The First Floor of the crystalline jade hadn't changed at all since the last time Ryu ventured here. The only difference was the fact Ailsa had followed him in this time.
According to Ailsa, the reason she was so confident in facing the four Zu Ancestors and even told Ryu not to worry about them was because the inner world of the crystalline jade and the Ethereal Realm existed on the same plane and frequency. As a result, Ailsa wasn't limited by Ryu's cultivation and their intimacy here. She could use her full strength here and had no problem maintaining her full form.
The issue that Ryu faced now was that this Faerie that had always been by his side had suddenly become more dazzling. It seemed that the so-called 'true form' Ryu was used to seeing wasn't actually Ailsa's real appearance at all. Rather, it was an almost… filtered version of herself. The real Ailsa made Ryu's heart beat uncontrollably.
It was only after regaining his bearings that Ryu understood that this wasn't entirely because Ailsa had become more beautiful, although that seemed to be part of it. Rather, since they now fully existed on the same plane, Ryu could feel just how deep and enigmatic their connection as Life Partners was.
Ryu felt that even if he hadn't exchanged a single word with Ailsa before, and that this was the very first time he was seeing her… He would be willing to entrust her with his life!
For a man like Ryu, this was a scary realization. It felt as though his sense of self and control was being ripped from him, as though he was being told who he should like and who he shouldn't. This made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.
'Is this why Ailsa avoided entering the crystalline jade with me all this time…?'
Ryu suddenly had this thought. But, Ailsa, who was very much used to responding directly to the questions that popped up in his mind pretended as though she hadn't heard a single thing.
In the end, Ryu could only smile bitterly. Could he blame her? The Ryu Ailsa first met was incredibly abrasive. In fact, Ryu knew he hadn't changed much at all since then aside from growing closer to Ailsa.
If the him of back then had felt this feeling, how would he have reacted? Maybe he would have tried everything in his power to get rid of Ailsa no matter what level of benefits she brought him. Only now that their relationship had begun to bud more naturally was this feeling easier to accept…
Ailsa continued to smile lightly, her arm hooked around Ryu's as she pretended to be complete oblivious to his stream of thoughts. In the end, it wasn't just Ryu who felt more intimate with Ailsa in this state, but the vice versa was also true.
In the end, wouldn't this realization help Ailsa guide Ryu all the more?
They strolled through a familiar forest of statues. Maybe it was because Ryu's Mental Realm was far stronger than the last time he entered, but the oppressive aura here seemed to be multiplied many times over.
This seemed odd. After all, if one became more powerful, why would you feel more oppressed? But the answer lay in the fact that Ryu simply hadn't been qualified to see the secrets of this statues when he first came here. Plus, this time around, he was paying attention to them. While, before, he had cut a straight line toward the singular bookcase of cultivation techniques.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Ailsa said suddenly as they passed by the beautiful display of cultivation techniques stored with jades of various colors. "The Death Qi cultivation techniques in this showcase were useless to you before, but now they might not be. You understand what I mean, right?"
Ryu nodded.
Before, when he took Hecate's Legacy, he was forced to cultivate a mere Four Star cultivation technique. As one might expect, there was no way the Zu Clan didn't have higher grade death qi cultivation techniques, however Ryu had been unable to use them for one simple reason: the Death Seal.
Though these cultivation techniques housed the ability to accumulate death qi, they didn't have the appropriate Death Seal to match. Every form of death qi would obviously have its own unique Death Seal. Unfortunately, this was only the cultivation floor, not the technique floor.
Back then, obviously due to the existence of the four Zu Ancestors, Ryu didn't dare to enter the technique floor. However, now that he had Ailsa, these useless techniques suddenly became useful once more.
Obviously, he couldn't cultivate these techniques. However, by studying them, he would gain a deeper understanding of their form of death qi. By doing so, in the future when he relied on Ailsa to control atmospheric qi, this comprehension would smooth out the process.
Still, Ryu couldn't help but ask…
"Are you sure you can handle the Zu Ancestors? After all, although they're only souls, they are Mental Realm Masters who reached the Soul Quintessence Realm…"
Ailsa smiled. "If it was possible to indefinitely maintain one's soul, wouldn't anyone who entered the Soul Birth Realm be immortal? Trust me, even if they still had their full strength, they wouldn't dare to use it so wantonly. Plus… The Ethereal Realm is the Plane of the Sprites!"
Ryu smiled meaningfully but didn't say anything more about the topic. As things stood now, if he couldn't enter the second floor, his strength would stagnate too much. It didn't have the luxury for Ailsa to be wrong, so he trusted her.
In a sense, this was a blessing in disguise. He was forced to pull all his effort toward his worst talent. Once he finished climbing this mountain of adversity, he'd reach a level the current him couldn't imagine!
"The obvious choice for Visualization to master would be the Zu Clan Ancestors." Ailsa said as they finally made their way to the very center of the forest of statues.
Seeing the scene before him, though, Ryu could only sigh at Ailsa's words. He thought with the improvement to his Mental Realm, he would be able to see past their foggy exterior by now… But, even after opening his Spiritual Vessel, he couldn't even see the faintest outline of the Ancestor Visualizations.
"It seems I'm still not qualified." Ryu said plainly.
However, to these words, Ailsa only smiled knowingly.
"Do you know why of these five you can only see the Immortal Sakura?"
"Well… The Immortal Sakura Sky God helped me comprehend it. So the process was fairly easy."
"If she can help you, why can't I?"
Ryu blinked. "… You?"
Ailsa grinned. "Do you think this big sister of yours is nothing but large breasts and plump cheeks? I'll have you know that I've already entered the Soul Ascension Realm!"
Ryu felt as though a bomb has sounded within his mind.
Soul Ascension? That was the Mental Realm only lacking to the Soul Quintessence Realm! Even its lowest barrier was equivalent to the Cosmic Seed Realm!
To put these matters into perspective, even Ryu's own parents were only at the Cosmic Seed Realm!
"Hmph." Ailsa harrumphed proudly. "You let those Zu Ancestors trick you. Is it really so easy to reach the Soul Quintessence Realm?"
Ryu was stunned.