Beastmaster of the Ages

o the Chen Chateau were guarded by fearsome sentinels and ferocious beasts.
The sentinels purely used lifebound beasts of adult tiger and lion species, scaring most pedestrians even though they were dozing off.

Li Tianming parked his horse cart in front of the gates.
The horse cart was fancy and well-furnished, as it used to be Li Yanfeng’s personal ride.
Therefore, he easily attracted the attention of the guards.

“Sir, may I know if you intend to visit Chen Chateau? Do you have an invitation?” They were rather polite to him, since they did not know which reputable family Li Tianming hailed from.

“Please inform your Madam Xue Lan that her old friend Wei Jing wishes to visit.” Wei Jing rolled up the curtains and answered.

“Our mistress? She doesn ’t usually entertain guests.
I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in.” The guard treated his job very seriously.

“Please, just tell her my name.
If she doesn’t want to see me, then I will take my leave.” Wei Jing asked politely.

To be safe, the guard ended up reporting to their mistress anyways.
In the end, Wei Jing was an elderly lady, and could be their mistress’ senior.
They would get into trouble if they chased the wrong people away.
……
It has been a while since the guard left to notify their mistress.
That was understandable, considering that Chen Chateau was a huge place.

“Mother, is this madam you know famous in Chen Chateau?” Li Tianming was curious.

“Of course, how can Sage Chen’s wife not be famous?” Wei Jing replied with a smile.

“What?” Li Tianming gawked at his mother in disbelief.
If she was friends with Sage Chen’s wife, she definitely had quite a background in Ignispolis twenty years ago.
It was Sage Chen they were talking about, the legend of Ignispolis who held equal power as some of the highest-ranking officials in the nation.
Li Tianming could only dream of meeting someone like Sage Chen.

Before Li Tianming could voice his doubt, the guard had already returned.
“Madam Xue Lan extends her warmest greetings and invites her guests to the Daybreak Snow Pavilion.
Please, follow me.”

Only when they stepped foot in the chateau did Li Tianming realise that he underestimated the wealth of the household.
Pavilions and towers sprouted in the estate like bamboo shoots, each of them decorated with a myriad of ornaments and jewels.
The governor’s manor back in Flamehaven was nothing but a shack compared to the glory of the Chen Chateau.

To be the mistress of the Chen Chateau, Xue Lan must be an extraordinary lady as well.
It was hard to imagine how sisters from years ago ended up so differently, one being the mistress of a grand chateau, and the other homeless.
Life had been really cruel to Wei Jing.
But looking from Wei Jing’s expression, she seemed genuinely happy about her sister’s fortune.

It was quite a distance to the Daybreak Snow Pavilion, and the group walked past an arena where many youths from Xing & Chen Merchantry were training at.
Many trainees from the merchantry enrolled in the Flameyellow Scions Institute each year, and today’s training was probably a final preparation for the entrance exam, which was only three days away.

A particular boy about the age of fifteen caught Li Tianming’s attention.
He was tall and slender, dressed in a sky blue training robe.
His long hair was combed neatly behind his back, giving him a meticulous look.
The most prominent feature about him was still his eyes, sparkling and crystal clear.

From a single look, one could tell that the teenager came from an impressive family.
The nobility that ran in their blood was not something you would find in common youths.
Even in an arena filled with promising youths, he stood out among the rest like a shining star.

His lifebound beast was a stout purple lion, cultivating by his side.
The lion had six distinct stars in its eyes, indicating that it was a six-star lifebound beast.
That put him as one of the most promising youths in the entire Vermilion Bird, incomparable to those like Liu Qianyang or Jiang Yilin.

“This is our young master Chen Yao’s lifebound beast, the Hex-starred Clinquant Lion.
Even among the six-star lifebound beasts, it is a high-tier one,” the guard explained, his expression filled with pride and envy.

Li Tianming was aware that Ignispolis categorized lifebound beasts into more specific tiers.
Even within five-star and six-star beasts, they would be specified into low, mid and high tier beasts.
For example, his Four-Winged Goldroc was classified as a mid-tier five-star beast.

This Hex-starred Clinquant Lion was not just any six-star lifebound beast, but a high-tier one.
This further illustrated the young master Chen Yao’s superb talents.

“Is that Xue Lan’s kid?” Wei Jing asked.

“Of course! Young master Chen Yao is the madam’s youngest son.
Her eldest son, Chen Hao, is currently training in Heaven’s Sanctum and is one of the best disciples there!” The guard replied.

Chen Hao? Li Tianming found the name familiar.
Chen Hao had ranked third place in the exam three years ago and didn’t get the direct entrance into Heaven’s Sanctum.
But ever since then he worked even harder, and made his way into the Sanctum some time later.

“Young master Chen Yao will be attending the entrance exam three days later.
He is one of the most hopeful ones to get first place and enter Heaven’s Sanctum directly.
Did you know, the earlier a person makes it into the Sanctum, the more opportunities and resources they will get? If young master Chen Hao had gotten first place for his year, he would be doing even better than that Lin Xiaoting.” The guard explained enthusiastically.

It went without saying that this young master would be another of Li Tianming’s rivals three days later.

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