Beastmaster of the AgesBeastmaster of the Ages
Tianming went to Battlesky Hall to submit his mission report.
"How many darkfiends did you kill? Give me the eyes and you'll get your merit points," the myriadpath saint in charge said.
"Uhh...." Tianming flipped through his spatial ring and said, "I don't have any."
"Then stop wasting my time!" The saint was speechless. Four out of six members in the mission perished, and not a single darkfiend eye to show for it. It was unprecedented!
"I’ll definitely contribute to Myriadpath Valley next time," Tianming said as he turned and left. With the Kilopath Net no longer in House Huang's hands, he didn't have to hide and sneak. Huang Daosheng also knew better than to seek trouble with him in the meantime.
"Eh? Why does this person have the same aura as a lifebound beast?"
"Can't you tell? His clothes are covering it, but his lifebound beasts are growing out of his body!"
"We call them tainted beastmasters back home, right? How could someone with so little talent join Myriadpath Valley? Was it because he has good connections?"
"Have you been living under a rock? He's one of the most infamous people in Myriadpath Valley these days! He even violated the fiancee of a disciple with eminent potential in a public arena recently!"
"What? Tell me all about it! My friend also wants to know!"
Similar discussions carried on all over the place. As word spread, the looks they shot Tianming slowly began changing. They were a weird mixture of disgust and envy.
"Either way, being able to reach the Fortuna Ranking and breaking all historical precedents ensure that his name will be recorded in the annals of Myriadpath Valley."
"That's right. It's thanks to him that black ring disciples like us have a time to shine. I'm impressed. I hope that he can keep it up even longer and not squander his talent too early."
Cultivation didn't always progress at the same rate. Some people are early bloomers that quickly run out of potential, while others are late bloomers that end up getting better and better results only to overpower everyone else at the end of the race. Most people believed Tianming to be in the former camp, riding the high of his tainted beastmaster early bloom.
"Well, even if he's a tainted beastmaster, we have no right or standing to look down on him."
"That's true! The fact that he dares to fight back makes him the pride of us black ring disciples."
As for gold ring disciples, most of them still viewed him with contempt, though none of them bothered teaching him a lesson on House Huang's behalf. As such, Tianming's actions in Myriadpath Valley basically went uninterrupted. In fact, he had gained a certain measure of recognition. Anyone that could create miracles like him would be respected in Myriadpath Valley, few as people like that were.
"Everyone! Go outside, quickly!" someone cried in Battlesky Hall out of nowhere. Tianming was right at the entrance. A few hundred people immediately ran out.
"What's going on?" He thought that they were coming after him and hurried outside, lest he get ganged up upon in the hall. "Wait, isn't combat in Battlesky Hall forbidden?" He turned back and saw that the other disciples weren't looking at him and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Stop being... self conscious," Yin Chen said, unable to stifle a laugh at his pathetic display.
"What's going on?" Tianming ducked to the side and watched as people squeezed toward the entrance. In a few short moments, the hall was empty.
"There is... a handsome... man outside."
"What kind of handsome man could possibly cause such a commotion? Is he as handsome as me?" Which talented genius in Myriadpath Valley could possibly make the other proud disciples fawn over him like that? Even if most of them had their pride sanded away after joining, they still retained a modicum of it. Tianming followed the crowd outside.
"It's him!" someone shouted.
"That's right! A minor pathkeeper!"
Tianming asked, "What's that?"
"It’s a... long story—" Before Yin Chen could start its slow stammering, Tianming stopped it when he got a good look at that genius.
"His name's Suishen Zhao, right?"
"That's right! It's him, the youngest minor pathkeeper to date! He's from House Suishen, one of the Three Exalted Houses!"
Eventually, the discussion got softer and softer until it entirely stopped, as if they were worried they would disturb Suishen Zhao. From his gaze, all of them could tell that this young minor pathkeeper was passionate, ambitious, and worthy of respect. The 'normal' members of Myriadpath Valley could only aspire to reach the heights that someone like him had achieved.
The white-clad youth held his hands behind his back. His head of red hair was neatly tied up, yet it shone like a brilliant flame that illuminated the land. He was a human of tall and slender build that seemed proud and vigorous, yet refined like jade. His flame-like hair wasn’t the least bit violent; instead, it gave off a gentle, pleasant warmth.
Right as Tianming looked at him, he turned to face him. No wonder Yin Chen called him handsome! His facial features were like works of art without the slightest flaw, as if they had been painstakingly sculpted with virtuosic intent. He seemed like the idolized form of a handsome youth.
Tianming noticed a unique flame-like marking between his brows. It was a crimson, flaming lotus that resembled Ying Huo's Skyscorch Wrathlotus. It seemed to be the perfect cherry on top of the beautiful work of art that was Suishen Zhao, allowing him to stand in a completely different tier compared to the common folk.
In terms of eye-catching uniqueness, only Tianming, with his white hair and black and gold irises, could possibly compare to Suishen Zhao. Without the 'tainted' label to prejudice how others judged him, he objectively looked as impactful as Suishen Zhao.
"The youngest minor pathkeeper ever, huh? Why would someone like him personally come to Battlesky Hall?"
"I don't know. I feel like he's waiting for someone."
"He couldn't be waiting for me, could he?" a beautiful gold ring disciple said, blushing.