Beastmaster of the Ages

“Win brownie points?” Tianming laughed and jerked a thumb at himself. “I can do that with my own skill. Do I even need you?”

“You do indeed have some skill.” Lin Hongchen thought back to the battle and couldn’t rebut that. Third place on the minor reges mundi ranking! The rank on Tianming’s face intimidated him too much. He had tangled with Yushan Tiantian for so long but was still stuck at twenty-sixth. “I have nothing to say if you win glory for the clan.”

“Then keep quiet.”

Meow Meow threw a streak of Misty Hellthunder upward, electrocuting many people who were coming down.

“There!” Tianming spotted a second mini star below with hexagonal holes. Yin Chen had also informed him that continuing down would lead to the end of the path and a gate! It didn’t know how to pass it yet, though.

“I’ll grab this second mini star first.” Based on the current situation, those behind couldn’t catch up.

Lin Hongchen gave it a look before giving up, but Tianming picked it up and tossed it to Lin Hongchen.

“Why?” Lin Hongchen dumbly stared at Tianming.

“It’s a present,” Tianming said.

“Why?” Lin Hongchen looked at him with confusion.

“Quickly put it away. Who knows what game this place is playing. If this ends up saving you, I saved you,” Tianming calmly said. No one knew what the future held. Although he felt having two mini stars was safer, he thought of Lin Xiao. He didn’t have any other friends there, anyway. “It’s called righteousness, alright? Not everyone in this world is driven by benefits.” Tianming thumped his chest.

“I understand. Thank you! Compared to your actions now, my obstruction of you just now was too bastardly.” Lin Hongchen bitterly smiled.

“Don’t be happy too soon. If it turns out these are jinxes that end up getting us killed, you’ll have to curse me,” Tianming laughed. He had always been someone who did things as he wished. He didn’t imagine this act to create a lot of goodwill for him back at the Infinitum Swordsea, however, as well as praise from many seniors.

“What next?” Lin Hongchen asked. The two no longer had a distance between them.

“There’s a gate below.” Tianming looked down. Yin Chen had told him they were nearly there. He collected Meow Meow back into his lifebound space while holding his own mini star in his hand. “Go!”

He and Lin Hongchen shot down, while vast quantities of Yin Chens flew over and entered his lifebound space.

What was behind the door and how could they cross it? Tianming didn’t know. However, when he approached the door, the mini star in his hand clicked and whirred before expanding until it was two meters in size. Then, the two mini stars split into hemispheres.

“Huh?” Before the two could react, the hemispheres captured them before sealing themselves once more and trapping them inside. However, through one of the holes, Tianming could see that the mini stars were continuing on to the gate.

“The mini stars are keys?” Just as Tianming had that notion, his mini star fused with the gray gate and the two inside them seemed to cross to another world, entering a pitch-black space that was deathly silent.

An eerie aura emanated from below them. Through the holes, Tianming saw that five points of light had appeared around him. Then he became the fifth point of light.

……

“They went inside!” Yushan Tiantian shouted with displeasure as she watched Tianming and Lin Hongchen pass through the door.

When the rest arrived, they weren’t able to open the door or leave any marks on it no matter what they did. When the people behind caught up, they joined in, but didn’t manage to change anything.

“Were we eliminated?” Yushan Tiantian said with fear, subconsciously gripping Yishker Bushghan’s arm.

“Yes.” Yishker Bushghan’s head lowered.

“Are we going to die?” When those words rang out, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

Then the dozens of people here vanished from sight.

……

“Tiantian!” someone shouted.

It was a familiar voice. Yushan Tiantian feebly opened her eyes and saw a middle-aged matron tearfully embracing her. “Mom!” She thought it was a vision before her death.

“It’s alright now, you’re safe. Thirteenth place on the minor reges mundi ranking is good,” the middle-aged matron said.

“Greetings, Senior Yushan,” Yishker Bushghan’s rough voice came from the side.

Yushan Tiantian’s eyes widened as she looked around. “I made it back to the Oldgod Domain?”

“Yes! All of you came back. Only six are left in the ancestral world.”

“Which means it’s a good thing to not get that mini star?” Yishker Bushghan was thoughtful.

“It’s great that we survived! I don’t want to go back ever again!” Yushan Tiantian’s tears freely flowed as she clung to her mother.

“Senior Yushan, could I inquire as to who’s left inside?” Yisherker Bushghan asked.

“The top five of the ranking and Lin Hongchen from the Swordgod Lin Clan.”

“Oh.” Yishker Bushghan looked depressed. “If that’s the finals, I should be there as sixth on the ranking, not Lin Hongchen.”

“It’s fine, child. After the accident in this competition, surviving is the most important thing. Inside, they’re all incredible talents. A luxdaemon, two disciples of the Swordgod Lin Clan, and three ebons. But who knows if they’ll survive….”