Beastmaster of the AgesBeastmaster of the Ages
While people were fervently discussing, Tianming followed the siblings to Suishen Cave. Tianming had just arrived at Myriadpath Valley and hadn't been there long. His wings weren't fully developed, yet he found himself accompanying the heirs of the strongest clan in the astralscape, which felt somewhat surreal.
The Three Exalted Houses of Myriadpath Valley! The siblings he was following carried the weight of perhaps billions of years of clan heritage. Everything about them, other than their youth and distinctive personalities, was crafted by generations of ancestors through inheritance.
Tianming had managed to suppress Suishen Zhao, who was roughly his age, despite coming from humble origins. The power of his Primordial Chaos Beasts, the decapath era godswords, and the grand xia lexicon wonder were obvious. Because of his assets, coupled with his achievements in the Infinitum Mundus and his experiences far exceeding those of the siblings, Tianming, despite following them and having a vastly different status, wasn't lacking in spirit. He wasn’t cowed by them at all.
After arriving in an area with no one around, the pink-haired girl, Suishen Yao, couldn't contain her curiosity about Tianming. She turned around and raised her chin, her pink eyes sparkling, and asked, "Do you know who I am?"
Tianming was silent for a moment, knowing what she was asking, and said, "The minor pathkeeper from House Suishen, third on the Fortuna Ranking, Suishen Yao."
"Mhm." Suishen Yao nodded in satisfaction. She took two steps toward Tianming and scrutinized him from head to toe.
Despite her aggressive gaze, he remained calm and collected, his face not flushing nor his heart racing. He knew that although Suishen Yao's status was much higher than Lan Yun's and her temper was possibly more volatile, she was still a young girl, whereas Lan Yun was an old fox who was much harder to fool.
Suishen Zhao gave Tianming a look that said, My sister is a she-devil, so deal with it yourself! Having been suppressed by Tianming, he felt a bit disgruntled, but his pride as a member of the House Suishen wouldn't allow him to sulk. Even though his sister was using Tianming to tease him, his attitude remained unchanged. He wanted to surpass Tianming through cultivation and restore his reputation!
Thus, he needed Tianming to be a worthy opponent.
After examining Tianming for a while, Suishen Yao suddenly extended her slender fingers and pinched his left arm.
Tianming quickly closed his Plundering Eye and asked, "Minor Pathkeeper, what are you doing?"
"What’d you just call me?" Suishen Yao raised her pink eyebrows and glared.
"Master?" Tianming felt a headache coming on. Lan Yun as a master at least seemed fitting. Although this girl was over four hundred years old, she looked very young and didn’t seem like a master at all.
"What? You dare to be unwilling?" Suishen Yao's small fangs slightly peeked out.
Tianming quickly said, "Not at all, it's just that Master is so young, beautiful, and in her prime, so this disciple was a bit slow to react."
"Then call me Little Master." Suishen Yao pouted.
"Yes...." Tianming nodded. After coming from Lan Yun, Tianming felt like he had just left a wolf's den and entered a tiger's lair.
"Hmph!" After Suishen Yao finished speaking, she didn't care whether Tianming agreed or not. She pulled up his sleeve, revealing his black arm covered with lightning, displaying it in front of her. "Wow!" She immediately became excited, her eyes shining.
Even Suishen Zhao couldn't help but crane his neck to take a closer look.
"So, this is a tainted beastmaster? Your lifebound beast perfectly merged with your arm. Truly amazing."
She lifted Tianming's arm, examining it from all angles, her face full of wonder. "I remember records saying that tainted beastmasters are grotesque and deformed. That's obviously a lie. Your arm, although a bit unusual, is actually quite cool with its neat hexagonal scales and dancing lightning. Very cool. Furthermore, your astrons are very dense, making your physical talent comparable to top specters!"
After hearing her comments, Suishen Zhao couldn't help but come closer, studying the arm that had defeated him with shining eyes.
"It’s quite neat, with a unique aesthetic." Suishen Zhao said, then suddenly frowned. "Li Tianming, I remember you have an eye on your palm. That's what you used to defeat me."
"An eye? Open it," Suishen Zhao ordered.
"Alright." Tianming had no choice but to open his Plundering Eye in front of them. In its normal state, the eye had an inner circle resembling yin-yang fish, giving it a grand and righteous feel.
