Since he had reached the fourth level, Tianming came to the Moonnight Patio to practice his swordsmanship. Nowadays, he spent his time either there or at the Xi Palace, going nowhere else. After all, the nova source pulse could happen at any moment. Since Sovereign Xi had used the Bluemoon Heart on him and he didn't appear to be trying anything funny, she largely left him to his own devices.

"Hmm, she must actually think that I have some chance of survival, then. However, should I really thank her for wanting me to live after putting me up against such odds in the first place?" Tianming smirked coldly.

"Didn't you already master that move? Why are you still here?" Ying Huo asked, perched on the top of his head in a miniaturized form.

"Learning never ends." Tianming looked at the bamboo tree that shot up into the clouds.

"I can hear it. That dastardly plan brewing in that head of yours—"

"It isn’t dastardly. It's for my survival." He continued cultivating nonstop.

"Tianming, a grand moon guide is giving a lecture today. Will you be going?" asked a youth dressed in dark blue. He looked about Tianming's age, being roughly twenty, and was a third-level ascendant. He was roughly on the same level of talent as Huiyue Jie. His name was Yueshen Xi and he was Prince Fengyue's son, and thereby the sovereign's nephew. He often trained in the Moonnight Patio as well. Unlike others, he was rather respectful toward Tianming and often talked to him.

"Of course I will," Tianming said, smiling. Grand moon guides were seniors whose role was to guide the younger generation; they had exalted status. The Moonnight Patio had ten grand moon guides who were also in charge of the distribution of cultivation resources. They were without a doubt among the most powerful people in the Divine Moon Realm.

The one giving the talk that day was called Yueshen Wushuang, a dashing, short-haired woman. Her explosive personality meant that she gave direct demonstrations to her disciples, literally hammering her years of combat experience into them a punch at a time. Yueshen Xi stepped up once and only got badly beaten. However, she wasn't just beating them up for fun but gave accurate advice on how to better themselves, tailored to each person.

"Since I have time today, I’ll spar with every single one of you spoiled brats who don't know the harshness of the world!"

Hearing that, everyone gasped.

"Come up one by one!"

"Yes, Grand Moon Guide."

Tianming watched it from afar. As he wasn't an official disciple, he wouldn't have to go through the beating.

"What level of power do the grand moon guides possess?" he asked Yueshen Xi.

"They’re all at Octasaint Sky! With that level of power, one can become a city lord anywhere in the Divine Moon Realm," he answered with pride. It looked a little comical thanks to his bruises.

"Where do they usually spend their time?"

"The Divine Moon Skylake, of course. Isn't that common knowledge? The imperial guide, saint moon guide, and grand moon guides' official role is to guide disciples, but their actual task is to guard the Divine Moon Skylake. That’s even more important now, with that astral killer running rampant. We have to make sure that the city’s formation is up at all times, so the imperial guide can't leave the place at all!"

"There are saint moon guides too? How powerful are they? How many are there?" Tianming asked as he observed the young fellows near Yueshen Wushuang.

"There's only one saint moon guide. He's the imperial guide's husband. I don't usually see him, though."

Since the imperial guide was second only to the sovereign, being something akin to the prime minister, then her husband must have a lower rank than her. Tianming committed it all to memory.

"Oh? Isn't that the saint moon guide?" Yueshen Xi excitedly said.

Tianming looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a man with messy hair and a face seemingly flushed by alcohol pass by. He held a large wine jar in hand and swayed about like a drunk and was soon gone. He seemed to be heading toward the Divine Moon Skylake.

"He doesn't look like one of the divine moonrace."

"Of course not. He's the strongest member of the rootbeast race in the Divine Moon Realm! It's said that he was really talented in his youth and was treated well by the royals. For him to even get together with the imperial guide, he must be the most well-integrated non-divine moonrace here. But lately, he doesn't show up anywhere other than Divine Moon Skylake. I've only seen him fewer than ten times in my twenty years of cultivating here. He's a responsible and low-profile person!"

"Rootbeast race? His lifebound beasts must be impressive then."

"They're alright, but rootbeast race cultivation is much slower than ours. That's why, while the saint moon guide is really powerful in battles, he's only at the Nonahonor Sky level. He used to be impressive in his time, but his peers outstripped him. In his prime, he was said to have rivaled the sovereign and imperial guide."

Tianming could hear the pride in his voice. It seemed the divine moonrace loved to sound superior to the rootbeast race. "The ninth level, eh..."

"Her Majesty's new pet, do you want to come up and spar too?" Yueshen Wushuang asked with a provocative gaze. The other divine moonrace disciples were itching to see it as well.

"Forget it. I worry that you'll lose face if I overpower you," Tianming replied with a smile.

The crowd burst out in laughter.

"I don't care about losing face. Since you dare to claim you can defeat me, come and prove it!" Yueshen Wushuang said.

"I have no time," he said, right as the others thought he would go receive a beating. He immediately turned to leave.

"That's it?"

"Say you're scared if you’re scared. Stop boasting."

They had heard that his talent was outstanding to begin with, but their pride wouldn't let them accept it so easily.

There's no way I'll beat you up here and raise the sovereign's guard, 

he thought.

Within his lifebound space, his four beasts knew what they had to do after processing the information Tianming just got, no matter how idiotic they were.

"It's going to get exciting!"

"Siblings, gather! We have to protect the Boss's little birdie!" Xian Xian announced.

The other three looked at her, stunned. It seemed she had been infected by their shenanigans too. They were rotten to the core ever since Ying Huo hatched.

......

At dawn two days later, Tianming left Origin Hall and ran into the sovereign. She was seductively leaning against a pillar, her skin glistening in the moonlight.

"Are you going to the Moonnight Patio again?" she asked.

"Yes." Saying too much might make him reveal something inadvertently, so he kept it short.

"Someone like you who only cultivates is boring...." She winked her beautiful eyes.

"If I weren't at risk of dying, I’d take it easier." Tianming passed her by and kept walking.

"We got word that the nova source pulse will happen tomorrow night. It’ll last for twelve hours. You’d better be bathed and ready."

"Tomorrow?" He took a deep breath. He couldn't afford to give her the slightest clue about what he was planning, from his expression down to his every movement.

"If you die, We’ll give you a grand burial."

"Oh, I suppose I should be grateful, then." After he said that, he noticed that the imperial guide was there. Though his expression didn't change in the slightest, his heart rate increased. The chance he had been waiting for was finally here.

"Come," Sovereign Xi said, motioning her finger towards her.

The imperial guide descended to the palace ground and followed the sovereign in. Before she entered, she turned to look at Tianming. "It's tomorrow night, right? Are you still letting him roam around?"

"It's fine. Let him relax. He’ll be my first man. Don't all women want to enjoy what it feels like to be desired and spoiled by a man? I’d hate for him to be all sour and grumpy when the time comes."

"I wouldn't know. I don't care for little things like that." They looked at each other for quite a while.

"Where's your little puppy?"

"Kneeling and eating dog food as usual. It's only fitting, given how dirty he usually lives his life."

"Hehe.... Alright, come in."

The two of them entered the palace together.