[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 Armant Trial was quite famous, even Ryu himself had taken it. That said, he was only five years old at the ti 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 ti 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 monunts, each of which had a single stroke of a weapon etched into its center. Each of the nine stone monunts represented one of the nine core weapons.
A trial taker would step to the edge of their stone monunt's sphere of influence, which was about a one-hundred-ter 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 monunt, a ray of light would be drawn from your weapon toward where the core of the monunt's weapon intent lay. The closer the ray of light was to the stone monunt, the better you perford. Those whose ray of light could touch upon the stone monunt were rewarded greatly.
Of course, there were different grades for these stone monunts depending on the expert who etched the weapon intent. It was said that the highest grade, located upon the Armant 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 Armant Guild was.
However, whatever excitent and nostalgia Ryu might have felt was quickly doused in cold waters when his gaze landed upon the nine massive stone monunts.
"What a disappointnt." He muttered to himself coldly, not bothering to look on anymore. The young geniuses of the Inner Ring were so excited that the stone monunts had appeared, not knowing that the Armant Guild was laughing at them with disdain.
These stone monunts… 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 ter, wouldn't he be making a joke of himself taking such a useless Armant 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 Monunts, 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 rembered back to the precision of his corpse puppets… Could it be he's not faking that he doesn't care?
By the ti 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 rchants are more free.'
'Little Ryu, there's a nosy soone 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 monunts down to appease these Inner Ring 'geniuses', they won't care that I look on their trials the way I do.'
What the Armant Guild was doing was simply saving the face of their business partners. If they put up monunts to their true standards, the Inner Ring youth would never be able to rise up again. But, if they didn't put up a monunt 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 agreent. 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 sothing to his liking. It was a flexible armor similar to his forr Ice Silk armor, but this one had no affinity. It was woven with the beard hair filants 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 beca sturdy beyond compare, it was also highly fire resistant.
"Your eyes are a bit too lofty, boy." The rchant laughed, sitting lazily in his seat in robes a bit too loose for his slight fra.
"How much?" Ryu asked again plainly.
"Ten thousand Higher Mortal Qi Stones."
As a treasure ford 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 , this is a fair price." The rchant 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 shaless?!
"Don't bother arguing with ." 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 tis this easily, especially since he runs the entertainnt capital of your lands."
Tae clenched her fists. Why was he so ignorant in so areas, but so sharp in others?!
She could only watch as her family's wealth vanished before her eyes.
Reviews
All reviews (0)