Ou Yangming’s eyes flickered. This kind of martial arts trick was nothing to an orphan who had been wandering the streets since he was young.
Nonetheless, when he saw the old man, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. An inexplicable emotion suddenly surged from his heart, and it lingered and reverberated in his mind.
Even so, before he could figure out where this feeling came from, Xue Xuanle’s voice was heard.
“Big Brother Yu, have you taken your reward?”
Ou Yangming was stunned. He gathered his thoughts and smiled. “Not yet. Hehe, are you interested in going to the Beyond Heaven Pavilion with me?”
“Sure!” Xue Xuanle and Wu Xuning said in unison.
In fact, even if Ou Yangming did not invite them, they would still find an excuse to go with him. Since the young fellow invited them, what else was there to say?
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. He could see the joy in their eyes.
In terms of age, Ou Yangming was actually younger than them, but because everyone’s experience and environment were different, their mentality was naturally dissimilar. To him, Wu Xuning and Xue Xuanle were like his younger brother and sister, whom he would usually take care of. As such, it was a joyous thing for him to satisfy their little wishes.
With that, the 3 of them chatted happily as they headed to the Beyond Heaven Pavilion. After a while, they arrived at the huge building.
The Beyond Heaven Pavilion did not have guards. Anyone could enter and leave because this was a place for business. Nevertheless, no matter where one was, one’s status would bring about a big difference.
When Ou Yangming entered, he was immediately recognized.
After all, he was the champion of the Hunting Meet. More importantly, he had handed over 2 blood crystals of top-grade fierce beasts, so he left a deep impression on everyone.
Not long after, a figure walked out from the back hall.
Xu Haoran, who was the dignified pavilion elder, personally came out to welcome him.
“Hehe, Lil’ Friend Yu, how have you been?”
Ou Yangming cupped his hands and said, “Senior, sorry for disturbing you again.”
Xu Haoran waved his large hand and laughed. “Lil’ Friend Yu, you’re too polite. It’s my wish that you can come over.” He glanced at Xue Xuanle and Wu Xuning before he continued, “Lil’ Friend Yu, please come in.”
Both parties entered the inner court, which was not a place that ordinary guests could enter.
If one did not have a notable cultivation base or wide connections, one could not even think about entering this place.
After they took their seats, Ou Yangming cut to the chase. “Senior, I heard that the Beyond Heaven Pavilion is offering a reward for the blood crystals of top-grade ferocious beasts in the Forest of Death.”
Xu Heran’s eyes lit up as he was pleasantly surprised. “Lil’ Friend Yu, did you gain something again?”
Ou Yangming nodded and responded, “That’s right. I entered the Forest of Death and was lucky to encounter a top-grade vicious beast.” He paused before he added, “I set up a formation and exhausted its strength, and I managed to kill him after a lot of effort.”
He did not blink at all when he spoke.
Given his strength at the moment, even if he were to fight a top-grade savage beast head-on, he could still defeat it in the end. Not to mention, he had King Kong by his side.
Despite that, he did not want to reveal his identity and strength. Otherwise, given the number of spies of the Sky-devouring Evil Remnants in Zhangzhou, they would definitely be able to find out in a short time.
Although Ou Yangming was confident in himself, he still did not think that he could go against a top-grade Venerable One. Even if he fought alongside King Kong, Big Yellow, and so on, they would probably be easily defeated.
Therefore, as long as it was possible, Ou Yangming would not take the initiative to reveal his identity. He would not even give people the slightest chance to suspect him.
Xu Heran slapped his thigh and laughed. “Very well—this is as expected of the Hunting Meet’s victor! Hehe, it seems like it wasn’t a fluke but genuine talent that you’re able to kill top-grade ferocious beasts.”
A faint smile could be seen on Ou Yangming’s face, He did not comment on the probing question.
Xu Heran thought, ‘This fella looks young, but he’s steady, experienced, and meticulous. He’s far from young men at his stage.’
He intended to find out Ou Yangming’s background but since the young fellow hid it so well, he eventually dropped the idea.
Ou Yangming brushed his hand across his interspatial bag and took out some blood crystals. “Pavilion Elder Xu, are these blood crystals enough for me to enter the treasury to exchange them for treasures?”
It was true that the Beyond Heaven Pavilion had promised to open the treasury, but it was not a place for anyone to enter. If one did not have enough reputation and precious items to trade, it would be wishful thinking if one wanted to enter the treasury.
Of course, judging from the top-grade blood crystals in Ou Yangming’s hands, he was more than qualified.
Xu Heran stared dumbfoundedly at the top-grade blood crystal. The mysterious and complicated patterns on it seemed to have an unparalleled magic power that could attract people’s eyes and make them unable to extricate themselves.
