Beastmaster of the Ages

"The Heaven Branch disciples are that arrogant?" Tianming rubbed his nose.

"There's hundreds of thousands of disciples in the Archaion Sect, but only five hundred Heaven Branch disciples. Everyone's about the same age, but they can stand at the pinnacle of the Archaion Divine Realm with their talent. They'll become masters of hundreds of millions of people, sooner or later. So it's natural that some of them are arrogant," Fang Xingying said with an envious tone.

"How many of them will be participating in the Deepstar Battle?"

"Those over thirty have to leave the Archaion Sect to decide their future. Many Heaven Branch disciples are between twenty and thirty. There are only about a hundred of them under twenty. So they're basically the top hundred in the Deepstar Battle," said Fang Xingying.

"The Deepstar Battlefield is located in the Abyssal Battlefield?" Tianming asked. The Abyssal Battlefield was a mirror to the Flameyellow continent, which was proven since the Nine Divine Realms were also mirrored through the bottomless holes.

"That's right. The Archaion Sect sealed off a region with the Deepstar Formation, and that's the Deepstar Battlefield," said Fang Xingying.

"Are there demon beasts in the Deepstar Battlefield?"

"There are. The demon beasts are one of the tests in the Deepstar Battlefield. That means you'll be eliminated if you're defeated by them."

"So, how does the ranking work?" Tianming finally asked something important.

"The seniors of the Deepstar Hall will implant an Astral Formation in the disciples' bodies, which will be activated when the disciple faces mortal danger to protect them. But that also means the disciple is eliminated. At the same time, you can obtain points by defeating others. The two with the highest points on the ranking after a month will be given the spots," Fang Xingying said with expectation on his face.

"So simple?" Tianming asked. That was similar to the faction battle, just that he would be alone by himself.

"It's not as simple as it sounds, as many factors will be taken into consideration. Furthermore, it doesn't matter how many people you've taken out; if your Astral Formation is activated, you will be considered eliminated. So even if you're first in the rankings, you can still be eliminated. Others might even besiege you. It doesn't matter how many people are attacking you, the one who activates your formation will take the points," said Fang Xingying.

"You're saying that you'll obtain ten points if you defeat ten people, and I'll take your ten points if I defeat you?" Tianming verified.

"That's right."

"That's exciting. That means you'll get more points by the stronger disciples, and at the later stage of the battle, everyone will have many points on them," said Tianming.

"Those weaker disciples in the Earth Branch are all betting on luck. But it's a pity that this kind of opportunity is rare. After all, the cultivations of the first and second on the ranking won't be too far apart," said Fang Yingxing.

"You're right. Only the strong can reach the top under these rules," said Tianming. This wasn't the same as the faction battle. You could ignore the other factions in the faction battle, but you have to fight in the Deepstar Battlefield, and you can't afford to lose!

"There's something even more exciting about it," Fang Xingying smiled.

"Oh? Go ahead and share it with me."

"The Astral Formation will guide you to your enemy's location within a range of ten thousand meters, and the other party will also know your location in the last three days. That means it'll be a big messy fight, and the rankings change drastically during that period," said Fang Xingying.

"They really know how to play," Tianming sighed. That meant that he couldn't even relax even if he had a high ranking.

"The last rule is the one that's the most exciting," said Fang Xingying.

"There's another rule?"

"Yeah. The Astral Formations of the first and second in the ranking will shine brightly in the Deepstar Battlefield, and their locations will be revealed to everyone. That means their effort will go down the drain if they're defeated, and those who replace them will also have their locations revealed. In a nutshell, it doesn't matter who ascends to the first and second rank, everyone will target them until the battle comes to an end."

"Isn't that too tough for the first and second on the ranking?" Tianming clicked his tongue.

"Only the strongest, smartest, and those who know how to grasp opportunities will come out on top. These kinds of rules are prepared for them. So even if your cultivation is slightly weaker, you can still come out on top if you have other advantages. Then again, you can also reach the peak if your strength is unparalleled," said Fang Xingying.

With that, Tianming had an idea of how the Deepstar Battle works.

Going to the Abyssal Battlefield for a month will affect my cultivation in the Old Deepstar Path, and it'll affect my cultivation's progress. But there's nothing I can do about it. I can only go for it for the body-refining battle art and my fourth lifebound beast!

It was obvious that Tianming benefited greatly from the Old Deepstar Path, and the Abyssal Battlefield's spiritual energy couldn't be compared to Taiji Peak Lake. Participating in the Deepstar Battle meant that his cultivation would fall even further behind.

However, the birth of a new Primordial Chaos Beast was more important. The battle would start the day after tomorrow, and Tianming planned to look for Feiling. After all, they would be separated for a month. But before that, he had to return to the Number One Pavilion.

