Ou Yangming left the room with renewed vigor and determination in his eyes.

At that moment, he could feel unadulterated power surging through his veins, and his confidence was at an all-time high. At this point, even if a spirit beast were to appear before him, Ou Yangming would not shy away.

Naturally, if such a situation were to truly occur, the results would probably still be in the spirit beast's favor.

Although going toe-to-toe against a spirit beast might still be out of Ou Yangming's league, he was confident that he could flee from the battle with his Blood Flight Art if the situation demanded it.

After all, the spirit beasts did not have domains like the imperial family's secret realm. Moreover, Ou Yangming was also unsure whether Wu Yuanwei would be capable of controlling the elements outside the secret realm.

Nevertheless, all that mattered was that Ou Yangming's mental state had undergone a major transformation after entering the secret realm.

He shifted his sight to the side, and immediately, he noticed Wu Hanning who was quietly waiting outside the parterre.

Strangely, a shred of guilt welled up within his heart.

After all, it was his insistence and stubbornness that had cost Wu Hanning opportunity within the secret realm.

Ou Yangming bowed. In a solemn tone, he stated, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Wu Hanning turned sideways and avoided his bow. "No need to thank me, Brother Ou." After observing Ou Yangming for a moment, she then stated, "It seems you've made it to the peak of Yang Grade, Brother Ou. Congratulations."

Ou Yangming sighed, "At the expense of your sacrifice though."

Wu Hanning shook her head and stated, "Considering how much you've advanced Humanity's combat prowess, you deserve this much, at least, Brother Ou."

Ou Yangming stared long and hard at her. Had it not been for his body's limitations, he would have advanced all the way from Yang Grade Class One to Extreme Grade. As such, he doubted that it was as trivial a matter as Wu Hanning had made it out to be.

Had their places been reversed, Ou Yangming would never have given up the opportunity for her.

After all, the difference in combat prowess between Yang Grade Class One and the peak of Yang Grade would affect one's survival on the battlefield. It was an indisputable fact, and due to this, Ou Yangming's gratitude towards Wu Hanning was sincere.

His gratitude was no longer something that could be described through words alone.

Wu Hanning suddenly asked, "Do you understand now, Brother Ou."

Ou Yangming paused. "Understand what?"

Wu Hanning smiled and hinted, "You've already met Zuoqiu Hongyuan and He Liangce. Plus, you've even gone through the trials of the secret realm and gained immense power from it. Can't you connect the dots?"

Ou Yangming raised his brows, and as if a lightbulb had lit up above his head, he exclaimed, "Are you saying that they gained their cultivation base through the secret realm as well?"

Wu Hanning responded, "Indeed. Within all eight counties, there exists a family that can access the secret realm to commune with the upper realm. Once their secret realms have accumulated enough energy, these families can choose to advance one of their martial artist's abilities to the peak of their grade, just as you have experienced." A sliver of pride then leaked out from her voice as she added, "However, only our family's secret realm is capable of achieving the same effect on Great Ancestors."

Ou Yangming's heart froze. 'No wonder He Liangce and Zuoqiu Hongyuan could reach the peak of Yang Grade at such a young age! Heck, had they not purposely suppressed their abilities, I bet they could advance to Extreme Grade without any trouble!'

'So this is the hack that the top aristocratic families own, huh.'

Ou Yangming's thoughts wandered to Ni Yunhong, and suddenly, he felt a tinge of sadness for his future brother-in-law.

The Ni Family had lost their connection to the secret realm, and due to it, they had ended up in their deplorable state. Had they shared the same access as the other major aristocratic families, Ni Yunhong would probably be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder alongside the powerhouses like He Liangce or Zuoqiu Hongyuan.

A thought struck Ou Yangming, and he asked, "Your Royal Highness, why does the imperial family receive special treatment?"

Wu Hanning responded truthfully, "That's because the imperial family is naturally good at cultivating mental power, and it's also partially due to the compatibility of our bloodline." After giving it some more thought, she added, "Mental power is in no way inferior to martial arts so long as both abilities are at the same grade."

Ou Yangming furrowed his brows at her statement. Although his mental power had surpassed even that of Supreme Great Ancestors, aside from the Simulated Spiritual Fist that he had come across by chance, he would never have stood on the same level as the martial artists of his grade.

Naturally, even if one were to possess a skill that was capable of eliminating a spirit beast in a single blow, the amount of time needed to cast the technique would be their undoing. After all, unless their enemies were not idiots, they would have fled upon seeing the skill or counter-attack while they were busy charging the skill up.

As if she had seen through Ou Yangming's thoughts, Wu Hanning explained, "The true strength of mental power lies not in what you're thinking about."

Ou Yangming exclaimed, "What do you mean?"

With a profound expression, she answered, "You'll understand when the time comes."

Ou Yangming furrowed his brows even further, and he was itching to understand what she meant. At the same time, however, he did not want to force her to answer him.

