The Convergence wasn't a simple concept. As much as Ryu wanted it to be something that could just be explained in a few words so he would be less likely to leave any markers behind of his arrival here, by its very nature, it was very complex.
Still, after a few minutes, Ryu believed that he had come to understand the concept.
In the martial world in general, there were a whole host of matters that functioned based on a cyclical timeline. There were mysterious realms that only opened once every ten years, unclaimed Legacy Realms that might only open once every 100 years, Heavenly Paths that might only open once every a thousand years, and so on and so forth.
Of course, these numbers weren't real and were rather just examples. The Heavenly Path that separated the Third and Fourth Heavens opened far more frequently than that. But the core idea here was that there were numerous opportunities that worked on timelines like this, and every time they did open, they were likewise tied down by a modicum of Faith and Fate.
The Convergence was an enigmatic concept that detailed an event when all of these timelines would line up in a perfect and linear fashion, causing a wild influx of Fate to flood the True Martial World all at once and creating an Era that could cause a great upheaval.
Of course, things were not so simple as that. This wasn't just a matter of these timelines lining up with one another, as that implied the arrival of something very different from the Convergence… This would be known as the Cataclysm.
No, what made the Convergence special was the way the timelines lined up.
Along the path of cultivation, there were certain markers one should meet by the time they reached a given age. The marker of the Convergence was when this timeline would match up with these milestones. This meant that the opening of these Realms and opportunities perfectly aligned with the speed of improvement cultivators had.
What did this mean? It meant that not only was there a large influx of Faith, but this Faith was also being continuously stacked by the same group of individuals as they grew up together! As a result of this, by the time these individuals reached the end of their martial paths, the amount of accumulated Faith they would have in comparison to their counterparts of other generations would be astronomically different.
This was the core that belied the Convergence, and much like the Cataclysm, it was a chaotic period, albeit for slightly different reasons.
The so-called Cataclysm also lined up the timelines, but rather than progressing at the pace of a genius' cultivation, it rather forced all of these things to happen exactly at the same time. Whether it was a Realm designed for Sky Gods or Awakening Realm experts, they would all open at once.
This would result in a large influx of Faith behind released all at once, but it would also result in a prolonged drought on the other side. This was often a sign of terribly bad luck that would ruin several generations to come.
By this point, it should be obvious why these things were so difficult to predict.
Some of these Realms only opened once every several million or even billions of years, while on the other side of the spectrum, there were lesser Realms that would open every few months and not even survive until the next opening of one of these long standing Realms.
On top of that, there would always be small deviations in the timelines of these realms, especially for ones that had existed for an enormous amount of time. This was because in more ancient eras, depending on how far you went back, experts didn't even count time the same way. The alignment of the stars were different, the orbits were different, and even the length of the day and night was different.
Unless one was a Ruin Master who especially specialized in such things, it would be difficult even to tell where these small deviations would appear. And even then, such Ruin Masters couldn't be absolutely certain either.
What did all of this mean?
Essentially it meant that it was difficult to predict the start of the Convergence, or even the Cataclysm for that matter, until it began. And if this meant anything, then it was potentially the case that the appearance of the Frost Clan's Ruin was actually the start of this Convergence, but it wouldn't be obvious to everyone until…
'… The Heavenly Path opened.'
Ryu's gaze flashed with a blinding light. This wasn't just because of his realization that he was standing at the impetus of the Convergence. No, it was because this made him realize just what kind of monster that cloaked figure was.
Suddenly, the symbol that Ryu had seen in the tent shifted and clicked into place, fusing with the very symbol that he was seeing in the Jade.
The Ruin Master Guild.
Ryu pulled his senses away from the jade, his irises flickering with a frighteningly cold light.
He wasn't sure how, but the Ruin Master Guild of Sacrum definitely played a role in the downfall of his family, and if the words of their people were anything to go by, their true foundation wasn't in Sacrum at all, but rather in the True Martial World.
Now it seemed that they were interfering in these matters as well, or at the very least, one of their people had come here.
It was also likely that they wanted to keep a low profile and not draw too much attention to themselves, or else how could they throw in their lot with the likes of the Carving Ice Sect?
If Ryu was correct, then the Ruin Master Guild likely had a powerful presence even in the highest of Heavens. He didn't believe that they would need to rely on the Carving Ice Sect if they didn't have a good reason, or maybe they were also dealing with internal struggles.
Regardless of what it was, Ryu didn't care. Since he had found their tails, even if he didn't step on it now, he most certainly would in the future.
Ryu turned away and walked out of the hut before leaving the pocket dimension. In just a dozen steps, he had already left the Carving Ice Sect, not even bothering to look back. In his eyes, the Sect itself was insignificant, and they would continue to be so.
There was something special about this coming Heavenly Path opening that they were interested in, and this only made sense. Whenever the Convergence began, the first to be aware would be the sentience of the Realms themselves. As such, in comparison to normal openings, all openings that occurred during the Convergence would provide much more reward than they had in the past.
This made sense. After all, if you were going to pick a successor, wouldn't you want a genius who grew through the Convergence? By the time they reached their full potential, they would be far more powerful than their counterparts.
What Ryu didn't know was why the Heavenly Path was among these things.
He had always been under the impression that the Heavenly Path was simply a test to enter the next Heaven, he didn't know that they might be picking successors as well. But if this was true, then whatever lied in wait at the Heavenly Path would definitely be worthwhile, and the tests would definitely not be so simple either.
If Ryu was correct, the Ruin Master Guild might not be the only ones trying to take advantage of this. In fact, it was very possible that other Clans and Sects from higher Heavens would have taken notice. In such a situation, would they not send their youths down as well?
Maybe he was overthinking things. After all, if the Ruin Master Guild had to be so secretive, then it couldn't be so widely known just yet.
But at that moment, Ryu couldn't help but think of that youth from before. He had skin as dark as night and eyes as bright as stars. He was one of the few and maybe the only man Ryu had ever met who had looks comparable to himself.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten about that young man, but with his Origin Flame, how could Ryu?
The answer to exactly who he was might be the answer Ryu needed.
But for now, Ryu couldn't be bothered to care about it. His cultivation was stalled with how foggy and fatigued his mind felt. He would consider breaking into the Dao Pedestal Realm right now and abandoning the true path of his Chaotic Silk Meridians, but now that he knew exactly how to progress, it was hard for him to simply make such a choice. Plus, if he cultivated in such a state, the results wouldn't be good.
So instead of that Ryu chose to relax. In the years between now and the opening of the Heavenly Path, so long as he didn't feel that he had reached an optimal state, he wouldn't cultivate.
Before he knew it, Ryu had appeared back in Radiant Star Sect territory. A journey that should have taken years on foot actually only took a few weeks as he journeyed the world.
Ryu looked up and found a familiar veiled figure standing on a mountain peak as though she had been waiting for his return.
With a light smile, he took a step and suddenly appeared to her side, catching her off guard somewhat.
Selheira blinked. "It's only been a few months but you're at the peak of the Path Extinction Realm already?"
Ryu smiled and didn't answer her question.
"Do you play Domain?"