Beastmaster of the Ages

After going from the Azuresoul palace to the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect to the Violetcloud Imperium, Tianming could finally ask for whatever he wanted. He was now in the best position he had ever been in with the sovereign's support and his own achievements. As such, he immediately turned to Gong Xiong and Shengui when they arrived at Violetpeak. "Gentlemen, I'm sure the Violetcloud Imperium has some eight-star universal manna I can use, right?"

"Holy crap!" the two of them exclaimed in unison with the same expression despite their different statures and physiques as they stared at him.

"What's wrong? Is the imperium incapable of providing it?"

"Man, do you think eight-star universal manna grows on trees? They're even rarer than grade-eight divine artifacts!" Gong Xiong said. For things of the same grade, manna was usually the rarest, followed by divine artifacts, then divine pills, divine ores, divine herbs, and divine hazards in that order. Eight-star universal manna allowed beasts to evolve into eight-star divine beasts. So far, apart from the lifebound beasts of the Divineglory Dynasty's sovereign, there were few other eight-star divine beasts. There wasn't even a single one on Orderia.

"Does the Violetcloud Imperium not have any here?" Tianming asked.

"There's a good chance there's some. After all, we don't have as high a demand for them as the Divineglory Dynasty. However, there'll be one or two at most and they're among the most precious treasures. Even if an astralking like you wants to take them, you might have to go through a lot of hoops. At the very least, you'll need the Pentarchy's permission," Shengui said.

"That's right. Anything else is fine, but we still have to ask for permission for eight-star universal manna and there's a high chance we won't be able to obtain it," Gong Xiong said.

Tianming had only asked to be sure. Ying Huo and the rest were still growing, and now he wasn't sure if he could obtain eight-star universal manna for them. I just came here and have only defeated Ye Chen, after all. I suppose it's unrealistic to get Ying Huo and the rest to evolve to the level of the other sovereign's beasts. He put the thought behind him and focused on other things.

"Then just ask about eight-star universal manna for me. As for seven-star ones, I'm sure you've got them in abundance, right?" The Veildragon Palace had become so strong because they used up the manna that totemancers like celestial orderians didn't need, though the Veildragon Palace had rejoined the sect proper now that their Dragon Imperials had perished.

Shengui patted his chest and said, "We do have quite a bit of those. We don't have many beastmasters, after all, and even fewer who've achieved enough to be rewarded with them. We should have around fifty to a hundred of them."

"I need six of them," Tianming said. Of his five lifebound beasts, only Ying Huo was a seven-star divine beast, so he needed four more for himself. As for Lingfeng, he was a specter, so universal manna was useful to him as well. Though he wouldn't experience as many changes as lifebound beasts, he would still be able to grow to a certain degree. Xiaoxiao's Archaionfiend would also need one. Seven-star universal manna were already incredibly precious treasures; some astralkings didn't even have all their lifebound beasts evolved to seven-star divine beasts, so Tianming's demand for six of them was shocking to the other two.

"That's a huge ask! I respect that," Gong Xiong said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"It's alright. I think my performance is worth that much," Tianming said. Unlike Ye Chen, he had no need to hold back with the Violetcloud Imperium, nor did they need his loyalty or love. It was a simple transaction that made both sides happy, which gave him even more freedom. At the very least, if the imperium ever turned against him, he wouldn't feel bad about it, either, as he could simply leave.

"Six it is. I'll go get them for you, so tell me what attributes you need," Shengui said stubbornly.

"Thank you, Old Master."

"No need for thanks. I'm still counting on basking in your limelight."

Six seven-star universal manna would greatly boost their group's power. For now, Tianming only had Qingyu reveal eight of her bane-rings and hide one of them away, like him. Even so, the talent of the five of them still shocked many in the imperium. Even Feiling was considered a young genius, thanks to the primalwings she had.

Now that the manna had been dealt with, Tianming moved on to his next step. "Apart from that, I'm in dire need of divine ores."

"Divine ores? What do you need them for? They're normally used to forge divine artifacts. If you aren't a smithing guru, couldn't you just ask for divine artifacts directly? I see that you need an upgrade from the one you're using now," Gong Xiong said, talking about the Grand-Orient Sword.

"I'm using them to feed insects." Tianming took out a silver egg in his hand that turned into a locust with black mandibles that fiercely stared at Gong Xiong.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Ideally, I want ore veins that are near Myriadmile City. I don't want too many, either, just five would do!"

"Five whole ore veins?! Just for feeding? These span multiple mountain ranges, you know?"

"Yeah. Would that be difficult?"

"I can't say for sure... but your request is a bit odd. Divine ore veins are raw materials, so nobody's ever asked for them as a reward before. Currently, the ones in charge of mining are the Goldseal Archclan. I have to go to the Xuanluan Hall and discuss it with them first. Naturally, I don't think it'll be an issue with your current status."

"Alright. I'll be counting on you, Brother Xiong."

"No worries. I'll definitely work to get you what you want. You don't know how bad it felt to be sent to a backwater like Primary. Those primalwinger girls are like beansprouts, their waists aren't even as thick as my member!" he said with a hearty guffaw. It could be seen how truly happy he was to return to the imperial core. In a sense, Tianming was his benefactor.

Gong Xiong headed toward Xuanluan Hall, leaving Tianming behind to wait for the good news. Through Yin Chen, he found out that the top-ranking smithing gurus were from the Goldseal Archclan. They were all master smiths, and any artifact forged with their seal was guaranteed to be of quality make. Their skills had been honed over millions of years; even though the Gong Prime Clan now reigned supreme, the Goldseal Archclan still had the most sway when it came to divine ores and artifacts.

The same was the case with divine herbs, pills, arts, formations, tomes, and caeli. Most of the impressive legacies were still controlled by the Pentarchy. That was the reason the Gong Prime Clan wasn't able to completely dominate, despite the sovereign being from their clan. The Pentarchy wasn't a faction that could just be wiped out without severe consequences. That was another reason why the sovereign had made Tianming an astralking.