Beastmaster of the Ages

"This world really is vast beyond imagining...." Tianming gazed in awe at the sheer spectacle. If it weren't for the sheer excess in space, the most beasts he could see at any given time would only be in the tens of thousands. Yet here, they were so spread out across his vision that it seemed like much more than that. As big as those beasts were, they looked like specks of dust beside the gigantic pillar. The fact that he was able to see so many beasts now meant that he was still quite some ways away from the pillar. No doubt, they would crowd together and block out his vision as he approached the land from which the nova source sprung. It was as if the true nature of this world was being unveiled before his eyes.

"The moon really pales in comparison to this," Lingfeng said.

"I don't even have the words to describe how I'm feeling now.... I feel so very small," Xiaoxiao said.

Though they weren't ignorant country bumpkins, this was still an experience that caused them to reevaluate themselves. The flaming pillar seemed to reignite the spark in their hearts. They were among the countless geniuses of the Myriad Solar Sects, but they still stood proud nonetheless.

"I bet this is how it feels like to compete with the lord of the sky on who's higher up." Tianming was certain that it was the nova source that was stoking the desires of all of them to dominate, and that included himself. Beauties aside, the endless possibilities when it came to one's empire, treasures, and loyal subjects was alluring enough. Naturally, beauties were still really important for Yu Ziqian, who stood next to Tianming.

"Tsk tsk tsk... first time?"

"You say that like you've been here before," Tianming said.

"I have... or at least I have to act like I have before my junior sisters."

"Screw off...."

The azuresky qilin advanced at full speed. The closer they came to the Voidsky Flame Pillar, the more they could feel the scorching sensation. The world was starting to feel like an oven.

"Boss, your sect isn't on the myriad sect ranking, right?" Yu Ziqian asked curiously.

"Why would you say that?" Tianming asked.

"Because you guys are entering the Voidsky Realm as disciples of Azuresoul Palace! If you do well, you'll be raising us up in the rankings. The higher up we are, the more resources we'll be allocated from the public pool. That's really important for the strength and growth of the sect."

Tianming finally understood. It was no wonder they regarded this competition among promising youths with so much importance. It wasn't just a question of reputation, they were also competing for resource allocation. The myriad sect rankings were surely supervised by the Sky Palace, otherwise it would hold no water. In other words, the Sky Palace was akin to a united council of the Myriad Solar Sects. Any matters that couldn't be solved by armed conflict would be handled by Sky Palace. A parallel could be drawn between this and the Number One Summit, during which the key to the Kilostar Domain was awarded to the winner. The only difference was that the Nine Divine Realms didn't have an overarching body like Sky Palace to mediate their matters.

"Come to think of it, how high does the Azuresoul Palace rank?" Tianming asked.

"Hahahaha..." Yu Ziqian chuckled.

"What're you laughing at?"

"It's ranked thirty-eighth."

"Thirty-eighth?"

"Don't look down on that rank. We're thirty-eight out of ten thousand! The top ten sects are considered first rate, while the top hundred are second rate. And among them, we rank near the top. Needless to say, we're the hegemons of the Azurecloud Continent!"

"I see. So the top thousand are third-rate, and beyond that are fourth-rate sects?"

"More or less. The top ten or so sects have the biggest territories. Some of them united whole continents together. All of them have histories extending millions of years back and the resources they have are more than enough to split among themselves. These ten sects alone account for up to a third of the Myriad Solar Sects' forces."

"Is there a way to raise the Azuresoul Palace into the top ten?"

"There is."

"What is it?"

"If our sect can swallow up the other hundred or so factions in the Azurecloud Continent, controlling all the resources and having all the elites serve us, it would only take a few hundred years after that for us to catch up to the top ten factions."

Tianming was speechless. That would be far too difficult. "So how many ranks can we raise if the sect's disciples do really well at the Voidsky Realm?"

"If any of us can rank at the top ten in the imperial star ranking, we should be able to rise a rank. If there's more, we will rise even more. If any of us joins the Sky Palace, we'll rise at least three ranks! As small as those steps may seem, the sect ranking is a really tough competition. The Voidsky Realm is the only place those of the young generation can contribute to the sect ranking. Otherwise, it's up to the total might of the whole sect!"

"So what happens when you join the Sky Palace?"

"Well, everyone in the sun will hold me up on an altar. I wouldn't be able to stay weak even if I wanted to. I'd be a peak elite in the future with empires, beauties and treasures at my fingertips!" Yu Ziqian didn't hide his yearning at all. That was shared by all the other disciples of the sects, so this competition was sure to be a fierce one. No youth would put off the chance to gain fame and fortune on top of securing their sect's place in the hierarchy. Those that made it would be the envy of countless others.

"Is it hard to get on the imperial star ranking?" Tianming asked.

"The imperial star ranking contains the most brilliant of rising stars. What kind of person would such a magnificent figure be? While the ranking has ten thousand places, that's ten thousand out of a billion. It's a super small fraction. Most of those places are occupied by disciples of the first-rate sects, each of which would have more than ten thousand representatives in the Voidsky Realm. If any of our disciples are able to make it into the rankings at all, it'll send waves across the entire sect.

"As for the top ten of the imperial star ranking, they're the top ten most promising people of their generation in all of Orderia with the exception of the celestial orderians. Without a doubt, those people are all from the top ten first-rate sects. It's been more than a hundred years since anyone from the second-rate sects made it up there. Even if I don't make it into the Sky Palace, if I can rank in the top ten, I would still make history. Just imagining it drives me crazy! Boss, do you know what it feels like to be able to embrace countless beauties at the top of the pyramid?" Yu Ziqian's eyes were still glowing.

"Too bad Qing Zi messed up your plans, huh."

"Sigh... my life is full of misery...."

"No worries. I'll gain honor on your behalf and accept the beauties in your stead."

"Damn!"

The conversation made Tianming even more certain of his path. "So even if I don't join the Sky Palace or rank first, merely ranking in the top ten is enough to raise Azuresoul Palace's reputation. It'll be enough to secure a good foundation for myself."

He looked in the distance. Now that they were among the crowd, he couldn't see as many people and beasts as before. However, the Voidsky Flame Pillar looked magnitudes bigger. A nonstop droning noise could be heard from the Voidsky Realm.

"The grand imperial star that rises from this land and illuminates the world, eh..." Tianming saw many youths around the pillar, impatiently waiting for it to open. After that, all of them would enter and fight. As for the rules and other details, they would only find out within.

Yu Ziqian stood before Tianming with a gloomy expression.

"What's wrong?" Tianming asked.

"Those from the Supracloud Sanctuary are here. The person that pursued me from before knows of my 'weakness'. He might use that to cause trouble," Yu Ziqian said. He was being targeted. While he was only from a second-rate sect, many thought he could make it into the top ten spots of the imperial star ranking. He had attracted far too much attention; no doubt, the other sects would go all out to make sure he didn't succeed at any cost.

The Supracloud Sanctuary was ranked thirty-seventh, and they also resided in the Azurecloud Continent. It was quite surprising that a disciple whose master wasn't the head instructor would stand out so much. Tianming figured that there were many within the Azuresoul Palace itself that didn't want the best for Yu Ziqian as well.

The other sects' disciples were escorted by their sect masters, while the Azuresoul Palace only had Jiang Qingliu. At that moment, ten thousand people wearing robes with cloud patterns appeared in front of Tianming and the rest.