"Wow!" The siblings had seen many extraordinary bloodlines in Myriadpath Valley, but the strange and profound nature of the Plundering Eye still startled them, filling their faces with awe.
"Is this the eye of your lifebound beast?" Suishen Zhao asked.
"Get lost! Stupid brother, this is my disciple. Don't meddle and ask questions!" Suishen Yao pushed Suishen Zhao away, glaring at him. She was simple and straightforward.
"Yes! This is its eye. Meow Meow, greet my Little Master." Tianming smiled.
"Hello, lowly mount," Meow Meow listlessly said.
Crap! Tianming's vision darkened. That fellow, having seen Lan Yun and Demoness Yin, couldn't recognize Suishen Yao's superior beauty.
Even Ying Huo used telepathy to scold, "Brother Meow, your metric of classifying mounts purely by their heavenly pattern barriers is quite improper!"
Tianming had no time to deal with them because Suishen Yao, after pausing for a moment, asked, "What did it just call me?"
"It... because it's on me, its intelligence is a bit low and its speech is garbled. I think it said 'lovely mouth'. It must think your little fangs are charming...." Lowly mount, lovely mouth... Meow Meow's childish voice might sound somewhat similar at a stretch.
Fortunately, Suishen Yao didn't dwell on it. She let go of Tianming's left arm and lifted his right one.
Ying Huo's sword-shaped feathers were actually quite cool.
"This arm is also good-looking!" After examining it, Suishen Yao eagerly said, "Roll up your pants!"
Tianming broke out in a cold sweat, but had to roll up his pant leg for her to see.
"Four lifebound beasts, each on one limb, and each with different attributes. There's a dragon, a phoenix, and even flora.... How interesting!" Suishen Yao clapped her hands in excitement. After examining everything, she gave Tianming a strange look, then suddenly grabbed his collar and pulled it open.
"Ah, there's fur!" Suishen Yao blushed and quickly covered Tianming's chest again.
Tianming was bewildered. He wanted to explain that it was Meow Meow's fur, extending to his chest.
"Unexpectedly, I thought you were a little mixed-blooded, and your body under your clothes would be hideous and unspeakable. But it looks quite good, wild, and somewhat cool," Suishen Yao said, her curiosity loosening her tongue.
"Thank you for the compliment, Master," Tianming said.
"Interesting, interesting," she said, finally focusing on his face. "I'm into faces, aesthetically. I originally thought only your face was decent, but your whole appearance isn’t bad, with an exotic charm."
Tianming didn't expect his appearance to be considered exotic.
"Hey!" she suddenly whispered into Tianming's ear.
"Little Master, what's up?" Tianming asked.
"What about your pecker?"
Tianming quickly stepped back, staring at her in shock. The young miss of House Suishen looked so pure, but she was unexpectedly so forward.
"Ah, no!" Suishen Yao realized her bluntness, stuck out her tongue, and sheepishly smiled. "I meant, does your thing down there have a lifebound beast, too?"
"That's impossible," Tianming said, bewildered.
"Good, at least it doesn't affect your ability to reproduce..." Suishen Yao said.
Tianming realized she was purely curious. It was just that her curiosity was off the charts. It was likely due to her being too mischievous and often locked away, leading to the current result.
"You're probably a virgin who hasn't touched a girl, right?" Suishen Yao asked with a sly look. Even when being sly, good-looking people still managed to look charming, lively, and mischievous.
Tianming wearily asked, "Little Master, why ask that?"
"Pure curiosity. Because with four lifebound beasts on you, it must be inconvenient, right? Girls would be very shy and can't stand having others around," Suishen Yao eagerly asked.
"Yes, you're right." Tianming didn't want to delve into the topic. If he said he had experience, she would surely dig deeper. He wouldn’t underestimate her curiosity and gossiping nature.
Likewise, he wouldn’t overestimate her 'fondness' for him.
"Exactly, no girl would fancy a little mixed-blood like you." Suishen Yao finally smiled in satisfaction, adding, "Of course, those lower women from mundi aren't considered human in my eyes. Your self-control in not touching such trash shows you have some standards."
"You are right," Tianming said with a smile. Deep inside, however, he felt coldness. The term ‘mixed-blood,’ though unpleasant, indicated Suishen Yao's attitude toward him....
A novel plaything!
Thinking this girl would truly favor him was indeed a fantasy. She might not truly value him, nor would she consider him of the same status as others. This so-called 'backer' was much more dangerous than Lan Yun!