Beastmaster of the Ages

Tianming knew that a woman like Lan Yun would look down on him if he was weak-willed and regretted killing his senior brother. However, there was a possibility that she might be pleased if he was hard on Gong Xuan and his other senior brothers, but soft with her.

After hearing his words, Lan Yun pressed her knees together, squeezing Tianming’s head until it started to hurt. ”Must you draw the line? You killed the disciple I nurtured for ten years just because you felt like it. How does that make me look? Will I still have authority around your senior brothers?” she said, rolling her pink tongue.

”If they dare disrespect you, I’ll kill them all! Anyway, I’m worth ten of them,” Tianming said, gritting his teeth.

”You dare?!” Lan Yun was furious.

Even though Tianming’s forehead started to bleed, he believed he was doing the right thing. He wasn’t a psychopath; he wouldn’t attack his senior brother if there wasn’t a conflict. But he knew what Lan Yun needed, so he put on a different persona in front of her. He wouldn’t have been forced to create such a persona if Gong Xuan hadn’t stirred up those evil impulses. In fact, he had only been driven to take certain actions because of them.

”Master.” Not saying another word, Tianming looked at her with fiery eyes, filled with longing.

His gaze that melted the ice in Lan Yun’s eyes. ”What makes you think that you’re better than them all?” she softly chuckled, her voice contemptuous.

”Only time will tell. I only need ten years!” Tianming said.

”Ten years?” Lan Yun’s delicate body trembled with laughter. A while later, she stretched out her soft hands, pinching his ears as she moved closer to him. A sweet scent washed over him. She made eyes at him, her nimble tongue lightly touching the tip of his nose. Tianming felt like he had been jolted by an electric shock; no man would be able to forget her haughty charm and subtle teasing.

Her voice immediately turned cold again. ”Fine, I’ll give you ten years. I’ve never cared about the conflict and competition between disciples. Your actions set a precedent, and you’ll have to bear the consequences. You kill someone today, but someone else will kill you tomorrow. I won’t bother to bury you if you die, got it?”

”Thank you for sparing my life, Master!” Tianming nodded.

”You should beg your senior brothers not to kill you,” Lan Yun said.

”They don’t have the ability,” Tianming sneered.

His “surrender” to Lan Yun was a striking contrast to his strong attitude toward his senior brothers. Although her expression was cold, Tianming knew that he’d passed the test and his status in her heart had obviously improved again. Despite the danger, the path he was on was fun and exciting.

”Haha.” Lan Yun finally relaxed her knees and loosened the blue vine, releasing him.

There was no need for him to fake it. The evil impulses filled his eyes with possessiveness and the desire to conquer, and Lan Yun was pleased to see those emotions in him. Although his senior brothers felt the same, they didn’t dare to reveal a hint of them in her presence. In fact, Tianming tried restraining himself, but the evil impulses were too strong. He only lost control because he was focused on something else.

”Get lost!” Lan Yun waved her hands.

”Master, this is my courtyard.” Tianming scratched his head, grinning wide. He was indeed young and handsome.

”You’re right, you little beast.” Leisurely rising to her feet, Lan Yun put away her blue vine, her body gently swaying as she walked away.

Despite her icy demeanor, Tianming could sense that she was happy inside, which was proof that he had made the right bet. His senior brothers were Lan Yun’s astralkiln candidates. What could he do to make her think nothing of their death? It was very simple. All he had to do was make her believe that he was more available and would perhaps be her only option, then the others would be useless to her. He certainly couldn’t show weakness in front of his senior brothers, but he had to use a soft approach when dealing with Lan Yun. Maintaining that delicate balance was the only way he could gain a foothold in Myriadpath Valley.

”Master, I want to go to the Xenoabyss,” he said before she left.

”It’s just as I thought.” Lan Yun turned around, staring at him with displeasure. ”I was wondering how your cultivation grew so fast. It turns out that you’ve been visiting the Xenoabyss and taking shortcuts.”

”It’s true,” Tianming admitted.

”The Myriadpath Sourcespring and order fragments are both extremely appealing to most people, but I think order fragments are far inferior to the Myriadpath Sourcespring. Do you know why?” Lan Yun asked.

”I’d like to know, Master,” Tianming said.

”Whatever time you save leapfrogging by using order fragments will have to be paid once you get to the Foundation stage. Those who use order fragments progress faster in the early stage but slow down later on. Impurities in their orders also lower their maximum potential.

“On the other hand, the Myriadpath Sourcespring increases talent, comprehension, and physical capabilities. What it does is build a stronger foundation. It doesn’t have an effect in the early stage, but your cultivation will rapidly improve once you reach the Foundation stage. Contrary to order fragments, the Myiadpath Sourcespring also increases your potential!” Lan Yun explained.

”So ordinary people can use order fragments for faster progress at the Cosmic Cartography stage, but it’s best to focus on acquiring the Myriadpath Sourcespring instead of wasting time on order fragments to stand out at the Foundation stage, right, Master?” Tianming asked.

”It seems you aren’t stupid. In fact, the elites of Myriadpath Valley think nothing of order fragments or we would’ve exchanged cultivation resources for order fragments, or even invaded Aniquitas Mortis,” Lan Yun said.

”I see!”

Tianming had been wondering why order fragments weren’t popular in Myriadpath Valley if disciples could enter the Xenoabyss. Although there were marker points all over the Million Mundi, those entering the Xenoabyss were too weak. The natives were cunning and wary of outworlders, so those carrying resources that they couldn’t protect would most likely be killed. The best order fragments would also be hidden and protected by the antiquitean imperials.

With the stareye relay, Myriadpath Valley had every opportunity to obtain a large number of order fragments, yet they chose not to exchange them in copious amounts. They thought that the Myriadpath Sourcespring was far superior and order fragments were equivalent to poison for cultivation. Order fragments were uncommon and infrequently used in Myriadpath Valley.

”So calm down and focus on cultivation,” Lan Yun said.

”Master,” Tianming said just as she was about to leave.

”What else do you want?” Lan Yun turned around.

”What if I use the Myriadpath Sourcespring and order fragments? Will that cancel out the side effects?” Tianming asked.

After a moment of silence, Lan Yun shook her head and said, ”You’re so greedy.”