Ryu watched in silence for a long time.
The blue-scaled Eleventh Order serpent seemed to be in a deep state of slumber. However, just by virtue of its aura alone, most creatures in this area wouldn't dare to approach it while those who were not afraid of it wouldn't want to get into such a battle without cause or reason.
The snake coiled around the spring such that getting near it felt like an impossible task. You would have to cross over its body to make it there. By that point, when the instincts of the snake, you would easily find yourself in a life and death situation.
However, if anyone was watching right this moment, though, their hearts would leap into their throats.
As though he was tired of living, Ryu jumped down from his hiding spot, landing on the ground without even the slightest sound.
He moved forward as though he was on a leisurely stroll, stepping forward to the point he was a mere arm's reach away from the coiled snake.
After several minutes of observation, Ryu had realized that this beast was actually in a deep state of sleep. Every time it breathed, it would suck in the cold air of the Trembling Frost Fog Root and use it to further refine its body. From what Ryu could tell, it was trying to evolve its Bloodline into the Earth Grade.
However, it seemed that this beast was only about a dozen or so years into this process, it would take at least two or three more cycles of at least this long for it to even get close.
Of course, that wasn't to say that this serpent couldn't wake up. It was in a deep state of meditation, but its instincts and senses were still just as sharp. It wouldn't be stupid enough to leave itself so exposed. After all, the martial world was a cruel place, especially to beasts.
The problem for it, though, was that Ryu had wrapped himself in his Void Spiritual Sense, a name that he felt was quite fitting. With its eyes closed and it being in a sleeping state, the snake could only sense its surroundings with its own Spiritual Sense. When it detected something, it would spring into action and assault whatever target was foolish enough to step into its territory.
But what the blue-scaled snake could have never expected was that there would be someone capable of dodging its sensory defenses entirely.
Now, though, there was a second problem for Ryu to face.
Even without stepping into the spring, Ryu was already shivering as some of the frost licked against his skin. The worst part was that this was just the frost that the snake hadn't absorbed with much of the rest being taken into the gap in its scales as it continued to refine its body.
It was cold.
Ryu wasn't very used to feeling the impact of the cold. With his Ice Phoenix Bloodline, he had always been immune to such things. But clearly, that would no longer be the case in this world, at least not until he managed to reclaim the power and strength of his Bloodlines, or rather, return them to the states they should be in.
Ryu exhaled a breath, his gaze becoming cold as violet scales slowly manifest about his body. Soon, even a twin pair of horns made their presence known. Only after this did Ryu finally stop shivering.
The boost to his strength his draconic form gave him was not small, but he only dared to use it in a situation like this where he was sure that there was no one around to observe him.
Still, Ryu wasn't finished, making sure that the Void Spiritual Sense around him remained thick, he also began to circulate Primordial Chaos Fire Qi in his body. The almost scorching heat almost made him sigh as though he had entered a sauna.
Unsurprisingly, the Primordial Chaos Qi of the True Martial World was even more tyrannical than that of Sacrum. Being connected to this world instead brought Ryu an amazing boost in power that could not be underestimated.
But what was surprising was that Ryu didn't feel the same sort of backlash he had felt in Sacrum. He was ready to shred his inner organs apart, but none of that happened this time around.
Somehow, the Primordial Chaos Qi of the True Martial World was both several times more powerful, and also more docile? Ryu couldn't really understand why this was or how it could be.
Unless… Was it his Perfect Blackbody Soul?
Ryu's eyes widened, thinking of a possibility. He suddenly felt far less fearful of this Eleventh Order beast.
With a step, Ryu hopped from the edge of the spring, over the snake's coiled body, and landed right at the very center of the spring.
The sizzle and pop of heat meeting cold sounded. But by then, Ryu had already begun to sink into the surroundings, the frigid cold around him reacting quite amiably and with far less volatility than the previous fog.
Ryu sank deeper and deeper and eventually he laid eyes on the Trembling Frost Fog Root. However, it was right then that something unexpected happened.
Usually, with Ryu's luck, this would mean something bad. But shockingly enough, it was the direct opposite of that.
As though a dry well finally filled with fresh waters, Ryu's Chaotic Silk Meridians danced to life, breaking through the shackles of the Middle Heaven Grade and entering the Higher. In fact, now that Ryu was paying attention, he realized that it was still rapidly improving.
Ryu watched in shock. This obviously wasn't because of the Yin Water treasure. No, this could only be because of the Primordial Chaos Qi.
Ryu had thought that he would need to have continuous breakthroughs in cultivation before he could finally unleash the full strength of his Origin Grade Meridians, much like anyone else who had come from a lower level world to Sacrum.
But he had neglected one important thing, his Meridians weren't like the Meridians of others. His Meridians were connected to a Plane of Existence that was capable of constantly supplying him with higher level qi.
Even if he couldn't use this qi personally, just opening up the pathway and allowing the connection would passively temper his Meridians!