Beastmaster of the Ages

Lan Yun was decisive and the bond between master and disciple seemed to have been severed at that moment. But in reality, they’d never truly had a genuine bond, just mutual exploitation. Recently, she had frequently been going to the Fallengrace Peak, which was very odd and gave Tianming a strong sense of danger.

When cracks appeared in their relationship, this facade of fake emotions didn’t surprise him. He knew that he and Lan Yun would eventually turn against each other, he just hadn’t expected it would happen so soon.

However, everything today was handled with a smile, and most of the elders present believed that the pink-haired girl was merely acting on a whim. She couldn’t possibly value Tianming much and would at most treat him as a plaything. If he was discarded after a few days, Tianming would still return to Lan Yun.

Hidden undercurrents lurked in the hearts of both Tianming and Lan Yun. Every hint, ambiguity, and confrontation fanned the flames.

Of course, the pink-haired girl didn’t know any of that. After dealing with Lan Yun, she said to Tianming, ”Come, obedient disciple, Master will take you to Suishen Cave to broaden your horizons.”

”Alright,” Tianming nodded.

”Little bro, are you coming? Or would you like to stay here and continue to embarrass yourself?” the pink-haired girl teased.

”Let’s go then, Number Three of the Ages!” Suishen Zhao rolled his eyes.

”You aren’t much better, Number Two of the Ages! Besides, I’ve taken Number One as a disciple. I’ll annoy you to death by flashing him at you everyday!” the pink-haired girl smugly said.

”All you know are little games like this,” Suishen Zhao said, baffled.

”What games? I dug him out of the Skyward Grandpath, which shows my keen insight and spectacular teaching skills!”

Following behind them, Tianming left the Ascension Colosseum under the complicated gazes of reverence, schadenfreude, shock, and silence. He left as Suishen Zhao’s replacement as the strongest genius below tenth-level cosmic cartographers.

His ranking was now in the three thousands. One more fight and his rank could enter the top two thousand. Then he could challenge the top thousand and enter the upper ruins. But he estimated that he would need to be a fourth-level cosmic cartographer to achieve that.

”Number Three of the Ages?” Tianming suddenly recalled Suishen Zhao’s words to the pink-haired girl. He connected the facts that the pink-haired girl was Suishen Zhao’s elder sister from the Three Exalted Houses and a fortuna disciple under five hundred years old.

”Her?” Tianming glanced back at the Fortuna Ranking. He suddenly understood. ”So, she’s Suishen Yao.”

***

As Tianming expected, Lan Yun went to Fallengrace Peak after leaving the Ascension Colosseum. She internally struggled much more this time compared to previous times. Although she was still icy cold, today her frosty face showed more fear and panic.

The blood-red door creaked open.

”Where is he?!” The giant blood cocoon squirmed in anticipation, but only Lan Yun entered after the door opened. The scene enraged the woman inside the blood cocoon. She crawled out of the blood cocoon, her grotesque face like a dying person and her eyeballs hanging out of their sockets. They swayed in the air as she fixated on Lan Yun with a fierce glare.

”Senior Sister! Don’t be agitated.... Listen to me, there was an extremely unlikely accident!” Lan Yun hoarsely said, mustering all her strength to get the sentence out. Even so, the blood mist in the entire hall still surged into her body, making her face appear even more red.

”Speak! If I’m not satisfied with what I hear, you’ll die today, Lan Yun!” the woman from inside the blood cocoon snarled. She crawled to Lan Yun, blood dripping from her body onto Lan Yun.

”My disciple Tianming defeated Suishen Zhao! After losing, Suishen Zhao wasn’t discouraged but regarded him as a rival, warning us not to touch him again until their rematch ten years later,” Lan Yun quickly said, her words filled with the fear of death.

”Are you mad? A tainted beastmaster from a mundus can defeat a supreme genius of the Three Exalted Houses who nearly broke their ancestral records?” the woman inside the blood cocoon coldly said.

”Senior Sister, that only highlights the boy’s extraordinary nature. Although I scold and suppress him daily, I know that his talent and aptitude haven’t been limited by his taint. On the contrary, those lifebound beasts greatly enhance his combat power, making him almost a perfect combat unit! The boy must be a miracle, and that’s why I recommended him to you, Senior Sister.” Lan Yun earnestly said.

”Stop exaggerating. You aren’t even sure if his explosive growth rate can last long. Your disdain and expectations of him can’t fool me,” The woman in the blood cocoon sneered.

Lan Yun’s inner thoughts had been seen through and she could only lower her head. As the woman in the blood cocoon had said, she couldn’t accurately judge Tianming. She hadn’t even thought he could win today’s battle.

She was simultaneously afraid he wasn’t strong enough, yet also afraid he was too strong!

