Ou Yangming forced a smile, but it was impossible to say he was not aggrieved at all.

He put in a lot of effort to smith magic tools, and he gave the first one to the Ni family. Although it was because of Ni Yinghong, Ni Xuetian was the one who benefited from it.

However, when Ni Xuetian brought up the matter, he did not disclose anything to Ou Yangming. As such, even the most tolerant person would hold a grudge against the great ancestor.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming was not an ordinary person, thus he curbed his thoughts and suppressed the feeling of displeasure.

"Great Ancestors, you kept your promise, so it's my turn to fulfill mine."

Old Craftsman was shocked because he did not know what Ou Yangming meant.

On the other hand, Ni Jingshen and his brothers were surprised and overjoyed. There were not many things in the world that could make them forget themselves, but Ou Yangmingʼs words definitely had the power to do so.

Ou Yangming gave Old Craftsman an eye signal as he passed the spear tip to him. They did not converse with words, but they understood what each other meant.

Afterward, Ou Yangming left the smithing workshop with the three Supreme Great Ancestors.

Old Craftsman cleared his throat with a look of worry and asked, "Young Master Ni, what did the reckless b*stard promise?"

"I have no idea either. Ah, Brother Ou has been deeply valued by the three great ancestors, and even I canʼt do anything about it." Ni Yunhong smiled bitterly because he was also clueless. It was inevitable for him to feel jealous, but he would not do anything over because of that. Ni Yunhong clenched his fists and looked resolute as he thought, 'I'm not as good as you now, but it doesnʼt mean Iʼll never be."

Old Craftsman shook his head a little because he could tell Ni Yunhong was not resigned to how things turned out. 'But if you want to catch up to the b*stard… I'm afraid you've already lost your opportunity.ʼ

※※※※

Ou Yangming stood still in the courtyard as he looked around him.

He figured that the Ni familyʼs Three Great Ancestors had put in plenty of effort in the courtyard because the rockeries, pavilion, and the exotic plants around had vaguely fused with nature.

Living in such an environment was equivalent to being close to nature at all times, which was extremely helpful for one to fathom nature.

When Ou Yangming glanced at Ni Xuetian, he knew the reason the great ancestor was able to realize the integration of Heaven and man had something to do with him staying in this courtyard for a long time.

"Lilʼ Friend Ou, this is a courtyard built by our ancestor, and it has been the residence of our clanʼs Supreme Great Ancestors for generations," Ni Xuetian introduced with a smile when he sensed Ou Yangming looking at him. He looked rather proud when he said, "There was a higher proportion of Supreme Great Ancestors who apprehended the integration of Heaven and man when they stayed here, so this place has been the most envied place by the other clans."

Ou Yangming questioned, "Whatʼs the proportion?"

Ni Xuetian subconsciously answered, "Roughly 20%."

Ou Yangming nodded. It was indeed quite amazing that about 20% of Supreme Great Ancestors could comprehend the integration of Heaven and man under the influence of such a unique environment.

If he had made a setup here instead, there would not be such a fearsome effect.

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming was not adept in gardens and formations—he had a comprehension in nature, which was of a higher level.

He was full of confidence again when he regained composure, and he said, "Seniors, I'll be releasing mental power soon, so please concentrate and donʼt be distracted by external things."

Ni Jingshen and Ni Jingtong took a step back each and saluted Ou Yangming with a half-bow.

The great ancestors could already be considered Ou Yangmingʼs grandfathers whether it was in their age or their cultivation base. That said, the one who mastered something first would become the master. Therefore, when Ou Yangming became superior to the great ancestors in a certain aspect and could provide them with tremendous help, the great ancestors dared not loosen up, so they did a half-bow at him.

Ou Yangming was taken aback, and he immediately shifted sideways to avoid them.

Ni Jingshen and his younger brother sat with their legs crossed after they saluted the young fellow. They curbed their thoughts entirely and no longer paid attention to their surroundings.

"Thank you for the trouble," Ou Yangming nodded and uttered softly to Ni Xuetian.

Ni Xuetian assured him. "Donʼt worry, I'll slit my throat if anything happens here, so I wonʼt be laughed at by other people."

Indeed, the courtyard was the most important place in the Ni residence. Since Ni Xuetian was guarding Ou Yangming and the two other great ancestors, he would be too embarrassed to live if someone could still barge in and distract them.

Ou Yangming smiled and sat between the two great ancestors.

The instant he closed his eyes, his mind entered an exceptionally wonderful world.

It was the integration of Heaven and man.

Ou Yangming had experienced this countless times, but the state was suddenly making him feel overjoyed at the moment.

He realized and sensed an intense feeling of joy when the mental power that he released came into contact with his surroundings.

