Many were in a frenzy looking for Ryu. His score kept ticking upward, having long since breached the top fifty, yet none could find his trail. Some speculated he might have been a beast master judging by how easily he subdued the Bloodied Steed and instead began looking for beasts instead, but how difficult was it to find specific beasts in a forest filled with beasts?
Battles between two beasts wasn't a rare phenomenon at all, firstly. Secondly, the only beast they knew Ryu had was the Bloodied Steed, but the Nemesis of today looked nothing like the Nemesis they had known in the past and it wasn't as though Bloodied Steeds were a rare breed of beast. These two factors together made Little Rock's time hunting especially easy, while Nemesis only had to be slightly more cautious.
As for Ryu himself, it would be a joke for even an Immortal Ring Realm expert to attempt to find him when he had the advantage of space and time. His Cloak wasn't a treasure of the Shrine Realm without reason.
So, while the Zu Clan and the Core Region geniuses searched for him, Ryu was leisurely jumping from resource to resource, only taking the most valuable for himself while leaving their nurturing to Ailsa who hummed away with a pleasant smile on her face within the Incubator.
Though Ailsa was in quite a good mood, Ryu was frowning. It wasn't because he had run into some sort of large problem, but rather because his body was emitting a smell so horrible that even Ailsa refused to sit on his shoulder any longer. She hadn't just entered the Incubator to care for their new goods, but also to stay away from Ryu.
'This is…' Ryu's frown deepened. '… How long is this going to go on for…?'
Ryu's body, thanks to another benefit of the Realm Heart, was continuously expelling waste. Unlike the quick process he went through during his Rites, this process was slow and tedious. Though it had the benefit of being gentle, it was also very inconvenient.
At one point, Ryu was bathing himself dozens of times a day. Eventually, he simply gave up. It seemed to take only a few minutes before his body was once more covered in foul black and brown grime.
'Not many people can gain an Immortal Body so early on… And even less can do it so painlessly. It's only natural there would be some inconveniences along the way.'
Ryu actually wasn't gaining an Immortal Body. In the strictest sense, he was gaining the pinnacle of what a Mortal Body could be. However, in effect, this pinnacle was far better than usual Immortal Bodies.
Usually, one would only be able to reach this state by completing the Vessel Tempering Realm of Body Cultivation. This was why the best geniuses still invested some time into this path. However, Ryu would be able to gain this state without such arduous cultivation.
This would benefit him in three main ways. First, his Bone Structure would begin to exhibit more of its strength far earlier. Second, his body's foundation would become far sturdier and stronger. And finally, opening his Body Vessels will be far easier, almost as easy as breathing.
By Ryu's estimates, it would probably have taken at least fifty to a hundred years to completely open his Body Vessels. However, now, he felt that ten years would be enough! To put this into perspective, the Peak Vessel Tempering Realm was the equivalent of the Peak Immortal Ring Realm! And, for Ryu, whose Body Realm Cultivation didn't follow normal logic, he would be even stronger than this!
The more Ryu learned about his Realm Heart, the more he understood why it was such a treasure. His previous complaints disappeared with the wind.
Still… Walking around like a human stink bomb was incredibly uncomfortable for Ryu who was quite fond of cleanliness.
Ryu sighed. 'I should have been born a sprite.'
Ailsa grinned at this thought. Aside from those with special constitutions, certain races were directly born with Immortal Bodies. Sprites were one such race, the Ancient Beasts and their numerous races are among this number as well.
'I was born with a Cosmic Body. What is this pitiful Immortal Body you speak of?'
Ryu pretended not to hear Ailsa's over the top, teasing laughter. Currently, he was deep within the earthen crust of the Mortal Qi Small Realm. At least a kilometer and a half or so. Of course, his target was yet another valuable resource that would be impossible to find without the Realm Heart.
Unfortunately, he didn't have any comprehension of Earth Inheritances, so he could dig his way through the normal way.
Soon, he was almost blinded by a bright light. Covering his eyes with his forearm, he could only wait for his gaze to slowly become accustomed to the suddenly well-lit environment.
A moment later, Ryu's gaze landed on an irregularly shaped crystal. However, this crystal floated within an encasement of translucent stone, radiating an array of colors.
"Qi Source." Ryu's sharp eyes immediately comprehended.
Qi Sources were the vital life blood of Clans and Sects. Although a power that controlled one shouldn't exist on the Pedestal Plane, when it came to the Blossom and Shrine Planes, not having one was as good as guaranteeing marginalization.
Qi Sources weren't exactly rare, per se. The reason the Pedestal Plane didn't have access to them was simply because they didn't have experts capable of finding them. But, strictly speaking, the Pedestal Plane should have about the same number of Qi Sources as any of the other two Immortal Planes. The only difference would be in the quality of these Qi Sources.
The Qi Source before Ryu was of the Mortal Grade. But, it was still useful for many things. Namely, there were three important uses: the creation of Qi Stones, the fertilization of land, and finally, increasing qi density in a given area.
This Mortal Qi Small Realm had seven such sources, and this was already Ryu's seventh time collecting them. So, his harvests were quite great. His rewards in Qi Sources alone could already be counted in the order of millions of Higher Mortal Qi Stones, worth several thousand Lower Immortal Qi Stones.
'With these Qi Sources, I should be able to accelerate the growth of Mortal Grade Spiritual Herbs even more, so you have even less to worry about selling the Crown Spiritual Herbs.' Ailsa chortled.
Crown Spiritual Herbs. The pinnacle existence among their kind…