During Ryu's first life, Mental Realm cultivation was more than just taboo, it was practically banned. It was to the point where even the Heir of the Wind Shrine, Gale, despite having the Seventh Ranked Heavenly Pupils which greatly boosted one's Mental Realm ability, still had to be cautious despite his background.
Yet, during this time, Necromancers didn't face the same banishment. It was no wonder Mental Realm Masters felt unresigned. After all, no matter which branch of Necromancy you practiced, what was most important was your Mental Realm. But, somehow, Necromancers thrived during this and the last era, while Mental Realm Masters became cockroaches pulling themselves back up by their own efforts.
Of course, this was simply a one-sided perspective. Human beings had a habit of seeing the flaws in others without doing any self-reflection. Could it be that the Shrine Plane was truly biased? No.
One had to remember the Death Shrine had long been lost. In fact, even to now, no one but Ryu and his immediate family knew where it was and how to find it.
Why was this important? The answer was simple. During Ryu's era, the strength of a Clan was directly correlated to the Shrines it possessed and its Saints and Saintesses. Meaning, if a Clan didn't control a Shrine, they wouldn't be considered among the top echelon of society.
Simply put, the Necromancers weren't considered to be among the top-most portion of the Shrine Realm, yet they lived well while Mental Realm Masters went into hiding. Obviously, there was a massive difference between the two if they were separated in this way.
To find the answer, one only needs to think back to the legends of the Higher Mortal Plane… The very reason why Ryu, as a mere newborn, was subjected to such harsh treatment for nothing but the color of his hair and eyes.
Though Necromancers were seen in a poor light by laymen because of their dealings with death, they were ironically quite respectful of life. The Necromancy Guild has strict rules and protocols attached to the accumulation of undead and took a hands-off approach when it came to Clans or Sects seeking revenge against their members should the facts not be in their favor. This approach earned the respect of the martial world.
However, Mental Realm Masters, they had no such honor. They treated lives like weeds, manipulated the emotions of innocents, and saw themselves as above everything. Some of the most vicious acts in history were committed by these individuals.
That wasn't to say that all Mental Realm Masters were bad. No group of individuals could be described in such simple terms. However, their reputation wasn't completely undeserved.
Every Era was characterized by one Calamity. In order to be categorized as such, a Calamity must impact every Plane and implicate the lives of trillions.
The Shrine Realm was currently in its tenth Era, meaning it had experienced nine Calamities. Of these Calamities, Mental Realm Masters were responsible for six of them.
Even if it was fine for someone unrelated to these Calamities to feel unwilling, if they turned some of that animosity toward their own people, many of these problems could be fixed. Unfortunately, Mental Realm Masters were often far too arrogant.
Because of their specialty, they produced the best Secondary Profession geniuses. Imagine a single group of people birthing the best Alchemists, the best Formation Masters, the best Ruin Masters, the best Herbologists… And the list goes on. Wouldn't they control practically all of the wealth of a Realm? It was no wonder they continuously grew more and more arrogant as time went on.
Of course, Ryu understood all of this. So, when he saw the Looming Guard Captain's demeanor, he was very much aware of what might happen.
In the distance, the crimson Fourth Order Bloodied Steed charged back for its owner. The situation had changed so abruptly that it hadn't even had a chance to react until now. Considering Fourth Order beasts could already have human-like thoughts of their own, with those of the Fifth Order being no less intelligent than humans, it was no wonder the beast was displaying signs of emotions.
Ryu's foot buried Tharon's head into the ground as his gaze ignored the captain to land upon the galloping Bloodied Steed.
Ryu's two fingers pierced outward, slicing a fraction of an inch into the steed's forehead. Though it was imperceptible, some more astute individuals caught the faint hint of lightning that coated his fingers.
A Necromancer, using lightning? What the hell was going on? Everyone knew how incompatible lightning was with death… Only a fool would dual cultivate both.
Suddenly, the crimson horse became docile. In an instant, its master-servant contract had been shattered by Ryu's Spiritual Qi.
"You're quite decent. I'll be taking you."
The Bloodied Steed neighed, hot steam blowing from its nostrils. In that moment, the crimson steed, known for its hot temper, actually began to lick Ryu's hand. Without its master-servant contract driving it, Ryu's Ice Jade Crystal Body shone through.
Ryu's anger dissipated. To think this fool used such a good beast to pull a carriage. When Ailsa explained to him how valuable this steed could be to him, his rage was replaced with a faint excitement, allowing him to calm down. His thoughts of slaughtering all of these Looming Guards disappeared.
"I've violated 'at least' nine articles? Have I, or have I not? Shouldn't a Guard Captain be more precise?"
Captain Zu, who had already been losing his patience, suddenly felt his temper spike once more.
"Let's say I accept that I've violated nine… Do you mind telling me which nine? It can't be that the great Looming City arrests visitors handling personal matters outside their city walls without even stating their reasons, right? We wouldn't want people to start looking down on you… Now would we?"
Captain Zu's face turned red as he forgot to breathe in his anger. He really had just arbitrarily thrown the number out, planning to make up the nine charges after throwing Ryu into jail. So, how could he have an answer?
To make matters worse, Ryu had emphasized that he was outside the city walls… Which was true…
"Attack!" It seemed the Captain wasn't much of a wordsmith.