[Bonus chapter for 500 powerstones]
"He changed his weapon!"
The faces of the elders stiffened. Even though Ryu's use of the glaive was odd, there was no doubt he was familiar with the weapon. Was it wise to suddenly change weapons? And to the weapon that their Ancestors used at that? Was it even possible for someone so young to be proficient with two weapons?
However, the next clash washed their worry away with shock.
Ryu's arm arched forward, matching the pace of the Valkyrie beat for beat. The strike was so precise that both of their weapons stalled, their tips perfectly pushing against one another.
"It has to be a coincidence… Right?" The elders muttered.
But then it happened again. Ryu's spear read and reacted to the flow of the Valkyrie, causing their tips to clash perfectly for several consecutive blows. Even a bowman splitting an arrow wasn't as impressive as what they were witnessing now. How could such a level of precise control even be possible?
For Ryu who spent so much of his time practicing the Kunan and Tatsuya Martial Forms, this was the least he expected of himself. The Kunan Martial Form focused on speed and explosiveness, zeroing in all small, fast twitch muscles. The Tatsuya Martial Form emphasized the lower body and bones, pushing for stability and power. The combination of the two resulted in a perfectly sculpted body that was both quick and precise.
Still, Ryu wasn't doing this to show off. He was devouring this Ancestor's comprehension of the spear. He knew he needed to understand more, he needed to absorb more to truly refine his way of the spear.
'Your approach isn't bad.' Ailsa commentated calmly. It seemed that sitting on Ryu's shoulder even during an intense battle didn't bother her one bit. 'But, the most important thing you can do for your dreams of dual wielding is expanding your Mental Realm. The second most important thing will be comprehending the legacy hidden within the Northern Heavenly Wind.'
Ailsa had become less standoffish after the matters with the Ember Clan Father-Son pair. It seemed she had begun to nurture him in earnest. Though, her ability to do so was limited due to her intimacy levels with Ryu still being marginal at best.
A Cultus Faerie was able to nurture, but there was nothing in existence it had a greater ability to nurture than her Life Partner. A Cultus would naturally comprehend the best path to improvement for their Life Partner. Unfortunately, the road Ailsa could see for Ryu was foggy, she couldn't see very far ahead. So the guidance she could give as of now was superficial.
Still, she wasn't completely useless. Every Cultus Faerie innately had information about the more famous and Faith laden treasures and abilities. Ryu's Pupils were too rare for her to know much, but the Origin Flame and Northern Heavenly Wind had existed for so long that her species had gathered a lot of information on them. In these lanes, she would be able to guide Ryu.
Ryu nodded faintly, taking Ailsa's advice. He couldn't promise her the level of intimacy she wanted, but, he could ensure that no matter what, she could watch her Life Partner reach the very peak of all that was. In that way, her duty would be completed and at least one aspect of her dreams would be fulfilled.
'If this is all you have left…' Ryu's spear trembled, its speed multiplying. 'I'll end it.'
The Valkyrie had no time to react before her throat was pierced.
"He toyed with her…" The elders coughed uncomfortably. Ryu's win here meant that he had more potential than anyone in their Sect aside from Heiress Melody who was their hope to climb back up to the Sixth Order once more… "He's not using anything aside from the spear's basic stances…"
Ryu didn't seem perturbed as he turned his spear toward the eighth Valkyrie, repeating his tactics as though to give the elders and disciples a sense of de ja vu. Maybe it was only now the elders began to realize that while the Valkyrie were using the legacies of their Sect, Ryu was using nothing but the very basic stances anyone could learn.
In truth, this test was almost too unfair. For the youthful Ancestors, that was. Women had weaker physiques than men did. To make matters worse, they were Ryu's age, so they didn't have the accumulated cultivation to counter this with qi. As the geniuses of mere Fifth and Sixth Order Sects, Ryu's qi was already purer than theirs despite only cultivating for four years.
This wasn't all either. Ryu had four Ancestral Grade bloodlines. Though their true strengths wouldn't begin to manifest until the Divine Vessel Realm, when it came to Body Realm Cultivation, some of their prowess had already begun to be seen.
When Ryu finished opening his Body Pulses, he was surprised to find that he had 2000 jin of strength. This was because normally, after opening six Body Pulses, one's threshold of strength would be between 500 and 1000 jin. It wasn't until recently Ryu understood the reason he differed from others.
Different bloodlines had different capacities for absorbing Vital Qi. Ryu had four Ancestral Grade Bloodlines so his limits were far above that of others.
In order to enter the next Body Realm, one had to saturate his blood with Vital Qi. Normally, this would cap out at 50 000 jin. However, Ryu had already reached 10 000 jin of strength after just three days of absorbing beast Spiritual Root Blood Essence, yet he couldn't see the end of his limits. Of course, this speed was in part due to his mother's [Phoenix Heavenly Body], and in other part due to the vast amounts of Spiritual Roots he had accumulated during his stay in Opes Kingdom.
His bloodlines almost made Ryu lament that he wasn't born with a body suited for Body Realm cultivation. Had he had his father's Bone Structure, it would have been perfect. However, he was already far above the standards of most others, and definitely far above what these Ancestors were capable of at his age.
Ancestors began to fall like flies. After the first Six Order Ancestor fell, Ryu took down the others more quickly, mostly because he didn't see anything worth comprehending in their spearmanship. There were some exceptions, but for the most part, this was the reality.
Still, Ryu didn't get complacent. On the Shrine Plane, those his age were already prepping themselves to attack the Divine Vessel Realm. Though the Awoken Moon Sect was only a Blossom Plane Sect at its peak, around Ryu's age, their geniuses would still have likely already stepped into the Spiritual Severing Realm.
Almost as if to confirm this coming reality, after losing count of the number of Ancestors he had forced into submission, the very first of the Seventh Order Ancestors appeared, and her cultivation, unlike Ryu's, was truly in the Higher Qi Refinement Realm.
"Huuu…" A cold breath left Ryu's lips. It was about time this Throne trial pushed him to his limits.