Matheus couldn't have been more astonished. Just what kind of refinement method was this?!
No matter how he racked his brain, he could have never guessed that this was Ryu's own unique path. He likely wouldn't be able to believe that someone Ryu's age could accomplish such a thing. Of course, he also had no idea that Ryu was just twenty years old. If he did, maybe the shock would have been even greater.
Fidroha could only watch as Edwin became nothing more than a skeleton. To make matters worse, when his corpse crashed back into the ground, it shattered to ash, blowing into the wind no differently from dust.
This was the special ability of Screaming Blood Root. Its gestation could only occur upon the corpse of high-level cultivators, but this wasn't the end of it. In order to grow, it must continuously absorb Vital Qi.
After being modified by Weeping Willow Qi, the Screaming Blood Root used as the foundation for Esme's evolution became even more sinister. The former was known for cannibalizing Spiritual Herbs, while the later used humans and beasts alike as fertilizer. Their combination was without a doubt potent.
The only trouble was that Ryu had yet to become proficient at using these abilities in battle. Maybe Esme wouldn't have lost so miserably if he could. This was why he still felt lacking as a Necromancer.
On the one hand, he couldn't perfectly translate his battle experience to his corpse puppets. At most, they could use only ten or so percent of his skill, twenty percent on the very upper end. Unless his corpse puppet was far more powerful than he was, it wouldn't be much help in a one on one battle.
On the other hand, Ryu couldn't use the innate abilities of his corpse puppets very well either. This left him with problems from all sides, problems he knew he had to fix.
Looking up toward Fidroha, Ryu met her gaze.
"I believe I've won?"
"Yes…"
Fidroha's voice was far steadier than Ryu expected, causing him to feel a faint admiration. But this was all. He could guess why she was calm, so he could only smirk inwardly.
"… One of the ten spots to enter the Ice Devil Legacy World is yours, you have no need to participate in the tournament any longer."
With a wave of her hand, two items streaked toward Ryu and landed in his hand. One was an identity plaque, while the other was a spatial ring that likely held her debts from their bet.
"In that case, I won't impose anymore. I will come to collect the other half of our debt just before the Legacy World opens."
Fidroha's eyes narrowed at these words, trying her best not to lose her temper. She had never expected that Ryu would actually choose to delay his venture to the Apostles like this. Was it a coincidence? Or was this child really this shrewd?
The trouble was that she really didn't have the ability to stop him from leaving. She still had to oversee what remained of the battle and had already said that Ryu didn't need to participate in the rest.
She had been attempting to come off as magnanimous, thus bolstering the Faith of the Apostles all the more. But she had never expected it to backfire like this.
With a thought, Little Rock appeared by Ryu's side. Its sonorous call spreading over the arena.
Those with sharp eyes immediately noticed the uniqueness of Little Rock. That long slender neck, those platinum feathers that looked almost like the scales of a dragon, that sharp, spiraling lightning qi… This creature had an amazing bloodline and was actually of the Peak Sixth Order!
After putting Esme into his spatial ring, Ryu glided onto Little Rock's back, allowing his companion to spread his wings proudly and soar in the air.
The sun reflected along its body making it seem as though it was sparkling with a rainbow of colors. This beast was truly too beautiful.
However, who would have expected that just Ryu took off into the skies, a sudden surging aura would envelop the whole stadium? In that moment, it felt as though the suns in the sky had all moved forward, bearing down an oppressive heat below.
A flame curtain covered the arena in a dome that completely blocked Little Rock's path.
"I'll ask that this little friend please respect the rules of our city…" Ancestor Ember said faintly. "… There is no flying allowed."
Ryu looked toward this curtain of flames curiously. It was a spectacular feat. The arena itself was at least a kilometer in diameter, yet it was no covered in such a thick sheet of fire. On top of that, it all happened in an instant.
Seeing this scene, Fidroha inwardly smiled. She might be younger than Ancestor Ember, but he was much more experienced and cleverer. This was perfect. As long as Ryu was forced to leave the arena on the ground, there were a million other methods to deal with him. There were too many variables in the sky.
But who knew that Ryu wouldn't even stop Little Rock's ascent? In fact, he had a smirk of disdain on his face.
"Ancestor Ember…" Ryu's voice called out faintly. "… A word of advice. Being a lap dog won't allow you to become the martial warrior you claim to be. It won't help you become the king you deny to be either.
"Such weak flames… Where did you get the audacity to think they could stop me?"
The moment these words fell, Ryu and Little Rock entered the barrier of flames. To the outside world, they had completely vanished.
The arena suddenly felt as though it had been frozen in time. Ryu's words… his actions…
By all accounts, they should have believed that he committed suicide. These were flames created by a Path Extinction Realm expert. Even if it was done casually, it wasn't something Ryu should have been able to handle.
However, for some odd reason, they were absolutely certain that he had survived…