”Is that all?” the woman in the blood cocoon menacingly asked.

”Not only that, but another troublemaker appeared,” Lan Yun said through clenched teeth.

”Who?” the woman in the blood cocoon rasped.

”Suishen Zhao’s sister, that crazy girl,” Lan Yun sneered.

”Suishen Yao! What does she have to do with this?”

”She was in Skyward Hall when Tianming entered the Skyward Grandpath and she altered the rules. Tianming’s first place on the Skyward Ranking is somewhat related to her. She considers him her protege and is using him to spite her brother. Just now, she publicly announced she would take him as a disciple and severed my master-disciple relationship with him. She’s taken him to Suishen Cave,” Lan Yun said with hatred.

”That crazy girl is reckless, has no scruples, and is backed by the Suishen family.... So you think you can’t afford to offend her?” The woman’s body was almost sticking to Lan Yun.

”I’m just a reverend. The Suishen family has many eminents. Even the entire Fallengrace Peak has to bow to them—”

”Rubbish!” The woman in the blood cocoon glared at her, raging, ”Do you see my current state? Do I have any way out? If I can’t live, why would I fear the Suishen family? You, Lan Yun, will die, too. What’re you afraid of?”

”What do you mean, Senior Sister?” Lan Yun trembled all over.

”Tianming’s wings aren’t fully grown yet, and I’m fully prepared today. He can’t stay in the Suishen Cave all the time. That crazy girl just treats him as a plaything and will discard him in a few days. When that happens, ignore everything else. With your strength, who can find out if you escort a fortuna disciple to Fallengrace Peak? When he vanishes without a trace, who’ll know you did it? Currently, House Huang is opposing him. Can’t you set up a small scheme for them to take the rap?” the woman in the blood cocoon roared.

Lan Yun gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

”I know you don’t want to take risks. But Junior Sister... don’t forget, without me, you’d have died many times in Myriadpath Valley. I can save you and raise you like a mother, but I can destroy you, too!” the woman in the blood cocoon shrieked.

”Senior Sister, I understand.” Lan Yun took a deep breath.

”Good, then. When I come back to life, we’ll still be good sisters,” the woman in the blood cocoon coldly said.

”I’ll find an opportunity and a foolproof plan to frame someone else right away,” Lan Yun said, pale-faced.

”I’ll give you a month! I can’t wait too long! If I die, you’ll die before me!” the woman in the blood cocoon coldly laughed.

”A month....” Lan Yun nodded and stood up. She said no more, leaving the blood-red hall and looking up at the outside, shrouded in immortal clouds. Suddenly, she gave a cold smile. ”You thought standing behind that crazy girl today meant getting rid of me?”

She could already sense Tianming’s wariness toward her. ”Myriadpath Valley is just like that. Once you die, no one will remember you. Even if you broke the history of Myriadpath Valley today, defeating the hundred-year-old genius of the Three Exalted Houses as a black ring disciple....”

Now, everyone believed Tianming’s explosive growth was limited, and after a stunning performance he would eventually fall. But he was gearing up to break that prejudice! ”At this moment, if I stop your progress, you’ll never have a chance to prove yourself!”

”Wouldn’t I be too cruel....” Lan Yun’s eyes slightly trembled, but she quickly calmed down. ”Without me, you’d have died at the hands of Reverend Daolie when you first entered Myriadpath Valley. Ultimately, I extended your life by three or four years. No matter how I treat you, you should thank me!”

With that thought, Lan Yun stopped thinking, leaving Fallengrace Peak. When she’d entered, she had been anxious. But as she descended, her worries dissipated, leaving only extreme coldness and ruthlessness.

***

The news of Tianming defeating Suishen Zhao and being taken as a disciple by his sister spread like wildfire through Myriadpath Valley! A hundred-year-old black ring disciple newly entering Myriadpath Valley and being invited to a duel by a young master of the Three Exalted Houses was shocking enough. But actually defeating him the very same day... the news was undoubtedly sensational for Myriadpath Valley.

Breaking history! Creating miracles!

At that moment, many reverends, and even eminents in Myriadpath Valley were discussing the young black ring disciple, not to mention the disciples and saints. Among them, the black ring wearers discussed even more passionately. From this moment, they finally recognized him, considering him the pride of all black rings.

However, many still sneered, ”Just burning out his potential early. Look again in a few decades!”

”Fierce as a tiger early on, useless as a dog later.”

”The top geniuses in Myriadpath Valley get stronger over time. Initially, various medicines and the effects of order fragments are significant, but after becoming a foundationeer, it’s all about your foundations.”

”I’m afraid this Li Tianming won’t even become a foundationeer.”

Such opinions still existed, but at least compared to before, when he was despised everywhere, things were much better. Now, those who wanted to look down on him had to think twice.