Beastmaster of the Ages

Defeating a thousand would allow one to rank, and defeating ten thousand would cause them to skyrocket in the ranking! Perhaps those who can defeat a million would rank in the top ten. The first thousand points required to be ranked was probably a threshold set to allow the participants some time to accommodate themselves to the rules of the match. They started off with no specific goal until someone defeated a thousand people first.

Historically, the Voidsky Realm had many trials that ranked people by the number of defeated enemies. While there was often variation in the specifics, fighting was always involved in some way, thus ensuring that only the strongest would rise. Tianming felt that there were probably many more items like the minorsky stele that could also help with points, which would help offset the importance of defeating enemies in the ranking to prioritize other qualities.

"This multivariable test feels much fairer."

No doubt, a battle royale would soon occur. There were easily a billion people here. While they initially didn't dare to make rash moves because they were uncertain of the rules, they no longer cared about that now for the glory of their sects.

......

"Sheesh, that vixen sure is harsh," Yu Ziqian said after he popped back out.

"Vixen?" Tianming looked at Lan Feilin's ranking again. It almost sounded like Feiling. "Don't tell me she's the older sister of Lan Xingyao."

"Of course she is. Now that you've messed with her younger brother, you've offended her. It'll get even more intense if you run into her," Yu Ziqian said with a hint of schadenfreude.

"She already defeated a thousand people alone. She must be pretty fearsome," Tianming said.

"Well, she's ruthless, I'll give her that. No matter what, though, she's a total goddess. Even though I've never seen her in person, I've been ogling her portrait for ages. She's truly an angel!"

"No matter her beauty, she'll flatten your face with a punch," Tianming said.

"Sheesh, you're always so straightlaced. You're trying to dissuade me because you want her for yourself, aren't you? I won't let you!" he said, shaking his fists.

"It was a joke. Do you think I can defeat her?"

"You? Maybe not now. You can catch up slowly in the future. She even has a reputation among the celestial orderians," Yu Ziqian said.

"Catch up, huh."

Thanks to the minorsky stele having something to do with the Grand-Orient Sword, Tianming had improved his cultivation somewhat. So far, he was near the end of his post-Lifesbane growth spurt. His future cultivation might slow down somewhat, though he had understood from the very beginning that his fortune wouldn't go on forever. With his path still being so long, haste would do him no good. When one was on the path of godhood, each and every step was fraught with obstacles.

The Voidsky Realm was in complete chaos. Everyone saw the two names on the Skyward Stele and began wildly fighting to get their own names on it. Yet Tianming felt the calmest of all. The fight was only just beginning; if he was to rise up among the billion others, he shouldn't be out fighting nonstop. Instead, he should pave a path forward in his cultivation. He had begun to feel a bottleneck after his divine will's recent growth.

......

Amidst the fiery storm, Tianming talked with Ying Huo and the rest as they walked along.

"Do you feel that your cultivation will become harder from now on?" Ying Huo asked.

"That's right. It won't be as fast as the earlier parts of the Ascension stage," Tianming said.

"Come on, you chose the path of Lifesbane Will and Imperial Will! They were hard to begin with! If it weren't for your decabane, you'd be twenty percent slower by relying solely on us. The top geniuses of Orderia have fewer bane-rings than you, but the wills they chose to cultivate are easier. Not to mention, some even switch to a new will once they advance to the next stage, unlike you who continues persisting on the same path," Ying Huo said, wings on its hips.

"I want to be able to instantly grow powerful enough to dominate Orderia."

"Come on, that's easy! Just take a nap with me! It's possible in your dreams!" Meow Meow said.

Ying Huo's words rang true. The only reason Tianming hadn't been stuck at the Ascension stage for too long like most geniuses in Orderia was thanks to his Aeonic Grandbane and Trisoul Prime. While other people took nearly a decade to rise through the Ascension stage, he had managed it in three to four months. Even so, the benefits of symbiotic cultivation with his lifebound beasts were limited and couldn't help him improve his understanding of Imperial Will. His growth was mostly thanks to him being a decabane, and that wasn't too far off from the geniuses of Orderia. He would no longer be the top of the top like he had been in the Flameyellow Continent; his future growth would resume at a reasonable rate.

