"He projected his qi…"
The elders felt as though they were watching the creation of a legend. Emitting qi from one's body was something that could only be done with the help of a Natural Order. The only way to do it without one was to have incredibly pure qi and high qi control. Usually, one wouldn't enter this threshold until they had solidified their place within the Spiritual Severing Realm – thus the reason why flight became possible only in that Realm.
However, the sharp-eyed elders noticed that Ryu's reach hadn't been enough to kill the final Seventh Order Ancestor. In order to compensate, he extended his blade with his qi. It was only a couple inches, something that was so minor that those of lower cultivations likely completely missed it, but these elders definitely wouldn't.
Many gripped their seats. This young man… He was worthy of being a Throne!
A hot, steamy breath left Ryu's lips. New Moon Ore had excellent qi absorption abilities, but it was gentle and slow in its task, making it comfortable to strengthen with qi. However, Silver Thirsting Ore was tyrannical.. Ryu had to be careful when he poured his qi into it, otherwise, it would suck him dry.
Others might see Ryu's actions as reckless, but he took this path after deciding to follow Ailsa's advice once more.
'Good. This is a nice and natural way to do it. The innate qi of your Heavenly Pupils isn't one you should ignore, it'll be a great strength to you.' Ailsa felt a slight swelling of satisfaction when Ryu listened to her wishes so easily. She knew he was only doing it to get stronger, but it still made her feel warm.
When Ailsa first brought up this cool qi to him, Ryu thought back to when he was running for his life. His Embryonic Origin Flame didn't just help sharpen visual memories, but memories of all kinds. Ryu realized then that this cool qi wasn't foreign to him, it had actually already helped him many times.
According to Ailsa, every pair of Heavenly Pupils had a special qi tied with them, a qi that one without the proper eyes could never tap into. Usually, one wouldn't have a chance to reflect on this qi until you had reached a certain stage with your pupils, but it seemed that Ryu completing his Rite of Origin had accelerated the process.
'That day, when you completed your last Rite, you heard a series of popping noises from your eyes. Those noises represent seals, Heavenly Seals every Heavenly Pupil user must unlock. From an inspection of your body, it seems you've undid one seal per eye, while there is a total of 999 in each. This gave you access to your special qi.
'I cannot teach you the uses of this qi, our intimacy is not high enough so I cannot feel what you feel clearly enough. The Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils are very much that, a mystery. The only way for you to comprehend this qi is by forcing it out and comprehending its uses yourself.'
Ryu agreed with Ailsa's assessment. As of now, he was only aware that this qi calmed his mind and strengthened his focus. In truth, if this was the end of it, Ryu would be satisfied. The ability to calmly analyze a battlefield and bring out your peak strength no matter the situation was invaluable.
'[Third Perspective].' Ryu's eyes focused. His next opponent was yet another white clad Valkyrie, however, what shocked Ryu was that he could very clearly see intelligence in her eyes while the others had none.
The Valkyrie smirked. "A Lower Qi Refinement Stage baby wants to challenge me?"
Her aura was oppressive. She was truly worthy of being a top genius of an Eighth Order Sect. Even at such a young age, she had already completed her Thirteenth Revolution and entered the Half-Step Spiritual Severing Realm. The earth itself seemed to quake in her presence.
"Lower Qi Refinement?!" The elders shot gazes toward Heiress Melody. None of them had been able to sense Ryu's cultivation when he entered, they had assumed he had some sort of treasure that hid this from them and didn't mind it. But, if this was true… It was too shocking!
With Ailsa pouring her everything into protecting the secret of his pupils from others, there really wasn't much of a point in wasting power on hiding his cultivation in this situation. So, it was no wonder why this seemingly sentient Valkyrie had seen through Ryu. It seemed her experience was much higher than those Valor Guards who believed Ryu was a Higher Qi Refinement expert.
The white clad Ancestor's white bone spear shook, emitting a fierce light.
"Spear qi!" The Castle Master's jaw nervously clenched. This opponent might truly be too powerful. For Ryu to face someone who had comprehended their Sect's Birthed Phenomena… It was trouble.
However, Ryu smiled. '[Insight].'
Ryu didn't waste any time using his pupil's current greatest ability. If [Third Perspective] allowed him to see the battlefield from almost any angle, [Insight] practically allowed him to see the future. This was Ryu's first time fighting someone who had comprehended a Natural Order… No, two Natural Orders.
As Ryu was thinking this, the temperature of the already ice-made Castle began to continuously fall as the air around the Valkyrie seemed to freeze. Not only had she comprehended the spear Birthed Phenomena of the Awoken Moon Sect, she had also comprehended the Ice Elemental. An Heir of Spear and Ice.
'You are the perfect opponent.' Ryu's blood began to churn. His Ice Phoenix bloodline completely negated the drop in cold, this inferior frigid air… It meant nothing.
In that moment, a second spear appeared in his hand, causing even the arrogant Valkyrie across from him to look on in shock before bursting into a laughter that simmered into a deep rage.
"You dare to insult the way of the spear in this way… I'll destroy you in body and soul!"
Ryu was indifferent to her reaction, he didn't care how anyone reacted. This was his martial way. He would follow it until he alone decided it was either a success or a failure.
A battle erupted. It was clear the Eighth Order Ancestor was surprised to see that Ryu's spearmanship was far better than she thought. However, whenever she saw his awkward movement, she would settle into a rage once more.
Still, no matter how hard she pressed, she couldn't seem to deal Ryu a fatal blow, it was as though he was constantly several steps ahead of her. Unfortunately for him, his dual wielding style was so unrefined that he couldn't take advantage of this truth. His power and balance were off, and his strikes often got in the way of each other. He looked like a toddler trying to get used to walking on his own.
'Focus…' Ryu sought after that absolute realm. He entered Breath of Earth.