Beastmaster of the Ages

Everyone nervously glared at Tianming and the rest.

"They're the chief disciple's friends!"

"That's right. The chief disciple must be friends with top figures across Orderia. It shouldn't be surprising that they're capable of this much."

"Bai Junce really got himself into a pickle."

As the others were chattering away, Qing Zi retrieved Bai Junce. Seeing his injured soul and how traumatized he was, she felt horrible.

"Senior Sister… I—" Bai Junce still had fear in his eyes. He didn't even understand how he had lost. It was terrifying.

"Don't say anything. This isn't good. I'll look for a chance to act when Jiang Qingliu isn't protecting him. We'll see whether Yu Ziqian is weak for real," she said in a hushed voice.

"If you expose him, that old fart Jiang Qingliu will lose face over this, right?"

"Not only that. If the two of them were working together to swindle the sect out of our resources, our head instructor and the Azuresoul Council will render judgment unto them!" she snapped. She badly hoped that Yu Ziqian was a fake. After all, his master, the defender of Azuresoul Tower, was a mere normal human that didn't have lifebound beasts or totems. Normal humans like him didn't deserve that kind of glory. Not to mention, even disciples of the head instructor like the two of them had to accommodate his personal disciple!

……

"Friends, my master wants to talk to you all," Yu Ziqian said in a completely humble manner as he relaxedly fanned himself.

"The five beauties on your fan are a little too pretty, aren't they?" Tianming said, recalling the painting by Jiang Yu all the way back at the Divine Capital called 'Impeccable Beauty'. Compared to the picture on the fan, that painting was far inferior. All five women on Yu Ziqian's fan had fairy-like beauty. Every one of them were charming and dignified; their smiles were enchanting and their eyes looked alive.

Ye Lingfeng had told him they weren't mere paintings, but rather depictions of five artifact souls. Unlike the tripartite soul, artifact souls weren't souls of living beings. Instead, they were part of the best divine artifacts.

"Haha, no matter how beautiful they are, it's pointless. It's not like I can touch them. They can't compare to my junior sister, who's flesh and blood!" he chuckled.

"One day they'll come out of the artifact and tear your ear off," Tianming said.

"Wow, you're amazing. I didn't know you could tell." Only artifact souls could emerge, after all.

"It's no big deal," Tianming said. He hadn't told him that he knew about his portable grandpa as well.

"Back to the topic at hand. My master wishes to talk with you…"

"Sure thing." Tianming brought Xiaoxiao and Lingfeng with him. They followed Yu Ziqian to the head of the qilin, drawing quite a few gazes as they passed. Jiang Qingliu stood alone at the head of the qilin as he looked ahead along the endless river.

"Greetings, Senior Jiang." Tianming didn't dare to throw his weight around before a powerful senior like that.

"Ahem—friend, what's your name?"

Tianming didn't reveal his name at first because he was worried about word from the Divine Moon Realm getting here. But it had been around a month and nothing seemed amiss. Not to mention, there were too many people in this vast universe that shared identical names. "I'm Li Tianming." When he finished, he had Xiaoxiao and Lingfeng introduce themselves as well. Lingfeng merely said he was 'Feng', as the matter of the night demon was a big deal.

"The three of you appear to be impressive youths. Can you tell me who your masters are, or what factions you belong to?" Jiang Qingliu asked. He began taking note of them since Lingfeng had shown his prowess, and seeing Tianming act as their leader made him even more curious.

"Senior Jiang, we were ordered to keep that a secret," Tianming said.

"Is that so? Your masters are no doubt impressive people."

Tianming merely smiled without saying a word. Orderia was far too vast and there were too many hidden talents in the Myriad Solar Sects, many of whom flew under the radar. There were many that used to be nameless pawns half a millennium ago, only to soar in fame all of a sudden. Jiang Qingliu aside, even a first-rate sect might not have information about all the elites in Orderia.

