Beastmaster of the Ages

Many people on the fifth level had taken note of Tianming. For now, nobody dared to approach him to speak, as they didn't want to be the center of attention. But for that girl, she didn't need to think about it too much, given her status.

"We meet again!" She was dressed in a short blue skirt and had long, flowing hair. As a mysterian, she didn't have facial features, aside from the 'Shen' character on her face that demarcated her high status. Those were also her bane-rings, the core of all her power. She was Shenwu Yin from the Shenwu tribe of Skyway Bistar. Tianming still clearly remembered her totems. If she were a bit older, she might have qualified as a member of Team Celestial Beings. After all, she was a nonabane, and that was rare even in the Mysterium Cluster. Her totems were said to be legendary arcane gods that used to dominate the astralscape. She was among the few mysterians that wasn't hostile toward Tianming.

"Yeah, we meet again. You're quite capable, for you to come to this level so soon. Did you make a breakthrough?" Tianming asked with a smile.

She blushed and said, "No... how could it be easy? Cultivating is hard. I joined the normal Astralium Seeking, so my elder siblings carried me up here."

That was the loophole that had allowed the mysterians to clear out the battlefield before fighting for the top ten. They could just use their numbers and status to pick their ranks as they pleased, allowing geniuses like Shenwu Yin to come to this level, where she would grow much faster by fighting powerful challengers.

The Bloodbath Arena's group battle also had loopholes. Shenwu Yin's elder siblings could continue carrying her to the next level, but it would be much harder than in the Astralium Seeking. She could well become the weak link of the chain.

Seeing Tianming there, Shenwu Yin's curiosity grew. Though she didn't have eyes, Tianming felt her look of praise on him. She said, "Brother Tianming, I saw you use your totems to defeat Long of the Crimsonjade line, and you just did it again. I heard your true body is far away, so you might not know that you're the hottest topic in the Mysterium Cluster now."

"Is that so...."

"Yesterday's battle caused quite a bit of chaos at Skyway Tristar. I heard Brother Long vented for a long time and killed a few people before being punished. You gave him too much grief."

"Then do I need to apologize?"

"Umm... of course not! You defeated him fair and square! They're all saying that you're much stronger than you were on the fourth level, so you've clearly broken through."

"That's right." Tianming nodded and squinted his eyes. "But I'd like to know whether I'll be given payback for defeating a genius from Skyway Tristar despite my low status. Will Long find someone to assassinate me?" He had intentionally chosen those words, as he knew that people from multiple worlds were watching. Before they could make any moves, he would morally blackmail them.

Shenwu Yin seemed anxious at hearing that. "How could we? We mysterians are fair and just! It would be utterly beneath us to strike you down over a fair fight. In fact, we'll even protect you! I heard my seniors say that they've sent people to seek you out for you to be brought to Skyway Bistar for nurturing. We'll be able to meet then!"

"Skyway Bistar? How long will it take for you to reach me?" Tianming asked, trying to fish for the most important piece of information.

"Oh? Are you itching to come here right away?" she asked, face full of smiles.

"Somewhat. I'll be able to meet you then and I'll be counting on you to cover for me. I haven't even seen what a skypiercer-class world is like, so getting to see how majestic deific-class worlds are like would be awesome."

"Alright! Pinky promise!"

"Sure."

"Great. Liar gets hanged, okay?" She seemed a little too pure. Teenagers were no different from infants, as far as cultivators over a thousand years old were concerned. Her seniors hadn't exposed her to the devious and ruthless world. "Brother Tianming, once you come, I'll be your guide. I'll be twenty by then, so we'll be able to go anywhere you want! Even though we aren't as large as Monostar Skyway, our star is the most beautiful! I heard them say that you're to come here, since you're a nonabane."

She was quite curious about nonabanes outside of the Mysterium Cluster. Tianming had defeated Long—a specter from Skyway Tristar—twice, and she didn't feel any kinship with him. Thus, she bore barely any hostility toward the white-haired youth.

"If you'll be twenty when I arrive, that means a round trip takes at least four years, right?"

"Yeah. It's a little far, so it can't be helped. But it doesn't matter. Our divine astralships have nova sources and caeli imperius, so your cultivation won't be affected."

"It sounds far indeed," Tianming said, feigning a melancholic look. He didn't intend to go to the Mysterium Cluster at all, and was relieved to hear that it would take quite some time. At the very least, he would be safe where he was for another year. If he didn't have that information, he would have to constantly be wary of the imminent danger. It would be horrible if he was close to the Mysterium Cluster.

"Did only Skyway Bistar send divine astralships?" he casually asked.

"Nope. I heard Skyway Tristar also sent ships. Long's father, Qiang, is among them. He's a precentennial paragon, someone that was already close to becoming a sovereign before the age of a hundred! He dominates the ninth level of the Tranquil Battlefield. I wonder if he'll give you trouble on account of his son.... You can always choose to go with my cousin-sister on Bistar's ship instead. She's really nice and will treat you well."

"Alright. Thanks, Yin." He remembered the name Qiang well. His sobriquet sounded frightening indeed. However, he felt like he'd be able to achieve what Qiang had himself. Either way, he had two years at most before the time came. I'll get as strong as I can and try to find my way back to Orderia.