his real aim was to gather runes.
Ordinary blacksmiths could only intensively research limited runes in their lives, whereas it was better for Ou Yangming to grasp more runes—even low-rank runes—because he possessed the mysterious Military Fire.
In actual fact, the Thunderbolt-resistant Rune that he obtained from the parasites were related to the low-rank Runes that he had. Without the support of so many tunes, he could not have perfected the Thunderbolt-resistant Rune.
The communication between the conceptions of Ou Yangming and the little red bird was extremely obscure and fast, which was far from what could be imagined by ordinary people.
It only took a split second for them to finish communicating.
Ou Yangming’s eyes flickered as he shouted all of a sudden, “Are you ready?”
The 10 powerhouses felt their hearts tense up, and their energy, essence, and spirit were elevated to their peaks. They knew everything that was going to happen would affect their reputations forever, so they dared not be careless at all.
Ou Yangming nodded as he was pleased. As he gently waved his hand, great mental power gushed out and formed an enormous simulated spiritual world in front of him.
The little red bird lifted its head high and released some mental power too.
Honestly, Ou Yangming’s mental power was more than twice greater than what he had in the past, and there was also a large difference in terms of the application.
Having said that, there was a limit to his mightiness, so it would be impossible for him to continuously send 1,000 over powerhouses into Extreme Grade. However, he now had the little red bird, which was born with the Phoenixes’ spiritual world.
This was a marvelous natural gift similar to talent in space. With that, the little bird did not need to consume too much power to maintain a spiritual world.
Hence, Ou Yangming simply borrowed its gift.
Instead of being pulled into the Simulated Spiritual Fist’s illusion, the 10 powerhouses had actually entered the Phoenixes’ spiritual world.
The illusion formed in the world was 3 times better than that generated from the Simulated Spiritual Fist.
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