“Hm?” Ryu looked up. “Is something wrong?”

He realized that Eska hadn’t spoken in a while, so he asked this question. But, she only shook her head.

“Nothing.”

Eska wasn’t very surprised by Ryu’s explosive growth in strength. After all, she was a Sky God. If her Primordial Yin couldn’t improve Ryu by at least this much, she wouldn’t be very worthy of her years of cultivation. If anything, the fact Ryu progressed so little was a testament to just how deep his foundation and how strong his talents were.

What she was surprised about, though, was the shift in Ryu’s mentality.

On the surface, it seemed as though Ryu had gained enlightenment through cheap, emotionless sex. But the truth was that this was simply the final domino and the first to be knocked over. Ryu had been building this shift in his thoughts for a long while, it was just Eska that gave him the mental clarity he needed to take the final step.

When he met Ailsa, he was as rigid as he could be. He hated the world as though it owed him something for his years of suffering. If it wasn’t for Ailsa’s resolve to stay by his side, he might have lost a partner for life forever that day.

But, as time progressed, he slowly learned to trust her. He leaned more on her, he opened himself up to her criticisms and her thoughts. Maybe one of the first large turning points was when he agreed to abandon his Tatsuya Saintly Weapons…

He could still remember the fear Ailsa felt when she forced herself to say those words to him. He remembered feeling terrible.

He had already accepted Ailsa as his woman at that point. But why was it that she was still so scared to speak of something that would obviously only benefit him? Had he been in the wrong?

Ryu felt that his flaws were especially glaring that day, but there were still many other points he could point toward.

When he lost his Grandpa Tor. He had thought that he would have nothing to do with that family for the rest of his life, only for a person that was all but dead to him to become the reason he could sit here alive…

When he accepted Balaur as his master. It was an act he never thought that he would do in his lifetime. Who cared if it was a Sky God? He was Ryu Tatsuya. What need did he have for a master? Wouldn’t he just surpass him in the future anyway…?

When he expressed his feelings to Ailsa. He had always thought he would only have one woman in this lifetime. He could still vividly remember that night he asked Elena if he could be selfish, it was forever imprinted onto his mind even if he had never contracted the Origin Flame. He felt he simply owed her too much, even to the point he ignored her acceptance of such a thing…

Even more recently, he had actually let Matheus live. He, Ryu Tatsuya, had let someone he gave an ultimatum of life or death, live.

He had always been a man of his word. Not doing something he swore to do, even to the detriment, rage or sadness of those around him, wasn’t something he’d ever do.

And now here he was, sitting across from woman who would call him Lord Husband without hesitation, yet their souls had never been merged, nor did he know if they would ever be. If the Ryu of years ago was told that this was where he would be in the future, would he even believe it?

It was odd to think about. Was being in a relationship most people would hate to be in considered a success? What about this was a good thing, exactly? Wouldn’t it be easier to tell if the two could at least look toward one another with a smile?

Probably. At least it would look better on paper.

However, to Ryu, it didn’t matter.

He didn’t need to learn how to love, he already knew how to do that. He didn’t need to learn how to smile, he finally felt as though he didn’t need to hold up a cold façade all the time. He didn’t need a relationship that could whisper sweet nothings into his ear, he had already experienced all of that already.

What he needed was maturity. What he needed was the calm mind he had right this very moment.

The quietest, most reserved man Ryu had ever known was his Grandpa Tatsuya. He was an obedient husband to his wife, a gentle grandfather to Ryu, and a loving father to Titus.

However, unlike his son, Saint Tatsuya’s Bloodline wasn’t curbed by the more gentle Fire Phoenix. And unlike Ryu, he didn’t have the benefit of two calmer Phoenix Bloodlines.

And yet, despite having the highest concentration of Fire Dragon Blood ever seen outside of Sky God Tatsuya, Ryu had never once seen his grandfather lose control of his emotions.

This was exactly the man Ryu needed to be. To be constantly ruled by his rage, his anger, allowing his Bloodlines to pull him every which direction they pleased… He couldn’t allow such things to continue as they had been.

It seemed as though he was in control by ignoring his lust, but the result seeped out in other ways, eventually even slowing his own cultivation speed.

It was unacceptable.

But now, his mind was clear, his qi smooth and his body limber. He had a level of control over himself he had never felt before.

And when that day came… When the dormant volcano within him finally began to rumble once more… His enemies would truly feel the wrath of Ryu Tatsuya.

Ryu smiled lightly toward Eska, seemingly seeing through her silence.

Eska wasn’t sure how to respond to such a look. She preferred Ryu’s cold expression by a large margin. Well… maybe preferred wasn’t exactly the right word…

She shook her head, opening her mouth to speak once more.

“It is hard to get all the information from Isemeine as she isn’t part of the original generation of Martial Gods that came here 900 million years ago. But, there is enough to go off of for now.

“The one most important thing you must know is that the Martial Gods have come for one purpose and one purpose only:

“To conquer.”