Zuoqiu Hongyuan heaved a long sigh. The only reason he had stopped the fight earlier was to prevent such an incident from happening.

However, the moment he left the scene, he immediately crossed paths with that person.

Had that person been anyone else, Zuoqiu Hongyuan would not hesitate to take them on, and he would have used every technique at his disposal to deal with them, even if there was no chance of winning. That was his philosophy, that no matter how a battle would end, he would still inflict the greatest harm he could onto his opponent.

However, upon realizing who his opponent was…

Zuoqiu Hongyuan plummeting body suddenly halted, and as if he had weighed nothing, he was immediately sent back to the mountain's peak.

The moment he made contact with the ground, Zuoqiu Hongyuan sprinted to Ou Yangming's side as if he wanted to take a stand with him.

The corner of Ou Yangming's mouth twitched, and mentally cursed, 'Why is she here?' Following that, he muttered, "She has nothing to do with me, don't believe her words."

Startled, Zuoqiu Hongyuan gave Ou Yangming a quizzical glance, as if he were asking, "But I didn't even accuse you of anything?"

Ou Yangming stated in a deeper tone, "I'm not lying to you."

Zuoqiu Hongyuan was starting to get suspicious of Ou Yangming. Although he had also heard of a rumor about him, upon noticing how strongly Ou Yangming had objected, he was starting to think that there was some truth to the rumor.

The sword-light traveled to the top of the mountain, and once it had subsided, a beautiful figure was revealed. Indeed, that person was none other than Her Royal Highness, Wu Hanning.

With a frigid look in her eyes, she scrutinized the two outstanding men before her.

Zuoqiu Hongyuan hurriedly greeted, "Your Royal Highness."

Ou Yangming hesitated for a moment before following suit. "Your Royal Highness."

To his chagrin, Wu Hanning flitted to the side and avoided his bow.

Noticing this, Zuoqiu Hongyuan's gaze turned odd. He snuck a glance at Ou Yangming as if he had found the situation amusing. 'You're really dishonest, huh!'

Ou Yangming shook his head in exasperation. He was aware that by this point, no amount of convincing would make the young powerhouse from Huangsha County think otherwise.

Despite having a veil over her face, as usual, it had not affected her magnificence in the slightest. She then declared, "Under His Majesty's decree, no one is allowed to challenge Master Ou without prior permission. Violators of this law shall be meted out due punishment."

Zuoqiu Hongyuan was unsurprised. As if he had already expected this outcome, he responded, "I understand, I will accept whatever punishment His Majesty lays out."

On the other hand, Ou Yangming's expression darkened. Although he understood the emperor's worry that one would lay harm on him, he wondered, was it really the right call to make?

It was also in that moment, that Ou Yangming had come to grasp just how overbearing and tyrannical the imperial family was.

Wu Hanning's sleeves fluttered in the wind as she turned around to head down the mountain. Before she left, she added one final statement, "His Majesty has also given an additional instruction. I shall inform you of it at the foot of the mountain, Ou Yangming." With that, the princess vanished before their eyes.

After heaving a long sigh, Zuoqiu Hongyuan then patted Ou Yangming's shoulder and joked, "You have a tough time ahead of you, Brother Ou."

Ou Yangming snapped, "I've said it once and I'll say it again, She. Has. Nothing. To. Do. With. Me."

Zuoqiu Hongyuan chuckled, "Brother Ou, Her Highness is a genius of your caliber, and she's also the number one beauty within the capital! Do you have any idea how many people wish to be in your position right now?"

Ou Yangming asked suspiciously, "And just how did you learn that she's the number one beauty of the capital?"

Although Ou Yangming doubted that Wu Hanning was a hideous beast, to claim that she was the number one beauty of the capital was…'Wait, could she be even more beautiful than Bai Shixue?"

Zuoqiu Hongyuan shrugged his shoulders and answered, "it is a rumor that is passed down from the imperial family. However, from what bits of her face I've seen, there's a high likelihood of it being true!" He then giggled and exclaimed, "You are one lucky man, Brother Ou!"

Ou Yangming rubbed his temples as he could feel a headache surfacing. He sighed, "Since you're so envious, Brother Zuoqiu, why don't I offer her to you instead?"

"To me?" Zuoqiu Hongyuan froze, but a moment later, he shook his head and answered resolutely, "I appreciate the offer, but she's too headstrong for me. I worry that she'll dominate me instead." He then looked far ahead, and within his gaze, a sliver of mellowness could be found.

Ou Yangming froze and asked, "You have someone in mind already, don't you, Brother Zuoqiu?"

Zuoqiu Hongyuan chuckled and responded, "Such a person does indeed exist, yes. However, I fear that the feeling is not mutual."

Ou Yangming exclaimed, "Just what kind of person is she? How can you fail to charm her maiden heart with your dashing looks?"

