The square was dead silent.

Whether it was Tiandao the Venerable One, Yu Xiuming, and the others that came from afar, or the disciples from the Beast King Sect's various mountains, they kept quiet and only looked at Ou Yangming with strange looks.

They looked like they were convinced and in admiration. Although it was inevitable for them to look slightly envious, none of them would question Ou Yangming's smithing art anymore.

Yuqi the Venerable One cleared his throat hard and laughed as he asked, "Tiandao, what do you say now?"

Tiandao the Venerable One flushed. He turned to look at Master Kurong.

Who knew, Master Kurong simply noted straightforwardly, "Since Master Ou can grasp even the God-given Skill, what else can we say?" He waved his sleeves gently and added, "If the other sects don't object to this, we'll need to trouble Master Ou for the upcoming Big Smithing Competition."

Yuqi the Venerable One laughed out loud. "Master Kurong, as long as you say it, they won't have any objections."

Among the Humans' Nine Great Sects, none lacked smithing powerhouses. Nonetheless, not to mention competing against Master Kurong, even Yu Xiuming would be able to crush all of them.

Besides, Master Kurong's title as the greatest human blacksmith in Danzhou was not for nothing. As long as he was willing to be the guarantor, along with the Beast King Sect's support, the 7 other sects would not cause any trouble and bring contempt upon themselves.

Master Kurong grinned and nodded. "Don't worry, it's great news that Master Ou will be representing Danzhou in the battle, so I'll surely facilitate this matter." He later nodded at Ou Yangming and said, "Thanks in advance, Master Ou."

Ou Yangming immediately returned the salutation. "I'll definitely do my best and not let you down."

He was only willing to join the big competition because he wanted to take a look at the real abilities of other top-notch blacksmiths in the Spiritual Realm.

Therefore, being able to join the big competition was the one that attracted him the most. Of course, he would be going all-out because he would not want to admit defeat no matter who his opponent would be.

Master Kurong laughed out loud and stated, "Alright, Danzhou will be the official host for the big competition this time." He paused for a moment before he continued, "We traveled to Zhangzhou for the previous competition, but they'll be coming here this time." He turned around and asked, "Tiandao, how long more until they'll arrive?"

Tiandao the Venerable One answered without any hesitation, "It should be around 3 months."

This was considered one of the most sensational events for Danzhou, hence he remembered it well.

Master Kurong nodded. "Master Ou, since that's the case, please head toward Mount Wuzhi as soon as possible. It's true that blacksmiths can smith under any environment, but it's always good to be well-prepared."

Yuqi the Venerable One hesitated for a while, but he finally held back from dissuading the master.

This was because he knew this was already established and the competition would affect Danzhou's reputation, thus he could not anyhow change the venue.

The only thing was that he was slightly worried.

Ever since Yuqi the Venerable One realized Ou Yangming's importance, he had been doing anything he could to make him stay. In particular, the Venerable One was wary of Mount Wuzhi the most, but it seemed like the young fellow's departure would be unavoidable this time.

Ou Yangming responded after some thought, "Yes, once I'm done making the necessary arrangements here, I'll head to Mount Wuzhi."

"Very well." Master Kurong nodded. He later turned around and asked, "Xiuming, you now know that there's always someone better out there, right?"

Yu Xiuming replied to him sternly, "Yes, Master, I'm convinced."

When he first arrived at the Beast King Sect, he was full of confidence. Now, his attitude had changed drastically.

Master Kurong nodded as he was pleased. Indeed, his disciple's natural gift in smithing art was one of a kind, and the disciple almost never encountered hardships with his help. While Yu Xiuming was not self-conceited, he was bound to feel proud.

This feeling might seem insignificant, but it would certainly become a hidden trouble that would stop Yu Xiuming from advancing in the future at crucial times. After what happened today, perhaps his arrogance might not be completely gone, but had at least learned to be more reserved. It was similar to having a new lease of time.

To Yu Xiuming, it would be a huge regret not being able to represent Danzhou in the competition, but he would have a promising future if he overcame his shortcomings. Moreover, if he could not participate in the upcoming competition, he still stood a chance for the next one. As such, instead of feeling upset, Master Kurong was rather delighted.

Nevertheless, Master Kurong did not say much as he wanted to protect the image of his precious disciple. Instead, he instructed, "Tiandao, since the competition has ended, you should bring them back."

Tiandao the Venerable One instantly understood what the master meant. "Yes, I will." He nodded at the others, then he retrieved a flying carpet and flew away with Yu Xiuming.

Yuqi the Venerable One and the old macaque did not stop them because they knew they would be offending Master Kurong if they stopped them on purpose. The master might look relaxed as though he was not concerned about anything, but Yuqi the Venerable One and the old macaque knew he was not a soft-hearted person.

