Ryu roared into the skies. His left half erupting with a torrent of blue flames, his right rising with a tempest of red fires.

Looking up into the skies, Ryu's figure flickering with beautiful blue scales once again, fading into and out of existence but never truly holding on.

"Didn't you want my things?

" Ryu's voice seemed to have grown several octaves deeper.

"Come and get them.

"

Ryu raised his right arm, a swirling dome of qi appearing around him.

'Small Realm.'

On the surface, the implementation of Small Realm looked no different from Impose. However, this couldn't have been further from the truth.

It felt as though all the qi in Ryu's surroundings had been placed in the palm of his hand. Whereas Impose could restrict the qi and battle prowess of a foe, Small Realm had the ability to not only do this to a far greater extent, but it was also capable of giving Ryu control over this land as well.

At that moment, Ryu finally felt what it was like to be a true Immortal Ring expert. Rather than being restricted to a mere one meter radius, he could touch upon all the qi in more than a hundred.

Even though he could feel his Focus Qi rapidly dwindling, Ryu had never felt more powerful in his life. It felt as though he was gazing upon the world from on high.

Author's Note: Mistakes were made. I've been calling Ephemeral Tapestry 'Ethereal Tapestry' for a while now. Oops. I'm going back to Ephemeral now.

At that moment, within Ryu's real body back in the Moonlight Blossom Sect, bloody tears fell from his eyes as well. However, this wasn't the matter that was of note.

Within his Pupil's inner world, one could find an expanse of grey. Compared to the past, Ryu's inner world was much larger than it had been, now stretching out more than a kilometer in every direction.

Within this world, there were only a few things. In fact, there were only ever a few things that found their way into this place in the first place.

The first was a crystalline jade, sitting neatly in a corner. The second was Ryu's cloak, tidily folded and prepared for use at any time. The third were Ryu's Clan emblems, patiently waiting for the day he could use them again. And, the fourth, was an unassuming prayer mat.

Ryu didn't know much about this prayer mat, but what he did know was that it was special. For it to be able to block out the energies of an entire large world without imploding, it most definitely was.

All Ryu could manage to learn about it was the fact it helped him recover his Focus Qi, something that should have been impossible without rest. However, by this point, Ryu had almost forgotten about it. It passively helped him all the time, silently sitting within his Inner World without a care.

But at that moment, it seemed moved. A strong ancient energy rooted itself deeply, vibrating with a keen resonance.

…

Ryu exploded forward, appearing before Izril in the blink of an eye, his Great Swordstaff still raised.

Izril's gaze narrowed, his thin sword appearing in his hand instantaneously. For an unassuming observer, it felt as though it had always been in his hand, as though it had never left.

Ryu's arm descended, his gaze pulsing with crimson streams. The streaks of red drizzled down his cheeks, giving his handsome features a demonic character the likes of could send shivers down one's spine.

BANG!

Izril's eye twitched, his arm flexing hard against Ryu's strike.

They paused for a moment in the air before Izril found himself careening toward the ground.

The Team Leader landed heavily, a massive crater of earth surging around him. The impact was so great that his feet dug into the ground, not stopping even after his knees were buried deep.

However, this didn't change the fact that Izril landed feet first. Looking up into the skies, his eyes narrowed.

"Everyone. Attack.

" He said expressionlessly.

He had hardly said the words before Ryu appeared before him.

In truth, Ryu could control this battlefield with much more ease. If he activated Immortal Sakura he could simultaneously protect and support everyone. If he synergized this with his Small Realm to absorb qi and Divine Chaotic Annihilation to turn that qi into Spiritual Qi, then he might even be able to sustain the third tier of Immortal Sakura right this moment.

But, Ryu couldn't do that.

He had come here not only to push himself to his limits, but also to find out if this Immortal Sakura Alliance was related to the Zu Clan or not.

If it was related to the Zu Clan, wouldn't he be exposing himself by using Immortal Sakura? If these people knew enough to use such a namesake, they most definitely knew enough to recognize the technique. Ryu wouldn't expose himself in such a way unless he absolutely had to or if he had gathered all the information he needed.

As for the rage of the Zu Clan…? Who cared about that?

This time, Izril was more ready for Ryu's strike. With a long step, he ripped his leg out from the ground with absolute ease, parrying Ryu's strike and snaking his sword toward the latter's throat.

However, Ryu's blue flame infused blade was already prepared, blocking Izril even as his right arm recovered, swinging down with even more force.

One side carried the perfect defense, freezing all attempts at a forward press. The other carried the perfect offense, explosive, swift and relentless.

This was the product of Ryu's year of 'training', a comprehension that sunk to the deepest depths of his soul.

'Heavenly Flow.' Ryu touched upon this ability again. 'Yin Yang Dominance.'

BANG!

An illusory array appeared all around Ryu. It could only be felt, but not seen. Yet, at that moment, it felt as though the whole world had shifted.

Yin Yang Dominance was just the first step of Heavenly Flow, one that Ryu thought he had mastered long ago. But right now, it felt as though it was an all new ability, an all new technique that superseded all others Ryu had learned.

Izril's expression changed for the first time.