1227 Both
In the end, Ronelis and Claire could only narrow their eyes. Since Ryu had been so bold with his claims, it was indeed inappropriate for them to say anything more. In addition, it was a bit embarrassing to claim that this was their territory when it had taken them half a day just to make it here.
Ronelis, rather than being enraged, laughed.
"Good, good. They say there are many heroes among the young. In that case, I'll take it upon myself to escort you young heroes myself."
With a sweep of his sleeve, Ronelis picked all four of them up.
Seeing this, Ryu sneered inwardly. This tactic was so obvious even a child could see through it. It was obvious that Ronelis just wanted to make sure that he didn't suddenly run away. Once Ryu was truly within Heavenly Dew Pavilion territory, his life would be entirely under their control. They wouldn't have to worry about missing out on an opportunity to probe the Radiant Star Sect.
Ryu shook his head, but he allowed himself to be swept up, not that he could fight back much against it to begin with. It seemed he would just have to put his money where his mouth was.
The three geniuses looked toward Ryu with peculiar gazes that seemed a cross between disdain and surprise. Surprise for the fact he dared to speak with Sky Gods like this, and disdain because his words made it seem like it was less bravery and more ignorance. Claiming to guarantee first place with them here... What else could it be if not ignorance.
"Fairy Claire, stay here to see if you can find the traces of the one who set up this formation. The Heavenly Dew Pavilion isn't so easy to take advantage of."
Ronelis spoke once before his figure flickered, pulling the four along. He hadn't expected to end up playing babysitter here, but this was the best option given what he had before him. He would be certain to make sure to get his money's worth out of this.
However, he had no idea that Ryu's sneer only deepened. She would spend quite a long time looking because there was absolutely nothing to find but some shattered formation flags. They were currently escorting the so-called formation master to their home right this moment.
Despite having nothing to lean upon, Ryu quite easily crossed his legs and closed his eyes in meditation. This irritated Ronelis who tried to add some extra turbulence to the ride, but he couldn't do much. If he removed too much of the protections, these few geniuses would be shredded to pieces. How could they withstand the speed of a Sky God?
No matter what he did, Ryu seemed to glide through the wind effortlessly, his face the picture of peace.
...
Half a day later, the Heavenly Dew Pavilion loomed over the horizon, its tall golden, white and red structures shimmering like the sun. It felt difficult to look at the city directly without blinking. It was hard to believe that people actually lived in a place like this, it looked more like an ornament than a city.
It wasn't long before Ryu was abandoned. Clearly, Ronelis felt that since he was within their territory, there was no escaping, and he was quite confident about this. He had the right to be, though. Ryu, indeed, couldn't leave as he pleased since things were like this. However, he didn't plan on it in the first place.
First things first, though, he had to find out what this contest was actually about.
In truth, even Ryu knew that he was being quite arrogant this time around. The only reason he knew an event was happening at all was due to Zovaas' words earlier. Then he had made the bold claim that he would be first place just to get out of being imprisoned.
For all he knew, Sky Gods would be involved in this matter and he didn't have a single chance. He had made the assumption that it was within his scope since Iroh and the others were participating, but the reality was that he wasn't 100% certain of defeating them either, at least not without using his Chaos Qi. He wasn't quite sure of the limits of his current strength either.
In addition, Zovaes had called it a "tag team event". And Ryu, very obviously... didn't have a partner. He apparently had a day to not only figure what was going on, but to also find himself a partner for these events.
Given Ronelis' disdain and pettiness, he highly doubted such a thing would even be possible. If worse came to worst, he would have to rely on the little woman.
However, he didn't know what kind of history the Favor Alchemy Sky God had and if she could even show herself. In addition, she might not be willing to help him while she was focused on her cultivation anyway.
After looking around and listening in on conversations for a few hours, Ryu finally understood what was going on.
This "tag team" event was known as the Warrior Alchemist Festival. Alchemists weren't known for their combat strength and Fairy Claire was an extreme of an extreme example, as such, they needed to foster relationships with other powers.
This was quite easy as everyone needed pills, especially cultivation geniuses looking to optimize their path forward.
This Warrior Alchemist Festival was a tacit test for the disciples of the Heavenly Dew Pavilion and their ability to form connections. They would use their influence to find talented geniuses to pair with to undergo a series of challenges, and whichever duo came out on top would receive great rewards.
Only by performing well in both combat aspects and alchemy aspects would a duo have the ability to win. Otherwise, doing well in just half of the challenges would place you well behind in points. Even if you came in number one in one aspect, you might not even be in the top ten overall.
When Ryu learned of the details, his gaze flickered.
Finding a partner was impossible. It seemed that he would just have to do both aspects on his own.
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