1343 Scram
Morhorn's expression changed.
It was difficult for Ruin Masters to compete with one another and it often took a long time to prove who was better among them. Ruins weren't pies that could just fall out of the skies and weren't easily used as competition grounds.
As such, Ruin Masters had to find different ways to compete and check the rise in their skills, and this ultimately came down to Matrix Duels.
In a Matrix Duel, both Ruin Masters would bring forward their Matrix in an attempt to swallow the other. Whichever Matrix consumed the other first would win.
This was a devastating sort of duel because it usually meant that one Ruin Master would forever lose their Matrix. In many disciplines, the Matrix was akin to a living, breathing object. The more time a Ruin Master spent with it, the more comprehension they would have toward its unique quirks, and the easier it would be to use. This was one of the reasons why Ryu had rejected Selheira's gift so many times, it didn't make sense that she would give up such a valuable Matrix for no reason.
This aside, the ultimate truth was that any Ruin Master worth their salt would have a Matrix worth more than half the sum of their total wealth. If they ever stopped improving their Matrix, they were essentially giving up on themselves and looking down on their own skills.
In order to mitigate these losses, the Matrix Duel was transformed into a twofold competition. The first was the creation of a new Matrix while the second half became the consumption process.
But it was precisely because of this that Morhorn was so baffled. Ryu actually. dared to do this?
While one could theoretically be correct about the use of a Matrix not needing cultivation, the reverse was definitely not true. A powerful Matrix could not be created without the help of powerful cultivation. Unless this Ryu was shameless enough to try and force the Ancient Matrix Duel down his throat?
Morhorn sneered. "So you want us to compete with our own Matrices? You're quite shameless, aren't you? You want to rely on how rich your family is to compete with me?"
Ryu's Matrix was extraordinarily rare. Most Matrices were cube shaped and were limited in the calculations they could do because they worked similar to a so-called computer. Ryu's Matrix was a quantum computer. They were fundamentally not on the same level.
Ryu was unmoved by this goading. "You're a Ruin Master and don't have wealth that exceeds that of a single family? Aren't you embarrassed?"
Morhorn's expression turned livid, but Ryu pretended as though he hadn't seen anything.
Was Ryu talking nonsense? Absolutely not. His current wealth could only be said to be astronomical. Of course, this wealth was concentrated in the techinques he knew and the improvements he had made to his body, but this was the best kind of wealth to him.
He was on his own, barely knew anything about the True Martial World, but he had found the Frost Clan's store of wealth and the Nine Pillar Flame Sect beyond that. The first could be said to have been a lucky encounter, but the second, which had given him wealth far surpassing the first, was entirely reliant on his skill.
Ryu was the one person who could say that Morhorn was too pathetic within this throne room. He wasn't even in the Sky God Realm yet. If he was, his wealth wouldn't just be this. He didn't even need to mention what would happen once his eyes finally unsealed. By that point, lanjor wouldn't have to proclaim that he was the best Ruin Master in the True Martial World, he would do it himself.
"But since you're so pathetic, I don't mind doing the modified Matrix Duel."
"Do you dare to bet?!" Morhorn spoke quickly, trying to regain his dignity.
"What? You want me to bet my Matrix?" Ryu's sneer deepened.
Seeing that he had been exposed so easily, Morhorn quickly calmed down. He was making mistakes he didn't usually all because this youth was continuously pressing his buttons.
Morhorn exhaled and his calm returned.
"You are not even a Sky God, and you seem to be entirely crippled. It's already below my status to even have this competition with you, do you think a Ruin Master of my status has time to play little games with children? Either pay a proper compensation fee or scram!"
Morhorn seemed to have regained his dignity as a Ruin Master, and the others in the room nodded slightly with approval, even Empana's father. This was because although most felt that Ryu was talking nonsense, Morhorn's flustered reaction wasn't in line with what would be expected from an expert. As one might say, if one rolled around with pigs, how could they not expect to get dirty?
However, no one expected that Ryu's tongue would be even sharper than that.
"Okay, sure," Ryu said with a smile. "But since you have the cheek to say that my Matrix is nothing more than a compensation fee, take out a treasure of equivalent value. I don't even want you to bet it, your treasures mean nothing to me. I only want to see if you have the backing to speak such bold words."
Morhorn froze.
Indeed, he was pretending as though Ryu's Matrix was a mere compensation fee. Then in that case, Ryu's Matrix should just be a drop in the bucket for him.
"You think your words alone are enough to get me to expose my treasures?" Morhorn growled.
"Oh? I would have thought that such "treasures" were meaningless to you if one could be used as a mere compensation fee. Why would you be in such a hurry to hide something so trivial?"
"It's the principle!"
Morhorn who had just regained his calm was immediately flustered once again. He didn't even manage to regain a minute of calm before Ryu had sent him right back into a spiral. It was clear that in a war of words, he was far too inferior.
Ryu laughed uproariously. "Alright, shameless so-called Ruin Master. We can battle. I can even give you my Matrix if I lose and you have do nothing in return but scram with your tail between your legs once you've lost!"
Ryu clapped his hands and a strong Spiritual Qi began to condense. To his back, the vague outline of his Birthed Phenomena took shape, even fainter than usual. It seemed that the more he used it, the more he was able to control its state of activation. Now, it could barely be seen with the naked eye, and yet all those in the throne room couldn't help but turn their eyes toward it.
Morhorn's expression turned a sickly color of pale violet, but he clapped his hands as well, quickly beginning to manifest a powerful energy.
Without a word, the competition between the two had begun. Morhorn didn't have the face to tell Ryu to wait to allow him to adjust himself and he entered enraged and fuming. All he could think about was forcing Ryu to bend the knee as quickly as possible.
The first step was core formation, and this would be precisely where Ryu fell. Core formation relied entirely on energy, and how could a mere Dao Pedestal Realm expert match up to him, a Sky God, in this regard?!
Ryu's own core could never match up to his!
Morhorn sneered and looked up but his expression suddenly changed.
Ryu had already leapt past core formation and begun to form the exterior components of his Matrix. But that could only mean that he hadn't concentrated much energy at all, that meant that Morhorn would have a huge advantage, but if Ryu finished before him?
Morhorn was suddenly flustered.
The formation of the exterior was where the calculation abilities of the Ruin Master began to take shape. Depending on the size of the core, various Fundamental Runes could be called forths. These Foundational Runes would solidify thanks to the power of the core and take shape around it like the gears of a machine. It was similar to Visualization, but outside the body.
These Fundamental Runes had to be a perfect balance of the atmosphere and simulate real life as closely as possible, only in that way would it be sensitive enough to sense the environment around it and complete its calculations.
However, the smaller the core, the smaller the scope and weaker the sensitivity. It would be impossible for this kind of Matrix to swallow Morhorns.
But then Morhorn's expression altered once more. The surge of Fundamental Runes was similar to nothing Morhorn had ever seen. It was like rivers of gold were forming in all directions, forming a steady stream.
Before Morhorn could react, the Matrix in Ryu's hand had grown to the size of a peach, then a melon, then a watermelon.
Morhorn could do nothing but watch as his Matrix was engulfed by nothing more than Ryu's own growing in size. Ryu hadn't even consciously set the Matrix against his, but he simply couldn't stand up to it...
Morhorn's face turned ashen. He had actually lost in such humiliating fashion.
"You can scram now," Ryu uttered coldly.
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