Rainbow
Ryu didn't care what these geniuses thought of him. They didn't understand what it meant to have a backbone, to have true pride in oneself. They thought themselves to be strong willed, but that was only because they had never faced true adversity before. If any of them had experienced what he had at the hands of the Dao Sovereign, even if they succeeded in the end, they would have obediently bowed their heads like dogs and thank the Dao Sovereign for giving them such a chance with their tails wagging.
As far as Ryu was concerned, at this point, one more reason for him to be chased was fine. It hardly changed whether he would die at their hands or not. After a certain point, death was death, he couldn't end up more dead.
This opportunity, however, was a potential game changer.