The young man across from Alote wasn't a simple character. He was the young Scion of a prestigious Clan of the Blossom Plane. It could be said that while the geniuses of the Pedestal Plane were practically recruited for the purpose of becoming canon fodder, the geniuses of the Blossom Plane were at the first level for which they could be taken seriously.

Of course, Alote knew this. However, as a Throne, she wasn't willing to resign herself to such a Fate.

None of them were fools. The Martial Gods wouldn't just help the weak out of the kindness of their hearts. They had a very expressed purpose for why they were here and she was smart enough to be cognisant of that despite the carefree attitudes of the other fools who thought that they had already made it.

This was just the first layer of matters, though. There was a deeper, more intriguing layer that needed to be separated out and pieced apart.

One had to remember that those below the Path Extinction Realm couldn't hope to live on the Shrine Plane long term. In fact, even an Immortal Ring Realm genius without a strong ice affinity would find themselves frozen to death in an instant should they step foot on the Shrine Plane.

What did that mean, then? It meant that all of the geniuses below the Path Extinction Realm were all concentrated on the Blossom Plane. Whether it was the competition, the resources, the comradery If you were below the Path Extinction Realm, this was, by far, the best place to be.

In the several hundred million years since they took over the Shrine World, the Martial Gods had cultivated the Blossom Plane to the point it had become the best place to raise juniors.

This all culminated in a simple fact.

In the past, Ryu could look down on Blossom Plane 'geniuses' because they would pale in comparison to the true geniuses of the Shrine Plane almost 100% of the time. Even if there was a genius born on the Blossom Plane that could be compared to those of the Shrine Plane, more often than not, they would be taken in by the Sect or Clan their own were subordinate to.

However The same couldn't be said now. If one was well known enough to be a genius of the Blossom Plane in this Era, it meant that you were a pre-eminent genius of the Shrine World as a whole. You could hold your head up high anywhere.

Knowing this, it was no wonder that the awe Alote had had for Ryu had faded away. She had been surrounded by geniuses she felt could accomplish the same things and much more over the past several hundred years.

Plus, what was the Throne of an Eighth Order Sect worth before a Throne of a Ninth Order one? What about a Tenth? Because she had seen versions of both!

However, she was disappointed to find that Ryu wasn't aware enough to adjust his attitude. Even if you were attacked first, there were some insults you had to swallow.

In these years, she had never devalued or sold herself. However, there were many grievances she had swallowed no matter how hard it had been. It was this that allowed her to be here, sitting at the table with the Scion of a Ninth Order Sect and being valued by him enough to deserve his jealousy.

Maybe had Ryu not just said the words he just had, it would have still been possible for her to say a few words that would have allowed him to keep his life. But, at this point, there was no chance. Rather than lose her hard earned connections over someone she had just met oncethings she had bred over countless decadesit was better to just remain silent.

She was close to finally entering the inner ring of her Sect. She didn't want to ruin her chances just for a small exchange of pity.

Of course This was a weird thought for a Throne to have. What inner ring could a Sect have that its Throne couldn't access?

"What did you just say to me?" The young man said in a low voice.

Ryu rubbed is forehead, his mind slowly clearing up. Why was it that people chose the worse times to be stupid? Ryu didn't even feel like coming up with a witty comeback.

He knew that more trouble was likely on the way already. After all, as harsh as the punishment was for fighting in this city, the punishment for killing was definitely harsher. Yet, Ryu had already done that. It was too late to take it back.

"I'll give you to the count of three." Ryu said plainly.

"One." The young man sneered, speaking the words for Ryu. "Two. I would really like to see what you'll do to me after three."

Before he finished his sentence, Ryu had already moved. No one seemed capable of keeping up with his movements. In fact, his silhouette seemed to still be standing at the door, still rubbing its forehead as though nothing had happened at all.

The young man's next words were caught in his throat before he could say them.

Ryu squatted over their table, the tips of his toes pressing into the hard wood as he held the young man up by his neck.

At that moment, the wind finally caught up with Ryu, sending a strong gust through the surroundings. Alote's hair fluttered, her eyes widening when she realized that Ryu had actually already passed her.

He held onto the young man's throat, never having looked at her even once. It was hard to tell if he had realized she was there and simply didn't care, or if he hadn't bothered to notice in the first place.

All she could do was stare at his side profile, her heart forgetting to beat for several moments.

Ryu shook his head, rubbing his temple with his free hand. All of this was really too ridiculous.

"You can't kill me. I am the Scion of the .."

"Just shut up."

The young man's neck was snapped. Ryu accidentally squeezed too hard, causing a burst of blood to spray about the surroundings.

It was clear by that point that the authorities had been alerted.