Knowing that he wasn't going to get anything by continuing to stare at the mat, Ryu boldly took a step forward and sat at its very center.
In that moment, an inexplicable feeling overwhelming him. It didn't feel like a surge of qi, but it did feel incomparably comfortable. In a daze, Ryu almost felt like falling asleep in that very moment.
His mind completely relaxed, even his stern, expressionless face softened, making him look like less of an ice statue and more human. It was too bad that this expression that was rarely seen on him was completely obscured by foul grime.
Though this prayer mat didn't infuse Ryu with any qi, he still felt that he could cultivate far faster while seated upon it. In fact, this cultivation speed was about similar to when Ryu entered Breath of Heaven.
In addition, he felt the lingering injuries of his Mental Realm quickly accelerate their speed of recovery.
Finally, completely out of expectations, Ryu fell into a deep sleep. By the time he woke up, he would have no idea how he fell asleep, only that he had.
Ailsa watched on with a slight surprise. But in the end, not finding anything dangerous about the situation, she let Ryu rest.
Those with mortal bodies hadn't completely cast away the limitations of mortals. Though Ryu seemed to be able to go without sleep or food with ease, the truth was that though he could do it, it left lingering fatigue that slowly piled.
By Ailsa's estimates, though Ryu was unaware due to his own stubbornness, this limited Ryu's peak potential by at least ten percent. This wasn't a measure of baseline strength, but rather his efficiency in implementing that strength.
Unfortunately, Ailsa knew her limits. Even if she told Ryu to take a rest, he would most definitely ignore her. The fact he didn't have a choice in the matter now rested a stone that had weighed down her heart.
'It seems this prayer mat has the ability to calm the mind and heart, allowing the body to reach its optimal condition. This gives the illusion that it speeds up your cultivation, but the truth is that it's just tapping into potential you already have… It must have been a combination of this and that dual cultivation technique that helped that Zu Elder and his woman reach the peak of the Divine Vessel Realm so quickly.'
Still, there was a deeper mystery to this that would have to wait until Ryu awoke. Given the abilities of those two, it was impossible for them to weather the qi storm this prayer mat protected that Pocket Space from. This meant the mat was there long before they arrived.
More curiously, how had they used the prayer mat at all? When Ryu tried to touch it, his Focus Qi was sapped in an instant. He couldn't last a second, let alone long enough to complete even one cycle of a dual cultivation technique.
'Curious…' Ailsa mumbled, waiting patiently for Ryu to awake as she dealt with her own lingering fatigue.
**
Over two months later, Ryu was startled awake. It wasn't because something had interrupted his sleep, but rather because he was shocked that he was sleeping at all.
"How…" He mumbled. "… Ailsa?"
'Oh look, the big sleeping baby is finally awake.' Ailsa giggled. 'You've been out for two months.'
Ryu's eyes widened in shock. "Why didn't you wake me?"
'Don't take that tone with me.' Ailsa harrumphed, her little body floating up to face Ryu with a glare. 'I've wanted you to rest for a long time already, this prayer mat just gave me a helping hand. When it comes to training, rest is just as important. The less you rest, the less potential you'll be able to squeeze out of yourself. Consider this a good thing.'
Ryu looked toward Ailsa expressionlessly, but in the end, he shook his head. What was done was done, there was no point in getting into a spat over it.
'So, how was it?' Ailsa asked.
"This prayer mat is actually able to heighten the instinctual reactions of my body. Though it was much slower than if I did it deliberately, I could actually cultivate in my sleep. My Divine Vessel Realm cultivation is already consolidated, and I even made some progress toward opening my second Qi Vessel."
'Cultivating while you're sleeping, huh?' Suddenly, Ailsa pinched her nose. 'Alright, alright. Your purge ended a while ago, go wash yourself. It actually lasted longer than I expected, I think the prayer mat actually helped you squeeze a bit more potential out.'
Ryu didn't need to Ailsa to goad him any more, there was no one more eager to clean himself than him. The Death Worm Immortal Cave did in fact have a bathhouse within it, not surprising since it was once owned by a woman. So he made great use of it immediately. However, his thoughts couldn't help but drift to the prayer mat.
Though he was sleeping for two months, his situation was actually more complicated than that. In fact, his mind was currently swirling with several inexplicable things. There was nothing tangible… But it was rather like this prayer mat was reaching out to him, subconsciously layering the instinctual understandings he needed in order to use it.
For example, Ryu now knew one of the mat's main abilities was optimization. It brought one to their peak potential when cultivating. This allowed Ryu to understand why it was so large. This prayer mat wasn't just meant to be used for cultivating, but was also useful in practicing and comprehending techniques.
This ability wasn't so useful to Ryu since he had the fourth floor of the crystalline jade, but it was amazing nonetheless.
The prayer mat also had the ability to curb and calm qi. When qi becomes too dense, it can also result in violent upsurges that makes it impossible for anyone to take advantage. This was clearly seen by the Twelfth Elder's death. However, the prayer mat could force qi into submission, allowing it to enter an optimal state for absorption. This was the second facet that increased cultivation speed.
However, what was more baffling to Ryu was this nagging sensation in the back of his mind… A sensation that told him this prayer mat was far more enigmatic than even he believed… A sensation that told him that it wasn't that this prayer mat protected the Pocket Space from the qi surge, but rather that this prayer mat caused it in the first place!