Beastmaster of the Ages

In terms of the number of people, those on the side of the Pentarchy outnumbered the Gong Prime Clan four to one. Even then, Sovereign Starfeather and his Kilostar Capital still represented the highest authority in the imperium, which was why the Pentarchy couldn't quite oppose them, either. Naturally, as the ruler of the entire imperium, Sovereign Starfeather wouldn't singlemindedly work only in the interest of his clan either, hence why he even exiled Gong Xiong, who had a penchant for offending others, to Primary. As far as the outside world was concerned, the imperium was united and the sovereign was just and didn't show blatant favor to any group in the sect, lest they risk internal discord.

To properly find a stable foundation in a sect, one first had to understand the power distribution within it. This sect wasn't homogenous, unlike the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect, so Tianming would have to understand the complex interlinking relations within the imperium to be able to achieve his goals.

Now that Tianming had won, the Pentarchy appeared to be showing signs of accepting him, though the fact that their patriarchs weren't there showed that they still had to save face as the founding clans of the imperium.

The sovereign had the highest position in the imperium, followed by the patriarchs of the five archclans. One level below that was the title of astralking, which referred to the leaders of the twenty-three great families. However, each of the archclans had five astralkings of their own as well. For instance, while Shengui was the sovereign's personal servant, he wasn't an astralking because of his low birth. In total, there were no more than fifty astralkings in the imperium, all of whom were people that stood near the top of the empire.

There were at least thirty astralkings among those who came to congratulate Tianming, which was more than a great honor. What people didn't expect, however, was that Sovereign Starfeather was personally there as well, despite the absence of the five patriarchs of the Pentarchy. He appeared before Tianming, emanating an astral radiance.

"All hail the sovereign!" everyone said in unison.

"Tianming greets you, Sovereign," Tianming hurriedly said after Shengui instructed him to do so. He knew that it was time for his reward. He had a reciprocal relationship with the sovereign, after all. Shengui had told him that the Gong Prime Clan didn't have an heir to succeed the current sovereign at the moment, not to mention that there was a low chance for the next sovereign to be from their clan to begin with. Once the current sovereign stepped down, the Pentarchy would no doubt attempt to push the Gong Prime Clan back to the level of the twenty-three great families. But with Tianming's limitless potential, he might just be what the Gong Prime Clan needed to defend them from that kind of pushback. Thus, the interests of Tianming and Sovereign Starfeather were aligned.

"Tianming!" The sovereign took two steps forward and stroked Tianming's head with a warm smile.

"Yes, Sovereign!"

"Your impressive performance at the Observatorium has shocked our star and helped the imperium vent. Your talent is so impressive that We got a headache while deciding what to present to you as a reward!" he said as he stroked his long beard.

"Reward him!" countless people cried on behalf of Tianming. They felt completely exhilarated, having been envious of the Divineglory Dynasty for having someone like Ye Chen. Their sudden feeling of vindication made them want to reward Tianming.

"Very well!" the sovereign said. Everyone knew that he had made an appearance to give Tianming even more legitimacy. His expression turned stern as he said, "Tianming, We shall grant you the title of the forty-ninth Astralking to commemorate your impressive achievements and talent! You're the youngest and weakest astralking in the history of the imperium, but We believe that you will one day become the strongest sovereign in our history!"

Those words were completely revolutionary. An astralking in his twenties, the weakest one that would one day become the strongest sovereign? Even those from the Pentarchy began contemplating that notion. Sovereign Starfeather had picked the perfect moment to drop that bomb on them, giving Tianming a crazily prestigious title just because people desired to see him rewarded. It was a title that came with actual power and authority! Even if there were those who were speaking out against it, their voices were drowned out by the wild cheers of the rest. This was a right that Sovereign Starfeather possessed, and it was proof that Tianming's assumption that he would be given a bigger bounty the better performance he had to be true. Just as there was no free lunch, there would also be no free service!

"Tianming thanks Your Majesty! I'll never let Your Majesty down, otherwise may I be cast into the abyss!" Since everyone's mood was at an all-time high, he exaggerated his gratitude to match. Just like that, he had become an astralking!

"Astralking Tianming!" Those words were repeated throughout the entirety of Myriadmile City. It wasn't set in stone. The patriarchs of the Pentarchy had never expected that the sovereign would go all out like that and weren't there in person to stop this from happening.

"Very well. Take my emblem, the Violetcloud Decree. You may use it to access anything you need for your cultivation. You're the imperium's future, and you have a right to anything you want." The sovereign produced a violet emblem that came with a drop of exalted blood. It was a grade-seven divine artifact, despite being just an emblem of authority.

Nobody else dared to question whether Tianming was deserving of the resources or not. Even so, Tianming still humbled himself and said, "I thank Your Majesty and everyone in the imperium for this honor. I'll make sure to render as much service to the imperium as I can for the resources I consume."

"Very well. We shall look forward to it." Sovereign Starfeather immediately beamed back to the Kilostar Capital, leaving only agitated and shocked people behind. They envied this new astralking of theirs and were still unable to find the words to voice their feelings.

"Congratulations, Astralking!" Shengui and Gong Xiong said, completely overwhelmed. Now, Tianming's status was even higher than theirs. Even the Gong Prime Clan, with their many elites, only had one astralking, with a loyal servant like Shengui not even being granted that title.

"It's thanks to the two of you," Tianming said.

"What's there to thank? We'll be the ones counting on you from now on, you know," Shengui said.

After all the fanfare, they could finally return to Violetpeak and close things off. Tianming took a deep breath and relaxed himself. After that, Shengui received a transmission stone and smiled. "Tianming, there's another piece of good news."

"What is it?"

"Your application to join the fight at the Astraldome has been approved. That means you'll be fighting as Li Tianming of the Violetglory Star there to spread your name far and wide!" As Shengui said that, it looked like he had turned back to his youth, filled with fighting spirit.

"Very well." That was Tianming's next goal as well, but he wasn't in a rush. Looking at the emblem in his hand, he smiled. "It's about time I get my reward before I head out and work hard again."