The Martial Unity

It wasn't long before Ieyasu was quickly treated and healed. He took the loss with grace, much to his credit. 

"Know this. Next time, I'll win," He declared to Rui with sharp eyes, before returning to his training.

Rui made a complicated smile. It wasn't that he wasn't happy about getting a win on who was perhaps his only equal, but he knew more than anyone how skewed the match-up had been in his favor. 

'He was that strong after integrating a handful of Martial Art into one,' Rui realized. 'Just how astonishingly strong would he be had he done the same with the thousands of Martial Art he has mastered? The stipulations of this battle hurt him more than it did me.'

Of course, Rui knew that Ieyasu was almost certainly unable to seamlessly assimilate and integrate such a gigantic number of Martial Art into one flawlessly. His current system of thought was certainly flawed, limited, and incomplete. He could sense that much.

Still, he had his work cut out for him, and knowing how driven Ieyasu was, he was going to squeeze every iota of energy and drop of energy and dedicate himself to training and improving his Martial Mind prototype. No matter how much time, effort, or perseverance it took.

'If I slack off, he'll break out of the deadlock and shoot way past me.' Rui narrowed his eyes.

That wasn't to say Rui was dissatisfied with his own efforts or progress. The Hypnomatrix staved off Ieyasu's powerful techniques by oppressing him mentally with all kinds of shackles and pain, literally.

Without it, Rui would have instantly lost. The only normal techniques he had were Adamant Reforging which was always there passively and some assassination techniques that were highly preparatory. Ieyasu would have knocked him out on the spot with such an arsenal.

Godspeed would certainly have staved that off had he used it right off the bat, but its stamina had reduced by half ever since Rui upgraded it. It would not have been able to take down someone with as powerful a constitution as Ieyasu.

The first iteration that he had created was worthy of his Martial Path and a fine addition to his Martial Art. It also contributed to his Martial Mind by a decent amount, reducing the distance between him and the Master Realm. 

He had thoroughly achieved his purpose for arriving at Cloudia and gaining the teachings of the famed Hypnomaster.

"Leaving so soon?" Master Zeamer asked him when he saw Rui with his bags packed. 

"Yes, Master," Rui remarked. "I have achieved all the objectives I came for, and I have other matters that need my immediate attention, even within the Great Forest of Hypnonarak. Therefore, I must take my leave."

"Hmmm..." He turned to Rui. "Well then, It's been interesting."

Rui smiled. "I suppose it has. Thank you for everything."

Rui bowed, expressing gratitude and respect for the Martial Master. Although he didn't have the highest opinion of Master Zeamer's tendencies, the man had come to prove his power and wisdom in the two years that they had been together.

"Good luck with that Deacon fellow. Hit him for me as well." Master Zeamer called out as Rui departed.

Ieyasu didn't bother bidding Rui goodbye, then again, he hadn't bothered the first time either. Nonetheless, Rui knew that they would meet again one day. If only because they had no other equal of their caliber in their generation.

They didn't share a chummy relationship, so Rui didn't mind his absence. It was more comforting this way. 

"Now then..." Rui's mind returned to matters outside Martial Art for the first time in two years. "I suppose I should go visit the Beggar's Sect. I wonder if they still remember me."

He may as well have forgotten about them in the past two years. However, now that he had concluded his training, it was time to get down to business. His commission payment to the Beggar's Sect had waited long enough, it was time to finally finish the payment and acquire all the pertinent and relevant intelligence on Chairman Deacon.

His fists clenched as his muscles trembled with force.

His eyes narrowed.

He had waited a long, long time. As patient as he was, even he was itching to put an end to everything. A rabid drive to kill Chairman Deacon drove him forward. Just thinking about the man made Rui restless with bloodlust.

A deep bloodlust that had been cultivated over seven years of tribulations. Now, he finally had the power and the confidence to eliminate this cancer from his life. Of course, it wasn't going to be easy, but he was more than qualified to take on this challenge and its difficulties with the power that he currently possessed after spending four years in the Senior Realm.

Several days later, he exited the Great Forest of Hypnonarak without a single scratch. The past two years of hunting in the forest had given him a greater ability to navigate forests and other natural habitats and untouched topographies. He was a much more qualified hunter than he was before, which was a good development considering his future intentions to visit the Beast Domain.

It wasn't long before he found himself navigating the human domain of the Gereign region. Rui actually had some trouble acclimatizing to the bustling unruly crowds of the Gereign region. Cloudia has been quite the serene and peaceful place surrounded by a forest that was exotically beautiful when it wasn't trying to kill you.

His tolerance for humans had reduced.

He sky-walked away, avoiding the crowds, quickly heading to the Gereign Distribution Service, the base for the foreign affairs department of the Beggar's Sect in the Gereign in Region.

"Welcome back, Senior John. We have awaited your return," A manager soon came to greet him once he revealed his identity. "Let us speak in a more private setting. I'm sure we have a lot to speak about, after all. Come this way."

"I'm ready to complete the remaining part of my commission payment," Rui calmly informed him.