[Bonus chapter for 150 golden tickets]
Hearing these words, Ryu who had been feeling anger toward the disrespect shown toward Shrine Mountain was suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia.
The Armament Trial was quite famous, even Ryu himself had taken it. That said, he was only five years old at the time and obviously couldn't place very well. Though, for his age group, he probably did well. Back then, his father hadn't allowed him to see his results, and by the time Ryu was old enough to make decisions for himself, the martial path had left him with a False Spiritual Foundation so he no longer had the heart to care about how well or poorly he had done.
The Trial itself was very simple. There were nine stone monuments, each of which had a single stroke of a weapon etched into its center. Each of the nine stone monuments represented one of the nine core weapons.
A trial taker would step to the edge of their stone monument's sphere of influence, which was about a one-hundred-meter radius if Ryu recalled correctly. Then, while constrained to the [Basic Stances] of your weapon of choice, one would face the latent intent, sending out a strike of your own.
In response, under the odd laws of the stone monument, a ray of light would be drawn from your weapon toward where the core of the monument's weapon intent lay. The closer the ray of light was to the stone monument, the better you performed. Those whose ray of light could touch upon the stone monument were rewarded greatly.
Of course, there were different grades for these stone monuments depending on the expert who etched the weapon intent. It was said that the highest grade, located upon the Armament Guild's Holy Land, was etched personally by Peak Sky Gods.
Ryu wasn't sure if this was true, but if it was, these Sky Gods were likely invited over. No one Clan, Sect or Guild could possibly birth nine Peak Sky Gods, let alone nine of such vastly differing paths. But, to be able to invite such experts over in the first place showed very clearly how powerful this Armament Guild was.
However, whatever excitement and nostalgia Ryu might have felt was quickly doused in cold waters when his gaze landed upon the nine massive stone monuments.
"What a disappointment." He muttered to himself coldly, not bothering to look on anymore. The young geniuses of the Inner Ring were so excited that the stone monuments had appeared, not knowing that the Armament Guild was laughing at them with disdain.
These stone monuments… They were even weaker than the version he tested himself with when he was just five years old. Even back then Ryu's ray of light managed to stretch forward by half a meter, wouldn't he be making a joke of himself taking such a useless Armament Trial with his current strength?
Ryu's gaze shifted without hesitation, not caring any longer.
Tae gave him a weird gaze. When she looked toward the Stone Monuments, she felt as though her very soul was collapsing. Nine Impose Realm weapon strokes! How could he not care at all?
A part of her wanted to scold Ryu inwardly for trying to act cool, but another part of her remembered back to the precision of his corpse puppets… Could it be he's not faking that he doesn't care?
By the time she collected herself, Ryu had gone into the distance.
'It's more convenient this way. With everyone so focused on that sham trial, the lines have dispersed and the merchants are more free.'
'Little Ryu, there's a nosy someone with eyes a bit too interested in you…' Ailsa said softly, a bit irritated as though no one had the right to look at Ryu but her.
Ryu shrugged, his sharp eyes taking in what might and might not be valuable. 'Any Immortal Ring Realm expert would be capable of hearing what I said casually. Since they only placed such pitiful stone monuments down to appease these Inner Ring 'geniuses', they won't care that I look on their trials the way I do.'
What the Armament Guild was doing was simply saving the face of their business partners. If they put up monuments to their true standards, the Inner Ring youth would never be able to rise up again. But, if they didn't put up a monument at all, then they might sour their relationship. In the end, it was the Inner Ring itself that asked to be slapped in the face like this. Yet, look at them running around with smiles on their faces.
Ailsa silently nodded in agreement. After all, the expert's gaze wasn't one of hostility, but rather one of interest. Thinking back to Ryu revealing his bodily strength, Ailsa smiled. Her Little Ryu was a bit too scheming, if this Looming Clan didn't know how to let things go… They'll lose more than their foot smashing into an iron plate.
Ailsa shook her head. 'What am I thinking. Even if they know when to take a step back, knowing my Little Ryu, he won't let things end so simply.'
"This soft armor, how much?" Ryu finally found something to his liking. It was a flexible armor similar to his former Ice Silk armor, but this one had no affinity. It was woven with the beard hair filaments of a Sixth Order Diamond Back Ape. They were known for tempering their almost tortoise-like shell in molten lava conditions, and through a continuous cycle of their hair being burned off a regrown, it not only became sturdy beyond compare, it was also highly fire resistant.
"Your eyes are a bit too lofty, boy." The merchant laughed, sitting lazily in his seat in robes a bit too loose for his slight frame.
"How much?" Ryu asked again plainly.
"Ten thousand Higher Mortal Qi Stones."
As a treasure formed by a Sixth Order beast's body, this soft armor was indeed worthy of such a price. One would only sense Immortal Qi upon entering the Immortal Ring Realm, but that was the Seventh Order. So, treasures of this caliber were still dealt with in Mortal Qi Stones.
"Don't try to bargain with me, this is a fair price." The merchant continued.
"Bargain?" Ryu shook his head. He wasn't paying anyway, why would he bother to bargain?
"Miss, I believe it's your Loom Clan's turn."
Tae was stunned. This Ryu could actually be so shameless?!
"Don't bother arguing with me." Ryu said coldly. "Your Inner Ring lacks a source of Immortal Qi Stones, but are overflowing with Mortal Qi Stones. As a Fifth Order Clan, your grandfather can bring out a hundred times this easily, especially since he runs the entertainment capital of your lands."
Tae clenched her fists. Why was he so ignorant in some areas, but so sharp in others?!
She could only watch as her family's wealth vanished before her eyes.