It took me a few seconds to get over my shock. I'd heard the beastman sage speaking, but I assumed that ability was a byproduct of him shapeshifting into a humanoid form.

However, the tiger in front of us had just asked me a question with perfect intonation. It made me think back on all my interactions with various beasts, wondering which of them could understand me or talk. Had they simply hidden the ability from me, because I was human?

"You can talk?" Wang Ren exclaimed, his jaw falling open.

The tiger snorted, throwing a ridiculing glare at my Senior Brother. "Of course I can, what do you take me for? An uncivilized country bumpkin?"

"Wha-"

Before he could make more social blunders, I decided to intervene and take control of the situation. I was equally surprised, but clearly mentioning it was considered rude by this particular tiger.

"When you say I can do the same thing as the emperor, what exactly are you referring to? If you mean the technique he just used, then I am sorry to disappoint but I have no idea what that was," I explained, waving around at the cultivators near us who'd had their wounds healed.

"Obviously not, you're barely a cultivator," the tiger sneered, looking at me as if I was brain damaged.

"He said you healed his wounds with a different technique. Is it true?"

"Well, yes. I have the ability to heal wounds, but not on such a scale. I don't believe it is the same technique that the emperor used, however. I developed it myself," I replied, realising what the tiger meant.

"I see. A young genius, then. How interesting. Perhaps in a few dozen years you might be a worthy mate," the tiger chuckled, looking me up and down with a hungry gaze that made me shiver.

Mate? With a tiger? I know some humans had extreme fetishes but that wasn't my taste.

"A most generous offer, but I am not sure I am interested in companionship right now. I would like to know what… Qiang Hou told you about me. Why am I here?" I asked.

The tiger snorted again, purring softly in what sounded like laughter. "Of course not. You're barely a child. As I said, in a few dozen years perhaps. As for why you are here," she said, pausing to sniff the air around me.

"No, before that, why do you smell like that traitorous bitch and… gross, snake!" she exclaimed, jumping backwards and raising her snout in disgust.

What the hell was wrong with this tiger? First it wanted to mate with me and now it was insulting my smell. I almost walked away then and there, but having allies who could support us in battle and with information was too useful an opportunity to pass up.

"I am not sure what you mean by traitorous, but I can tell you that there is a powerful serpent beast who resides in my sect. Perhaps that is what you can smell," I replied, restraining the ruder retort on the tip of my tongue.

"Well, your lacking choice of friends aside, I would like to make you an offer. Join our youngsters when they enter the Blossoming Heavens and heal them as necessary and in exchange we will assist you in acquiring treasures. If you can help them secure the final reward of the secret realm, we can even consider offering you a spot in the world tower when it appears," the tiger said, pausing for a moment to glance at Wang Ren. "And for your companion."

I sighed in relief. The tiger making the offer saved me from doing so. It gave me a small advantage in negotiating, although the terms of the deal already sounded quite favourable.

If all I had to do was heal them after a battle in exchange for their assistance in securing treasures and opportunities, it was almost too good to be true. The only caveat was that she specified I would be helping them obtain the 'final reward', whatever that was.

It meant denying myself the opportunity. However, if I was exploring alone with Wang Ren, would we even have a chance to do so? Our rivals were cultivators all the way up to Peak Foundation Building Realm, after all.

"I need more information before I can accept," I replied, tapping a finger against my chin. "What is the world tower, and what is this final reward you want us to help you obtain?"

"The final reward? Its actual form varies each time, but it is a key. A key to the true opportunity of the era. Before you get any greedy ideas, the key can only be used by cultivators of the Nascent Soul Realm. As for the world tower-" the tiger's explanation was interrupted by a wave of spiritual energy that erupted from the gate.

It carried with it a potent scent of flowers and spring, making me dizzy. At the same moment, the sages split up, each of them returning to the groups they had escorted.

Only the emperor remained floating in the sky, accompanied by the blue robed old man, Bing Lei and the white furred tiger beastman. The emperor turned to face the gathered cultivators.

