Beastmaster of the Ages

“I probably won’t be able to reach the bottom of the Heaven Cauldron by relying on the empyrean gold body alone. I need a powerful body-refining battle art. The Invincible Sword Body doesn’t strengthen my physique, so I need something similar to Xuanyuan Yufeng’s Onyx Draconian Art.” Tianming recalled how powerful Xuanyuan Yufeng’s physique was when he transformed into an Onyx Draconian.

“Ling’er already gave me the tribulation manna, so it’s not appropriate for me to ask her for stuff. I’ve already caused some uncertainties with the tribulation manna, so I should keep a low profile.” Tianming stood up and went to take a look. He had already settled Lin Xiaoxiao.

“I’ll be going out. Remember to clean the place up. It’s been a long time since anyone stayed here,” Tianming instructed.

“Got it,” Lin Xiaoxiao replied obediently.

“Be meticulous about it, alright?”

“Yes, Young Master.” Lin Xiaoxiao was practically gnashing her teeth when she said those words.

“Hey, you look pretty cute when you’re angry.” Tianming left the Number One Pavilion for the mountain next door, where Fang Xingying was cultivating.

“What’s the matter?” Fang Xingying came out of the corner and looked at Tianming indifferently.

“Where can I find a good body-refining battle art?” Tianming asked. He had been progressing swiftly. Just as he got familiar with the Human Branch, he had already come to the Earth Branch, and Fang Xingying was the only person he knew here.

“You can find it in the Triorigin Hall. There’s Triorigin Halls in the Earth and Heaven Branches. You can buy samsara body-refining battle arts as long as you have money, or take missions like hunting beasts or guarding the borders and hunting fugitives,” said Fang Xingying.

“I can spend money to buy them in Triorigin Hall?” Tianming remembered that he could only exchange for battle arts in the Human Branch through official channels, and he couldn’t buy them with money.

“Of course. Do you have tribulation crystals?”

“Nope.” Tianming had already used up all the pocket money Feiling had given him. The assassin had appeared before he could even take more, and Tianming lost his opportunity to contact Feiling.

“Then do you have contributions?” Fang Xingying asked.

“I didn’t have time for that.”

“Then what the hell are you asking for?” Fang Xingying smiled.

“There aren’t any free ones available?” Tianming asked.

“Do you want empyrean saint battle arts? I can give you two.”

“No thanks. They’re too weak for me.”

“Then there’s nothing I can do to help,” Fang Xingying replied.

“Think about it again and see if I can obtain peerless battle arts by being handsome alone,” Tianming said with a smile.

“There is one place.”

“Where is it?”

“In your dreams.”

“Bah. I’ll be going now.” Tianming turned around and left.

“Oh, I did think of one place that’s free,” Fang Xingying suddenly said.

“Go on.”

“The Deepstar Pool is opening soon, and there’s two places available this time. The Deepstar Battlefield will open the day after tomorrow, and you’ll be able to enter the Deepstar Pool to cultivate the Ancient Deepstar Godbody if you can obtain a place. The Ancient Deepstar Godbody is the strongest body-refining battle art in the Archaion Sect. It’s the Archaion Sect’s signature art. It’s famous, one of the Nine Pinnacle Battle Physiques in the world,” said Fang Xingying.

“What? Slow down. There’s too much information. Firstly, what’s the Deepstar Pool?” Tianming immediately went into the details when he heard of the Ancient Deepstar Godbody.

“The Old Deepstar Path’s core, where the astalsources are born.”

“What’s the astalsource?”

“It’s something strange. It has the power of tribulation patterns and spirit hazards, along with the essence and appearance of spirit ores. People call it a combination between spirit hazards and spirit ores. The Ancient Deepstar Godbody’s fundamentals are to absorb the astralsources into the body and forge the physique into an astral body. 

“Upon greater mastery, you can even pluck the stars out of the sky and travel through outer space. You can even control the Deepstar Pool to become the master of the Old Deepstar Path! The strength of the Ancient Deepstar Godbody depends on how many astralsources you absorb. The astralsource is limited, which is why there’s only two spots every time.” Fang Xingying explained.

“So powerful? I can even fly to the stars upon greater mastery?” Tianming asked.

“Those are just legends. How should I know if it’s true?” Fang Xingying replied.

“How is it compared to the Hexapath Samsara Sword?”

“They’re not of the same kind. One is an ordinary battle art, while the other is a body-refining battle art. But they’re equally powerful,” said Fang Xingying.

“Okay, I’ve decided to get that. How do I get a spot?” Tianming asked.

Fang Xingying did not reply but held back his laughter.

“What are you laughing about?” Tianming asked.

“I’m just joking with you. It’s impossible for you to participate because the registration is already closed. Furthermore, it’s limited to those under the age of twenty. You’re already overaged, right?”

“When’s the deadline? Where do I register?” Tianming asked urgently.

“Sourceglow Hall. Look for the palace lord to register. But the registry closed before the Human Branch’s faction battle. The Deepstar Battlefield will open the day after tomorrow, and there’ll be at least twenty thousand people entering,” said Fang Xingying.

“Holy shit! How unlucky!” Tianming felt terrible that he couldn’t catch up to this wave.

