The crowd under the ring had gone silent, and other than the shouts of the supporters and the noise coming from the other fighting rings, everyone else who had been paying attention to the fight had entered a trance-like state of speechlessness and disarray.
Had it been Ou Yangming who was flung out of the ring instead, the crowd would likely be unperturbed.
However, the results of their battle had been too much a shock to the spectators, to the extent that even the Yang Grade judge had remained motionless for the first few moments.
Bai Shixue pursed her lips and smiled charmingly. She then questioned nonchalantly, “Our Yi Pavilion has won, right?”
The judge snapped back to reality, and after taking a quick peek at the unconscious Ma Feizhang under the ring, he then slowly declared, “The match is over, Ou Yangming of the Yi Pavilion is victorious!”
Despite that, no one cheered. Many had still harbored suspicions regarding the match, and even though they had borne witness to the scene with their very own eyes, they still found it hard to swallow.
Ou Yangming mouthed the words “serves you right” at the unconscious Ma Feizhang before descending the platform a moment later.
He had not done anything particularly astounding earlier, as all he did was unleash some spiritual pressure. As his abilities continued to improve, so too did his command of his spiritual pressure. Had he been the same person as he was in the past, that level of spiritual pressure that he unleashed earlier would definitely have been detected by the Imperial Family’s Yang Grade powerhouse. However, as his mental power had already crossed the 50-point threshold, he now had complete control over his spiritual pressure, and he was able to fire off his attacks at his designated targets at will.
At that level of spiritual pressure, even powerhouses who were at the peak of the Yang Grade would succumb to its effects.
As such, the moment Ou Yangming’s spiritual wave struck Ma Feizhang’s body, it immediately shattered his consciousness to smithereens. Before Ma Feizhang’s punch had even reached Ou Yangming, his mind was already a mess. The only reason that he was able to continue his attack was due to the instincts he had honed.
As such, even if Ou Yangming had not attacked Ma Feizhang and dodged instead, Ma Feizhang would still have passed out.
Due to this, Ou Yangming did not need to amass any energy when he launched the punch earlier.
Despite that, from the perspective of the spectators, it was Ou Yangming’s punch that had knocked out and sent Ma Feizhang hurtling away. To defeat a Yin Grade combat martial artist of Class Four in a single punch, the bare requirement was for the attacker themselves to be in the Yang Grade.
As such, even if Ou Yangming were to claim that he was a Yin Grade martial artist, no one would believe him.
Bai Shixue stared long and hard into ou Yangming’s eyes before cheering, “You were awesome out there, Master Ou!”
Shao Hongyi and the others subconsciously took a step back at her remarks. Awkward smiles were stretched across their faces, and though they were still jealous of Ou Yangming, after witnessing his strength firsthand, all they could do was swallow their envy and bury it deep down in their hearts, as they dared not go against Ou Yangming. Ou Yangming frowned and shook his head as he answered, “You exaggerate, young pavilion master.’
nswe
He had a vague feeling that Bai Shixue was interested in him. However, the change had most likely happened due to Bai Cangling’s influence.
‘Could that powerful Supreme Grand Ancestor have told her something?’
However, Ou Yangming banished the thought a moment later. After all, it was still too early for him to emulate the Supreme Great Ancestor’s thoughts.
The servant who was holding onto the raw gemstone came forward and handed it to Ou Yangming respectfully. “Master Ou, I believe this belongs to you.”
Ou Yangming nodded and pulled out a tag to prove that he was from the Yi Pavilion. “Put this on the Yi Pavilion’s tab.”
“Yes, Master Ou. Do you wish to crack the stone open?”
Ou Yangming stifled a laugh and responded, “Since it’s on the Yi Pavilion tab, of course you should crack it open!”
Bai Shixue gleefully intervened, “Master Ou, since you’re so protective of this raw gemstone, you can take it for yourself.”
Looks of envy swept across the crowd of escorts upon hearing Bai Shixue’s words.
Prior to the stone-cracking process, no one could be certain that gems would lie within a raw gemstone. Thus, if Ou Yangming were to take the raw gemstone away, the Yi Pavilion would be robbed of the opportunity to increase their reputation and prestige.
It went without saying that in normal circumstances, no distinguished guests of the Yi Pavilion would be allowed to make away with the raw gemstones. However, due to Ou Yangming’s one-punch victory earlier, the Yi Pavilion’s fame had been boosted immensely, and as a result, no one would dare to complain if the young pavilion master were to award him with the raw gemstone.
Despite that, Ou Yangming shook his head and stated, “I shouldn’t go against our agreement.” Bai Shixue sighed, “You really are a gentleman through and through, Master Ou. In that case, please allow this little one to watch the process unfold with you.”
Since the battle was already over, the crowd’s attention had shifted from Ma Feizhang back to the Hall of Gems instead.
The stone-cracking master made no fuss at the request, and after bringing out his stone-cracking blades, he then agilely chipped away at the raw gemstone as if the blades had a life of their own.
Only half a minute had passed when suddenly, the stone-cracking master’s blades came to an abrupt stop.
Shao Hongyi and the others were thinking to themselves, ‘Ou Yangming couldn’t be this lucky, right? There’s no way that his fourth stone would end up being a gem, right?”
The stone-cracking master inspected the gemstone, and a moment later, he raised his head and excitedly stated, “Congratulations! You’ve got a gem!”
