Ryu grit his teeth slightly as his body began to undergo another wave of refinement.
Why was the Spiritual Foundation so important? It was because it was through it that cultivators communicated with the Heavens.
When a human cultivator was born, they would be gifted with a set talent. But, how could a baby boy or girl withstand such valiant potential? Their bodies are too frail and their experience too thin.
As a result of this, humans evolved to have a sort of stop-gap measure. Spiritual Foundations were able to act as a lock and key, storing away a body's potential until it was ready to accept it. For Ryu, who was born with a seemingly impossible Ancestral Great Circle – a term used to refer to one born with Ancestral Grade talents in all Four Pillars – this was exceptionally important to him. At the same time, though, the pain he underwent was manifold that of his peers.
Ryu's Ancestral Grade meridians roared to life, accepting the baptism of his Foundation and sheering apart to rebuild themselves once more.
According to Ryu's parents, he was born with Chaotic Silk Meridians. If one peered into his body, it was possible to see his meridians being destroyed and rebuilt by lines of spinning black silk. As is known by practically everyone in the martial world, Neutron Star Core is both the hardest and densest mineral in all of existence. However, not only does Chaotic Silk rank third one a list of world's hardest materials, it was also exceptionally light! Even if one piled Chaotic Silk several kilometers high, it would still weigh as light as a single feather.
Chaotic Silk Meridians truly earned their title. Those blessed enough to be born with them had practically the whole cultivation world opened to them. On one hand, it was possible to move qi within one's body at speeds other cultivators wouldn't dream of. This was because while others would worry about rupturing their meridians, Ryu would never have to worry about such a thing. On another hand, if one preferred strength and defense, being born with Chaotic Silk Meridians made it possible to condense several times the qi of a normal cultivator.
The most important part of the Chaotic Silk Meridians was that… They were impossible to sever! To think that Queen Tor would attempt to use Meridian Severing Powder on an Ancestral Grade set of meridians. It was truly laughable. Even without being awakened, Ryu's meridians were far beyond the capability of a mortal to cripple.
Just as Ryu was finally becoming accustomed to the rampaging of his meridians, his dormant bones trembled. In that instant, Ryu's excruciating pain jumped to a new level. His blood surged, boiling away impurities even as his body collapsed in on itself to grow stronger.
Pungent impurities even more putrid than the Sect of corpses coated Ryu's body, but the pain continued to wrack him. No matter how uncomfortable he felt, he was forced to endure.
Much to his father's sadness, Ryu didn't inherit his Tyrannical Emperor bone structure. Instead, he inherited his mother's Ice Jade Crystal bones. It was for this reason that Ryu's body and features seemed carved of ice. He also had this bone structure to thank for his handsome features. If Ryu inherited from his father instead, even if Third Concubine Leilani was ten times more powerful, she wouldn't have been capable of breaking Ryu's ribs.
This aside, although Ryu lost in strength and durability, he gained greatly in recoverability and dexterity. Those born with the Ice Jade Crystal bone structure were blessed by heavenly energies. Not only did this allow them to cultivate faster, it also allowed them to heal much quicker as well. At the same time, this blessing by the Heavens made those with this body structure loved by nature. As a result, heavenly treasures that had gained sentience were less likely to be hostile or hide and beasts felt comfortable around you.
Hours later, Ryu collapsed. Even while covered by a thick layer of impurities, his body shone like a crystal. Maybe it was a good thing that his features were blocked by such grime, or else the improvement in his looks would be blinding.
Ryu chuckled bitterly. 'To think just the second Rite would be so painful…'
Pulling himself together, he discarded his now ruined beast fur clothing, inwardly praising himself for having put his cloak away ahead of time. Then, he began to bathe in the spiritual lake before him, something that the upper echelon of the Natural Order Sect would have coughed up blood seeing.
In the following three days, Ryu reaffirmed his foundation, practicing his Martial Forms to his peak abilities. Even after just the second Rite, their rate of improvement was astonishing. Just one example was his Ice Phoenix Martial Form. Before, he could only inhale the air within a meter of himself instantly, but now he could do so for five meters!
Like this, Ryu's bitter training continued. With his talent, if he had the mind to do it, he could complete all nine Rites in one fell swoop. He experienced practically no bottlenecks. The moment he communicated with his Spiritual Foundation and nurtured it, it seemed to jump forward eagerly on its own. But, he had to hold back to reaffirm his Foundation.
Luckily, because he had spent six months honing his Martial Forms, it only took him three additional days every time. In just one month, Ryu completed his ninth Rite.
Truth be told, he looked like an Immortal already. His features that were previously carved in ice became more perfect, his jaw strengthening and his nose sharpening. On the other hand, it was good news for Ryu that his Lightning Qilin and Fire Dragon bloodlines didn't allow him to become too feminine. Instead, his stature grew to just over two meters tall, his shoulders and back widening.
Because he had given up on making himself new clothes due to the constant growth and impurities, his body sparkled under the sun. He really did look more like an ice statue than a real man.
Now, Ryu felt like he was ready. He knew that entering the Body Realm would take more time not because he was lacking talent, but because the hurdles were simply higher. This was the perfect time to begin practicing Martial Techniques.
Ryu wanted to keep these matters simple, but he didn't want to choose at random either. He needed a movement technique to supplement his Heavenly Wind, a defensive technique to make up for his frail bone structure, and he needed to decide what offensive path he would take. Would he become a master of palms? Of the finger or fist? Or would he choose a weapon?
The whole world laid bare for Ryu, each path eagerly awaiting his decision.