Beastmaster of the Ages

Tianming took a deep breath as he stood on Astralium. It cost him his lifebound beasts and the temporary elimination of his totems to kill Long. The cracks on the Grand-Orient Sword spread out even more; it was on the brink of breaking. He had also suffered damage from a lot of the astralforce from Long's strike, along with a few blood spikes piercing through his body. His abdomen, thigh, and shoulders were filled with holes and still bleeding. He was in great pain, but so what?

He turned around, seeing Long's body fizzle away in the air before being able to utter his last words. This was an outcome that the universe had had no way of being able to predict. In terms of pure power, he was still quite some ways off from Long, so much so that no spectator would believe that Long could be defeated while being surrounded. Yet he'd had one final trump card that had still managed to turn the tides at the last moment. Despite the mysterians' coordinated effort to sweep the battlefield, Tianming had managed to fight back against geniuses from deific-class worlds and eliminated Crimsonjade Long!

Countless worlds watched him, committing his name to memory for the rest of history. Time and time again, Tianming had foiled the mysterians' plans to kick him out, and now he was in the top ten. This was like a slap to every mysterian's face. They were unable to describe how embarrassing this all was. Even with Tianming's totems and beasts completely gone, coupled with his heavy injuries, it was no less glorious. The others that surrounded Tianming were feeling just as much at a loss. Some even forgot about not interfering in the fight and charged toward him with rage after seeing him stomp on Long's head.

"How dare you mess with us mysterians?!"

"Die!"

About six people attacked at the same time, all of them stronger than Yanwu Ming. There was no longer a way for Tianming to resist.

"Hahahaha...." He didn't fight back at all against the attacks that were fiercer than Long's, but he didn't show the slightest bit of fear. "It's a shame I didn't get the chance to wipe you all out. I came here in a bit of a rush, you see, and didn't expect to run into people on your level. But it doesn't matter. I'm already in the top ten, so the next arena is the fifth level of the Tranquil Battlefield. I'll challenge every single one of you here. Let's see which of us is the real strongest one in the astralscape."

If he lost here, he would only be able to enter the Astraldome again in a month. But per the rules, those in the top ten would be able to go to the next level. In other words, Long would go back to the fourth level the next time he entered, while Tianming and the rest would go to the fifth. Even if he was fated to be defeated in the Astraldome today, that didn't mean he wouldn't have a chance of rising back up in the future.

Guess the only difference is that I'll only be challenging them for glory instead of a tangible reward like the grade-nine Grand-Orient Sword. He was quite nonchalant about it, knowing that even if he managed to get the top spot, he wouldn't dare to claim the reward in the real world. His mind was in the right place, fueling his fighting spirit. He didn't feel fulfilled at all, having only defeated Long at the cost of sacrificing his totems and beasts. It was a suicidal attack, not the kind of dominating glorious victory he wanted.

"Remember! The next time I appear, my sword will pierce through every one of your faces!" He opened his arms wide as the six others attacked him. His declaration and fighting spirit brought waves of cheers and outrage both at his name. It was almost like he could feel it all the way from the real world. To the mysterians, who weren't used to being challenged, this was going too far. Even many sovereigns wouldn't dare to utter such words. They looked at him with puzzlement, wondering where a youth like him got the guts to say all that.

Being able to fight without regard for anything is exhilarating! I have to watch my behavior all the time outside! There was no way he would dare to say these words if he were really at those deific-class worlds in the real world, though the benefit from doing so in the wondersky realm had brought him immediate benefits. He could already feel the religious fervor channeled his way from the Violetglory Star and couldn't wait to return.

"I crushed Long and shook the entire Mysterium Cluster, and even made it to the fifth level! I wonder what surprises the Violetglorians have in store for me." He let the attacks land while his heart was filled with hope. One blade after another pierced through his body.

"You're an interesting one, I'll grant you that. But Long is merely the weakest among us!" Weisheng Xi said as he descended. He was a youth that looked as stiff as a corpse.

"Don't even bother with boasting. Show me your skills when we get another chance to fight," Tianming said, looking at the weapons in him.

"Hehe...."

Three others came to Weisheng Xi's side, one of whom was a Yanluo tribe beastmaster, another a totemancer that resembled Shenwu Yin, and another girl shrouded in clouds. Tianming fizzled away before he could get a good look at her. He reckoned that the known universe wouldn't forget his words.

He would come back in a month. Now, the spectators didn't just look forward to the matches between the nine that remained, but also Tianming's eventual return. A line of white text rose into the sky, reading, '10th Place, Violetglory Star, Li Tianming'.

In other words, the Wondersky-Mysterium Alliance would have to send the reward for the tenth place to the Violetglory Star using a divine astralship. If he wasn't mistaken, it should be three grade-eight manna imperius of his choice to be used until the evolutions succeed. He would have to pick them when he returned to the fifth level a month later, but whether he would actually get them was another matter entirely.