Beastmaster of the Ages

”Master, how strong is Suishen Zhao? Why do I hear people call him ’minor pathkeeper’?” Tianming asked.

Lan Yun couldn’t help but laugh at how serious he was taking things. ”What’s this? Are you seriously learning more about him like he’s your opponent?”

”Knowing my enemy is the key to victory,” Tianming said.

Lan Yun burst out in laughter and loosened her grip on him. She rolled her eyes and said, ”Minor pathkeepers refer to the people that Myriadpath Valley has recognized for having the most talent. It’s a title that’s only granted to fortuna disciples. In a sense, they’re like reverends and eminents. Historically, everyone that’s obtained the title have become eminents. As such, minor pathkeepers are seen as comparable to eminents. There are only ten people in Myriadpath Valley who bear this title, and they’re mostly from the Three Exalted Houses.”

”Ten? Aren’t there eighteen foundationeers in the Fortuna Ranking?” Tianming asked.

”Just because someone’s able to become a foundationeer before five hundred years old doesn’t mean that they have talent. Some people rely on weapons, battle arts, or age to gain an upper hand on the rankings. Whether one’s considered a minor pathkeeper depends on the standards set by Myriadpath Valley itself. The youngest one has no doubt only just recently received the title.”

”I see....” The Fortuna Ranking indeed didn’t evaluate talent, considering the wide age range. ”So what’s the special title for talented maniverse disciples?”

”Major pathkeeper, of course. There’s more of them, twenty-five in total. After all, the age range stretches up to 1500. However, when a major pathkeeper gets old enough without achieving their goals, there’s a risk of their title being revoked.”

”I see. In other words, there’s many powerful people in Myriadpath Valley, and thirty-five of them are recognized as having incredibly high talent. Most are from the Three Exalted Houses,” Tianming concluded. He had become quite curious about Suishen Zhao’s true power, considering that they were close to each other in age.

Lan Yun, seeing him pumped, couldn’t resist the urge to hit him. ”Suishen Zhao’s around your age, only around a hundred years older. I know why he has you in his sights. Before he turned a hundred, he wanted to make it on the Fortuna Ranking to break all precedents, but he was a step short. But when he reached a hundred years old, his cultivation speed wildly increased, to the point that he’s now ranked in the two thousands. He’s reached the highest point an orange name possibly can.”

”That sounds like the range of ninth-level cosmic cartographers. Beyond that are tenth-level ones, right?”

”What’re you saying? Suishen Zhao is a seventh-level cosmic cartographer.”

”Seventh?” Tianming seemed surprised. ”Just with that, he was able to defeat genius ninth-level cosmic cartographers and even fight at the level of tenth-level ones?”

”That’s right! Only disciples from the Three Exalted Houses seem able to fight above their level among the geniuses of Myriadpath Valley. Even though he only has seven cosmic charts, ninth-level cosmic cartographers can’t defeat him at all. He’s almost two-and-a-half levels above them in terms of might. If he goes up against normal outer mundus geniuses, he might be able to overcome up to four levels. When he’s up against some older cultivators in the outer mundi, he might be able to face off against eleventh- or twelfth-level cosmic cartographers.”

As Lan Yun spoke, hints of respect could be seen in her expression. Given that a reverend of around six thousand years of age like her showed adoration for a minor pathkeeper who wasn’t much older than a hundred, it was no wonder that she hurriedly asked Tianming to return. To her, the Three Exalted Houses were great forces that shouldn’t be trifled with.

Tianming couldn’t help but think, If only you knew that your third-level cosmic cartographer disciple dares to kill genius ninth-level cosmic cartographers of Myriadpath Valley.... Maybe you’d immediately ascend to heaven.

Suishen Zhao might be undefeated by ninth-level cosmic cartographers, but Tianming was already close to him in terms of power. As such, he believed that he was definitely much more talented. Not to mention, Suishen Zhao had had the best resources growing up, while Tianming was forced to rely on himself, starting off at the mortal level. Nobody would believe that someone with his talent would have originated in the Million Mundi, however.

”Kid, don’t look down on him just because he only has seven cosmic charts. His house’s orders are high level, and they have a few of them, so their breakthroughs aren’t as frequent. But in a real fight, their potential is much higher than others’. His totems are also among the most elite of flame totems. I was fortunate enough to witness their divine might,” Lan Yun encouraged. She was a totemancer as well, so it was no surprise that she looked up to House Suishen.

Tianming recalled with some confusion that Lan Yun had disparaged him for cultivating so many streams of order. It truly was a double standard.

Suishen Zhao was no doubt among the most talented in Myriadpath Valley. Still within his hundreds, he had seven cosmic charts. It wouldn’t be unexpected for him to become a foundationeer by three hundred.

Tianming looked forward to fighting him, who was basically the same age as he was. Up until now, his opponents had been a few times his age, yet not a single one of them had talent that could compare to his. With his blood boiling, he cautiously asked, ”Master, what’ll be the consequences if I quietly deal with him within a month?”

”Deal with him? What do you mean?” she asked, brows furrowed.

”Defeat him, of course.” Tianming didn’t hold back.

Lan Yun blankly stared at him for quite some time. ”Don’t worry, all he wants is a spar. He won’t take your life. You two don’t have any grudges, after all. Being defeated isn’t a big deal. It’s already an honor that’s worth boasting. Others don’t even have the right to be asked to challenge a minor pathkeeper. The fact that you did is a sign that you’ve been acknowledged.”

”No, I’m asking what’ll happen if I defeat him.”

Lan Yun smacked his head and glared. ”Can you stop daydreaming?”

”No.... At least consider the hypothetical and tell me what could happen! Otherwise, what would be the point in me issuing a challenge?”

”If you defeat him? Let’s see.... Since you’re a tainted beastmaster who’s used order fragments to speed your growth, your potential is severely limited. Most likely, people wouldn’t acknowledge your talents or hold any hope that you’ll surpass Suishen Zhao in the future. At the very least, you’ll have bragging rights to defeating a minor pathkeeper for the rest of your life.”

”Is that it?”

”Yeah. That’s it.”

”Impressive. The double standards here go hard.” Tianming couldn’t help but shoot a thumbs-up.

”Who are you to demand being judged by the same standards as the members of the Three Exalted Houses?” Lan Yun mocked.