The atmosphere within the imperial palace was as stiff and solemn as ever. Nevertheless, with Wu Hanning taking the lead, no one had dared to inspect Ou Yangming.

Wu Hanning led Ou Yangming to a parterre before turning around and saying, "Head in, Brother Ou, the Great Ancestor wishes to meet you."

Ou Yangming was slightly hesitant regarding her instruction. Although he had already advanced into the Yang Grade and he was armed with several cards up his sleeves, going toe-to-toe against someone who had surpassed the Supreme Great Ancestor level was still beyond his abilities.

Nevertheless, once he saw Wu Hanning's crystal-clear eyes, he smiled and marched forward confidently.

In the end, his relationship with the imperial family was nothing irreconcilable, and so long as the imperial family agreed to his wishes, he would not mind producing more Supreme Great Ancestors or magic tools for them.

After all, to achieve his final goal of entering the upper realm, Ou Yangming would still need to rely on the imperial family. As such, he dared not upset them.

Honestly speaking, even if their discussion were to end up being heated, Ou Yangming believed that he would still make the best choice for himself.

That said, once Ou Yangming opened the gates, he found that the garden was not much different from the outside. Despite that, there was also a towering yet familiar figure waiting at the other end.

Wu Yuanwei was meditating with his eyes shut. He was facing the wind, and he appeared to be silently enjoying himself.

Ou Yangming flinched. A strange feeling stirred within his heart upon spotting Wu Yuanwei. It felt as if he had crossed paths with a mystical world that he should not have laid eyes upon.

'Integration of Heaven and man!'

He had a gut feeling that Wu Yuanwei's integration of Heaven and man was the true form of the ability. Compared to Wu Yuanwei, Ou Yangming realized that his usage of the integration of Heaven and man was far too crude, and even with the assistance of the thoroughly meticulous state, he was still no match for Wu Yuanwei.

Ou Yangming stared at the man before him dumbfoundedly. He had lost all ability to speak, and it felt as if he had been sucked into Wu Yuanwei's mystical world.

The first time he met the old man, Ou Yangming had experienced his ability to control the elements. This time, the elder had displayed his overwhelming strength in yet another way.

After quite some time, Ou Yangming finally returned to his senses. To his surprise, he noticed that he was sitting cross-legged on the ground, and he could feel a slight change in the aura he exuded. It felt as if he had attuned himself to the space he was in.

Ou Yangming stared in disbelief at the figure before him. He was aware that his understanding of the integration of Heaven and man had improved within that short period, and although his ability was still nowhere near the elder's, he would no longer fall behind against Zuoqiu Hongyuan and the others.

The ability to attune oneself to nature was the greatest plight of every martial artist, and even for Ou Yangming, it took several coincidences to reach his level of understanding.

Despite this, the elder before him need not even speak a word for Ou Yangming's progress to soar instantly.

To Ou Yangming, his improvement was no different than Woo Lejia and the other powerhouses when they advanced into Supreme Great Ancestors.

After taking a deep breath, Ou Yangming gave Wu Yuanwei a deep bow.

As if sensing Ou Yangming's movement, Wu Yuanwei quietly turned around and asked, "You're no fool, Ou Yangming. You do understand your importance to Humanity, right?"

Ou Yangming nodded and answered in a serious tone, "I appreciate your concern, senior! However…" He slowly raised his head and carefully added, "I fear that I would regret it for the rest of my life unless I do something now."

"Huh…" Wu Yuanwei heaved a sigh. "This old man worries that you would regret your decision if you were to leave as well…"

Ou Yangming stifled a laugh. "Senior, I'd rather regret my decision rather than regret doing nothing!"

Wu Yuanwei lapsed into thought, and in the end, he answered, "Forget it. Since you've already made your choice, this old man sees no reason to hold you back."

Ou Yangming's eyes lit up. He was overjoyed. Although he would have returned to Changlong County even without the approval of the imperial family, having their approval was even better!

Noticing Ou Yangming's excitement, Wu Yuanwei could not help but shake his head and smile. "Do you know why I agreed with your decision?"

Ou Yangming froze and collected himself. "I do not."

"That's because I could tell that you are a headstrong man who does not like to be oppressed." After a short sigh, he then added, "If I were to force my decision onto you, you would've struggled like a fish caught in a net, and both sides would suffer major losses."

Ou Yangming chuckled awkwardly. Had it not been for Ni Yinghong, he likely would not have been this determined.

Wu Yuanwei continued, "This is the first reason. As for the second, well, you owe it to Wu Hanning." His gaze shifted slightly as he declared, "She gave up a valuable opportunity for you. The next time you see her, make sure not to disappoint her expectations!"

Ou Yangming flinched and exclaimed, "What?"

Without explaining, Wu Yuanwei continued, "Sit here."

