"A Rudimentary title?" Ou Yangming was stunned, and there was a strange look on his face.

'Compared to the Superior title, isn't the Rudimentary title inferior? They're not even on the same level.'

"Master Ou, it's not that I didn't try hard enough, but your request simply isn't achievable!" Du Gaoge smiled apologetically and explained with a bitter smile, "It's one thing for one to be required to apply in advance to take the Blacksmith Assessment; we can ask for an exception. However, the assessment has a strict rule that participants have to start from the lowest rank to the highest rank as earnest selections will be carried out. Unless you had the title of an Advanced Blacksmith, you can't take the Superior Assessment at all."

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows and expressed, "I can't skip ranks? This is going to be troublesome…"

Du Gaoge thought, 'It's not that you can't skip ranks; just that your request is too absurd.

'You're a blacksmith who has never taken any assessment, and you asked to participate in the Superior Blacksmith Assessment right away. Not to mention me, even if all elders in our pavilion come forward, the organizers wouldn't agree to it.'

Therefore, when Du Gaoge submitted the application this time, he never thought about the case of skipping ranks for the assessment.

Ou Yangming sighed. "Okay. In any case, thanks, Shopkeeper Du."

Du Gaoge felt relieved; he was at ease that the young fellow did not continue to pester him about the matter.

"Master Ou, you've had a tiring journey to the capital. I've arranged your room and board, so please come with me."

With that, Ou Yangming followed him to a small courtyard behind the big building. The courtyard's decoration could not be compared with Master Wu Hongxi's residence, but it was done thoughtfully.

Although Du Gaoge did not manage to fulfill Ou Yangming's request, he never neglected the young fellow. Judging from the accommodation itself, it was clear that the shopkeeper treated Ou Yangming like a distinguished guest indeed.

Once they entered the courtyard, hot dishes were served.

Du Gaoge left with a smile. He had initially wanted to arrange for a few servants to serve Ou Yangming, but the young fellow gracefully turned him down without any hesitation.

Ou Yangming had some hidden secrets with him, so having personal attendants in the courtyard would only make him feel uneasy as his hands and legs would be bound.

After having his meal, Ou Yangming placed the meal box outside the courtyard and shut the main door.

Throughout his journey in the carriage for a few days, he had been constantly studying the secret technique to produce an interspatial bag, and he also practiced the rune that improved one's mental power. Nonetheless, in reality, the young fellow looked forward to the other way to use his mental power the most.

That said, Ou Yangming could not reveal it when he traveled with Hu Yicheng and the other people.

He could only attempt it without restraints when he was in this safe place.

Ou Yangming closed his eyes and instantly entered the states of the integration of Heaven and man and the thoroughly meticulous. The whole world underwent an enormous change in his spiritual sense . In the young fellow's spiritual world, mysterious nodes appeared again. This was the power of space, where the change only occurred after one had a certain understanding of space.

The change was extremely beneficial for Ou Yangming. In a way, everything was plainly visible to his consciousness from then on.

Whether it was his detection speed when he faced an enemy, or when he smithed pieces of equipment, the advantage was indescribable.

After Ou Yangming scanned his surroundings with his consciousness, he confirmed that while there were people nearby, nobody was keeping an eye on him on purpose.

The young fellow composed himself and focused with his consciousness.

Once he used the 53 Points of mental power, he sensed an upsurge of magnificent power.

When he looked at his palm, he noticed that a red flame had emerged.

His mental power could guide Heaven and Earth's power to be gathered into a giant fireball, which possessed tremendous energy that could kill a great-ancestor-level half-spirit beast.

Needless to say, Ou Yangming needed to be attentive when he operated his mental power if he wanted to gather power of such level.

Nevertheless, the young fellow was surprised to find something when his mental power went above 50 Points; he seemed to be able to incite flame power anytime and anywhere.

It was just like how he immediately released massive mental power by putting his mind to it. The power even began to assemble in his palm and turned into a small fireball.

Yes, it was different from the huge fireball that was generated by the god of fire in Elder Universe's vegetable farm, as well as the one that killed a half-spirit beast. The one that appeared in Ou Yangming's hand at the moment was only a small fireball.

Moreover, the small fireball's might could not be said to be on equal terms with the big fireball's. Not to mention a great-ancestor-level powerhouse, even a Yang Grade powerhouse could not be killed easily.

Despite that, Ou Yangming was incredibly satisfied because he finally found the practical way to use his mental power.