"Guess I really lucked out with the Ascension stage." If the path of godhood was so easily traversed, Orderia would be filled with countless gods.

"Feng and Xiaoxiao both rely on consuming something to raise their divine wills. However, you're the most stable. Feng is alright, but Xiaoxiao is incredibly unstable. She makes rapid progress thanks to the Archaionfiend, but her strength is no doubt the weakest of the three of you."

"Oh? You sound like an expert on this."

"What did you expect? I'm a learned chicken."

"Shut up."

Jokes aside, a spark was lit in Tianming. "Actually, I know another path that'll help me rise rapidly." He yearned to become strong to protect his family and friends. He had promised to let Qingyu live a peaceful life and he wanted to spare his parents from the pursuers so that they could live freely. If it weren't for his desires, he would be more than happy to live on the continent as the Human Emperor rather than continuing to push his boundaries like this.

"What path?" Ying Huo and the others were all curious.

"Conquer this place and become its emperor. That way I'll be able to use the Omnisentient Threads to get the people of Orderia to worship me and fight with me." That was Tianming's ultimate goal. Back at the Flameyellow Continent, the Omnisentient Threads had helped him break through twice in a single day, something that would be amazing even in Orderia. "If I can achieve that, I wonder if my parents will be able to stop running for their lives. Would I be powerful enough to protect them then?"

He would always be driven by this ambition. If his parents ended up dead, he would never be able to live it down.

......

"Junior Brother Li, the fighting outside is getting intense. It's time to get points. Are you sure you want to hide away like this?" Yu Ziqian asked.

"It's not hiding, I'm seeking a path to victory," Tianming said calmly.

"Boast more, why don't you? Lan Feilin will catch up to you in another day. It's only been a day, but there's two thousand more people in the ranking. Soon, there will be those that have defeated ten thousand others. You'll be pushed to the hundredth rank and beyond."

"If you're so anxious about it, why don't you go out there yourself?"

"Hmmm... forget it! Haha!" he laughed awkwardly.

Ever since Lan Feilin got into the ranking, the other participants found a goal. Those participants were among the most powerful disciples of the Myriad Solar Sects, though many were samsarans. So it wouldn't be hard for a single constellier to defeat more than a thousand samsarans. Needless to say, Tianming's score would soon be surpassed, though he wasn't too worried about it.

For starters, he felt that the number of enemies defeated wouldn't be too important in overall weighting. Not to mention, he believed his current level of power didn't match his ambitions. Minorsky steles weren't something that he could find just because he wanted to. Since he wandered for a while and didn't gain much, he decided to calm down and train.

......

The firestorm still raged in the skies. Now, more than five thousand names were on the stele. Tianming was completely radio silent and had been outranked by many others. The top ten all had tens of thousands of points and the fighting was only growing more intense. The whole time, none of them got three thousand points in one go. Instead, they racked up their points one by one, which showed that nobody had discovered another way to gain points as of yet.

Tianming stood beside a river of lava. Next to him was a girl in a black robe, seated in meditation. The veins of the Archaionfiend had saturated her whole body, making her face look rather insidious and demonic. She was completely different from the dainty girl back in Ignispolis, though the same could be said about Tianming. Back then, he used to be the boy next door, but now he looked regal.

"How is it?" Tianming asked, seeing her absorb nova source for the past few days.

"I'm at the eighth level now." A hint of red flashed through Xiaoxiao's eyes. Her vibe resembled Lingfeng's, making them look a little like siblings. However, there was a huge difference. Lingfeng's demonic aura came from his soul, while hers came from her cold and savage bloodline that was nourished by caeli. She had obtained a brand new life and skin filled with vitality.