In the face of absolute strength, schemes meant nothing. This was something that Ryu had taken to heart since his youth because he had spent his whole life as a weak individual. No matter how many airs he put on, no matter how arrogant he acted, he knew this truth more than anyone else.
Why was it that he dared to scold the Immortals of the Shrine Plane? Why was it that he dared to call Old Mistress Holy Wing a whore to her face? Why was it that he could ignore the rules of the Holy Wing Clan to take Elena as his fiancée? It was all because the Tatsuya Clan had the biggest fist. Ryu was never under any delusions that it was because he was 'oh so intelligent' or so clever that the means of his opposition didn't matter. In fact, it was the exact opposite. It never mattered that he was intelligent, all that ever mattered was the family he was born into.
Now, Ryu didn't have such support. He was alone, but now he had the opportunity to become the largest fist himself. There'd come a day where he'd be able to look down on anyone with disdain based off of his own ability.
Silas couldn't believe that Ryu had disappeared. He had planned to ignore Ryu's existence entirely, treating him with impunity as he continued to make use of Prince Kwan for his schemes. He had had everything lined up… By the time the third trial began, no one would believe that he and Amory were allies. But now, everything had been thrown into disarray. Could Ryu really be capable of this?
The crowd was just as shocked as Silas while the Tor Clan members didn't want to believe it. King Tor cultivated for over sixty years yet wouldn't survive against a Fourth Order beast for more than a single strike. As much as he wanted to believe that his Fourth Son was sending himself to death, he felt a deep discomfort within his heart… What if he actually succeeded?
The shock from Ryu's defeat of the Ice Eyed Bear still hadn't fully been washed away, yet here he was doing something even more incredulous.
To put matters into perspective, the three Sects had only organized one Lower Fourth Order beasts for this competition, not believing anyone would be foolish enough to actually challenge one. How could they have thought that something like this would happen? Ryu might not even have the chance to shatter the Jade on his neck if he met danger. To make matters worse, he was blind!
At this moment, while everyone couldn't decide how to feel, Ryu had appeared within a desert plain. However, this place was far different from the land Prince Kwan fought in.
The ground was completely flat, none of the expected sand dunes one would think to find in a desert could be seen. In fact, the land was filled with cracks, looking like the pieces of a complex puzzle formed by overly dried ground.
In the distance, about twenty or so meters from Ryu, sat the mouth of a cave. Even in the already scorching heat of this desert, the mouth of the cave still steamed akin to hot breath released on a cold winter's day.
Those who were spectating immediately understood how terrible this battleground was for Ryu. There was no cover, no landscape to take advantage of… Nothing but a large expanse of flat land from hundreds of miles. In fact, even the cave seemed to have been dug here. It didn't seem naturally occurring.
For Ryu, this kind of environment was technically the worst for him. Due to his Ice Jade Crystal body, he wasn't supposed to like the heat. Luckily, his Fire Dragon and Fire Phoenix bloodlines fixed this weakness.
A halberd appeared in Ryu's hand, his battle intent soaring. His Fire Dragon and Lightning Qilin blood roared through his veins as though keen on letting their might be known.
Much like the glaive, this halberd also had a wooden staff attached to a metal fixture. And, also just like it, its polearm was dyed in blood, forcing it out of its light brown and into a dark oak color that exuded a fiendish aura.
The air was stale. Not even the slightest hint of wind or moisture could be felt, even breathing made one's throat feel as though it had been lit afire. But, as Ryu continued to not move, his momentum continued to climb. He could feel it coming, it was definitely coming.
Scenes of his battle four months ago flashed in Ryu's mind. At that time, he had accidentally travelled too deeply into the Natural Order Sect's beast forest. It wasn't that he was foolish enough to believe a Fourth Order beast wasn't his opponent at the time, but rather that his knowledge about the Mortal Planes was truly too insignificant.
Due to his ignorance, he stumbled into the territory of an Ice Saber Toothed Tiger. Ryu was forced to put his life on the line to escape, forgetting everything about training his nonsensical dream of dual wielding two-handed weapons all to bring out his full potential.
Back then, his [Gliding Cloud Steps] had already reached the Circle of Perfection but he wasn't fast enough. He had already been a Spear Heir, but his attacks weren't piercing enough. He had already cultivated to the Peak of the Pulse Opening Realm, but he wasn't strong enough.
To this point, Ryu had seemingly not improved. His movement technique was still at the Circle of Perfection. His cultivation still hadn't broken into the Qi Refinement Realm. His spear hadn't reached the Impose Realm either. One would think that in four months, Ryu had completely wasted his talent.
He could feel that feeling once again. That insurmountable wall… A bridge that was impossible to cross… One built by the realms of cultivation.
The ground began to quake. Low growls of a beast of unimaginable strength reverberated through the dry air, resonating with Ryu's beating heart as though it wanted it to burst.
Suddenly, a pillar of lava shot out from the mouth of the cave, shooting into the skies and piercing the veil above. The temperature of the desert skyrocket as the slow footsteps of a looming predator resounded. The beast's overwhelming weight became apparent simply by virtue of its gait.
Soon, the image of the deathly beast came into view. Even Ryu who stood at just over two meters tall was dwarfed.
Its body was that of a tiger, but its four wings, still glistening with molten rock, shimmered like sheets of metal.
Its fur looked nothing like it should, instead seemingly reminiscent of sharp red needles, each half a foot long and layered to create a dense coat and impenetrable defense.
Its large, scarlet eyes looked toward Ryu like a lofty King meeting a servant.. Even as its head loomed six meters in the air, it suddenly roared… Its projection so fierce that a cyclone of scorching wind charged toward Ryu.