Although the crowd’s opinion on the matter was divided, everyone still cheered for Ou Yangming’s success.
Bai Shixue turned around to gaze at Ou Yangming, but to her surprise, he had shown no reaction, as if he had already expected it. She could not help but wonder, ‘Isn’t he too
quiet?’
Slowly, but surely, a bright crimson glow entered the sights of the crowd, and upon noticing this, the stone-cracking master’s eyes lit up. As he continued to eye the unusually crimson gem, his heart began to thump with excitement. It had seemed that the gem was exponentially better than what he had initially imagined.
Initially, the crowd could still be heard whispering to one another. However, as the gemstone gradually chipped open, and as the crimson glow filtered past their eyelids, their expressions changed drastically.
Aside from Bai Shixue and her escorts, those who visited the Hall of Gems were more or less people who had studied gems extensively.
As such, the shock they experienced when they saw the glow was indescribable through words alone.
A strong wave of curiosity burst forth from deep within their hearts, as there was a high chance that it would end up being a gem of never-before-seen quality.
Before they even knew it, the crowd had already gone silent, and they were watching the stone-cracking master’s delicate work with much anticipation.
Despite the growing size of the crowd, the area they were in had remained eerily quiet.
Finally, after an agonizing hour had gone by, the stone-cracking master was finished with his work. After rinsing the tiny gem in his hand with water, he then lifted it high up and declared ecstatically, “Congratulations! This is an extremely high-grade gem that’s difficult to come across!”
As Ou Yangming had already predicted this, he was not particularly surprised. Instead, he asked, “You say it’s high-grade, but exactly what grade are we talking about?”
The stone-cracking master froze, and a moment later, he hesitantly stated, “As I am not an appraiser, and as such, I cannot give an accurate assessment. However, at the very least, this gem is high-grade, and it might very well be a Super Flame Gem!”
The moment he spoke those words, the crowd was immediately stirred into an uproar. They could no longer suppress their inner thoughts.
From its name itself, one could infer that the Flame Gem was a gem that naturally contained the fire attribute.
Although these Flame Gems were rather common, things were completely different when it was revealed to be of a Super Grade.
A middle-aged man walked out from the crowd, and with a faint brush of his hands, his Appraisal Light scanned through the gem. The color drained from his face, and a moment later, he enviously looked at Bai Shixue and said, “Lady Luck smiles upon you, young pavilion master. This is indeed a Super Flame Gem! It is a precious jewel that appears only once in a blue moon!”
Meanwhile, the onlookers’ eyes were, for the most part, filled with delight. After all, the fact that they could lay eyes on a Super Gem itself was already a treat on its own.
Nevertheless, a small fraction of them looked absolutely horrid.
The Myriad Treasure Meet was essentially a competition of reputation, in which every major faction would fight tooth and nail to make it to the top. As such, the Yi Pavilion’s discovery of such a precious jewel had no doubt meant that they were now heads and shoulders above everyone else.
Nevertheless, no matter how bitter they felt, there was nothing they could do. They could only sigh in exasperation as they cursed the Yi Pavilion at their god-like luck…
Other than that, the appraisers from the Secret Realm were also enraged. They cursed Ma Feizhang for being so worthless, and had they known that the fight would have ended that way, they would have sent a Yang Grade powerhouse to the fight instead.
Bai Shixue toyed with the gem, and out of nowhere, she suddenly stated, “Master Ou, I meant what I said earlier. This gem belongs to you.”
Undisguised disbelief and envy clouded the onlookers’ eyes as they mentally shouted, ‘Why doesn’t this ever happen to me!’
Unexpectedly, after taking a glance at her, he then casually stated, “I appreciate the young pavilion master’s kindness, but there’s no need for you to do so.” He clasped his fists together as a show of respect, and with that, he left the Hall of Gems and headed down the building complex.
The smile on Bai Shixue’s face remained unchanged. It was as if she did not mind Ou Yangming’s blatant disrespect towards her.
With a wave of her hand, she too had left the Hall of Gems, along with her escorts.
On the other hand, Shao Hongyi and the others had remained rooted to the spot. It took them a while, but in the end, they heaved a long sigh and continued searching within the hall. Once the folks in the Myriad Treasure Meet had heard the news of a Super Grade gem being discovered within the Hall of Gems, more people had begun to swarm the hall, in the hopes that they too, could end up getting lucky as well.
Upon her return to the lounge, Bai Shixue fiddled with the crimson gem, and her mesmerizing eyes wandered about, as if she had something on her mind.
“Young Lady Bai, that Ou Yangming was way too rude towards you!”
“Indeed, had he adhered to my wishes, this gem would’ve already belonged to him!”
“Ah, yeah, err…” The little servant girl paused for a moment before she continued, “Umm, forget it then! If that’s how he wants to act, then so be it!”
Bai Shixue was so amused by the little servant that she broke out in laughter. She brushed her finger across the little servant girl’s nose and stated, “You really are a money-grubber, you know that?!”
Bai Shixue then nodded and continued, “We were pretty lucky today, but I hope that he could bring us even more luck in the future.”
“Huh? Can Ou Yangming really do that?”
Bai Shixue hesitantly stated, “Not only is Master Ou an appraiser, but he’s also a blacksmith that even Jin Shengjie and Wu Hongxi had sung praises of!” With her eyes closed, she then whispered to herself, “Ou Yangming, hurry up and show off your talent. Don’t leave me waiting for too long…”
