Ou Yangming sat quietly in a room in the Ni residence.

After 100 Supreme Great Ancestors joined hands and forced the Eight-armed Giant Beast to retreat, his status had imperceptibly been upgraded. Not to mention the ordinary people, even Woo Lejia and the other great ancestors acted cautiously in front of him.

Needless to say, it was not only because of Ou Yangming's astounding smithing art but most importantly, it was because his mental power had reached 99 points. Even if he was not doing it intentionally, he was somehow oppressing the other people.

Therefore, the courtyard was dead silent after he announced that he wanted to cultivate in isolation. In fact, even Old Craftsman and Ni Yinghong did not come to disturb him.

The two of them were not displeased about Ou Yangming; they simply did not want to distract him during such a crucial moment because they were much closer to him as compared to the others.

Ou Yangming only mulled over one thing in his room; he was figuring out a way to deal with the crystal ball in his sea of consciousness.

The item contained enormous mental power and carried some hidden powerful skills. As such, Ou Yangming would benefit from it if he melted it.

Nonetheless, he was hesitant because he had a vague feeling that his body was already being restricted, by which he likely could not withstand greater mental power.

If the other people knew about his worry, they would be dumbfounded as they would find it unimaginable.

The cultivation of mental power was a hundred or a thousand times harder than that of essential Qi, but it was the complete opposite for Ou Yangming.

Ou Yangming pondered for a long time. He had also maneuvered his Military Fire and the Devouring attribute around the crystal ball several times.

Nevertheless, even the two powers were releasing dangerous auras, causing him to be deeply alarmed, hence he could not make his decision.

He tried his best to curb his thoughts and made up his mind at last. With that, he slowly stood up and left the courtyard.

Everyone was paying attention to his whereabouts, but those who knew where he went next wished they never found out in the first place.

This was because Ou Yangming had openly entered Her Royal Highness' room.

Tracing a member of the imperial family without permission was something that was avoided by subjects as taboo. Fortunately, they were in Changlong County's prefecture, or they would be in serious trouble if they were in the capital.

Wu Hanning was also extremely surprised by Ou Yangming's visit.

She was far from the walls when the Eight-armed Giant Beast attacked and had not got involved, but she witnessed the savage beast's monstrous powers from afar.

Honestly, the fact that the attacks from nearly 100 Supreme Great Ancestors were able to scare the giant beast away was way beyond everyone's expectations. Despite that, if that was not the case and the beast continued to go berserk, only God would know how unmanageable the consequences would be.

Even so, no matter what, there was no doubt that the pieces of equipment smithed by Ou Yangming had greatly contributed to this.

Wu Hanning was secretly delighted and proud of Ou Yangming, but she did not express it at all.

She displayed a respectful and friendly attitude when she saw the young fellow.

Who knew, Ou Yangming cut to the chase. "Your Highness, I've come to ask you a question."

Wu Hanning was stunned, and she could not help but feel slightly disappointed. "Brother Ou, please go ahead."

"The imperial family has the deepest understanding of mental power in this world, so I'd like to ask you some questions related to the power," Ou Yangming noted seriously.

The princess stared at Ou Yangming with bright eyes for some time before she questioned all of a sudden, "Brother Ou, has your mental power reached a critical point?"

Ou Yangming's eyes lit up because Wu Hanning's question was spot on. 'I guess I'll really owe the imperial family a huge favor if I want to solve my problem this time.'

"My mental power has indeed arrived at the highest withstandable limit for my body," he responded after some thought and looked at Wu Hanning as he continued, "I'd like to know how a cultivator from the imperial family would deal with such a situation."

Wu Hanning sighed and said, "The imperial family never faced such an issue."

"What?"

"It's incredibly difficult to cultivate mental power in this world, whereas the cultivation of essential Qi is a more logical choice. Thus, throughout more than 1,000 years of inheritance in the imperial family, there was never a similar case."

Ou Yangming's face twitched. "If it never happened in this world, what about the other worlds?"

Wu Hanning could not help but laugh. "Brother Ou, solving this problem is actually a piece of cake."

'It's easy for one who knows how to do it but is hard for one who has no clue…' Ou Yangming thought.

"Brother Ou, you have two options." Wu Hanning no longer beat around the bush. She put up a finger and explained, "Your first option is to enhance your physical quality because having a powerful body will allow you to accommodate more mental power."