The environment was especially suitable for the integration of Heaven and man. In fact, Ou Yangming felt that it was simply tailored for the state. He indulged in the joy around him, as well as the excitement that emerged from the bottom of his heart.

Ou Yangming was once again subdued by the courtyard, which was built through generous efforts.

'Exactly how mighty was the Ni familyʼs ancestor? Iʼm afraid Elder Universe is also far from him.ʼ

A strange thought suddenly crossed Ou Yangmingʼs mind. 'Could the Ni familyʼs ancestor have surpassed a Supreme Great Ancestor?'

Ou Yangming was delighted, then he slowly recollected himself. He delayed the process for a brief moment before he released his mental power at Ni Jingshen and his younger brother.

Sure enough, the great ancestors followed his instructions as they fully focused without having any distracting thoughts.

Other people—even Ni Xuetian and Elder Universe—could not do anything to them.

However, Ou Yangming saw everything differently through his eyes.

It was not a mountain, it was not water.

The skill could not only be applied to smithing art.

When a path became connected, every other path would also be connected. The moment Ou Yangming grasped the lost skill, he became capable of doing many other things.

Through Ou Yangmingʼs eyes, the two Supreme Great Ancestorsʼ bodies underwent weird changes.

What he saw and sensed were no longer their skin, flesh, and blood, nor was it their breathing circulation; it was something that could not be described with words.

Ou Yangming noticed a thin membrane around the two Supreme Great Ancestors when he studied them carefully, but the membranes did not seem to be in one piece.

He furrowed his eyebrows and wondered, 'When someoneʼs cultivation base achieved Extreme Grade, does that person become repressed by the worldʼs power like the peculiar stone? Unless thereʼs a fortuitous encounter, will it be difficult for that person to advance further?"

Ou Yangming pondered and continued to feel about.

At last, he noticed in the thin membrane a layer that was similar to the outside worldʼs natural power.

When Ou Yangmingʼs mental conception began to transfer natureʼs power, the thin membrane reacted as though a certain power wanted to lift it.

Even then, no matter how the power tried to push in every direction, it could not make the confinement go loose.

Ou Yangming hesitated for a while before he gathered his mental power and pricked the restraint as an attempt.

This was something he learned from smithing art, so it was his first time trying it on a personʼs body.

Humans were not non-living objects like the rare stone, after all, hence Ou Yangming dared not act rashly.

Ni Jingshen shivered hard, then enormous energy began gushing out of the hole as it found an outlet. The sudden impact was so huge that it was indescribable.

After just a brief moment, the layer of barrier around Ni Jingshen was broken by the immense power.

"Ugh…"

Ni Jingshen, who was sitting still, vomited blood without warning, causing his chest and the area in front of him to be covered in blood.

Upon seeing this, Ni Xuetian, who was keeping watch, was appalled.

In spite of that, he soon sensed a tremendous aura from Ni Jingshenʼs body, and it was different from his usual aura.

Ni Xuetian was stupefied for a while before he carefully sensed, and he was instantly delighted.

The integration of Heaven and man. It was definitely the aura of the integration of Heaven and man.

As long as one could arrive at this state, it would be worth it even if one vomited blood until one was left with oneʼs last breath!

"Ugh…"

Following that, Ni Jingtong opened his mouth and vomited blood too. On top of that, many parts of his skin cracked, and he became like a bloody person, which was a ghastly scene.

Of course, the Supreme Great Ancestorʼs physique was near absurd and his wounds instantly closed just as some blood flowed out. Although it seemed appalling, his injuries were nothing more than that.

Similarly, a peculiar aura soared from his body and quietly blended into the courtyard.

The auras of the two Ni family's great ancestors quickly crossed paths, and they only paused for a moment before they became in harmony and freely undulated in the courtyard.

Ou Yangming curled his lips into a proud smile, then he slowly opened his eyes, but he looked exhausted.

He had poked through two Supreme Great Ancestors' barriers in a row—how was it a simple act?

Even with the thoroughly meticulous state, as well as the state where the mountain was not a mountain and water was not water, Ou Yangming suffered a considerable amount of consumption.

Just as he opened his eyes, he saw Ni Xuetian standing with cupped hands in front of him and was bowing to the ground.

Ou Yangming was startled, and he quickly jumped up. Before he could utter a single word, someone suddenly ran inside but stood a distance away with an anxious look on his face.

Ni Xuetian pulled Ou Yangming and flashed to that person, then he asked softly without wanting to hide anything from the young fellow, "What's the matter?"

Ou Yangming was embarrassed. It did not seem right for him to listen or to not listen.

That person was taken aback when he glanced at Ou Yangming, but he dared not delay the matter. "Great Ancestor, He Liangce brought a letter from the He family's great ancestor, and he requested to meet you again."

Ou Yangming instantly became spirited, and there was a fierce look in his eyes.

'He! Liang! Ce!'