Beastmaster of the Ages

The moment Tianming showed up, the spectators cried so loudly that even the violetstar clouds above were disturbed by the sheer sound. His name was chanted nonstop, almost deafening even him. Looking around, he saw countless people were focusing their attention on him. It was completely overwhelming. They weren't mere statistics; every one of them shot him a complex look. Some were fervently passionate, while others were pensive or cold. There were also those that were crazy about him.

"The people are a wave, while I'm just a drop of water. Even so, the moment I rise above the wave, everyone's attention turns to me!" Tianming had been pushed onto a pedestal. Without the two main factions of the Violetglory Star vying for supremacy, his existence wouldn't matter. For instance, he'd had no such match on Orderia.

"Since that's the case, I should face this with all I have. The very least I can do is to make the people who support me happy! That's half of the people on the southern hemisphere of this star."

He would do his duty as a piece on the game board. With his mind made up, he had no more reservations as he had all of his lifebound beasts appear alongside his totems. Xian Xian's tree took root on the battlefield. He had also reclaimed the two million Yin Chen copies from Myriadmile City for this fight and spread them across the battlefield. Lan Huang ran between the mountains to warm up, while Meow Meow was still asleep on one of the peaks. Ying Huo opened its wings wide to show off its magnificent plumage before turning toward Qingyu and saying, "Yue Yue, look closely at your darling Chicken Bro show off!"

Even though many had seen the nine godswords before, shocked gasps could still be heard. "With an audience like this, it'd be a waste not to show myself off to make it more convenient for me to ask for treasures!"

Tianming's laughter charged the atmosphere in an instant. Beyond the violetstar clouds above were many cultivators of the dynasty with cold expressions on their faces. As Ye Chen hadn't arrived yet, they kept their cool, knowing full well that he was someone that had proved himself in the Astraldome.

"I heard Ye Chen say that Lin Feng wouldn't be his match in real life after the fight in the wondersky realm."

"His real name's Li Tianming."

"I don't care about the name. That's just a label. What I want to know is whether he's aware of Ye Chen's rapid growth in recent months. He's still so arrogant."

"If he doesn't it'll make this all the more exciting!"

"That would make for a good show."

"Look. What's Li Tianming doing?"

People began to chatter when Tianming's nine totems split into countless providence swords, all of which exuded powerful sword ki. Then, they were arranged to display a few words: 'You Are Pigs'. The cultivators from the imperium blew up. It was a childish provocation, but those of the dynasty's alliance felt insulted by the ignorant genius. Waves of cold smirks washed over Tianming.

"What an ignorant fool. He can't compare to Ye Chen at all in terms of character."

"Whoever said they could? It's clear that he's just some lowlife."

"How childish, he's like a three-year-old...."

As much as they pretended not to be offended, they had to suppress the urge to slap Tianming on the face. Regardless, the Violetcloud Alliance was all too humored by that provocation and waves of laughter came from behind Tianming. Perhaps this childish provocation lightened the mood and made Tianming seem down-to-earth, which was exactly what Tianming had wanted to do. He was here with an entertainment mindset; since his benefactors had placed their bets on him, he would ensure that they felt their money was well spent.

"Hey, what's with all the messing around?" Ying Huo asked.

"I want them to get angry and desire my loss. I'll let them look down on me, only for them to realize later that they can't even deal with me. That'll make them even more mad and please my benefactors more so that they're looser with their wallets," Tianming said.

"You're shameless," Xian Xian said.

"Say that again and you're gonna skip a meal."

"Why... Master Li, let Xian Xian give you a back massage!" Xian Xian relented the moment food was brought up.

The words he had formed with his totems still remained in formation as he joked around with his lifebound beasts, much to the ire of the other side.

"Where's Ye Chen?"

"Go, quick!"

"Dammit! Is this some kind of power move? Ye Chen should've been here before Li Tianming!" More and more people began speaking ill of Ye Chen; challengers should at least arrive before the people they challenge.

"Ye Chen, quickly come and deal with this trash!"

They were getting angrier as Tianming changed the words to display 'Ye Chen is a dog'. Those in the Violetcloud Alliance laughed at the juvenile provocation.

"This Tianming kid is too cute."

"Yeah. It's childlike, sure, but in a fun, teasing way."

Tianming was gaining fangirls by the moment; there was no downside to looking good. Ye Chen's late arrival only gave Tianming the opportunity to unleash more and more mockery. Fortunately, the dynasty's army arrived with even more fanfare than the Violetcloud Imperium had. There was no way they didn't know about Tianming's antics, so they hurried up even more.

"Make way!"

Without any grand announcement, a youth clad in white descended into the arena with a loud rumble as the crowd watched. Ye Chen's expression was blank. He looked at the words in the air, then at Tianming, still obscured by the misty clouds, and helplessly smiled. "You're so immature."

Everyone kept their eyes wide open, but they weren't impatient. This was a grand battle that had been building up in hype for a long time. At the very least, the combatants should be given the chance to air their grievances before the fight, which should last around three hundred bouts, right? Yet, nobody would expect that Tianming's nine thousand providence swords would come slashing down the moment Ye Chen had appeared, turning into waves of boundless sword ki.