Beastmaster of the Ages

Azurecloud Sword Mountain in the Azurecloud Continent was tall and steep, like an enormous azure sword rising from the ground all the way to the clouds. From the ground, the mountain appeared to be tens of thousands of meters tall. Only by standing far enough away would one see the entire mountain. The Azurecloud Sword Mountain was covered in lush greenery, and there was also an azure metal mine on the mountain. Azure metal was used to forge swords and could be used to produce dozens of grade-two divine artifacts. Therefore, the Azuresoul Palace was actually Orderia's great school of the sword dao.

Although it couldn't compare to the superior sects, the Azuresoul Palace was far ahead of other second, third, and even fourth-rate forces. Despite cultivating the sword, their disciples were modest and kept to themselves. Because they rarely traveled to other continents, they weren't as well-known in the Myriad Solar Sects.

The events in the Voidsky Realm and every change in the imperial star ranking had shaken the entire Azurecloud Continent. Since its establishment, the Azuresoul Palace had never been this glorious. Despite being in retreat and paying no attention to the disciples' battle, many elders began to appear.

As the topic of public opinion, the Azurecloud Continent was certainly lively. Many powerhouses from other sects visited to curry favor. Some of these elites even belonged to sects that were loyal to the Supracloud Sanctuary. The entire continent could sense the surging undercurrents; there were even more powerful forces who had come to make arrangements ahead of time.

Despite the turbulence outside, there was calm in the Azuresoul Palace on the highest peak of the Azurecloud Sword Mountain. The palace was vast and magnificent, the walls and tiles gleaming with sword light. This was where head instructor Gujian Qingshuang cultivated. It was also the site closest to Orderia's fiery clouds.

The sea of fiery clouds submerged the Azuresoul Sword Palace in flames. This was a day when the sweltering heat burned from the clouds, so the entire palace was enveloped in flames. A woman walked through the flames and entered the palace. Racing all the way to the depths of the palace, she finally knelt in front of a thousand-meter-high hall. She was Qing Zi; after sending the disciples to the Voidsky Realm with Jiang Qingliu, she had hurried back without stopping.

"Master." Various emotions flashed across her eyes—confusion, doubt, disbelief, and shock.

"Have there been new developments?" an imposing voice sounded from within the palace. The speaker sounded extremely solemn and conservative.

"Yes, the imperial star ranking drastically changed today!" Qing Zi's voice trembled a little, her expression pale.

"Tell me."

Taking a breath, Qing Zi recounted the changes in the most steady voice she could muster. The sound originating from the hall suggested that someone abruptly stood up.

"Top of the ranking by a wide margin, we've occupied the second and sixth places as well, and even Yu Ziqian's rank has risen," a hoarse voice sounded from the hall.

"Yes, Master! It's incredible! What is Jiang Qingliu doing? Where did those disciples come from? Is this a blessing or a curse?" Qing Zi looked a little confused as she continued, "I can't help but feel that it isn't a good thing. All of this attention on the Azuresoul Palace has touched the interests of too many people."

"Yes." The head instructor nodded. He was Gujian Qingshuang, a well-known master in the Azurecloud Continent.

Qing Zi was about to ask him what to do when several transmission stones flew out of the hall. The doors opened and an old man with gray hair and heroic eyebrows walked out.

"Master…." Qing Zi hesitated to speak.

"Don't worry, I'll start up the Azuresky Myriadsword Formation, call all the disciples back, activate all of Azuresoul Myriad Cities' defensive formations, and prepare for war. There's no way the Supracloud Sanctuary will sit still," said Gujian Qingshuang.

"Has it already come to this?"

The defensive formations would be activated, proving that this was a major event that hadn't happened in hundreds of thousands of years. Although the Azuresoul Palace had competed and fought, they'd never reached a point of needing to activate the Azuresky Myriadsword Formation.

"It's all Jiang Qingliu's fault. What is he doing?" Qing Zi was speechless. If Yu Ziqian was the only one who made the top ten, the Azuresoul Palace would be thrilled. But being too brilliant would cause misfortune.

Beneath the gates of the Azuresoul Palace, the entire sect beamed with happiness. Many people were unaware that being so outstanding without protection would only provoke jealousy.

"I'm curious, when did he accept these three disciples?" Gujian Qingshuang frowned. As the head instructor, Jiang Qingliu could hide a few ordinary disciples. However, cultivating the first and second place disciples required a lot of resources, like universal manna. There was no way he could have kept this concealed if he used the sect's resources.

Gujian Qingshuang was about to activate the defensive formations when a transmission stone flew into his hand. "Jiang Qingliu?" He was taken aback. The sentence he saw eased the frown on his face.

"Master, what's the matter?" Qing Zi couldn't help but complain about Jiang Qingliu in her heart. But upon seeing her master sigh in relief, she was puzzled.

"The Whitedragon Empress of the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect took a fancy to those three disciples. They will take them away after the tournament. At the same time, they will compensate us by protecting us. If the three of them can maintain their ranks, the Azuresoul Palace will be the one to benefit." Gujian Qingshuang looked up at the sky, his gaze shaky. He couldn't figure out why such fortune would land on the Azuresoul Palace.

The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect!" Qing Zi did a double take. "I've seen their true abilities. Li Tianming is about as strong as a second-level constellier. He wouldn't even make the top hundred among the youths. Why would the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect be interested in them?" She couldn't quite comprehend it.

"You don't understand. After all, the imperial star ranking isn't the same as the power ranking. Before the age of thirty, some people are ahead of the pack while others are late bloomers. That's completely normal. Once they reach a hundred years old, the real gap becomes obvious. Although the imperial star ranking doesn't match the current strength ranking, you'll find that the imperial star ranking corresponds to their strength when they become a centenarian," Gujian Qingshuang explained. "Take Jiang Qingliu, for example. Back then, they said he would make the top ten, but he was eliminated at the beginning and didn't even make the imperial star ranking. Today, he trails behind those who were on it."

The imperial star ranking was extraordinary. It didn't necessarily represent the present, but it could depict the future!

"Master, we don't have to worry if we have the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect's protection. Doesn't this mean we've gotten a great deal?" Qing Zi said.

"For the time being, that seems to be the case. However, it's still uncertain whether or not they can stay in the top ten and be useful. If they're useless, the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect will definitely toss them back," said Gujian Qingshuang. After receiving the transmission stone, even the tone of his voice had changed.

"Jiang Qingliu, you've done a great job this time…." Squeezing the transmission stone in his hand, he narrowed his eyes.