When he put his mind to it once more, the small fireball left his hand and landed on a stool in the room.

"Woosh…"

The stool exploded as a result, and the scattered sawdust began to burn fiercely.

Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows. Even though he already had a feeling that it would happen, he was still shocked when he witnessed the small fireball's power.

When he raised his wrist, the burning flames, which showed the tendency of spreading, flew up and returned to his hand, where they gathered into a small fireball again.

The small fireball could not take out something in one go, but it would certainly be a tremendously effective supplement if it was suddenly released in a battle.

By relying on the integration of Heaven and man, as well as the thoroughly meticulous state, Ou Yangming could already contend with a great-ancestor-level powerhouse. If he also had the small fireball, he would even be confident about defeating a Supreme Great Ancestor in an arm wrestle.

Ou Yangming curled his lips into a faint smile because his skill was improving steadily. If he was given enough time, he would not fear a real spirit beast.

That being said, the smile on his face quickly disappeared because he had a feeling that he did not have too much time left. Hence, he would not miss any opportunity of improving his strength.

The small fireball appeared again when he moved his wrist.

Ou Yangming could not practice producing the small fireball with his mental power in the carriage because the place was too confined. A slight careless mistake would end in tragedy, and the young fellow was unwilling to be the center of attention.

Now, it was different. The room was not huge, but it was more than enough for him to practice how to control the small fireball.

The small fireball slowly rose from his palm. Under his consciousness' control, it seemed to be connected to an invisible thread as it floated in front of him.

It would be simple if Ou Yangming only had to gather the small fireball to throw it out; it almost did not require any thinking as it was already available at his fingertips. On the other hand, it would be completely different to not only assemble the fireball, but to also guide it with his great mental power.

Nobody told Ou Yangming the way it should be done; he figured out the practice method when he was feeling helpless.

After all, he could not produce the small fireball only to throw it anywhere. If he did that, he would become the target of attack for all.

Since that was the case, the only thing he could do was keep controlling and moving the small fireball through his mental power. Needless to say, throughout the process, he had to maintain the fireball's pressure below a safe warning level so that it would not explode.

It was not easy to achieve that. When Ou Yangming first began to attempt it, it was relatively difficult to control the small fireball, whether it was maintaining its scale, stabilizing its internal pressure, or guiding it with his mental power.

Besides, he had to consume a substantial amount of energy for the process.

After only 15 minutes, Ou Yangming felt that his head was somewhat aching.

His face changed. The practice method's mental consumption was so huge that it truly exceeded his expectations.

It was true that he still had abundant mental power, but if his energy was depleted to a certain level, the outcome will be the same.

Ou Yangming took a deep breath and stared at the small fireball in front of him. The fireball dissipated bit by bit until it finally vanished.

The small fireball did not contain massive mental power, thus he was able to get rid of it. If he had attempted to do the same to a huge fireball, the result would be entirely different.

Ou Yangming sat down and pressed his temples. He was slightly pale, and he looked rather exhausted.

It was unbelievable that controlling a small fireball was much more tiring than gathering a huge fireball.

Nonetheless, instead of feeling frustrated or regretful, Ou Yangming became more interested in the process.

The small fireball was not as mighty as the huge fireball, but it could not be underestimated at all. Even if a Supreme Great Ancestor took a hit from the small fireball, it would not feel good.

Of course, it would not be easy to attack an Extreme Grade powerhouse with a fireball. It was the same theory as how a normal person would dodge when someone else was slashing a saber at him or her; nobody would take the hit with the neck.

'What if I can control the small fireball so exquisitely that it arrives at the same time as the Suicidal Throat-locking Spear?'

Ou Yangming's heart skipped the beat. If he achieved it, he would not be afraid of Ni Xuetian, a Supreme Great Ancestor who had also fathomed the integration of Heaven and man.

Once he found the right way to use his mental power, the power that could be unleashed would not be inferior to a martial arts powerhouse's at all.

Ou Yangming clenched his fists, and his eyes sparkled.

The young fellow wanted to practice hard as he was determined to get used to the extreme energy consumption. He had to utilize the small fireball in a real fight as soon as possible.

As Ou Yangming swayed his hand gently, a peculiar rune was formed in front of him. With his body as the center, a strange power revolved around him within ten steps away. The young fellow exhaled deeply and was feeling so comfortable that he almost moaned.

He focused his gaze after a brief moment, and the small fireball appeared in the air once again...