Beastmaster of the Ages

Divinesprings were graded according to their diameters. For instance, those smaller than two centimeters were grade one, and those between two and three centimeters were grade two. Those that were nine centimeters and beyond were grade nine and almost larger than an open palm. In the legends of the divineglorians, divinesprings as large as ten centimeters existed and were considered grade ten. However, nobody could say for sure if they had actually existed.

Usually, any divinespring wider than seven centimeters would be considered the mark of a top talent, with a grade-eight divinespring being the absolute peak. As for those with nine centimeter or wider divinesprings, they would be considered ruler material. More than eighty percent of divineglorian rulers had grade-nine divinesprings.

With that said, the status of Princess Shen Yu was clear to see. Tianming noted that the violet divinespring at the center of her chest was more or less nine centimeters in diameter despite being under her clothes. While staring like that was quite impolite, it was hard to resist the glow of a divinespring. Little did Tianming know that among divineglorians, staring at one's divinespring was an act of disrespect without regard to gender. That was why most people only dared to look down when standing in front of the princess. Only an outsider like Tianming would be completely ignorant of such conventions.

Feeling the divinespring's power, he thought, the universe truly is diverse. There's races with both male and female characteristics in every individual, as well as divineglorians and wargodeans.... There were all kinds of races, even the wondersky race and sky plunderers. Perhaps that was why the phrase 'the myriad races of the cosmic aether' existed.

"Have you stared enough?" the princess said with a smile. She didn't seem the least bit offended. In fact, she seemed like she enjoyed the attention.

"Your Highness's grade-nine divinespring is too impressive. I'm sorry for the hard stare. I wonder for what reason I was summoned here?" Surely it wasn't just for a leisurely chat.

"Straight to the point, eh? Then I'll be direct." While the princess seemed proud and aloof, it wasn't to the point of distaste. Her beauty made almost whatever she did forgivable, and she had more than enough inner character to complement that beauty.

"Please do."

"Yes. Last time, I asked you whether you had a faction backing you, right?"

"Yes."

"If the faction backing you isn't the Violetcloud Imperium, then I would like to know if it's related to them at all."

"Is Your Highness trying to ascertain whether I am friend or foe?" This was the first time Tianming had met a princess of such high status. From every aspect, including her looks, aura, and demeanor, she was indisputably regal.

"Answer me first."

"I'm not part of the Violetcloud Imperium and have nothing to do with them."

"That's good." Her brows seemed to relax somewhat. "Then you should know that there are only two large factions on our star, us and the Violetcloud Imperium. While this world is vast, there is no middle ground. It's either black or white. The middle is for the common rabble to dwell in, and your shocking talent is definitely not common. Do you understand that someone like you can't afford to stand in the middle?"

"Of course. Your Highness's words are clear."

"I'm glad you understand. Then let me be straightforward with you. Before we met the last time, I had yet to see you fight Mu Sha. Since then, our dynasty has greatly increased our evaluation of you. The elders think the faction that's backing you can no longer afford to not pick a side. Since you're willing to come to me for a talk, that shows that we might still have a chance. I represent the dynasty in extending an invitation to your faction, including your master, family, friends, and all of your associates to join the Divineglory Alliance. We'll give you the best protection and offer you the best of resources. Your associates will also be cared for. If your backers are a sect, we'll make sure they prosper. Additionally, I've asked my imperial father to personally grant you a gift."

There was extra emphasis on the word 'gift'. Even someone like Tianming knew that such a gift definitely wouldn't come cheap. He was quite troubled by what he heard. He had thought that simply mentioning that he already had a backer would be enough to keep people away from inviting him. He didn't think that the dynasty would even want to absorb his entire secret faction. The problem was that the faction had never existed in the first place and he wasn't even on the Violetglory Star, so no promise of gifts would be useful to him.

Right as he was about to refuse, the princess said, "The divineglorians will grant you two seven-star universal manna."

Tianming was stunned. Weisheng Moran had only gotten one of them from a dragon palace in the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb. Not even the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect might be able to give him something like that. He didn't think the dynasty would be so generous as to offer two.

"Coming to join our dynasty won't conflict with you being a member of your original faction." As she had said, there were only two sides on the Violetglory Star. If Tianming and his backers weren't part of the Violetcloud Imperium, it would be easy to deal with. "You can have those backing you, perhaps even your master, directly negotiate with us. My uncle, the Minister Supreme, will personally negotiate with them. We'll give you all kinds of allowances as a sign of our sincerity."

Being talented truly opened doors anywhere. The divineglorians knew that it was crucial to snatch up any talent that wasn't affiliated with either side as soon as they could. The princess was sincere in everything she had said.

"This...."

Before Tianming could speak, she interrupted again. "I know you must have qualms about your safety. Don't worry. I'll personally send those two universal manna to you. You can even specify the elemental attributes. If a princess like me dares to come to you alone, surely you wouldn't be afraid, right?"

Tianming's head was about to explode. He desperately wanted to ask her to come to Orderia with the manna, but he had a feeling that he shouldn't reveal his location; otherwise even his access privileges to the Violetglory Pagoda might be affected.