According to the understanding that Ryu had come to, the Chosen Rune was both a blessing and a curse. While it gave certain advantages that could be claimed at a later date, it also increased the difficulty manifold at the same time.
For every given period of the time that passed, the Chosen Rune would release a pulse of qi that would be greatly attractive to beasts and a pillar of light that could be tracked by cultivators. Every time this pulse of qi and light was produced, the former would spread wider while the latter would persist for longer.
Just now, Ryu had experienced the first pulse and the next was quickly approaching. This first one hadn't been nearly enough to cause him big problems as it only pulled in beasts from about the surrounding kilometer range and the light hadn't persisted for nearly long enough for challengers to lock onto his location. However, as time passed, it would become increasingly difficult for him.
The goal of this excursion wasn't actually related to the beasts or the terrain at all. These two factors just added additional variables to the competition and applied some more pressure on the geniuses trying to elevate to the Second Heaven.
In truth, the goal was to defeat as many enemy humans as possible and collect Runes of your own. There were currently only three Chosen Runes, but there were tens of thousands of normal Runes taken up by cultivators who hadn't been given such a chance.
The top 270 contenders, a number chosen based on the 27 participating Second Heaven powers, would be given three chances at passing a trial of the Second Heaven powers. So long as they passed at least one, they would be able to join said power.
Of course, Chosen could circumvent this. A Chosen was able to choose whichever power they wanted to join without running into an issue. That said, a Chosen would have to first survive the onslaught of thousands of cultivators seeking to snatch their Chosen Rune away.
This sounded great, but truthfully, Chosen would usually go with the power that gave them their Chosen Rune. After all, not doing so would be as good as slapping the face of the power that had picked you out, making you an enemy of a Second Heaven Sect or Clan. This wasn't something that even talented individuals would be willing to do, and it would also make things troublesome for the organization you chose to snub them for since it would place them at odds with a power likely on par with them.
Of course, there were some powers that wouldn't care about this at all if the genius was great enough, and some who were already at odds to begin with and most definitely didn't care. However, how could someone born and raised on the First Heaven possibly know the ins and outs of such struggles? It was usually safer to just not take the risk at all.
Knowing all of this, it was no wonder that Jenneless' expression had become so ugly. Ryu hadn't given her any face when she went to personally visit him, how was she expecting him to do so now?
Soon, though, Jenneless calmed down. He just defeated some Eighth Order beasts and she was already so concerned, it was pathetic. Ever since her soul had been harmed, she was having far more difficulty thinking straight, meditating, and even controlling her emotions.
Unfortunately, every time she realized this, she only became angrier at the bastard who put her in such a state and it fueled a cycle of her rashness and lack of emotional maturity.
She was a person quite known for her meticulousness and intelligence, but now she acted like a woman scorned by love. And, she was far too powerful for those used to her real demeanor to dare to say a word about it.
…
Ryu could probably make guesses at Jenneless' current mental state if he thought about it, but quite frankly, he didn't care enough to do so. This woman that he had only met once had long since been thrown to the back of his mind. He didn't even take her giving him a Chosen Rune seriously. As far as he was concerned, such a boon was exactly what he deserved.
Ryu slaughtered a path through the beasts clinging onto him until he laid eyes on one that was much more to his liking.
In the distance, there was a prowling jaguar hidden within the shadows of dense foliage. It looked completely black, but depending on the angle Ryu's Spiritual Sense locked onto it at, it could catch streams of dark gold patterns.
This beast was most definitely of the Earth Grade, the first one of the Earth Grade that Ryu had come across. In fact, not only was it of the Earth Grade, it was also in the Ninth Order, albeit at the Lower Ninth Order.
Such a creature was an absolute monster. In a place like the First Heaven, even the best geniuses who were of the Dao Pedestal Realm would be greatly hesitant to battle. Although they should be able to defeat such a creature should they put in a great deal of effort, in a place like this one where the main goal was to defeat not beasts, but humans, it was simply a wasted effort.
These beasts were the true behemoths of the island and could be considered to be the "bosses" of a given region. One would have to be exceptionally cautious around them, especially one like this that seemed to be so good at stealth.
To those above, it seemed as though Ryu hadn't even noticed its presence. In fact, many of the spectators didn't, and even the likes of Jenneless who was watching Ryu like a hawk only noticed after he had entered a 20 meter range of the creature.
It could only be said that this jaguar was incredibly patient. At its strength, 20 meters might as well have been a single step away, and yet it continued to wait and prowl, not making even the slightest sound as Ryu approached.
15 meters… 10 meters…
The moment Ryu entered a five meter range, it pounced.