"Cultivators of the Celestial Jade Empire and those from the world beyond, welcome to the opening of the Blossoming Heavens. Of course, I will not tell you how to act inside, but remember where you stand. Opportunities and treasures abound for those with the fortune and talent to acquire them," he announced, his voice steady yet reaching the ears of every person present.

"We have decided on the order of entry. The great sects, the four divine beast clans, the scions of the infernal horde, and the dryad princes will enter first, followed by the rest of those gathered in the order that has formed after the earlier… scuffles," Bing Lei continued where the emperor left off.

I stored away the new information. I could no longer call those new races demons and wood elves, now that I knew their true names. Dryads and the Infernal Horde.

I also had clues about the upper echelons of power in the empire and among the beasts. I threw a sideways glance at the female tiger who had been talking with me after hearing the name 'four divine beast clans'. Given the similarity in appearance between her and the sage above, I suspected they were both members of said clan.

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"Always putting themselves first, arrogant humans. If not for the emperor, they wouldn't be so arrogant," the tiger beside me snorted. Then she turned to me and pawed at the ground. "Are you in or out?"

I had never found out what the world tower was, but I suspected it could only be a beneficial opportunity. I could always ask the beasts I accompanied inside about it.

"Sure, I'm in. I want preferential selection on treasures we find," I told her.

"Humans," she harrumphed. "So greedy. As you wish. If you betray us, I will find you and slaughter all of your cubs and mates while you watch. Follow Meng Hou, he will be the leader of our group," she added, pointing her tail at a monkey larger than the cute one but smaller than the big one I'd healed.

He was about twice my height and with muscles bigger than even Wang Ren's. However, I didn't miss the appreciative gaze he levelled at my brother.

"Not bad muscles for hairless monkey," he said, nodding. "Not frail and weak like this one," he added while staring at me.

I wasn't sure I appreciated being called frail and weak, but beasts were bound to have different aesthetic tastes to humans. After all, among cultivators Wang Ren was the exception.

Most had lean and lithe physiques, refined by the continual expunging of impurities the further one cultivated. "Well, this 'frail and weak' human is the one who will be keeping you alive," I retorted. "Perhaps don't piss me off before we've even entered."

"Hmph. So serious. Humans all same," he replied. "You do your job, I do mine. Come."

In total, our group consisted of nine beasts along with Wang Ren and myself. There was Meng Hou, the ape leading us, along with the young ape from before. Two tigers, one with white fur and one with orange fur were also present.

The remaining five beasts were an eagle with scarlet feathers, a lizard with horns, a horse-like beast with scales and fangs, a tortoise with a black shell, and a creature that looked like a cross between a hedgehog and a badger.

It snarled anytime someone met its gaze, even the other beasts. I wondered if it would be so aggressive when I had to heal it.

The time passed quickly. The first groups of cultivators passed through the gate, vanishing the moment they crossed the threshold. Clearly the endless flowers and cherry blossoms were an illusion rather than the actual scenery of the secret realm.

When it was our turn to enter, the tiger sage suddenly appeared before us. He gazed over the various beasts, his piercing eyes stopping on myself and Ren.

"Don't fight amongst kin until the end. If you bring me the key, I will give each of you ten distilled core essences," the sage declared.

Meng Hou started beating his chest and whooping, while the other beasts made equally enthusiastic noises. Whatever a distilled core essence was, it clearly had great value.

"As for you two… how about an Emperor grade artifact each?"

Wang Ren whistled in appreciation. Even I knew the value such an artifact held. To casually offer us both one as a reward, this sage must put a high value on this key.

I nodded in acceptance—I was going in anyway, so why not get paid for it? The sage grinned before vanishing once more. Meng Hou had a glimmer in his eyes as he waved us all to follow, before disappearing into the gate.

****

The emperor gazed down at the latest batch of ants to crawl into the Blossoming Heavens. It was the same every era.

Most of them would be dead within the century, nothing more than a footnote in history barely worth mentioning. Only those who reached the pinnacle had a place in his memory.