After watching them leave, Master Kurong turned and asked, "Master Ou, I'll wait for you to get your things sorted out, then I'll escort you to Mount Wuzhi. What do you think?"

Before Ou Yangming could say a word, the old macaque beat him to it. "Master Kurong, we dare not trouble you for this. Hehe, my body has been itching lately, so this will be the perfect opportunity for me to move about."

No matter which Venerable One would escort Ou Yangming, it would be more than enough. Even so, whether the escort would be Master Kurong or a Venerable One from the Beast King Sect, the meanings would be entirely different.

Master Kurong did not try to force anything. He nodded and said, "Alright, let's just travel together then."

The old macaque furrowed its eyebrows and cursed internally, 'You old fart—why are you sticking to him like a plaster? You're so troublesome.'

On the other hand, the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One suddenly laughed and expressed, "Master Kurong, there's something I'd like to ask."

Master Kurong rejoined in a deep voice, "10,000 Beasts Venerable One, please go ahead."

It was worth noting that the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One was not an ordinary powerhouse, but a top-grade powerhouse. This was why even Master Kurong dared not boast about being able to defeat it before he took the step.

After all, a human and a giant ape had very different physiques. Even if the former had a slightly higher cultivation base, he might not be able to suppress the latter.

Having said that, similarly, the Humans also had many strengths, which were abilities that the Beasts admired but could not attain.

The 10,000 Beasts Venerable One spoke seriously with bright eyes, "I've exchanged blows with you, and this question has been lingering in my head." It stared at Master Kurong and uttered word by word, "Have you taken that step already?"

Upon hearing this, the faces of Yuqi the Venerable One and the old macaque changed. Given how steady they were, it was unbelievable for them to forget themselves all of a sudden.

Master Kurong smiled and still looked unperturbed as if he had nothing to worry about.

"10,000 Beasts Venerable One, if I've really taken the step, how can I still be here?"

The 10,000 Beasts Venerable One and the 2 other Venerable Ones looked at each other and were somehow relieved. Despite that, the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One questioned after some thought, "Master Kurong, I sensed a hint of the path with every move you made. That was…"

"I couldn't hide it from you indeed, 10,000 Beasts Venerable One." Master Kurong sighed. He shook his head and explained, "I only found a direction and found the threshold."

The 3 other Venerable Ones were appalled. They looked deeply at Master Kurong as if a fresh flower was blooming on his thin body.

"You found… The path that belongs to you." The 10,000 Beasts Venerable One smiled bitterly and sighed helplessly.

It also wanted to find its path, but it had been clueless so far. This was why it could not help but lament after it heard what Master Kurong said, and it had such a complicated feeling that it could not be put into words.

Master Kurong chuckled. "10,000 Beasts Venerable One, I've been thinking about the theory of the path lately, but there are still parts that I don't understand. If you're free, we can exchange our views."

A cold look could be seen in the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One. It kept quiet for some time and finally responded, "Thank you, Master.'

Deep down it was unwilling to accept this karma, but it was even more unwilling to push the opportunity away.

Perhaps this was the key for the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One to succeed. If it chose not to seize the opportunity, it would mean that it was abandoning the path.

As the crowd slowly dispersed, Ou Yangming followed Old Craftsman back to his courtyard. He looked at the old man but was hesitant to speak.

Old Craftsman laughed and asked, "Young fella, what are you trying to say?"

Ou Yangming scratched his head. Regardless of his world-shaking achievements, in front of Old Craftsman, he was still the small boy that was saved by a rough big hand on that snowy night.

"Old Man, I don't want to leave you so soon." Ou Yangming smiled with his eyes squinted. "How about we go there together?"

Old Craftsman looked snappily at him and laughed while he scolded him, "Young fella, when did you become so sentimentally attached to me? Hmph, you must be scheming something."

Ou Yangming rolled his eyes, but he could not help but chuckle as well when he saw how Old Craftsman was laughing happily.

The old man stopped laughing after some time and noted, "Young fella, since you have something serious to attend to, go ahead. As for me, hehe…" He suddenly turned around, then he twisted his body and took a step to get into an imposing stance. "I'll be cultivating martial arts. Once I enter Spirit Grade in the future, I'll show you how great I am."

Ou Yangming was struck dumb. He was tempted to ask, 'Where did you get your confidence from…'

That said, he also knew that their courtyard would be in disorder and noisy if he were to say it out loud.

He cleared his throat and nodded. "Okay, Old Man, I look forward to you reaching Spirit Grade."

Old Craftsman laughed out loud and waved his hand with a disgusted look on his face. "Go on, go on. I'll surprise you once you're back."