Ryu sat in meditation, adjusting his state to its peak level. Before him sat six pill bottles, each with twenty or so Blood Congealing pills. There were far more of these, several thousand, in fact. However, Ryu had no interest in them. The truth was that he was reluctant to take such impure pills to begin with.
Unless a pill reached an almost unheard of 100% purity, it would leave behind ill-effects within its taker's body. There were some exceptions, but they were incredibly rare for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, Ryu had no alchemy skills, so he was unable to make any of his own, nor did he want to waste any time learning. The only reason Ryu was willing to accept these pill impurities into his body was because he planned to rely on the Final Four Rites to force them out.
The good news was that Ryu didn't plan on relying on pills forever. The Origin Grade Incubator that fused with his Heavenly Pupils had travelled to this life with him as well. Therefore, he would be able to make use of its ability to refine heavenly treasures into pure energy in the future. The only reason he wasn't using this ability now was because there were certain limiters on what he could absorb due to the fact the Natural Order Sect was lacking in Body Realm type spiritual plants.
There was another method of improving in the Body Realm as well, but it was far more dangerous.
In the martial world, beasts of this Era evolved differently from humans. Instead of being born with Spiritual Foundations, they were born with Spiritual Roots. These Roots gave beasts all sorts of hidden abilities from birth and was also where they stored their cultivation. Essentially, the Spiritual Roots would absorb qi and dispense it to the body via its various connections to the beast's meridians, blood vessels, muscles, etc.
When one killed a beast, drinking or soaking in the blood of the Spiritual Root was highly beneficial to cultivating the Body Realm. It was also possible to directly refine or eat this Root, although the process would be far more dangerous and taxing on the body.
Ryu suddenly stood, swallowing a Blood Congealing pills. Although these were just Lower Common Grade pills, Ryu immediately felt his blood begin to boil. Following the teachings of his father, he picked up a halberd and began to practice. Titus Tatsuya had always said the Body Realm relied on using the body. One couldn't simply sit and meditate like they could for the Qi and Mental Realms.
Much like every other aspect of cultivation, comprehending a weapon was all about the firmness of one's foundation. Therefore, Ryu didn't hurry to choose a domineering technique. Instead, he practiced the basic stances his father and grandfather taught him from youth. Unlike his Martial Forms, there was nothing special about these stances. They were taught everywhere, whether it be the mortal or Immortal Planes.
When Ryu asked why he had to learn such boring stuff, his father had replied with a hearty laugh.
'Do you believe that things last forever, Little Ryu?' He had said. 'Of course not. Yet, somehow, from the Chaos Era to our Golden Era, these same basic stances have weathered the test of time. Little boys and girls your age, whether it be here, or in the smallest martial school, they all learn these same stances. Do not look down on something that has survived so long, because chances are, you'll perish before it does.'
After that day, Ryu no longer asked his father questions of why and continued to practice with his wooden stick. His father could tell that he still didn't have his heart in it, but there was nothing more to be said. Whether Ryu grasped their importance was up to himself and himself alone.
Ryu smiled lightly at this memory. Never had he been so thankful to have the Origin Flame. With it, it felt as though his father was right in front of him.
Of the basic stances, there were two categories. The first entailed attacking and defending with the weapon, and the second relied on foot movement in attack and defending. Where the difficulty lay in mastering the Tatsuya Saintly Weapons was that whether it be the halberd, glaive or spear, their basic stances were identical! What a Tatsuya was tasked with was understanding the nuance of the weapon and where their character differed even in executing the same movements.
Ryu began with the first category. He allowed his instincts to carry his foot placement while executing the three basic attack stances. These were: sweep, slice and pierce. He would then continue to the three basic defense stances: push, pare, and skim. Finally, he began to slowly incorporate the proper foot placement denoted as: advance, retreat, sidestep, lunge and steady.
As he carried on with his practice, he almost forgot about his burning blood. The aching in his muscles and lungs took priority as he pushed himself to his limits. Unlike during his childhood, Ryu put his everything into these movements, copying the image of his father to the best of his abilities.
When Ryu felt that he had gained a basic understanding, he flipped his stance, practicing steadily with his left hand as his dominant. Although he ignored dual wielding for now, he planned to train both halves of his body equally, only in that way would he be prepared for future steps.
Although Ryu was only faintly aware of it now, the Origin Flame was making its presence felt. With a thought, he had slipped into the first meditation stage, simply known as Meditation State. Once he began to fuse the proper footsteps into his movements, he slipped into the second state, Breath of Earth.
If Ryu had been conscious now, he would be in awe. Breath of Earth was a state he could only maintain for a few seconds at most in his previous life. Yet, he had already held it for thirty minutes already!
Ryu's congealed blood raged, and his Ancestral Grade talent began to shine through. Even after just a single pill, his blood surged, attacking the first Body Pulse within his heart.
In that moment, Ryu's body reddened. Combined with its original ice sculpture-like appearance, Ryu looked like a piece of heavenly glass being refined by a holy fire. His body glowed fiercely, the speed of his blood reaching such a height that it could be heard from several meters away.
His heart thumped. Then, an audible breaking sound snapped through the air.
Ryu remained in an enlightened state. What should have been a very painful process was akin to a breath of fresh air to him.
Impurities of his body forced themselves out, but Ryu didn't notice as his arms continued to swing without pause.
He lunged forward, piercing through the air. A moment later, he seamlessly retreated, pushing the butt of his halberd away from himself and he sunk into a stance immovable as a mountain.
An ancient aura seemed to seep from his body. He had touched upon the first barrier to mastery.