Youkai’s lip twitched as he watched Ryu give him a careless glance before sitting on Little Rock’s broad back and entering a deep State of Meditation.
He could feel an uncomfortable itch clawing through his flesh and bones… The feeling of being looked down upon, of being completely disregarded. He had hoped he would see fear in Ryu’s eyes, yet, aside from a slight frown and a nonchalant glance, he got nothing!
‘I’ll see how long you can keep that appearance for.’ He thought with a snarl.
Though Youkai had accumulated momentum for a long time, he was ultimately not as talented as someone like Ryu. For someone on Ryu’s level, breaking into new Realms might take a few moments at most. Only for exceptionally high Realms would Ryu have to enter such a state for hours, maybe longer. However, Youkai had no choice but to grit his teeth and wait it out.
‘Just half a minute more. That’s all I need.’
His target, though, had completely forgotten about him. Not only had Ryu entered Breath of World, he had also slipped into the crystalline jade.
Ryu had realized long ago that he experienced time slower within the crystalline jade. Originally, he simply dismissed this. It was obvious that one thought faster than one’s body could act. Since the crystalline jade projected his mind into the Ethereal Plane, it was normal for him to be able to act faster, thus giving the illusion that time was being distorted.
In reality, Ryu was correct. He could experience time about ten times slower in this space, thus making Youkai’s thirty seconds, three hundred. In addition, the stronger his Mental Realm became, the slower he would be able to experience time. However, this matter wasn’t so simple as this.
The crystalline jade’s true ability was in separating one’s ethereal and real self.
Consider this for a moment. Ryu was currently undergoing Mental Realm cultivation. Since it had nothing to do with his body, shouldn’t he not experience any change in speed after entering the crystalline jade? However, the reality was very different!
The concept was very similar to how one could read much faster if it wasn’t necessary to move one’s eyes. In this case, the movement of the eyes is an artificial cap placed on cultivators upon themselves when restricted by their bodies, while the crystalline jade is able to remove that self-imposed barrier.
By separating the mind and body, one is no longer restricted by their usual perceptions of time. Instead, they’re able to release their full potential completely! This was what allowed Ryu to complete what he could only do in three hundred seconds in the real world, in just thirty!
Of course, this would only work for Mental Realm cultivation. After all, Ryu’s true body being separated was the key to this working. However, this alone was enough!
Ryu forgot about everything around him. He had long since studied the second stage Tribulation Array, though he hadn’t done so in detail. However, he was absolutely confident in his comprehension abilities, especially after breaking eight seals of his Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils.
According to Ryu’s understanding, the second stage array all the way up to the fourth stage array were could bring out the full potential of the Immortal Grade Realms. However, he would use the first here!
‘[Tribulation Nine Clouds] is indeed a Lightning Inheritance. However, it’s focused on an augmentation path rather than the destruction path my Lightning Qilin bloodline follows. It’s requires more finesse…’
Ryu quickly scanned the jade that held [Tribulation Nine Clouds], delving into layer after layer.
If it wasn’t for the time pressing situation, Ryu might have taken the time to admire the beauty of the array. It felt as though he had fallen into a pool of dense math calculations, following the ebbs and flows of ethereal waves as he sunk deeper and deeper.
The calculations began to layer in Ryu’s mind at unprecedented speeds. The instant he comprehended another portion, he would layer in another tier of complexity.
‘His mind… works in beautiful ways…’ Ailsa thought to herself. ‘He sees the array’s runes not as complex patterns, but as systematic choices based on a calculative mind. He splits these calculations into different segments, setting aside those he doesn’t understand and combining those he does as though they were puzzle pieces… Slowly, the puzzle comes together, and the portions he ignored in the past find their place among the masses, completing the picture in its entirety…’
Seeing the world in this way… Maybe only those born with his pupils could do so right?
It took Ryu only thirty seconds to completely comprehend the second stage Tribulation Array, but only three seconds had passed in reality!
Ryu didn’t spend any time basking in his achievement. At the end of the day, he was an Origin Grade Ruin Master. Even though he had never taken any exams to become a Formation Master, he was very adept at decoding arrays even if he never spent time drawing them himself. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be a very good Ruin Master, now would he? When it came to understanding the core essence of arrays… None could match him!
Ryu grasped at the lightning affinity qi, siphoning through them.
Purple Thunder Qi. Lightning Wisp Qi. Nine Strikes Qi. Magnetic Gold Qi. These were all Heaven Grade Qi!
From Ryu’s understanding, this was the highest grade qi that could be birthed on the Pedestal Plane. He didn’t think it was a coincidence that they would appear from a Qi Surge caused by Shrine Mountain. Each was very difficult to handle and each required a different degree of control. However, according to Ryu’s calculations, he wouldn’t have enough qi unless he used all four.
Knowing this, he couldn’t hesitation any longer. He split his mind in four directions, reaching out to control the four qis.
Purple Thunder Qi was unruly, oppressive and violent. Lightning Wisp Qi was extremely fast and agile. Nine Strikes Qi had explosive and lingering danger. Magnetic Gold Qi was exceptionally heavy and was especially difficult to manipulate.
Ryu immediately made use of his understanding of the second stage Tribulation Array. He used Purple Thunder Qi as a primer, using its strength to open the Heavenly Daos necessary for the second stage Tribulation Array’s foundation. He used Magnetic Gold Qis heavy constitution to form the array’s barriers. He used Nine Strikes Qi to provide the explosive power of the array’s nodes, and finally used Lightning Wisp Qi to fill in the most intricate details.
The clouds above began to violently react to Ryu’s actions. Looming above the canopy of the Immortal Sakura gently snowing petals below.
Youkai’s expression changed as he urged his breakthrough. He didn’t know why, but he felt uneasy. Another person might believe that these were normal thunder clouds, but he felt an oppressive feeling assault his chest that he couldn’t ignore.
Unfortunately for him… The Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils were ranked first for a reason. They were created to peer into the secrets of Heaven and Earth, what did the mere second stage of a technique mean to it?
Twenty seconds… Fifteen seconds… Ten seconds… Five seconds… Three seconds…
It was then an explosive surge of Spiritual Qi erupted. A moment later, [Immortal Sakura’s] twenty-kilometer range violently began to expand.