Ryu didn't believe that the difference would be so large once he completed recultivating the Pulse Opening Realm. Reason being, the likely reason for this large shift and upgrade was because of the blessing of the Rites themselves. It was as though Ryu had just gotten a large concentration of the True Martial World's energy directly injected into his body, something that immediately caused a large upgrade of his talent and helped them to flourish somewhat once again.
If Ryu was correct, there probably wouldn't be such a large chance again until he crossed from recultivating the Mortal Realms into the Immortal Realms. However, this huge boost was enough for a small smile to spread across his face for the first time.
Even completing the 13 Rites couldn't move him. Why should it, he had done it once before. But now he felt a lot more like himself, like a weight holding him down had loosened considerably. It felt quite good.
The gorgeous pill fell from the skies and obediently landed in Ryu's palm.
This scene was just as surprising to the elders as anything else had been. Truthfully, many looking on with greedy eyes, were waiting for the pill to shoot off just so that they could intercept it. Ryu looked far too calm and like he wasn't ready to fight for it at all, so they had thought that there was a chance to take advantage.
The truth was that if this pill was sold strictly as the Common Grade pill it was, it would at best cost as much as a high end Black Grade Pill, and maybe an Earth Grade pill if the conditions were just right and a bidding war ensued.
However, if it was sold to an alchemy organization or a merchant group who could use it to promote their fame and draw in talented alchemists into their ranks under the promise that they could observe and study it, this would be a different matter all together!
By that point, it might be worth more than even some Sky God level treasures! The worth of the pill sitting silently in Ryu's palm right now was astronomical. And the most shocking part was that he hadn't even refined it in a controlled environment.
Runed Pills were known to hold their sentience and their main goal was to live and survive. The idea of one obediently returning to the palm of its creator was nothing more than fantasy, and yet that was the result playing out before them all in real time.
So many things they couldn't understand had happened before, and they just continued to happen without pause.
These people were quite shameless to think of trying to take Ryu's things. He would sooner crush the pill in his hand than give it to someone else. His pride wouldn't allow such a thing.
But truthfully, Ryu had no intention of selling this pill. This was his own self-created pill, one with a recipe only known to him that also happened to carry the secrets of the very foundation of his cultivation.
Of course, it would take an exceptional alchemist to parse apart the secrets of Ryu's Dao from just this pill alone. And, even if they did, it was unlikely that they'd be able to use it to harm him. But Ryu knew enough about Karma and its ties to understand that such a thing in the hands of someone else could very well be a great disaster.
This wasn't something that he would allow others to have. Plus, he had his own plans for it.
Those watching could only lament when they saw Ryu put it away. Some of the elders watching from a far distance even hesitated, wondering if they should proposition Ryu to sell it to them.
But to everyone's shock, as though Ryu didn't care for their thoughts or their gazes, he actually sat down once more. This time, several piles of Black Grade materials appeared and the atmosphere froze.
Ryu began his process once more, the hours ticking by as he refined pills and potions well above the 90% marker, only to unceremoniously pour them into his cauldron and renew the process.
By the end, the sound of rumbling thunder boomed from above and the second tribulation of the day fell onto the same location.
And then the third…
The Radiant Star Sect watched Ryu recultivate from the Awakening Realm, up past the Pulse Opening Realm, completing the Qi Refinement Realm, all the way until he completed the Spiritual Severing Realm and came to a stop.
Beads of sweat fell down Ryu's brow as he breathed out heavy breaths. He had used his Dao far too frequently and the pressure his body had been under as he underwent these changes was enormous.
At the same time, while the first two Common Grade pills for the Awakening and Pulse Opening Realms had been fairly easily, the difficulty bumped up considerably for the Earth Grade Pills that he would need to refine for the Divine Vessel and Connecting Heaven Realms, not to mention the Heaven Grade Pill he would need for his current Immortal Ring Realm.
It had to be remembered that Ryu's Dao was still only an Immortal Dao. Meaning, although it was a Hegemonic Dao, it was still only a Hegemonic Dao for Immortal Cultivators.
As he approached the limit of the mortal realms, his Dao needed to work harder to produce the same effects and it was quickly draining his Focus.
If he was only refining normal pills, things would still be fine. But he was combining them into a pill that transcended its level by several times. Ryu wanted a pill whose Heavenly Favor could match up to his talent, so it was unsurprising that the toll was already heavy at the Black Grade. If it was too easy, he would actually be disappointed.
It seemed he would have to find a way to raise his Dao to a Cosmic Dao soon. Either that, or he would need to slow down his progress and concoct only one of these every few weeks.
Ryu carefully put his cauldron away and leapt down. Before anyone could react, his abode's doors had already been slammed closed and he entered a deep, intensive sleep.