As if annoyed, Zuoqiu Hongyuan responded, "She's a prodigy, and… How should I put this?" After giving it some thought, Zuoqiu Hongyuan suddenly asked, "Just how long have you been practicing martial arts?"

"About a year."

"A year?" Zuoqiu Hongyuan leaped back in disbelief.

'It only took him a year to reach my level? What on earth…'

He scrutinized Ou Yangming and sighed, "Darn, and here I thought that there was only one freak in this world! To think that there's another one standing right in front of me!"

Ou Yangming's expression darkened as he mentally commented, 'You're the freak…'

Zuoqiu Hongyuan continued, "To tell you the truth, Brother Ou, I think that in raw talent alone, you have both me and the princess beat. However, even then, your strength can only rank second."

Ou Yangming raised his brows as if he was slightly upset at the statement.

Zuoqiu Hongyuan laughed. "Now, now, don't be so grumpy. What if I told you that there's someone who ascended into the peak of the Yang Grade within half a year? Hmm… I think they're probably around the Supreme Great Ancestor rank now?"

Ou Yangming's jaw widened, and all his anger evaporated within an instant.

Zuoqiu Hongyuan was a proud man, and to those who were nothing special, he would not even bat an eye at them. As such, the reason he could joke around with Ou Yangming was that he had acknowledged his abilities.

Otherwise, there was no way he would joke about someone being that amazing.

If he mentioned that there was someone who had reached the peak of Yang Grade within Yang Grade, then that was the truth. Someone this amazing had truly existed.

Zuoqiu Hongyuan raised his head and muttered, "I have never been so impressed with someone throughout my entire life. It was only after I encountered her that I understood what the term 'there's always someone better' meant. Hehe, I doubt that anyone in this world is stronger than her."

Ou Yangming's lips twitched. "Brother Zuoqiu, since you're so interested in her, why don't you work hard enough to win her heart?"

Zuoqiu Hongyuan chuckled bitterly. "We're completely different from one another." His excitement slumped as he continued, "Her magic tool has chosen her and her alone, and she's destined to be someone beyond my reach."

Ou Yangming's ears perked up. He exclaimed, "You said that her magic tool chose her?"

Zuoqiu Hongyuan nodded, "You've heard of such a thing before? That can't be right, it should be a highly-classified secret."

Ou Yangming answered, "I was graced with His Majesty's visit once, and it was His Majesty who informed me of such a thing. However, I didn't expect someone with such immense talent to actually exist!"

Zuoqiu Hongyuan looked as if a light bulb had gone off above his head. "I see, His Majesty is a wise man, I'm not surprised. Plus…" After a slight hesitance, he continued, "Since the imperial family and her family are the only ones who are capable of accessing the world beyond ours, it's only natural that they are in contact with one another."

Ou Yangming's heart thumped rapidly. This was the second time someone had mentioned the secret realm to him.

As his abilities and his position began to grow, he had found himself coming closer to the truth of the world.

Suddenly, the two sensed something and they looked down the mountain.

A sword-light rose from the foot of the mountain, and although there was quite a distance between them, they could still sense the terrifying sword aura that was directed at them.

Zuoqiu Hongyuan chuckled. "It seems that Her Highness is ushering us. Sigh, she really has a poor personality." He then gave a pitiful look at Ou Yangming before leaping down the mountain once more.

"We shall meet again, Brother Ou!"

Ou Yangming shook his head in frustration. After giving it some thought, he decided it was better to head towards the source of the sword light instead.

Although he was not too keen on meeting up with Wu Hanning, some things were unavoidable in this world.

As such, he had chosen to face her immediately instead of some time else in the future.

The moment Ou Yangming began to move, the sword-light vanished. Ou Yangming was surprised at this, and he assumed that she had some kind of mystical treasure that was capable of tracking his movement.

Nevertheless, once he remembered the treasures that Zuoqiu Hongyuan had used, and upon remembering the imperial family's resources, his surprise immediately died down.

After all, she had probably brought equipment that was specifically meant to deal with them.

A moment later, Ou Yangming spotted her lone figure ahead of him. Ou Yangming had many words to say to her, that him barging into her carriage that day was an honest mistake, and the thing about the marriage was only a joke.

However, once he came face-to-face with Wu Hanning, the words were caught within his throat.

Especially once he saw the sword he forged hanging on her waist.

He feared the consequences that would ensue if he were to speak the words out loud.

He forcefully tore his gaze away from the sword and squeezed a smile at her, "Your Royal Highness, I've kept you waiting."

Wu Hanning stared long and hard at Ou Yangming, but there was no longer an air of arrogance to her.

Just as Ou Yangming was beginning to feel awkward, Wu Hanning suddenly said, "A-Are you saying that you've missed me these past few days?"