Ou Yangming hesitated for a moment before sitting on the spot Wu Yuanwei had instructed him to. Throughout the process, Ou Yangming had carefully observed his surroundings, but in the end, he found nothing.

The moment Ou Yangming sat down, Wu Yuanwei rose to his feet. He moved his body about, and before long, the air surrounding them was enlivened.

Ou Yangming's expression changed slightly. After his revelation earlier, Ou Yangming was much more attuned to his surroundings. As such, the change in the air pressure was extremely obvious to him.

At that moment, he felt as if he was situated within a large whirlpool that was strong enough to tear him to shreds.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming was not the slightest bit worried. If it truly was Wu Yuanwei's intention to harm him, he need not give him instructions and create such a grand scene.

Furthermore, Ou Yangming did not detect a single ounce of maliciousness from Wu Yuanwei.

"Concentrate and guard your meridian well. Be careful."

Wu Yuanwei's voice rang out as quickly and as loudly as a thunderclap. Upon hearing his words, Ou Yangming instantly leaped into action. He hastily shifted all his attention to his guard and he placated his emotions.

An instant later, he felt an immense force swarming towards him from the outside.

"Listen closely, use your mental power to lead the natural energy into your own body." Wu Yuanwei's voice was as heavy as a mountain, making it hard to resist. "Toughen your body, focus your essence, nourish your spirit, and ascend into the heavens!"

With a tidal wave of energy heading his way, Ou Yangming dared not hesitate. His mental power erupted, and just as Wu Yuanwei had ordered, Ou Yangming guided the energy into his own body and meridians.

The energy that came his way was unbelievably powerful, and it was strong enough to overwhelm even a Supreme Great Ancestor.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming's breathing gradually stabilized, and he had poured in almost the entirety of his mental power into leading and digesting the energy. At that point, nothing from the outside world would be able to disrupt his focus, as Ou Yangming's mental scape was the only thing he felt.

Wu Yuanwei raised his hand high above his head, and like a singularity, he drew in all the mystical energy in the area.

His gaze was fixed onto Ou Yangming's body, which, at that moment, was turning an abnormal shade of red. It was clear that the handling of the energy was an excruciating burden to bear.

As such, Wu Yuanwei focused his gaze to observe Ou Yangming's aura.

Slowly, but surely, surprise crept into Wu Yuanwei's eyes. Ou Yangming had performed much better than he had expected.

Although the external energy that came his way was extremely powerful, under Ou Yangming's masterful control of his mental power, there was not a single leakage of said energy. Realizing this, Wu Yuanwei could not help but praise the young man's splendid abilities.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Wu Yuanwei.

'Why is this young man's mental power so strong?'

It was at this instant that Wu Yuanwei finally understood why Ou Yangming's Simulated Spiritual Fist was so powerful.

After all, Ou Yangming's mental power had surpassed even Wu Yuanwei's, and as such, his ability to bamboozle the Yang Grade powerhouses was to be expected.

The longer he stared at the clueless Ou Yangming, the more envious Wu Yuanwei became.

After all, in their world, no one could utilize the full potential of their mental power. However, sitting before him was one such person, and if said person were to ascend to the upper realm…'Would I still be able to beat him?'

For some reason, the number one powerhouse of humanity suddenly had the urge to kill the man before him.

However, his killing intent had only lasted a moment, as he had forced it down as soon as it manifested.

Since Ou Yangming had diverted all his attention into the energy flowing in, he was oblivious to the killing intent that Ou Yangming had leaked earlier.

Every ounce of Ou Yangming's senses was bombarded by the external energy that swarmed into his body. Under the guidance of his mental power, the energy was already flowing within his meridians, and little by little, the energy had also toughened up his body, including both his flesh and bones.

In that instant, he felt as if both his spirit and body had merged into one.

It was a state that was usually available only to the Supreme Great Ancestors. Nevertheless, under the constant bombardment of the external energy, Ou Yangming had entered the state as well.

Better still, while his body toughened up, an unexpected change had occurred within. His meridians had expanded, and as a result, he could store and unleash much more essential Qi.

His mental power coupled with the endless and overwhelming external energy had made him as if years had gone by in an instant.

Before long, Ou Yangming noticed that he could no longer strengthen his body as he had reached his physical limits. If he were to push it any further and allow the meridians to continue expanding, he would only injure himself.

As if it had read his mind, the moment Ou Yangming realized this, the overwhelming external energy immediately weakened, and before long, it had vanished without a trace.

When Ou Yangming opened his eyes, his eyes glowed with radiant light.

Powerful essential Qi flowed within his veins, and he felt much stronger than before.

'The peak of the Yang Grade!'

His brief cultivation within the secret realm had advanced his cultivation base to the peak of the Yang Grade, and he was only one step away from the Extreme Grade!