Beastmaster of the Ages

Damn, this guy was crazy. This lock has ten thousand layers, why even bother leaving this sword art to his descendants? Tianming complained to himself. Although he had yet to try, he knew his chances were really small. He understood, of course—this ancestor didn’t want outsiders to obtain his legacy through destruction or artificial means. It was meant only for descendants of the Lin Clan that could comprehend his sword. Because of that, the lock he put in place was aimed at the strong, or even those at the same level as him to prevent it from being stolen.

”Who could be good enough?” Tianming didn’t dare try for the time being. Withdrawing his black arm, he turned and asked Lin Xiaogui, who was still excited, ”Who left this stele? What were his or her unique qualities and weaknesses?” He wanted to know his opponent before picking their lock. After all, he was a professional thief!

It was obvious that Lin Xiaogui worshiped this ancestor in particular, thus she was willing to educate him. That was also his purpose in bringing her along. He didn’t know much about the Lin Clan, so it was easier having someone that could explain everything to him. Aside from this part-specter that was also despised by others, no one else would be willing to work with Tianming.

”Lin Feng, do you know the Swordgod Lin Clan’s era of the goddess and the fiend?” Lin Xiaogui asked.

”Would I ask if I knew? Enough bullshit. Spit it out,” Tianming angrily said.

Viciously glaring at him, she grit her teeth and said, ”The era of gods and demons was the last golden age of the Swordgod Lin Clan. During that time, the Lin Clan produced two successive reges mundi and each rex mundi ruled the Infinitum Mundus for more than three thousand years.”

There were reges mundi throughout the history of the Swordgod Lin Clan. Because of them, the Lin Clan was one of the thirteen Infinitum Regal Clans. Even so, it was rare to have two successive reges mundi come from a single clan. The two weren’t short-term or short-lived reges mundi, either. Being able to rule for more than three millennia proved that they had been unrivaled for thousands of years. Being the best for a short time was nothing, but being the best for a lifetime was incredible. Two reges mundi were indeed enough to create a prosperous age for the Swordgod Lin Clan.

“The two reges mundi, one fiend and one goddess, had a May-December relationship. One was of the same generation as the other’s grandfather. Their story’s spread far and wide in the Infinitum Mundus.” Although Lin Xiaogui had many masculine characteristics, it was clear that she was still into gossip.

”Wait, falling in love with a grandfather? A May-December relationship?” Tianming was shocked—were they so crazy?

”Same generation as her grandfather, not her actual grandfather!” Lin Xiaogui said, dumbstruck.

”Damn, robbing the cradle eh? But that’s still nothing compared to my Ling’er. She’s the old cow that’s chewing on this fresh grass,” Tianming said. Then he continued urging Lin Xiaogui. ”Go on! Who cares who they fell in love with? I’m asking who this stele belongs to. How strong was he? What were his strengths?”

”Alright.… The older of the two was called Lin Mo. He was from the second branch and goes by many names. Some call him the Swordfiend of Time, others call him the Grandvoid Swordfiend. Most call him by the latter, but the former is more appropriate because he created the Grandvoid Compendium and Temporal Sword Dao in Ebonia. Temporal sword arts are incomprehensible and his achievements in that regard have never been surpassed by anyone. His sword is an art. Time is the most ancient and profound order and not many people can grasp it. In fact, there are few who could throughout thousands of generations.”

”Time?” Tianming had never expected that. Of course, he knew the complexity and mystery of that order—he had two elements related to it. The first was the Grandvoid Universum, which carried the power of time, though that power came from his totems. At the moment, he could use it, but he had yet to grasp its essence. The other was Feiling. The Lord of Perpetia was clearly a master of time and space and her control over the two was excellent. Once she reached the Order stage, she would definitely cultivate a spacetime order. However, the two didn’t seem to be of much help in cultivating this particular sword art.

”Are these the chains of time?” Tianming placed his black arm on the sword patterns once more.

Lin Xiaogui solemnly continued, ”The rex mundi following him was Lin Xiaozhi. Born in the generation that would be considered of his grandchildren, she was his admirer and a disciple he personally nurtured. So they were a master and disciple in love. She eventually made the same achievements, succeeded him, and became the new rex mundi. Some call her the Unisword Goddess, while others call her the Infinitum Swordgoddess. What she cultivated was a spatial sword art that could shift or conceal space within the sword. The Xiaozhi Sword Art she created is also the best of its kind. Many claim that the most amazing part of it all is that the Grandvoid Compendium can be combined with the Xiaozhi Sword Art.”

Unisword Goddess? Infinitum Swordgoddess? She was definitely an illustrious figure. ”Xiaozhi Sword Art? Why not give it a more imposing name?” Tianming complained.

”Would that make it more powerful?” Lin Xiaogui asked.

”It sounds more intimidating when you shout it out!” Tianming replied.

”Shut up!”

“Okay, thanks for clearing up my confusion. Anyway, if you can sum it up in one word, it’d be: they’re super awesome,” Tianming laughed.

That was three words!

”Duh! They’re the spiritual sustenance of all Lin Clan disciples!” Lin Xiaogui said.

”Yours too?” Tianming looked up.

”I’m a disciple of the Lin Clan as well.” Lin Xiaogui emphasized each word, even though no one liked her.

”Me too,” Tianming said. He stood up and looked at the other disciples on the ancestral guidance stele. As they were stabilizing themselves, the disciples, with frowns on their faces, each freed up an arm to attempt to comprehend the sword intent.

”What’s recorded on this stele is the Swordfiend of Time’s Grandvoid Compendium?” Tianming asked. If he had to rely on comprehending the sword, he was very sure he would fail. Thus, he wanted to steal it.

”Yes, it’s the introduction to the Grandvoid Compendium, known as the Delayed Capture. It’s the most famous sword art in Ebonia,” Lin Xiaogui said with longing.

”Delayed Capture? What sort of silly name is that?” Tianming laughed.

”You!” That laugh made Lin Xiaogui angry. ”Don’t be a frog at the bottom of a well. Do you know what delayed capture means? Our image formations can record moving visual images. There’s a technique known as delayed capture, which can compress images taken over a long period of time into a very short period of time, thereby transforming static images into high-speed ones, compressing thousands of varying sword moves into an instant! It’s a superb use of the Temporal Dao. The speed of that sword is beyond your imagination. It’s the fastest sword art in all history!”

Tianming was mystified. Delayed Capture? This could also be called a sword move?

”Whatever. I’ll steal it and see if it’s that great.” He eagerly stared at the face made of sword patterns. It was clear that the other disciples were just as eager to comprehend the sword art.

”According to the rules of the Swordsoul Purgatory, this ancestral guidance stele will only appear for a month. There’s a countdown until it disappears. Three days have passed, so I still have twenty-seven days left. During these twenty-seven days, more will join us and others will be thrown off the stele. After a month, everyone will be considered to have failed and be thrown out. If someone successfully comprehends the sword art, everyone else will be thrown out as well.”

It was time to compete. Tianming was about to make a move when he noticed Lin Xiaogui casting a cold gaze at a beautiful, yet indifferent girl with black and white hair.

”Is she your sworn enemy?” Tianming asked with a smile.