1282 Fall of a Genius
The approaching Ryu and Selheira caught the attention of many below. Those that were here hadn't been back for long, but many had already met and seen Selheira before. As were many, they were easily captured by her gentle aura and calming presence. But no matter what, it was difficult for them to have an outward showing of jealousy to the fact she was hanging from another man's arm when they were quite literally fighting for the right to have another woman as their wife. So, though their strikes became more furious to vent their discomfort, they didn't do or say anything else.
Considering they had just met Selheira not long ago, for all they knew, she was already married to another. Although she still had the air of a virgin, without exceptional senses it was hard to tell at a glance, and even if it was the case that she was betrothed, it wasn't rare for women to wait until after they had entered the Sky God Realm to consider losing their Primordial Yin. There was no shortage of techniques that benefited from an intact one.
Selheira's snow white owl landed on the tall walls of the Sect. Upon it, there were many observing the proceedings. And, of course, the likes of Old Wan, Samson and the others were present. This was quite an important event, after all, so how could they not be?
The two looked toward Ryu and though their expressions didn't show much, there was a peculiar change in the depths of their eyes, as though they were seeing something they couldn't quite understand, but also couldn't quite put their finger on what it is they were trying to understand in the first place.
Aside from Samson and Old Wan, there were the trio of Old Jiao, Old Xuan and Old Xu.
All three of them didn't look particularly outstanding, but that was probably what was also so remarkable about them. They dressed in simple robes that looked as though they had been knit in thick wool. They looked more like retired, old mortal men who spent their days in rocking chairs and watching their grandchildren play than the backbone of a once exceptionally powerful Seventh Heaven Sect.
But again, this was what made them so remarkable. And now that Ryu thought about it, it was also what made the likes of Samson, Aika and Old Wan so remarkable as well. He never felt any sort of discomfort around them, almost as though they had no strength in their bodies at all. Aika had even completed a breakthrough into what should have been at the very least the Dao Lord Realm without so much as harming him, and that was while she had her arm around him as she gleefully pretended to be an old lady.
Of course, Aika's level of control was even more exaggerated than just this, but the fact that all of them could do the same wasn't a coincidence at all.
There was no doubt that these characters weren't just Sky God Realm experts, but they were extremely deep into the Realm. In order to qualify as the backbone of such a Sect, they would definitely have to be at least the Omniscient Realm.
Ryu hadn't noticed before because he was very much used to being unmoved by the auras of powerful figures, he simply didn't allow his body and psyche to bow down. But now that he held a Founding Dao in the palm of his hands, it felt that everything was oh so very "obvious" to him now. If he wanted to understand something, he simply had to reflect on it for a moment and the answers seemed to manifest on their own.
His current level of intelligence was unfathomable.
These old men had noticed Ryu's arrival long ago, but seeing him calmly observing them without reserve made them more curious. Aika had mentioned two Inhertor Disciples before, and Selheira was obviously the first, while this young man should be the second, but they were also a bit confused.
They could see through the wall of talent that was hidden well within Selheira's body, but when they turned to Ryu, it felt like they couldn't see anything at all, and this left them shocked.
What shocked Old Wan and Samson was that they too had this feeling. Although they hadn't been able to see right through Ryu before, they could tell certain things and make certain deductions. But now... There was nothing. His air of mystery was on a different level.
Seemingly sensing the oddity in the fact that most were paying more attention to Ryu than they were the battle for the fate of their Matriarch, Samson couldn't help but laugh and lighten the mood considerably.
"What are you still doing up here, Little Ryu? Are you going to miss this opportunity?"
He didn't seem to realize that Selheira's arm was around Ryu's, or maybe because he was so used to Selheira's personality he didn't take it seriously at all. After all, Aika had a habit of taking Ryu's arm too, but no one thought that she was in love with Ryu.
Ryu smiled lightly. "If Senior Aika had wanted me, couldn't she have just named me? There's no need to force such a beauty's hand."
Samson's smile froze, as did the smiling expressions of the other older men as well. The ambience of the atmosphere wasn't bad despite the circumstances, it could be seen that much of the tension that Ryu had expected to find was here, or maybe these old men were just very good at hiding it.
However, this was only something that one very used to bloodshed could say. The scent of blood was so thick that even the air itself seemed to have been dyed red, so it couldn't be that these old men hadn't noticed. Plus, weren't these young men supposed to be the future of their Sect as well, so how were they so casual about it all?
That said, Ryu didn't care very much about this either. He wasn't the morality police and these young men weren't being forced to participate. This was no different from any other competition of the martial world, the survival of the fittest and the superiority of the largest fist.
At the same time, the reaction of these elders had nothing to do with this matter either. There was only one they had for Ryu's response just now...
Arrogant.
In Ryu's opinion, Aika had had the option to choose any husband she wanted. Of all those young men down there, many of whom were around Ryu's age, she couldn't have known any one of them better than she knew him. And yet, she chose to hold this sort of competition.
Of course, Ryu held no sort of animosity toward Aika for this. As he had said previously, he had no such feelings toward her, and she was free to do as she pleased. She was a powerful woman who was far closer to the pinnacle of the True Martial World than he was. If a group of unbiased individuals were to choose who among the two of them were more likely to fulfill Ryu's goal and aspirations, it would be unanimously decided that she would be the better choice.
However, even with all of this being the case, if people thought that he would be a complicit, jumping clown, fighting it out and shedding blood for the sake of winning the heart of a woman he only cared for platonically...
They were sorely mistaken.
In Ryu's eyes, since he wasn't her first and immediate choice, he wouldn't force it nor would he bail her out for her decisions.
Of course, in the mind of others, this was ridiculous. Aika was a Dao Lord at worst, why shouldn't a mere Dao Pedestal Realm expert be forced to prove himself to her?
In truth, Samson had only been joking around. In his opinion, although he couldn't see through Ryu properly, his cultivation was still on the weaker side. And though he had defeated Starlight, Starlight had been an entire cultivation Realm beneath him, not to mention crippled by the suppression of the lower Heavens.
ƥandasnovel·ƈom He hadn't truly intended for Ryu to fight and was just making a joke to tease this overly serious young junior of his, as was his usual.
But he hadn't expected Ryu to answer with such a casual smile, such frankness. He wasn't putting on a show, he wasn't saying it for the sake of the crowd, he didn't even sound like he was looking down on the young men fighting for their lives down below, he had just casually stated something that he felt to the depths of his heart.
This didn't even mention the fact that he had casually called Aika a "beauty", as though that was an appropriate method of address for such a powerful expert.
At that moment, the Dao Hearts of those present fiercely shook.
Their expressions changed and many hurriedly fell to the ground, crossing their legs and closing their eyes, forgetting everything around them as they entered a deep state of meditation.
Of those that moved, there were even many younger Sky Gods. The only ones that seemed unaffected were many of the women and the strongest of them who only frowned once before their brows smoothed out.
Even so, the way they looked at Ryu had forever changed.
This young man that they had just met had a bearing beyond his age, and an arrogance so deep and boundless that its depths couldn't be properly measured.
However, at the same time, they came to the same conclusion that Aika had. Such a sharp sword and unbendable blade, should it ever be broken one day... Would either cause the world to collapse or result in the fall of a genius.
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