If you were in the Third Heaven and descended to the First, it would amplify three times! If you were in the Fourth Heaven, it would amplify four times!
Of course, the worst part was that these amplifications were not all created equally. There was a division amongst Heavens for a reason.
If someone in a Third Heaven descended to the Second to endure a tribulation, the resulting strength would be far greater than someone originally from a Second Heaven descending to the First.
These rules and regulations kept a certain balance in the True Martial World, and it also made many not dare to attempt to find a way to circumvent the rules.
Ryu, then, had several advantages.
First, he was from a smaller world. Second, he hadn't been in the First Heaven for long. And third, the judgment of the Seventh Heaven had to go through six layers of Heavens to reach him.
The scent of Sacrum was still by far the heaviest on him, and the First Heaven wasn't familiar with him. This added to the fact that he had never interacted with a higher Heaven meant that the reduction would be to an absolute extreme.
Even if this wasn't the case, Ryu would be willing to face death again and again to cross this road. But, this being the case, if he had known this to be the case, he would also know that he, Ryu Tatsuya, would not need a third attempt!
Ryu's blind eyes flashed. In their depths, a radiant jade-green formation took root, spinning like an eight-pronged trigram.
The shattering of his Dao wasn't a bad thing in his eyes at all. In fact, it gave him a chance to rebuild it exactly as he wanted. He had made a mistake from the beginning, not building the perfect foundation. But, since these Heavens wanted to play, he would take their sentencing him to death as a gift from above.
Wind. Water. Mountain. Earth. Thunder. Fire. Life. Heaven.
For Wind, he would give his Heavenly Winds. For now, he only had two. But, if there was an opportunity to perfect them and receive the Western and Eastern Heavenly Winds, he would take them.
However, this also wasn't strictly necessary. Technically speaking, the perfect embodiment of wind was the Northern Heavenly Wind and the Northern Heavenly Wind alone, the rest were nothing but embellishments.
Still, Ryu was nothing if not ambitious. So what if the Northern Heavenly Wind alone was already perfect?
Ryu's hair began to flutter, the mountain of the cave they were within trembling to its very base.
For Water, he would give the kernel of what remained of his Ice Phoenix Bloodline.
Much like the Lightning Qilin, the strongest ability of the Ice Phoenix was to nurture its own Extreme Yin Water. However, there was a small difference.
The Lightning Qilin's cultivated Lightning gained the Judgment characteristic. This meant that when Ryu swallowed lightning treasures, his Bloodline would gift it with the prowess of the Heavens and evolve it into Tribulation Lightning.
For the Ice Phoenix, however, this didn't happen. Instead, the Ice Phoenix balances the Extreme Yin Water by supplementing it with Life.
This meant that so long as Ryu found more and more powerful Extreme Yin items and swallowed them, he would also gain greater and greater vitality and healing factors along with it.
This Extreme Yin Water could them be used alongside the Ice Flame to display the true prowess of the Ice Phoenix.
The rumbling of the mountain surged and cracks began to appear along the walls. The old-young man couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Though he continued to remain seated as though this had nothing to do with him.
For Thunder he would give his Kunan Lightning.
Ryu's hair flickered with radiant blue strands, the cracks in the mountain becoming more prominent as the winds forced it to sways side to side as though it was nothing more than a manmade skyscraper rather than a true powerhouse of mother nature.
For Fire he would give his the most powerful of his Flames.
The Rage Flame, the white flame that could not be named, the Origin Flame.
The top of the mountain shattered, a spark of lightning falling from the skies. It wasn't even tribulation lightning, and yet it was so powerful. It was almost as though the First Heaven was warning Ryu on behalf of the Seventh, exposing him for the skies to see.
However, Ryu raised his head arrogantly. Even as the harsh winds whipped against him, and even though he couldn't see the vastness above him with his eyes alone, a wild grin spread across his face.
When the old-young man saw this, he slapped less leg, his laughing booming along with the thunderous skies.
For Earth, he would give his Dividing Karma!
BOOM!
For Heaven, he would give his Dividing Tribulation!
BOOM!
The skies rattled and quaked, the entirety of the First Heaven being thrown into upheaval.
This was how Ryu wanted it. He didn't want to just roll into the True Martial World like a pebble along the roadside. He was Ryu Tatsuya! His name didn't make the Heavens and Earth quake just yet, but very soon, it would!
For Life, he would no longer rely on his Phoenix Bloodline. He realized in just this short meditation that his previous comprehension had been too shallow. Life didn't just represent what the Life Shrine could give him if he turned back now. In the context of this formation, it was countless times deeper.
Life was what filled the space between the Heavens and Earth.
Life was none other than himself!
BANG!
The skies split open, a streak of lightning snaking down toward Ryu like a roaring flood dragon.
Ryu's Dao foundation reformed, soaring into the Dominion Grade in the blink of an eye!
Ryu faced the lightning as it came down, his battle intent blazing.
His chest lit up, a lightning seed pushing out and crackling above.
He pressed two fingers together, a wild surge of qi beginning to rotate about it.
He didn't fear the Heavens. He was a man who could split the skies as he pleased.
They had caught him off guard before, but now that he was ready… Weren't they too arrogant to think they could deal with him?!
Ryu's fingers pierced forward, the roaring lightning splitting in two before even coming into contact with him.
He stood arrogantly on the raging winds, clasping his hand to his back and daring the lightning to descend again.
The formation in his eyes rotated, the Heaven Character glowing brightly beneath the darkened skies.
Dividing Tribulation!