Beastmaster of the Ages

”What?!” Suishen Yao was shocked to hear her aunt give Tianming such high praise. ”Are you absolutely sure?”

”Yes. Why else would I spend a whole month on the demonstration? I was initially only planning to demonstrate it for a day. If you don’t want to continue, leave that kid to me. I’ll squeeze out all I can from his totems,” Eminent Jiguang said without any reservation.

Suishen Yao remained silent for a long while, then waved. ”No no no, I want to continue with this! He’s mine, and I’ll harshly train him!”

Eminent Jiguang smiled. ”Look at you, being so desperate. I won’t take him from you. I’ll just borrow him from time to time at most. That’s fine, right?”

”Sure!” Suishen Yao gave Tianming another look, this time seeing him in yet another new light. She hugged her aunt’s arm in a cute manner. ”Auntie, do you think that if I focus all nine months on that, I’ll be able to break through to the second level of the Foundation stage?

”I think there’s a ninety percent chance that you can.”

”What? Auntie, you trust me so much? I’m touched!” Suishen Yao shook her arm hard as she spoke.

”You misunderstand me. I don’t trust you, I trust him,” Eminent Jiguang said with a smile.

Suishen Yao felt even more confused. But Tianming didn’t make her wait long. He had finally transformed his totems after a long time. Eminent Jiguang’s totems were as fierce as the boundless ocean. I almost lost myself in them.

The transformation this time around mainly concerned his totems’ power. Every single godsword had manifested projections, allowing them to be individually much more powerful than before. Combined together, his totems’ destructive capabilities would also grow.

He also realized that his one- and twofold simulacra could be overlaid on each other. In other words, he could use Decapath Projection even after using Swordheart to send his totems into the Grand-Orient Sword. My totems aren’t that much weaker than my lifebound beasts now. Ying Huo and the others have always been evolving, while the decapath era godswords didn’t evolve at all. Even though their totem ki rose like my beasts’ cosmoforce, that isn’t a qualitative change.

Finally, he had managed to transform them at their core. Before, while Tianming had ten totems, he only had a single simulacrum, which was comparable to a beast with a star count of only a few million. It was something that others looked down upon. While beasts could increase their star count with manna, there were many things that factored into gaining new simulacra for totems.

House Suishen truly has mastery over totems and simulacra. Even without using the elusive Suishen Blood, Eminent Jiguang managed to give me a new simulacrum within a month. He recalled the month he spent with her; it wasn’t painful for him in the least. In fact, it had felt like paradise, and he even got benefits from it. I can keep doing this for much longer!

He was filled with vigor once more and respectfully turned to Eminent Jiguang. ”Thank you, Eminent Jiguang. First for making me a minor pathkeeper, and now for helping me transform. You’ve offered me so much that I should cherish you like I cherish my parents! I’m all too grateful!”

”Tch, my auntie doesn’t have a stupid son like you,” Suishen Yao chuckled.

”Ahem....” Eminent Jiguang, seeing that Tianming didn’t bring up the fact that he had stood tall and stiff the entire time, made her doubt her own memories. Had she misremembered?

Well, he’s far too young, so he doesn’t know much about intercourse.... It isn’t surprising that he would have a reaction like that. Perhaps he’s blaming himself for it. As a senior, I shouldn’t make a big deal out of it so he doesn’t develop any psychological complexes about it in the future or any phobia against the opposite sex.... At that thought, she decided to conveniently let the matter go.

She cleared her throat and said, ”We don’t have much time left. You should start your totemic bonding right away. Tianming, you’ve been working hard for a whole month. Can you still hold on?”

”Yes, I can!” Tianming said with grit teeth.

”Alright, then step back into the soulblend formation,” Eminent Jiguang said.

Tianming was already familiar with it, but Suishen Yao wasn’t, so she seemed a bit nervous. She crossed her arms and looked around the inside of the formation. While Eminent Jiguang was outside this time, she still had to operate the formation.

”Get ready.” Only then did the formation properly close. Before Eminent Jiguang started, she noticed Suishen Yao’s white pajamas. That outfit of hers looks rather thin.... Didn’t she say she’d wear armor with sharp spikes? What if....

A perplexed look appeared on her face. If she reminded her niece about her outfit now, would it make things more awkward? What if the poor, naive boy was scared off and refused to cultivate with her anymore? Eminent Jiguang hadn’t thought that he would be so useful and wouldn’t dare to risk losing him.

Wait! Eminent Jiguang looked at Suishen Yao and smiled. Yaoyao’s no fool. She isn’t naive. Looks like she’s a little miffed by what happened between me and him, so she’s trying to draw him back using that skimpy little outfit.... Maybe she’ll feel better that way?

She really didn’t know what to make of that. That little girl is grown up now. She might not admit it, but she already considers this boy hers. I should keep my distance, lest that jealous little devil misunderstand me.

Eminent Jiguang had wanted to remind Suishen Yao not to fight with Tianming on whose totems were dominating to allow for quicker blending. That way the formation wouldn’t have to shrink so small. However, she changed her mind and would let Suishen Yao do as she pleased. I’m a sensitive aunt, if I do say so myself.

She alluringly smiled and began compressing the soulblend formation. Then she sent her energy into the formation to guide the vines within it to wrap around Tianming and Suishen Yao’s totems, beginning the blending process!

As Eminent Jiguang expected, Suishen Yao didn’t want her totems to be swallowed up by Tianming’s at all. Once more, the struggle for supremacy began, triggering the shrinking of the formation. As neither Suishen Yao nor Tianming had been informed that they wouldn’t even need to resist one another, Tianming didn’t bother letting go, either. He hadn’t lost to Eminent Jiguang, so there was no way he would lose to Suishen Yao.

Those two look so similar that I thought their totems would be the same! But they weren’t, in fact. Eminent Jiguang’s aurora nymphs were celestial being totems, while Suishen Yao’s totems were swords like Tianming’s, unlike the celestial being totems of her aunt and brother.

She had ten swords formed from rhombus-shaped crystals of different colors, each one letting out a piercing light that reflected the sharpness of her personality. They seemed really translucent, like they were made up of tiny, clear astral diamonds, almost like swords overlaid upon swords. If it wasn’t for the compression of the Soublend Formation, there was no way the decapath era godswords in their current form would be able to outshine them.

Suishen Yao’s totems were fundamentally more destructive than Eminent Jiguang’s and were called flaregod starsouls. All of them shone bright pink and pulsed with sword ki. Tianming felt like he was about to have a duel to the death.

Do you think I’m afraid of you? His totems were even stronger than when they had struggled against Eminent Jiguang’s.

The clash of their totems had almost caused them to start killing each other in the formation, but this was a clash of razor-sharp personalities. Tianming’s true personality wasn’t nearly as easygoing as Suishen Yao thought; he had only behaved docilely because he didn’t have equal status with her. However, there was no need to hold back now, as he knew that they would only continue cultivating with him if he showed them his value. That way, he stood more of a chance to unlock even more simulacra.

Those two fools.... Eminent Jiguang facepalmed at the sight of the pointless struggle. Whatever. You two made this choice yourselves, so I’ll just help push you together.

The Soulblend Formation pushed against Tianming’s head and feet. Suishen Yao was also pushed toward him. The young, lively, and pure girl gave him a completely different impression than Eminent Jiguang. Suishen Yao was more like a little sister, similar to Feiling but far more feisty!

Right as she approached, she barked, ”Get your mind out of the gutter or I’ll castrate you!”

Tianming didn’t reply; he only thought, Sorry, but this is my turf. You don’t call the shots here!