'Extort the princess?'

No, that was not something that Ou Yangming could afford to do.

Wu Hanning then turned around and stated, "Let's go, Brother Ou."

"Where to?" Ou Yangming responded subconsciously.

Wu Hanning turned around and sarcastically spat, "You've already met up with the Great Ancestor. What else do you want to do? It's not like you want to stay in the palace, right?"

Ou Yangming was rendered speechless, and with an ashen face, he zipped his mouth shut.

Even without the rumors that the palace had forbidden men from staying over the night, Ou Yangming would never have voluntarily stayed over in the palace.

He was already indebted to the princess, and if he were to add an overnight stay to his tab, he would never hear the end of it.

With that, the two left the palace grounds. They traveled shoulder to shoulder, and though neither side had spoken a word, there was an indescribable sense of camaraderie between the two.

They did not interact with one another, and instead, they enjoyed the atmosphere in silence. They quietly made their way through the street, and even when the imperial carriages passed by, they chose not to board them.

Every road has its end, and despite their best attempts to slow their pace, they still reached the palace gates in the end. Wu Hanning gazed at the massive gates before her, and a glint of reluctance uncharacteristic of a princess could be seen within her eyes. It was an extremely rare sight.

Ou Yangming nodded at her. "I appreciate your company, Your Highness."

As if she was startled awake by a lovely dream, Wu Hanning yelped, "When will you head towards Changlong County, Brother Ou?"

After a moment of silence, Ou Yangming answered, "As soon as possible. Hopefully within the next three days." Had he been alone, Ou Yangming would probably have set off immediately. However, as he had gained a hundred-strong battalion… Indeed, while his troops had only consisted of a hundred men, in terms of combat prowess, they were a force that could overwhelm the battlefield.

Since Ou Yangming would need to lead the force against the spirit beasts in the Immense Forest, he needed some time for his troops to prepare themselves.

Three days. That was the minimum requirement, and throughout the entire world, no one else aside from Ou Yangming would be capable of rallying up a hundred Supreme Great Ancestors without causing dissent.

Sure, the imperial family might be able to achieve a similar effect if they declared a state of emergency, but if that were to happen, those Supreme Great Ancestors would undoubtedly be furious, and some might even go against the imperial family's orders.

However, Ou Yangming was confident that if he gave the order, the Supreme Great Ancestors would immediately rally to him. After all, he had promised them lavish remuneration, and for the sake of the magic tools he promised, the Supreme Great Ancestors would undoubtedly be enthusiastic to answer his call.

Wu Hanning nodded. After giving him an angry glance, she then turned around and left quietly.

Ou Yangming's lips twitched. However, no words left his mouth.

Suddenly, he heard a voice coming from behind him. "Brother Ou, Her Highness was waiting for you to invite her. How could you be so heartless as to disappoint her?"

Ou Yangming rolled his eyes upon hearing the voice. "Young Pavilion Master, shouldn't you be swooning from all your work? Why do you have so much time on your hands?"

Bai Shixue giggled mesmerizingly.

"Brother Ou…" She stretched out her voice that was oozing with seduction.

Ou Yangming leaped back. "Stop! Stop! Stop! We're not even that close!" He quickly observed his surroundings and whispered, "You'll cause misunderstandings if you put it that way!"

"Hmph!" Bai Shixue spat. "Her Highness has already left. Who else would hear us?"

Ou Yangming glared at her and stated, "Watch your words, Young Pavilion Master. You need to be responsible for them."

Bai Shixue snapped, "Are you saying I'm irresponsible? Hah, from my point of view, you're the one who's going against his word!"

Angered, Ou Yangming shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Bai Shixue stated without hesitation, "Don't take it from me, the whole capital has already heard of your exploits. Aren't you aware?"

Ou Yangming froze. He suddenly recalled what Wu Hanning had said back when she tried to defuse the situation between him and the five Imperial Elders. Ou Yangming's face twisted into a nasty expression. 'It's only been half a day at most, how can the entire capital already know about it? Are rumors supposed to travel this fast?'

Noticing Ou Yangming's panicked expression, Bai Shixue jokingly added, "I swear I'm not lying. Feel free to ask anyone you come across. Oh yeah, you trust Woo Lejia, right? Why don't you ask him?"

Ou Yangming chuckled bitterly and mentally spat, 'Since you put it that way, there's no longer any reason for me to look for Woo Lejia.'

Ou Yangming glared at Bai Shixue, and anger began to manifest within his heart.

Had he not barged into the imperial carriage that day, none of this would have ever transpired. As such, the true culprit behind this was the beautiful lady before him!

However, upon seeing Bai Shixue's charming smile, Ou Yangming's thoughts wandered back to the day where he had made contact with the Body of Charm. Upon recalling the sensation, he could not bring himself to hate Bai Shixue.