After a brief moment, he exhaled deeply and replied to the young fellow with a smile, “Lil’ Friend Yu, looks like you’ve been eyeing the Beyond Heaven Pavilion’s treasury.”
The Beyond Heaven Pavilion’s treasury was filled with incredibly precious items. Having said that, if it was compared to a top-grade fierce beast’s blood crystal, which could be used to refine a Blood Amber Pill, Xu Heran would certainly be willing to exchange something from the treasury that was of equivalent value. No, even if he had to suffer a little loss, he would not hesitate at all.
Ou Yangming chuckled. “I’ll be leaving Huixun City in a few days. Before I leave, of course, I’d like to exchange some things.”
Xu Heran’s eyes flickered, and he asked in surprise, “Lil’ Friend Yu, you’re leaving?”
“Yes, I’m currently traveling around the world. It was a rare opportunity for me to participate in the Hunting Meet in Huixun City.” Ou Yangming paused before he continued, “Since it’s over, I’ll continue my adventure.”
Xue Xuanle’s expression changed, and her eyes instantly dimmed. She gritted her teeth while her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
She had a feeling that Big Brother Yu was a dragon among men and would not stay here for long. However, before he left, she always had an unrealistic hope. She would be happy even if the day would only come slightly later.
Now, she finally heard the sad news.
That said, no matter how reluctant she was, she knew it was not something that she could change.
Wu Xuning’s expression changed, but he did not have complicated thoughts like Xue Xuanle. Nonetheless, the thought of Ou Yangming leaving made him wonder, ‘Wouldn’t the Wu family’s time and investments be wasted?
Needless to say, similar to Xue Xuanle, he could not stop nor persuade Ou Yangming.
Xu Heran fell silent for a moment and sighed. “That’s true. After all, all good things come to an end. Since you’ve already decided, I have nothing to say.” He stood up and said with a smile, “Before you leave, go to the treasury and choose something that you like.”
The old man was experienced and knowledgeable. He was a little perturbed, but he was not too affected.
Perhaps it was because he knew Ou Yangming was about to leave, so he spared Xue Xuanle and Wu Xuning and allowed them to enter the treasury.
The collections in the Beyond Heaven Pavilion’s treasury were indeed extraordinary. Ou Yangming and the others wandered around inside and felt dazzled.
Not only were there many types of treasures here, but they were also in huge quantities.
Ou Yangming briefly scanned everything and was quite surprised.
Even a Venerable One would covet the treasures as there were many of them. Nevertheless, the person in charge of the Beyond Heaven Pavilion in Huixun city was only a top-grade Spiritualist. What was going on?
He had a vague feeling that this treasury was not simple at all. Perhaps there was some secret hidden in it that he did not know about. If not, Xu Heran would not have openly displayed the treasures to him.
Of course, even though Ou Yangming was envious of the treasures, he would never intend to snatch them.
After walking a few rounds, he finally locked onto a few treasures. Which were all materials. That being said, he was careful when he chose them. The precious materials he chose could be used to smith pieces of equipment but could also be used to refine formation boards.
Sure enough, Xu Heran was calm when he saw OU Yangming choosing those materials. It was as if he was prepared for this.
After half a day, Ou Yangming handed over a certain amount of blood crystals and returned with a full load of materials.
However, he did not see that after he left, Xu Heran was also beaming with joy.
The blood crystals that Ou Yangming gave included a top-grade ferocious beast’s blood crystal and 2 that belonged to high-rank vicious beasts. If there were no mishaps, the blood crystals should be enough to refine a Blood Amber Pill.
Xu Heran could not stop smiling at the thought of a Blood Amber Pill’s value.
Even so, he did not know that the blood crystals were far less precious than those materials to Ou Yangming.
This was the perfect representation of people taking what they needed. Everyone was happy.
Ou Yangming and the others returned to the Wu residence. On the way back, Xue Xuanle and Wu Xuning acted differently and could not hide their worries. In particular, the young lady tried her best to hide her sorrow, but the faint sadness in her eyes was still heartbreaking.
Back in his courtyard, Ou Yangming closed his eyes to recuperate. He was also a little reluctant to leave, he would never change his plan for this reason.
After all, Old Craftsman and the others were still waiting for his return in Danzhou.
All of a sudden, Ou Yangming’s ears twitched slightly. He caught a faint sound of footsteps, which were very soft but were not deliberately concealed. As such, he could still hear them clearly even if they were a distance away.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he thought to himself.
‘He really came.’
After a while, there was a knock on the door. Ou Yangming stood up happily and opened the door. As expected, he saw Xue Yan’s familiar face.
In spite of that, a complicated look could be seen in Xue Yan’s eyes at the moment.
Ou Yangming smiled as if he did not spot anything unusual. Instead, he led Xue Yan into the courtyard.