Bing Lei was one of them. The old man had lived for almost five eras. He was one of the most accomplished nascent soul sages in the empire, yet he proclaimed that this era would be his last.

"Lei, I take it you are going to challenge them? Do you truly need to throw away your life?" the emperor asked the blue robed old man.

"What value is this life if there is no hope of progressing. I have peered beyond the heavens of this world, yet what lies there is forever obscured by those hateful bastards. They claim the lifeblood of our world for themselves, suppressing us like dogs. Either I die or they do. I cannot sit idly watching the eras pass without putting my life on the line," Bing Lei replied, his face twisting in rage and the air around him cracking and distorting.

"Old friend, I feel the same. However, it is impossible. Even the youths they send down are powerful enough to fight against us sages. How can we ever hope to break free from their chains? Only a miracle would suffice," the emperor sighed mournfully.

"If Lei plans to fight those bastards, I will gladly join him," Baihu chuckled as he reappeared beside the pair. "These old bones long for a proper battle."

"You too? How many sages must we lose before we realise it is a hopeless endeavour. This world is broken and even I cannot fix it. They gave me the power to rule this continent, yet at the same time stole our future," the emperor continued, gazing at his fist as he opened and closed it.

"There is always hope," Bing Lei replied, gazing down at the cultivators on the ground. "Talents and geniuses emerge all the time. Perhaps one day, a supreme prodigy who can even surpass this realm will appear. A rising tide carries all ships with it. Even my granddaughter has gone into the world to find her fate. Perhaps she can succeed where us old geezers have failed," he added with a wry chuckle.

"Can the tide rise beyond the skies?" the emperor replied, staring up towards the sun.

"Stranger things have happened," Baihu said, baring his fangs in a grin.

****

In a towering pagoda made from gold-veined marble, a bored old man wandered among rows of glass domes on top of white jade pillars. Inside each dome, there was a swirling mass of energy which resembled a galaxy.

He would occasionally stop beside the pillars, peering closely at the phenomenon within. He had spent every day for the past eight millenia doing the same thing. Nothing had changed and nothing would change for another eight millenia.

The tapping of feet against the marble tiles broke him from his idle musings. When he saw who had entered the Hall of Harvest, a smile broke out on his weathered face. Perhaps today would be interesting, after all.

"Fourth Young Master, what brings you here today? Are you here to chat with this old man?" he chuckled amicably, staring at the youth from narrowed, sunken eyes.

"Elder, as much as I would love to stay and chat with your esteemed self, I am here on official clan business," the youth replied with a smile, though his expression made him seem bored.

"Oh, is it that time already? Which of the seeds are you here to harvest?" the old man asked.

"I can't remember. Let me check the slip the Patriarch gave me," the youth muttered, pulling a white jade tablet out of a spatial ring.

He muttered for a few moments, running a finger up and down the tablet until tapping on a particular spot and exclaiming in recognition. "Celestial Jade Realm, it says here."

"Oh, that one is always an interesting harvest. They still have some fight in them. I remember the second young master had to kill a few nascent soul whelps when he went down there," the elder chuckled.

The youth's face brightened at the remark. "Truly? Then perhaps this won't be so boring, after all. Elder, you've made my day. I will be sure to reward you when I return."

"No need, Young Master, no need. This job is reward enough," the old man said with a wave of his sleeve.

"Nonsense. Service to the clan deserves a just reward. My father ignores the hard work of the elders far too often. I will not make the same mistakes."

The elder's gaze sharpened. "I see. Ambitious. I will remember your words and your generosity, Fourth Young Master. Now come, let me show you the seedling," he said, waving the youth towards a glass dome which was shimmering with energy to the point it distorted the surrounding space.

"Wow, it's almost ready. I'm almost disappointed I can't watch it happen from up here. It's always a beautiful sight. Then again, going down will hopefully be even more exciting. I will see you soon, Elder," the youth said, before waving a hand over the dome and vanishing from sight.

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