Amory could only watch as matters unfolded before him. The concept of Fate was too enigmatic, it encompassed matters of luck, the future and the past. Gaining the upper hand in a game of wordplay might seem meaningless, but look at how the results played out. Ryu achieved the best possible result.
Of course, Amory had wanted to speak with Cayden, to tell him what actions to take and how exactly to deal with the situation, but it was impossible to send messages on a line of qi until one reached the Qi Refinement realm. He could only watch as Cayden made a fool of himself.
To make matters worse, Cayden's mental state was affected. He made a careless mistake that resulted in him taking a deep gash to his back against the evolved Dire Wolf. Movement techniques had never been his forte due to the weight and size of his frame, so how could he fair well against the wind attributed Dire Wolf without a calm mind?
Headmaster Leopold watched these scenes unfold from above. Although he claimed to be completely fair and unbiased, he still felt uncomfortable watching his First Disciple deal with such a blow. He had never seen Amory out maneuvered so easily…
When Cayden reappeared, Ryu stood with a slight smile on his face, ignoring the ugly expression on his Third Brother's space to step forward, challenging a Middle Second Order beast without hesitation, alone once more.
Ryu suddenly appeared in a dense forest. Tall, ancient trees stood so thick that it would take at least four or five grown men to wrap their arms around them.
Despite the ambience of nature, Ryu felt that the atmosphere was odd. The ground beneath his feet was too dry, how could such terrible land foster such large trees? It didn't make sense.
Suddenly, a tree root shot up from the ground, tearing through the air and toward Ryu. The audience watched on in shock, what kind of beast was this?!
Headmaster Leopold frowned. Ryu should be facing a Middle Second Order beast, so why did it seem like this matter wasn't so simple? However, he calmed down after a few moments, seemingly understanding something.
Ryu swiftly dodged. His [Gliding Cloud Steps] had reached such a profound realm that he could feel the smallest shifts in the wind and react to them in an instant. After eight months of training, with his comprehension, how could he not raise a Peak Common Grade technique to the Circle of Perfection?
Another tree root shot up, suddenly, it felt like the entire forest was attacking Ryu. His figure continued to flicker about, it seemed he had no intention of attacking, but his passive nature made others wonder just what he was doing.
Ryu suddenly seemed to step into the air, as though an imaginary staircase appeared beneath his feet, he glided into the air.
'So that's what it is…' Ryu muttered to himself.
It felt like the trees of the forest were all attacking him at once, but was this truly the case? With Ryu's current cultivation, escaping such an attack was impossible unless he used some exaggerated means. This could only mean that the trees weren't attacking all at once, they were simply painting the illusion that they were, meaning there was only one enemy! A clever one, at that… Using some wood attribute ability, this beast manipulated the trees one by one, giving the illusion that they were almighty.
Unfortunately, Ryu didn't have a profound knowledge of beasts. He was first and foremost a Ruin Master and a Botanist. Although it was true that within the range of spiritual plants, there was never a beast too far away guarding it, the level of beasts Ryu was used to dealing with would never appear on this Plane, the qi here was too thin.
'What should I be looking for? A bird? A burrower of some sort? Maybe a conceal type beast?' Ryu sighed. It seemed King Tor's actions in barring him from the Royal Library was bearing fruit now. Of course, this would end easily if he used his Heavenly Pupils, but he obviously couldn't do such a thing.
At this moment, King Tor also realized what the problem was. He couldn't help but smile to himself, his personality becoming twisted and demented. Ryu had finally shown a chink in his armor.
Suddenly, a tree branch swung toward Ryu, catching him unawares. Up to now, the hidden beast had only made use of roots, waiting for the perfect opportunity to sneak attack. Now that Ryu had jumped into the air, thinking it was safer, it could act!
Ryu's senses immediately picked up the change. Utilizing the change in the wind, he titled himself forward even in the air, causing the branch to soar over his head. Unfortunately, this also disrupted his gliding technique, causing him to fall toward the ground where numerous roots sat waiting for him.
'What a clever beast. It realized how profound my movement technique was, but also knew that I couldn't achieve true flight, I could only replicate a cheap image of it…'
Yaana watched in horror as Ryu fell. If things continued like this, he would be impaled by the roots waiting below. In fact, the beast seemed to understand this as well, barring Ryu's path backward.
Still, even at this moment, Ryu was incomparably calm. After eight months spent perpetually fighting beasts, Ryu had long since lost count of the life and death situations he had survived. He had survived a battle with a Fourth Order beast! How could he fall to a mere Middle Second Order beast?
Ryu's chest suddenly expanded, he entered the Meditation State, immediately circulating the Ice Phoenix Martial Form.
His blood surged. In that moment, all of the air within ten meters uncontrollably rolled toward him, filling his body with endless oxygen.
He felt intoxicated, his head feeling lighter than it should. But, his focus remained pointed.
The Second Order beast wasn't prepared for the influx of wind where there had once been absolute stillness, and it was even less prepared for Ryu to utilize this wind to reinvigorate his glide technique, safely landing outside the circle of deadly sharp roots.
In its shock, the beast's concealment faltered. Although it tried to cover up its mistake, it was already too late. The sight of a small, beaver-like creature hiding atop a tree entered Ryu's vision.
Once again, no one saw the arrow. There was only a sharp 'SUUU' sound followed by the shattering of yet another bow along with a rain of crimson blood.