"However, if you enter the Voidsky Realm and obtain a participation formation, you must register your tutelage. Sky Palace and the Myriad Solar Sects need that information. If you don't state it clearly, you won't be allowed to join," Jiang Qingliu said.

"Is that so?" Tianming didn't know about that at all.

"Then what do you plan to do?"

Feeling a spark of inspiration, Tianming said, "That's the reason we wanted to travel with Yu Ziqian. We were wondering if there was a chance for us to become disciples of Azuresoul Palace and fight for it."

Jiang Qingliu wore a funny expression.

"Master, why don't you agree? I want to be able to keep my word!" Yu Ziqian said. His 'grandpa' had asked him to stick close to Tianming, so him becoming a disciple would be perfect for that.

Jiang Qingliu broke out in laughter. "Friend, isn't this too good a deal for our Azuresoul Palace? The three of you are talented folks, yet you'll be increasing our sect's reputation if you fight for us. Don't your masters feel bad about that?"

"Of course not. They prefer to lay low, after all." The Azuresoul Palace was a great place for him to build a foundation in Orderia, so Tianming didn't want to miss this chance. Not only would he solve the issue of his identity, he would also be able to get help from Jiang Qingliu. It could open many doors.

Tianming wasn't worried that Jiang Qingliu would harm them. He had left a pretty good impression, after all. Not to mention, Tianming's mysterious background could mean he was supported by greater powers, so Jiang Qingliu definitely wouldn't mess around with them. There was no way three people in Orderia could become that powerful without support of any kind. The more Tianming tried hiding it, the more powerful the people supporting him should be.

Jiang Qingliu chuckled. He had been stunned by Lingfeng's performance and didn't think they'd just ask to join his sect just like that. Though Xiaoxiao looked average, Tianming didn't look one bit weaker than Lingfeng. If they did well at the Voidsky Realm representing the Azuresoul Palace, Jiang Qingliu would stand to benefit from it as well, and would gain more say in the sect.

"Senior Jiang, I suppose that was too much to ask of you," Tianming said politely.

"No, it definitely wasn't. In fact, you'd be doing us a favor. Surely master wouldn't refuse something like that, right?" Yu Ziqian said, desperately winking at his master.

"Ahem!" Jiang Qingliu cleared his throat. Though he was all too happy to agree, he feigned seriousness. "Well, this isn't impossible. It's a small matter, and a win-win for us. I'll make an official announcement that you three are my honorary disciples, then."

Since Tianming and the rest were asking to join, he made them his honorary disciples. Unlike a personal disciple like Yu Ziqian, Jiang Qingliu could easily cast them aside if they caused some kind of trouble. But if they rendered merit, Jiang Qingliu would also benefit from it. It was perfect.

"Thank you, Senior Jiang!" Tianming said.

"Alright. In front of others, make sure to call me Master," Jiang Qingliu said, hands behind his back.

"Understood!"

This was a benefit to both sides. Jiang Qingliu knew that Yu Ziqian wasn't that stable, after all. Plus, he could still discard them if things went south.

"Master, since we don't want to expose our real masters, we'll need you to come up with a backstory," Tianming said.

"That's no issue. I'll announce that you were the disciples I gave guidance to back at my home town," Jiang Qingliu said.

"Thank you."

Tianming now had an identity he could use to join the competition at the Voidsky Realm, as well as the protection of a senior. As long as he didn't cause too much trouble, Jiang Qingliu should have no issue covering for him. Lingfeng's clash with Bai Junce had turned out to be rather useful.

……

The three of them received official emblems that marked them as disciples. As the other disciples didn't know the details, they weren't affected. Tianming was currently standing atop the head of the qilin, looking into the distance. Ahead of them was a battlefield where a billion would fight… The Voidsky Realm!

"Boss?" Yu Ziqian called out.

"What's up?" Tianming asked.

"Remember to call me Chief Disciple in front of outsiders!"

"Tsk tsk… it looks like your grandpa there has high hopes for us."

Yu Ziqian completely froze.