Beastmaster of the Ages

Based on the atmosphere, it seemed that their journey today wouldn't be a relaxed one, to say the least. Tianming entered the residence as Astralqueen Ziyan beckoned him over, with Gong Xiong hurriedly following behind. Meanwhile, the Starchasers surrounded Tianming, staying nearby and constantly following him. There was no way Tianming could spend any time alone with the astralqueen, not that he would need to.

The moment he entered, he noticed that this fragrant and elegant compound reflected the refined taste of its owner. The wafting fragrance seemed to calm his nerves. Oddly, the silhouette he had seen within just now was nowhere to be seen; there was nothing but empty space.

"Huh?" Tianming looked around, not seeing a single person. As he was doubting himself, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder and turned back.

"Nice to meet you," said a gentle voice. She sounded like someone in her mid teens, sweet and jolly. Tianming almost thought that it was Feiling speaking to him. In fact, she was a young girl dressed in a purple dress with a short skirt. She had a head of long, light violet hair and two dark violet eyes. Her skin was fair and flawless. She was cute, mischievous, and enchanting. Her wide eyes radiated an air of innocence and purity, making her appear like a harmless fairy; however, her bombastic figure didn't quite fit the innocent look on her face, creating quite the contrast. Her figure was just like Huiye Shi's, perhaps even sexier!

"Um, who might you be?" Tianming asked. If he just focused on her face, he would have treated her like a peer of his age, though he suddenly felt off when he asked the question. There was a pressure radiating from her that appeared to be so strong she could stand among the top elites of the Violetglory Star.

"Mu Ziyan, of course." She smiled at him, both hands behind her back and her face slightly flushing red, as if she was a little drunk. Even so, her bashful demeanor seemed too realistic. The only way to tell that she wasn't actually a young maiden was to look beneath her face!

"I see, Astralqueen Ziyan, well met." Tianming backed off, feeling a chill down his spine. His gaze swept past her short skirt that revealed the full, fair thighs of this 'senior' and doubtfully looked at Gong Xiong. Gong Xiong merely shrugged, proving that she was indeed Astralqueen Ziyan. It was the first time Tianming had seen a senior that looked so young, at least in her face. Her well-developed body, on the other hand, was fitting for a woman of her age. Even then, the fact that she dressed like any young girl made Tianming fear even directly looking at her. While Feiling's true age did have him guessing, at least there was nothing about her looks that suggested she was much older than she was.

Eventually, the two of them awkwardly stood before each other. In his lifebound space, Ying Huo and Meow Meow began grumbling about finding a new top-tier mount. The 'young girl' in front of him widened her eyes and circled him with her hands behind her back. "Little Boy, I've already refused to let the other four come into the Imperius Ruins with you. Don't tell me you're mad about that?"

Given how courteous she was being, especially with her girlish demeanor, Tianming couldn't do the same thing he did to get Astralking Xuanluan to cave. He kept his eyes on her body and said, "I'm sure you have your own considerations, Astralqueen Ziyan, and naturally, I respect them. However, I wish to have a chance to at least discuss it with you."

"What's there to discuss? I wanted you to come here to get a good look at you for myself, that's all," she said, narrowing her eyes, making them look like crescent moons. Tianming noticed four violet teardrop marks beneath each of her eyes, vertically lined up. They were actually bane-rings of the Violetcloud Archclan! There were eight of them in total and they somehow resembled the bane-rings of Huiyue Jie of the divine moonrace, though he only had six. She looked like she was shedding tears all the time; even her smile seemed beautifully melancholic, thanks to them.

However, Tianming couldn't allow himself to pity her, as she was a potential future sovereign. "You wanted to see me? For what?" he said sternly, keeping a distance from her.

"To see the genius that'll come to shake countless stars, of course. Still, if only we could spend some time alone together... hmph." She turned and stared at Gong Xiong and the rest with some resentment.

Tianming immediately changed the topic. "Astralqueen Ziyan, my friends are all really talented, probably as talented as Gong Yin, a fellow peer of our age. They joined the imperium with me. Gong Yin was allowed to enter the Imperius Ruins as a fellow talented youth, so I believe they deserve the same right as well. If you have qualms about it, we can even have them challenge Gong Yin to prove themselves."

Gong Yin was the current second-ranking disciple on the Violetglory Ranking and the number-one disciple of Violetcloud Imperium, being approximately an eighth-level constellier.

Astralqueen Ziyan said, "Little Boy, what kind of joke is that? Why would they need to challenge Gong Yin?"

"Astralqueen, won't you even afford them this chance?" Tianming said, furrowing his brow.

"Sigh!" She pouted and pushed her finger against his chest. "I mean to say that they can enter at any time."

Tianming thought he had misheard her. "The four of them can go there to cultivate like me?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

"Because you brought them here. That, and the Violetcloud Imperium also already knows their talent. Putting aside Lin Xiaoxiao and Ye Lingfeng's performance in the wondersky realm, even the octabane Li Qingyu and that primalwinger girl are to be cherished as treasures. Naturally, they have the right to enter," she said with a serious look. Her serious expression even seemed a little cute.

"Wait...." Tianming was quite confused. He had thought that he would need to confront her for their right to enter, yet she had agreed and even given him a reason why before the confrontation even started. There was no fight to be had at all. He had thought she would be another vile and cold beauty like Li Wushuang, but it was completely the opposite.