"Xiaoxiao, I'll be participating in the Deepstar Battle tomorrow, and I probably won't be back for a month," said Tianming.

"Okay." Lin Xiaoxiao felt that was great, since she could go into seclusion for a month and give him a surprise when he came back.

"The Earth Pavilion has an Earth Formation. It's not strong, but it'll cause a huge commotion upon being attacked. I'll bring you over to the formation's core. You can cultivate there and activate it when required," said Tianming.

"Okay."

"Remember to clean up the place. Don't slack."

"Got it!"

……

In the Hexapath Sword Palace located at the Xuanyuan Lake, Tianming came as per usual to comprehend with Feiling opposite him. She had Xuanyuan Dao and Fang Qingli beside her, staying three meters around her to protect her safety.

"Your Eminence, I'll be participating in the Deepstar Battle tomorrow, and I might not be able to come here next month," Tianming said respectfully before he left.

"Okay." Feiling nudged her lips toward Tianming, with her back facing Xuanyuan Dao and Fang Qingli.

"Deepstar Battle? Don't you know that you can come out in between?" Fang Qingli suddenly spoke out.

"I can come out?" Tianming's eyes lit up. "I've just joined the Earth Branch, and I don't understand much about it.

"The game will last for a month, and you can activate the Astral Formation at any time, aside from the last three days, as long as there's no one within three thousand meters of you. You can get someone from Deepstar Hall to bring you out, but you can only use it once a day. Furthermore, you can't leave the battlefield for more than four hours," said Fang Qingli.

"You can do that?" Tianming was overjoyed by the unexpected surprise. Not only could he see Feiling, but he also wouldn't hold up his cultivation.

"The Heaven Branch disciples are making huge progress every single day, and they need the Old Deepstar Path to cultivate. So we can't hinder their cultivation," said Fang Qingli.

Tianming finally understood. So it turned out that it was because of the Heaven Branch disciples that a rule was in place that benefited everyone. That way, Tianming could participate in the battle while coming out every day to cultivate in the Old Deepstar Path.

As for why it could only be used if there weren't any disciples within three thousand meters of radius, that must be to prevent people from using it to escape and leave the battlefield. So Deepstar Hall wouldn't care about someone if there was anyone within three thousand meters of them.

It could also be used to verify if the surroundings were safe, but only once a day. At least until the last three days.

But people might not leave if they need to gather more points, Tianming thought. On the contrary, he wasn't in a rush. He knew that strength was the foundation to everything. But this rule made Feiling happy, since she could still see Tianming.

"Then I'll continue coming to the Hexapath Sword Palace to comprehend," said Tianming.

"Yes. You can't be negligent, since you obtained the Hexapath Sword God's fortune," said Feiling. But what she really meant was for Tianming to come and see her often, even if they could only look at each other. That was something Feiling had also been looking forward to in her dull cultivation.

"Yes, Your Eminence!" Tianming nodded. He was leaving, but he still wanted to take a risk. He said, "Your Eminence, I have some doubts about the treasure that you bestowed me. I wonder if you can help me with it?"

"Take it out," Feiling stretched out her hand.

"Yes." Tianming took out the Prime Tower and placed it in Feiling's hand. They were close, and he knew that Xuanyuan Dao and Fang Qingli were both staring at him. He would die if he had any other intentions.

"What do you want to know?" Feiling was nervous when she touched the paper at the bottom of the Prime Tower.

"There are three tribulation patterns at the bottom of the tower, and they're extremely complicated. I can't understand them," said Tianming.

"You're only in the Empyrean Saint stage, so there's no rush yet. Comprehend it again when you're in the Samsara stage." Feiling handed the Prime Tower back to Tianming. They had a rapport, and the note was passed to Feiling. It was risky, but they couldn't bear the feeling of not getting close to each other despite loving one another.

"Then I'll be taking my leave now." Tianming left.

On the other hand, Feiling continued comprehending for half a day before returning to the Soulburn Hall. She said, "I'm a little tired recently, and I'll be resting. You guys can wait outside."

"Roger."

Her bedroom was protected by heavenly pattern formations that wrapped around her layer by layer. Xuanyuan Dao and Fang Qingli stood outside and didn't dare to infringe on Feiling's privacy. Even a god would be uncomfortable being followed all around like this.

……

Back in the palace, Feiling opened the note and saw what was written on it. She held her mouth as tears started rolling down her cheeks when she read the note.

If someone asks me the four days I miss Ling'er, I'll answer: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

If someone asks me the three days I miss Ling'er, I'll answer: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.

If someone asks me the two days I miss Ling'er, I'll answer: Day and Night.

If someone asks me the one day I miss Ling'er, I'll answer: Everyday.