[Bonus Chapter for 500 powerstones]
Not long after Ryu awoke, he sensed the presence of two individuals. One was the very City Lord Loom that placed him in this cell, while the other was one of the beauties that sat within the white carriage from all those months ago. From the looks of it, they were kin. As for why City Lord Loom would bring her here, Ryu had no idea, nor did he care. Though he was awake, his eyes didn't open, nor did they so much as twitch.
Ryu was thinking about other things. Namely, he was confused about his Fire Dao. He had always thought he could only comprehend one path, which was why he didn't rush to comprehend a lightning legacy. However, somehow, he had both Rage Flames and Rebirth Flames.
Was eliciting a Unique Flame different from comprehending an Element?
Elements were Mortal Endowments and shared this category along with Birthed Phenomena. But why did things feel so weird? He hadn't even consciously comprehended these flames, they simply appeared on their own after his bloodlines reached a certain Vital Qi saturation.
'Is this the true ability of my Ice Jade Crystal Body?... To be able to perfectly balance numerous diverging paths at once?'
Ryu had felt his Bone Structure have a breakthrough after his body reached the Divine Vessel equivalent realm, but he couldn't seem to comprehend exactly what that change was. If his guess was right… Maybe he didn't need to be so careful about choosing a path anymore…
He knew his Bone Structure had four main abilities. Accelerated healing, friend of nature, absolute balance, and ungodly cultivation speed. It seemed he had underestimated what it meant to have perfect balance…
This was only just the beginning as well. Once he reached the Divine Vessel Realm with his qi, that was when the true doors would open. Unfortunately, Ryu's talents also had their limitations.
Currently, Ryu was firmly within the Half-Step Spiritual Severing Realm. However, he still felt he needed more accumulation to enter the Realm completely… And the reason was hidden within the Severing moniker of this Realm…
In order to become such an expert, one needed to form a Qi Blade. This Qi Blade would be used to sever the connection between your Spiritual Foundation and your Meridians. Once this connection was reformed, it would become sturdier, making each successive Severing more difficult.
One might wonder what the issue was. Ryu's Qi density was already comparable to Half-Step Divine Vessel Realm experts, so why couldn't he form his Qi Blade already? In fact, he should be able to sweep the Spiritual Severing Realm in a single sitting?... No?
The problem was that Ryu's meridians were made of Chaotic Silk, the third hardest material in existence. Even if the connection between his Spiritual Foundation and them was where they were the absolute thinnest, how could they be casually cut?
This was the first roadblock Ryu had faced, and it was ironically because of his own overwhelming talent. If he couldn't find a way to solve this problem, he would be stuck in the Qi Refinement Realm forever… It was no wonder he couldn't be bothered to care about this City Lord Loom anymore, he had more pressing problems.
The longer Ryu remained silent, the darker City Lord Loom's expression grew. He had thought that after just a few weeks, the sounds of Ryu's clamoring would fill the halls of the jail. Yet, not only had he not spoken in those few weeks, it had already been over six months without him breathing a single word.
In the end, he could wait no longer. The matter he needed Ryu for was fast approaching and he could only swallow his pride to make a trip here personally, thinking that at the very least, Ryu would be eager to see him. But, who knew that this young man wouldn't even bother with his presence?!
If Ryu was a Connecting Heaven Realm expert like him, this might make sense. After all, they were individuals who stayed in seclusion for years on end sometimes. But, a Qi Refinement expert wouldn't have experienced such long periods of solitude yet! How could he be completely unfazed?!
Suddenly, the City Lord's pupils constricted. He could no longer feel Ryu's cultivation. In fact, he wasn't even certain if his restrictions were still in place.
Wait a minute, restrictions? The City Lord's steps trembled. His eyes shone as he flooded them with qi, but this action only proved his guess. The formations of the cell… They were shattered!
How could this City Lord feel Ryu's cultivation if he didn't want him to? Because he didn't want to draw too much trouble, Ryu had Ailsa allow his cultivation to be shown as he was stepping into Looming City. But, if Ailsa and him didn't want it, even if this City Lord was an Immortal Ring Realm expert, he would only be able to sense that Ryu was a mortal!
Tae's delicate brows furrowed. In the beginning, she was on Ryu's side, believing the words of her cousin and the actions of her father to be overboard. But seeing that Ryu was still acting like this now, she couldn't take it. There was no question she was biased toward her grandfather, after all, she knew the plight he faced. She couldn't help but feel this way.
"Sir Ryu, don't you think that's enough? Even if you believe my grandfather is in the wrong, don't you believe that he was still merciful in allowing you to live? The Loom Clan has need of your services and will pay you triple what we initially intended in order to service your grievances. Please cease these petty actions.
"The cultivation world is a cruel place that works based on benefits. You as a Qi Refinement expert were allowed to live when any other City Lord in my grandfather's position, even if they were in need of you, would have killed you immediately to save face. You at least understand this much, right?"
Tae's frown deepened under Ryu's continued silence.
Suddenly, Ryu stood. His abrupt movement caused the fragile garments that covered his torso to crumble to ash, revealing a perfectly sculpted upper body. It was a wonder they had even survived so long under the vicious heat of his Rage Flames.
Ryu walked to the bars of the cell. In instant, just the slight vibration of his footsteps caused them to collapse. Just like that metal bars of the Black Grade disintegrated before their very eyes.
'Kill me? With just Half-Step Immortal Ring cultivation?' If Ryu wanted to, he could have escaped long ago.
"I'm sure City Lord Loom has a lot of credit in the Looming Auction House, right?" He didn't bother to look back as he crossed the face of the grandfather-granddaughter pair, disappearing down the corridor.
City Lord Loom's features only grew darker. "Follow him. Once he's satisfied, I'll make use of him and do away with this matter."
The rage on his features only thickened when he noticed his granddaughter's absentminded appearance and the deep blush on her face.
'Almost all cultivators are exceptionally fit… but how could a man be sculpted so perfectly…? I wonder… What does his face look like… beneath that mask…?'
Regaining her senses, Tae didn't dare to meet her grandfather's eyes any longer. The rage she felt toward Ryu increased even further as she rushed after him.
City Lord Loom looked back toward the ash covered cell. Compared to when Ryu entered, it was absolutely spotless, as though all of its impurities had been burnt away. He couldn't help but feel a shiver.
'… He will never forgive me…' He closed his eyes tightly, his fists trembling as though he was making the hardest decision of his life. '… After this is done… I must kill him...'
Thinking back to that day he forced Ryu's head to bow, a thick regret turned his intestines green. If he hadn't gone so far, if he had just used a softer method, he wouldn't need to forsake his own morals like this. This matter would without a doubt become an inescapable Heart Demon.
But it was too late. Once he finished making use of this Ryu, he had to destroy this possible future calamity of his Loom Clan.