Beastmaster of the Ages

There were originally a few specters from the Xenoabyss nearby, but the eminents of House Yumo had chased them away. A few disciples of Myriadpath Valley also kept their distance, like Tianming.

Yumo Yuanni stood there under heavy guard, holding the grade-seven order fragment that looked like seven cards fused into one. It rotated nonstop and gave off a dim glow, seemingly in sync with the sea of order in the sky. The sea of order seemed to send a unique stream of energy into the order fragment, which was something that hadn’t happened before. There was definitely something special about it that differentiated it from grade-six order fragments, hence why the antiquitean imperials were so secretive and protective about them.

Yumo Yuanni took out a large cauldron from his spatial ring and placed it on the ground. It seemed so heavy and steady that it was immovable. Right as he opened the cauldron, an unbelievable fragrance wafted out of it. Tianming could smell it from so far away as well—it was truly sweet and delectable! No doubt, it was springwater from the Myriadpath Sourcespring.

”Why does it smell of a faint womanly fragrance?” It was the first time that he had actually smelled the springwater; nobody had told him that it would smell like that. ”Where in the world did he get it from?”

He could only enviously observe. No matter what it smelled or tasted like, it wouldn’t change the fact that it was the most precious treasure of Myriadpath Valley. It was far more valuable than myriadpath steles or the Myriadpath Celestial Formation.

Even though Tianming wanted to snatch the order fragment and springwater from Yumo Yuanni, all he could do was fantasize about it. Chen Tianyong could only bully someone on the level of Reverend Daolie. People like Eminent Tiankui were way beyond him. Not to mention, this transaction was fulfilled in part by a true elite from the antiquitean imperials. They would definitely have their own security to maintain their reputation. It was essentially a gathering between the elite factions within Antiquitas Mortis and Myriadpath Valley.

As for Tianming, all he could do was watch it with envy. Yumo Yuanni jumped into the large cauldron with the order fragment in hand. Right after that, the lid of the cauldron completely shut. The springwater was gone, and what was left behind for all to see was the black cauldron.

From the sea of order above came a storm that flowed into the cauldron. It was a rare sight indeed. Tianming reckoned that he would believe it if he was told that Yumo Yuanni broke through three or four levels at once after seeing all that.

During the earlier phase, Yumo Yuanni focused on absorbing the grade-seven order fragment. Later, he absorbed xeno source from the surroundings. When Tianming felt a large stream of xeno source entering the cauldron, he knew that the youth had succeeded.

The six eminents carefully observed the scene with some agitation. Huang Daosheng also enviously watched on from the side. Finally, the cauldron opened and a black-clad figure flew out of it and landed on the ground.

”Congratulations, Minor Pathkeeper!” Eminent Tiankui said, the first to offer his felicitations. Unlike the other eminents, who were from House Yumo and had their destinies linked to the youth, Eminent Tiankui had to serve with respect and reverence.

The black smog in the area scattered and revealed Yumo Yuanni. His aura had visibly improved. He was much stronger than before, yet his expression didn’t seem quite right. Even the mask he wore seemed to reflect that subtly from the altered brushstrokes that made his gaze seem different.

”This....” Eminent Tiankui didn’t know what to make of it.

”What?” The other eminents approached.

Yumo Yuanni crestfallenly said, ”I only broke through once, not twice. I’m at the ninth level now.”

”You didn’t break through twice?” Eminent Tiankui asked.

”The growth of my order was stable, the effects of using the order fragment were just worse than I expected. Perhaps it’s the consequence of sustaining a normal, stable growth rate for a long time,” Yumo Yuanni said, somewhat disappointed. It was a success, though not to the extent of what they had expected.

”Very well.” The other eminents had a short discussion and turned back to Yumo Yuanni. ”Even though it’s a shame, it’s at least proof that pairing a top-tier order fragment with a lot of springwater has positive effects. Even though you’re one step short of your second breakthrough, it’s probably a good thing for you to take that last step through your own efforts. You must maintain a stable mindset and not let such a small setback hold you back.”

”Understood!” Yumo Yuanni respectfully nodded and put the cauldron away. The expression on his mask had calmed. He was a person of strong faith. ”Either way, breaking through once is enough for me to greatly improve on the Fortuna Ranking. It’ll bring me close to the top hundred.”

”Minor Pathkeeper, the nine divine idols of the Prehistoric Path are said to have a kind of essence that’s similar to legacy caeli that can help grow one’s order. Since it’s about to open soon, it might be the perfect push you need to cap off your second breakthrough!” Eminent Tiankui said.