Ou Yangming nodded as he was moved. That said, he had just cultivated to the peak of Yang Grade in the imperial family's secret realm. If he rushed into the Extreme Grade so soon, it might be unfavorable for his future.

Foundation was exceptionally important for one's growth.

If Ou Yangming's target was to become a Supreme Great Ancestor, he naturally would not care so much. However, his target became further after he was told about going beyond Heaven, so he was unwilling to cause himself trouble in the future for a petty gain at the moment.

Wu Hanning added, "Your second option is to leave and go straight into the other world."

Ou Yangming was startled. "What?"

"It's noted in the imperial family's historical records that the upper realm is excessively abundant in the universe's spiritual power and has a unique technique for the tempering of one's body. In that case, one's body can become similar to a spirit beast's," Wu Hanning explained sternly and looked like she was yearning for it as she added, "Besides, that's the best place for mental power cultivators like us."

The young fellow was deeply moved because he was enlightened by the princess's words. In particular, the last thing she mentioned made him look forward to the other realm too.

Although Ou Yangming was at the peak of Yang Grade, his greatest property had always been his mental power.

At this stage, the young fellow could indeed feel his power being restrained by the world. He would be overjoyed if there was a place for him to fully release his power.

"A unique technique for the tempering of one's body," Ou Yangming mumbled softly then asked, "Your Highness, can you pass on that technique to me?"

Wu Hanning fell silent for some time before she replied to him, "Brother Ou, it wouldn't do anything even if you learn the technique because enormous universe's power is required for you to refine it. It's certainly not something our world can provide."

Ou Yangming grinned. "I know, but I have an idea, and it's worth trying."

"What idea is that?"

"A Spirit-gathering Rune." Ou Yangming did not keep it a secret. "Through a specific setup, the rune can increase the richness of spiritual power around it."

Wu Hanning was surprised. "A Spirit-gathering Rune Formation? Is there such a formation in this world?"

Ou Yangming spread out his hands. "I came across it by chance, but I'll have to test it out to see its effect."

"Okay, I'll pass on the secret cultivation technique to you, and I hope you'll succeed." Wu Hanning looked deeply at him and sighed. "If you're able to break through your mental power's limit, perhaps you'll be the key to resist that high-rank spirit beast."

"It's my bound duty." Ou Yangming smiled, then he asked in a serious tone after some thought, "Your Highness, can mental power cultivators in the upper realm resist spirit beasts?"

Wu Hanning hesitated before she answered, "I have no idea, but I'd like to go take a look—even if it's just one."

The two of them looked at each other and fell silent.

"Roar…"

Suddenly, a fierce and fearsome roar was heard coming from afar.

The power carried by the sound was so daunting that it could frighten everyone out of their wits.

Ou Yangming and Wu Hanning were alarmed, and they could tell from each other's faces that they were worried. The formidable spirit beast had returned.

Given their special identities, they could not set foot on the dangerous battlefield, but they could watch from a distance away.

The two of them flashed out almost at the same time and headed toward where the roar was heard.

"Your Highness, Master Ou, you mustn't go there!" Outside the room, Wu Haohan widened his eyes and yelled. Having said that, while he tried to stop Wu Hanning when she passed by him, he dared not touch her precious body at all.

Seeing as the two figures had ignored him and left, Wu Haohan stomped his foot hard. He was in despair because it was too difficult to serve masters like them.

When Ou Yangming and the princess went up to the high tower and looked into the distance, they were dumbfounded. They exchanged glances and noticed that they were both in disbelief.

Earlier on, numerous ferocious beasts lingered outside the city walls. The beasts dared not attack the city, but as long as they stayed, the prefecture was still being pressured and threatened.

Nobody dared to underestimate the potential damage from the massive beast herd, even the Supreme Great Ancestors were on standby regardless of the time of the day.

They knew if there was another wave of attacks, plenty of brave soldiers would have to sacrifice themselves even if they could stop the tide in the end. Moreover, the great ancestors' safety could not be guaranteed too.

In spite of that, when they looked this time, they realized that the ferocious beasts had completely disappeared.

They only saw a gigantic spirit beast, which was almost as tall as the walls.

Li Xinfan and the others had made their way to the main wall, and they were staring anxiously at the Eight-armed Giant Beast.

There was only one beast, but the people were still immensely pressured.