Beastmaster of the Ages

The ebon disciples surrounded the silver-and-black-haired boy who looked like a six-year-old child, enviously staring at the collar around his neck and drowning him in praise.

”That’s enough,” Guchi Xiaoyin said with a wave of his hand, quickly regaining his composure.

“Alright.”

Unfortunately, they were allowed to form teams of two at most. Otherwise many ebons would choose to remain beside Guchi Xiaoyin.

”Let’s go!” Guchi Xiaoyin didn’t want to make much of a scene, and knew very well that lying low was the best move.

Under his instructions, those in the center of the vortex began leaving. As the horde spread out, the Pentaphase Ocean gradually regained its earlier tranquility. The peaceful center, which grew smaller and smaller, would soon be engulfed by the divine hazards. Although most of the disciples were leaving, there were still some who had just arrived after going through untold hardships.

While Tianming was waiting, he suddenly saw a familiar person enter the area. Guchi Xiaoyin and other ebon disciples immediately noticed him as well.

”Lin Hongchen?” Guchi Xiaoyin’s dark eyes brightened as he called out.

It was a young man in white robes, his long hair tied up in a ponytail. He was extraordinarily handsome, with distinct features that seemed to have been perfectly carved out. Below two strong brows lay deep blue eyes that shone like galaxies, so mesmerizing that one might sink into them. The most memorable things about him were his fingers, slender and graceful. Those were the hands of an expert sword cultivator. What a handsome young swordsman in white!

Although this wasn’t the first time Tianming had laid eyes upon him, he was still moved by the man’s cool and unclouded youthfulness. Lin Hongchen from the first branch was the most powerful of all the participants from the Lin Clan. In fact, he was their best competitor and could be considered the strongest in his age group. He was currently twenty-ninth on the minor ranking. Among the hundreds of disciples present, he was the highest on the ranking after Guchi Xiaoyin, as well as the highest among all the Lin disciples.

Although he was still behind Lin Lingxiao, Lin Hongchen’s place was true to the standards of the Swordgod Lin Clan. After all, the difference in strength between each of the top hundred disciples was actually very small. Naturally, Lin Hongchen was much stronger than Lin Jianxing, who was in the two-hundreds. Lin Hongchen also had a special identity: he was Ku’s grandson.

At first, Tianming had assumed that Lin Hongchen would be a conservative, but the opposite was true. Lin Hongchen’s father wasn’t the First Branch Master, but merely one of Ku’s sons. Thus, Lin Hongchen wasn’t the legitimate heir. As Ku’s second son, Lin Hongchen’s father was a supporter of the reformists. For a son to work against his own father, there must be some resentment between the two. After all, both Lin Hongchen and his father were outstanding individuals. “Hongchen” alluded to the mortal world, as well as age and the passing of time. Ku had chosen this name.

Tianming heard that Lin Hongchen worshiped Lin Xiaozhi and cultivated the Spatial Sword Art. In fact, his achievements in that regard even surpassed Lin Jianjia’s. Unfortunately, he had failed to inherit the Xiaozhi Sword Art. Because of the Xiaozhi Sword Art, as well as Lin Hongchen’s reformist father, Tianming had determined that they were on two different paths.

With a sword in hand, the young man was dressed in white robes, forming a stark contrast to his long black hair, and was cool and self-possessed like a noble immortal. The Lin Clan was full of handsome men, and Lin Hongchen could be said to be representative of them. Compared to the gloomy-eyed Lin Jianxing, he was definitely easier on the eyes. In the Pentaphase Ocean, the Lin Clan’s number one disciple met the ebons’ silver-eyed genius, Guchi Xiaoyin, who had just acquired a priceless treasure. Would they cross swords or become brothers?

”You don’t have to be a genius to guess that they’ll get along.” Tianming didn’t care if they fought or joined hands. All he wanted was for them to leave. Otherwise, the ring finger would be completely destroyed and dispersed when the divine hazards from the Pentaphase Ocean surged back into the area. He intently stared at the people before him.

Guchi Xiaoyin had just been about to leave, but had changed his mind after seeing Lin Hongchen. Lips curling in a smile, he walked up to the Lin disciple. ”Brother Lin, I haven’t seen you for thirty years. I’ve missed you very much. I didn’t expect to find you even more handsome than you were before. I must admit I’m envious of your charm. You’re so good looking that all beautiful women will surely be drawn to you.” He was right, compared to a hundred-year-old shorty like him, Lin Hongchen was indeed more refined and elegant, like a sharp sword.

To Tianming’s surprise, Lin Hongchen didn’t politely greet Guchi Xiaoyin, but looked down at him and said, ”You’ve taken everything?”

”I can’t help it. I got there first. I was lucky,” Guchi Xiaoyin said with a smile.

”Oh, good for you then.” With that, Ling Hongchen swept his gaze across the area. Knowing he had no chance of robbing Guchi Xiaoyin, he turned and left.

”Brother Lin!” Guchi Xiaoyin shouted.

”What is it?” Lin Hongchen asked.

”It’s nothing, really. But since you’re here and you’re also a friend of the ebons, I’ll give you a six-aperture manna. It’s the best I got this time,” Guchi Xiaoyin said.

”What do you want?” Lin Hongchen asked.

”I don’t have a partner, so why don’t you join me? I’m tenth, and you’re twenty-ninth. We can look after each other,” Guchi Xiaoyin sincerely said. His tone and behavior made it seem like Lin Hongchen was a great beauty. But he wasn’t. Tianming couldn’t figure out why Guchi Xiaoyin, an ebon and tenth on the ranking, would be so polite to Lin Hongchen. Why would he offer Lin Hongchen an olive branch in front of everyone?

There were advantages to that. First of all, it would convey to the entire Infinitum Mundus that the ebons and Lin Clan had a close relationship. Secondly, those in the Lin Clan that were still hesitating would see the ebons’ sincerity. By humbling himself and offering a gift to form a team, Guchi Xiaoyin would win the admiration of many. What further surprised Tianming was Lin Hongchen’s reaction. He didn’t hesitate at all.

”Thanks for the goodwill, but I have a partner. We’ll meet again if fate allows.” After refusing, he turned and jumped into the ever-shrinking barrier that separated the area from the divine hazards.

Guchi Xiaoyin was stunned, and many even expected him to fly into a rage.

”Is Lin Hongchen out of his mind? He doesn’t want to take the easy way. Does he want the hard way then?”

”What a phony. It’s his honor that Brother Xiaoyin is willing to work with him....”

”Shut up.” Guchi Xiaoyin turned and glared at the two people who were talking. There was no anger on his face, but the excitement of hunting prey.

“He’s grown more handsome and has such a graceful manner,” Guchi Xiaoyin muttered to himself.

Although Tianming couldn’t hear clearly at first, Yin Chen repeated Guchi Xiaoyin’s words to him.

”Fuck, does this shorty like pretty boys?!”