Beastmaster of the Ages

Within the Lin Clan’s council hall were many powerful figures, seated in plain-looking wooden chairs watching the opening of the Oldgod Domain. The atmosphere was incredibly tense. When the minor reges mundi ranking had been announced, the entire Infinitum Swordsea had felt something pressing down on them. Quite a few seniors of the clan had told their descendants to stay home to prevent getting wrapped up.

”The children have all gone in. I’ll take my leave,” said the one-armed Lin Jie as he rose from his seat. One could watch the fights in the Oldgod Domain from the council hall; it was big enough for every disciple’s points of view to be projected.

”The young ones usually take the first year or two to get themselves used to the new environment. There shouldn’t be much to see,” someone said.

”Let’s just leave!”

Right as they were about to go, a gigantic green skeleton appeared in one of the feeds.

”What’s that?”

”I’ve never seen anything like it.”

”Is it a skeleton of some different race? A specter?”

”It doesn’t look like it. It looks human, for starters.”

”That’s Lin Feng!”

Only then did those in the hall notice that Tianming was the one who had taken away the green skeleton. While people didn’t think much of it at first, the fact that the two ebon disciples wanted to fight over it had caused Lin Jie to sit back down. The seniors didn’t say much and just watched Tianming’s fight with Qi Hongzhen, the first fight to feature the Lin Clan.

Many disciples of the clan could also see the fight using Oldgod Rings, no matter where they were on Ebonia. The Lin Clan and the ebons both were paying close attention to how it turned out, and things were rather sensitive as word of the matters between the two factions had spread to a certain extent. Many people were happy to see them fight, and the fact that Lin Mu’s son would be making his debut had drawn even more eyes.

All the spectators watched as Tianming defeated Qi Hongzhen before their eyes. When he told Qi Hongzhen to shut up after his loss, a wave of shock bigger than the one when Tianming had defeated Lin Xiuzhu swept across the Infinitum Swordsea. Almost every faction in the Infinitum Bodhimanda was greatly invested in the event where glory duels abounded.

”Lin Feng!”

Many people didn’t know how to react to seeing a piece of hundred-year-old trash steal the thunder of the many orderan disciples of the Lin Clan, who still hadn’t had a chance.

”Amazing!”

Countless cheers were offered to the victor; such was the culture of the Infinitum Bodhimanda. The disciples of the Lin Clan were excited by the duel’s outcome.

”He defeated an ebon!”

”A ninth-level opponent with a high-deific-class warbeast at that!”

”He’s much stronger than he was half a year ago.”

Many within the council hall could feel the shift in the atmosphere. There were so many concurrent gasps that the ancestral tablets shook from the movement of the air.

”That was a great start,” Lin Xiong said, clapping three times. Others within the hall followed suit—though not everyone did, clearly broadcasting which faction they stood with. The atmosphere tensed up once more.

”This child keeps drawing attention no matter where he goes,” Lin Jie said with a smile, not revealing whether it was from amusement or annoyance.

At that moment, someone outside announced, ”Everyone, honored guests have arrived.”

”Who are they?” Lin Jie asked.

”Our ebon friends.”

”I see....” Lin Jie exchanged glances with many others, finally smiling genuinely this time around.

”They’ve been long expected,” some others in the council said.

......

Tianming had Yin Chen find him a place with few people around. ”You little bugs truly are convenient to have. While you drop the ball sometimes, it’s good enough for me if you’re mostly reliable otherwise.”

Yin Chen spread out to find him a spot, while also looking for ore to duplicate itself. It ate up some rock to make a hole where Tianming could relax and heal up with the Greenspark Tower.

Lin Lele alertly looked around before she asked, ”Friend, are you sure this place is safe?”

”Trust me, Sis. You don’t need to think at all when you’re following me.”

”Tch, you think I want to follow you? Look at how scrawny you are,” she said, rolling her eyes. However, she trusted him enough to let her guard down. ”Since it’s safe here, let’s take a look at those bones.”

”I took them out a long time ago. They’re too heavy.” Tianming felt like he had a rock tied to his fingers. Even picking his nose felt tiring, so he left the bones on the ground. The skeleton looked to be around seven meters in height. After a deep clean, it looked even more like a crystal that glowed with a light green light, illuminating the hole. Tianming turned and looked at Lin Lele, noticing that her face—and his, for that matter—were shaded in an oily green.

”This kind of green is a bad omen. Think of our concubines back home,” Lin Lele said. ”Invasive thoughts, out!” She pulled him to a corner by the shoulder and excitedly felt up the clavicle of the giant.

”Sis, that thing’s long dead. What’s getting you so riled up?” Tianming asked.

She shot him a glare. ”Can’t you see it? Divine celestial patterns. Quite a lot of them at that. This many of them can easily make up a large legacy formation.” Those were similar to the kind left on the ancestral guidance steles. The outer parts were the lock that guarded the legacy.

”Really?” Tianming hadn’t paid it much heed before. Looking at the spot she had touched, he saw many divine celestial patterns swimming around under the crystal bone like little fish. ”Keep touching!”

The two of them felt up the bones like madmen. After a good, long while, the giant’s bones were glossy from their incessant rubbing.

”It looks rather complex,” Lin Lele said excitedly, dusting off her hands.

”There’s quite a lot of ’locks’ here, and complex ones at that. I think it’s even more complicated than the Grandvoid Compendium.”