Ryu sat in his courtyard without a care having entered a deep state of meditation. In fact, he had even swallowed two Silver Vein Petals, bringing his state to the Breath of World stage.
To others, a training session like that was only useful in the moment, but to Ryu who had [Focus], the Spirit Seeking Lilies, and the Origin Flame, he could return to that moment in even greater detail than he had when he lived it the first time.
Every single instant of moment, every mistake, every one of Matheus' actions and inactions, were replayed in his mind to the utmost perfection. In the state of Breath of World, it was as though Ryu's breathing was in sync with the very ground he sat upon. The grass moved with the beating of his heart, the soils vibrated with the motion of his qi, and the skies above seemed to shine light only for his usage.
Tae, who had run after Ryu, had been left behind long ago. Ryu had been more focused on entering this state than dealing with her, so she had no chance of keeping up with his speed. By the time she caught up, she lost her breath at the sight before her.
She didn't know what State of Mediation Ryu had entered, but she could instinctively feel that it wasn't as simple as the very first Meditation State, it was at the very least Breath of Earth.
She silently berated herself. If she had known he had entered such a rare state, she would have never barged in, in such an exasperated fashion. Now, she didn't even dare to move a single inch. She stood frozen just five or so meters from Ryu, even to the point of holding her breath.
Ailsa giggled lightly. 'Poor little girl. Such a state might be rare for others, but my Little Ryu can enter them whenever he wants. The first ranked Heavenly Pupils aren't just for show…'
Tae couldn't be blamed for this. Even the elders of the Shrine Plane had been shocked when Ryu entered Breath of Earth back then, let alone Tae herself. To many, Breath of Heaven was already a legendary state no one but Sky Gods could touch upon freely. She had no way of knowing that Ryu could easily enter a state a step above that.
In truth, Ryu only needed one Spiritual Seeking Lily petal in order to enter Breath of World as he could now enter Breath of Heaven under his own strength. After being washed over with Essence multiple times thanks to reaching the Impose Realm, he had now undone five seals of his Heavenly Pupils.
However, Ryu knew that the time he could stay in Breath of World was proportional to the time he could stay in the state he artificially reached it from. So, since he could now stay in Breath of Earth for about half a day, it was better to enter from that state than Breath of Heaven which he could only enter for a few minutes currently.
Though Ailsa felt a faint pity for Tae's ignorance, she couldn't very expose herself to a near stranger. Plus, Tae was still a Half-Step Divine Vessel Realm expert at the end of the day. Standing still and not breathing even for several days wouldn't be difficult for her.
In truth, she had a pettier reason. Tae managed to become her Little Ryu's woman on accident. Why couldn't it have been her who sat on the wrong cushion?
Like this, half a day ticked by and the moon currently hung high in the sky.
Ryu's eyes flashed open, but as though he didn't Tae, his two Fifth Order corpse puppets appeared.
They instantly began to battle one another under Ryu's control. At first, it slow and deliberate, but as time went on, they quickly reached the realm of true Divine Vessel Realm experts. Their clashes rang outward for several kilometers, filling the bustling night life of Looming City with trepidation.
Yet, they continued to move quicker.
Lower Fifth Order… Middle Fifth Order… Higher Fifth Order…
Eventually, even Tae could no longer keep up with their movements. She fled backward, knowing that if she stayed too close, she would get hurt.
A moment later, they reached their true fighting prowess, Peak Fifth Order!
City Lord Loom as well as the many experts of the Loom Clan rushed over, thinking that someone had actually had the audacity to attack their Clan. But, when they unceremoniously surged into Ryu's courtyard, the sight they saw made their hearts tremble.
Could it be he had just been pretending before?
Ailsa beamed with pride. This was why even though the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils were looked down upon when they first appeared, they now stood without contest in first place. The undisputed very best Heavenly Pupils in existence!
During his entire battle with Matheus, Ryu had entered the first State of Meditation, the Meditation State. But that was only so that he could spur on his [Third Perspective] to the highest degree. He scanned the battlefield from every angle and down to every detail, uncaring for his face or embarrassment.
Then, he relied on [Focus] to and the Origin Flame to benefit from each and every one of those minor details. Everything from start to finish was burned into his mind.
He realized then exactly where he had gone wrong in the first month he spent training with his corpse puppets. How could he learn to manipulate in battle if he had only practiced manipulating them outside of battle?
Soon, the battle prowess of Ryu's corpse puppets grew another level, glaives appearing in each one of their hands. Ryu's comprehension was suddenly infused with each one of their actions.
They danced a beautiful dance, the silvery moonlight reflecting the dark violet of the bodies of their weapons.
BOOM!
Their weapons came to a deadly stop, each glaive blade resting on the other's neck.