”That’s right. Breaking through on the Prehistoric Path will impress even more people!” Yumo Yuanni said.

”That’s right. Since ancient times, those that have been able to make breakthroughs before the nine divine idols all went on to have amazing achievements, becoming eminents at the very least,” said an eminent of House Yumo. ”Yumo Yuanni, how far do you think you are from the tenth level?” asked another eminent.

”I’m only a step away,” Yumo Yuanni said.

”That’s perfect.” The eminents of the house smiled and Eminent Tiankui joined them, followed by Huang Daosheng as well.

”Let’s head back to Myriadpath Valley!” Yumo Yuanni declared. ”Prehistoric Path, nine divine idols, here I come.”

***

”Agh, I’m so envious!” Tianming popped out after they were gone. ”Even though he didn’t break through twice, he managed to shorten his path by a lot. Looks like pairing springwater with order fragments works pretty well. Sounds like it can even shorten the time needed to observe legacy caeli.”

If someone like Yumo Yuanni had managed to benefit from that, no doubt Tianming could as well.

”One ’keg’ of springwater, huh?” It sounded like some kind of unit. Perhaps it was around a ton of liquid. ”I wonder how many kegs of springwater I’ll need to get rid of all the red dust in the Sun and Ebonia....”

”Would you save it up if you got some or use it right away?” Ying Huo asked.

Tianming gave it some thought. ”I’ll use it right away. An amount that’s too small won’t be enough to save everyone. However, if I can strengthen myself using springwater, I’ll be able to obtain even more down the line and protect myself better.” At the end of the day, one’s own power and authority were the most reliable. If he was invincible in Myriadpath Valley, he would be able to get as much springwater as he needed.

After waiting half a day, Tianming went to the stareye. He wanted to make sure that he didn’t transfer back the moment the eminents arrived, since there was a time lag during the transfers. If Huang Daosheng said something about him that caused the eminents to wipe him out, it would be a disaster.

Ten-odd days passed and Tianming returned to Myriadpath Valley. Like usual, he felt rather disoriented as his astrons were reassembled.

”I went to the Xenoabyss for half a year. Not only did I not make a breakthrough, I had to watch someone else break through using a grade-seven order fragment. Uncle Hei said that I should also start working on my relationship with the Suishen siblings, or they’ll forget me....”

Suishen Yao instructed that Tianming shouldn’t look for her on his own accord, so he was trying to figure out how he could close their distance. Just then, his transmission stone from Suishen Yao began flashing. He immediately turned it on.

”You little... Little Li, where were you?! I’ve been looking for you for the better part of the month!” Suishen Yao said, hands on her hips and eyes wide with anger.

”Minor Pathkeeper, I was away on a mundus mission. Apologies,” Tianming said with a measured sense of respect.

Ying Huo saw that and asked, ”Huh? Didn’t Uncle Hei ask you to get on her good side? Why do you seem so cold and neutral?”

”What do you know? With girls like these, you can’t be too affectionate. Otherwise she’ll look down on me,” Tianming telepathically replied.

”Dang, you’re the relationship expert. It’s no wonder every time I see Suo Yue, she ignores me no matter how much I try to appeal to her!” Something crucial clicked in Ying Huo’s mind.

As Tianming was still cringing, Suishen Yao said, ”Fine, fine, fine! Come to Suishen Cave right away! We’ll wait for you at the entrance!”

”I’ll be there right away.” Tianming immediately boarded the shuttle back to Myriadpath Valley. When he got off, he used Fiveway Blitzrun, which was much faster thanks to his recent breakthrough. Even reverends would have a hard time capturing him now, unless they had something to threaten him with.

”She said ’we’ just now. Suishen Zhao must be with her too. A few years have passed since I defeated him. Is he going to challenge me again?” Tianming wondered. Those two were from one of the Three Exalted Houses, so their patience wasn’t to be tested. Tianming wanted to ensure that his ties with them paid off somehow.

He rapidly zipped in the direction of Suishen Cave. If it weren’t for Suishen Yao informing the guards about it, Tianming definitely would have been stopped way before he got so close. Soon, he arrived at Suishen Cave.

He looked into the distance and saw the red-haired Suishen Zhao and the pink-haired pixie, Suishen Yao. Her pure, yet proud and mischievous temperament was as charming as usual. What surprised him was that there was a third person next to them!