“Speaking of which, you can just get the sect master of the Human Branch to add you in. He’s not giving you a spot, and registering is nothing for someone of his status,” said Fang Xingying.

“You’re right.” Tianming didn’t even need Jian Wuyi’s help. 

“But you’re already overaged, and it won’t be easy to handle that. If that wasn’t the case, then even those in the Samsara stage can participate in it, and they’d definitely take it. I’m afraid that not even the sect master of the Human Branch can help you resolve the issue of your age,” said Fang Xingying.

“How is age determined?” Tianming asked. He had hidden his real age before in the Grand-Orient Sect, and no one knew exactly how old he was in the Decimo Dao Palace.

“The Sourceglow Hall has a heavenly pattern formation to test the age of your bones. There’s no way you can fake it,” Fang Xingying replied.

“Oh.” Tianming wanted to give it a try because he had the Aeonic Grandbane, not to mention that he also had a unique physique. So he wouldn’t know how old he actually was unless he tested it. With that, he turned around and left.

“Hey, you’re really going?” Fang Xingying asked in a daze.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be honest with you. You shouldn’t bother wasting your time.”

“Why?”

“The Deepstar Pool’s quotas are prepared for talented Heaven Branch disciples. Earth Branch disciples are just there to make up numbers. Twenty thousand people going after two places, do you have any idea how difficult it’ll be? In the Archaion Sect’s history, there were only three times where Earth Branch disciples obtained the spots…” said Fang Xingying.

“You’re saying that they’re reserved for people like Fang Xingque?” Tianming turned around.

“That’s right. He’s only sixteen, and he’s one of the popular candidates to get a spot. But there’s many Samsara stage disciples under the age of twenty in the Heaven Branch. In terms of strength, Fang Xingque can only be ranked in the top ten,” said Fang Xingying.

“No worries. It doesn’t hurt for me to give it a try,” said Tianming. He was still under the impression that he would be in the Earth Branch for a long time. But he didn’t expect that he would be facing Heaven Branch’s geniuses the day after tomorrow. After all, those people represented this continent’s elites!

“That’s normal. Everyone has the same thoughts as you,” said Fang Xingying.

“Do you have any other ideas?” Tianming asked.

“Nope.”

“See you later then.”

……

There weren’t many people in Sourceglow Hall since the registration had ended. Tianming came in and looked for Gou Yuqiu.

“What are you doing here again?” Gou Yuqiu asked.

“Palace Lord, I’d like to participate in the ‘Battle of Deepstar,’” Tianming said straightforwardly.

“The registration is already over,” said Gou Yuqiu.

“The sect master of the Human Branch asked me to participate,” Tianming took out the Human Sacred Seal.

“Okay. Go test your age. It’ll break the rules if you’re overage, and even the Human Sacred Seal will be useless,” said Gou Yuqiu.

Tianming guessed that this old woman’s status wasn’t low, and she was probably a tribulation elder. After all, everyone else knelt when they saw the Human Sacred Seal.

“Where do I take the test?”

“That room over there.”

Tianming entered and found himself in a spherical space. When he stepped in, the heavenly patterns began burrowing deep into his bones. Not long later, a total of twenty heavenly patterns appeared on the screen.

“Twenty years old. Count yourself lucky,” said Gou Yuqiu.

Tianming immediately rejoiced when he heard that. “As expected, my body grew younger due to the Aeonic Grandbane. But it’s probably also related to the Primordial Chaos Beasts’ bloodline.”

He immediately looked at Gou Yuqiu and asked, “Then, was my registration successful?”

“It’s done. Head to the Abyssal Battlefield with everyone else the day after tomorrow and wait for the Deepstar Battlefield’s opening. Here’s the registration token, and you can use it to exchange for an Astral Formation to enter. Don’t lose it.” Gou Yuqiu tossed a token over with the word ‘Deepstar’ engraved on it.

“Thank you, Palace Lord.”

“No need to thank me, let alone get excited. It’s where Heaven Branch disciples compete, and you’re only going there to broaden your view and get beaten up. It’s nothing worth being excited about,” said Gou Yuqiu.

“Okay, then I’ll be taking my leave.” Tianming left.

Gou Yuqiu burst into laughter. “This stinking brat even dares to scold Fang Qingli, that old bitch, asking her grandson to drink milk. That’s so satisfying, I like it.”

Tianming knew that the elders paid attention to his behavior.

……

Tianming returned to Fang Xingying and waved the registration token in his hand, “Look, what’s this!”

“You succeed?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s good to have a backer. You’re not the sect master of the Human Branch’s illegitimate son, right?” Fang Xingying asked.

“I can’t tell you anything. Why don’t you guess?” Tianming smiled. “You going?”

“I naturally am. This is a precious chance to be beaten,” said Fang Xingying.

“Don’t bullshit. You’ve already been beaten up pretty often,” Tianming curled his lips.

“You…!” Fang Xingying gnashed his teeth, because Tianming’s words jabbed into his sore spot. 

“Come, tell me how the Deepstar Battle works?”

“Go in and get beaten up before coming out. Then enjoy how the Heaven Branch disciples trash everyone from the Earth Branch.” Fang Xingying rolled his eyes, then continued in a meaningful tone, “We’re going in to be toyed with.”