This test was one designed by a Perfect Sky God, but considering there didn't seem to be a cultivation limit, the tests were instead designed by the level of the person in question. Once the test realized that Ryu was in the Immortal Ring Realm, it likewise properly adjusted itself and the tasks Ryu received were slotted in to be at this level.
Up until now, Ryu had relied on Selheira to deal with the combat aspects of this trial, not to mention his own expertise as a Ruin Master, but now it required his skill in potion making, something that he didn't find too difficult at all.
The first few tasks were simply Common Grade potions, and from what Ryu could tell, he would receive a pass so long as he managed to hit 75%.
Knowing this, it was no wonder Ryu had dismissed it as too easy. If the bar to meet was just 75%, he didn't even have to worry about putting his life on the line. In fact, the lights lit up one after another so quickly that Ryu might as well have been leisurely walking at the pace of a mortal without any pressure whatsoever.
The difficulty increased slightly as Ryu continued, but that was only insofar as it rose the standard from Common Grade to Black Grade and then to Earth Grade.
Finally, Ryu reached the end of the hallway and the task left before him was a bit more difficult. He was meant to reach 80% purity in the concoction of a Heaven Grade potion. And, as far as Ryu could tell, this potion should be a unique creation of the Flowing Frost Sky God, not too dissimilar from his own eight trigram pill-potion, albeit far less complex.
The Perfect Sky God called this pill the Flowing Frost Potion and it was infused with her Dao.
There were actually two ways to end up with a Runed concoction. The first was to create a pill so perfect that it warranted tribulation to be birthed, and the second option was to infuse a concoction with your own comprehension of the Dao.
This path followed principles similar to the [Pill Refinement Sutra], but its goal wasn't to call down Heavenly Favor. Rather, its goal was to pass down the principles learned by an alchemist over their lifetimes and distill it down to simple and consumable portions.
As such, succeeding in the creation of this pill took more than just skill in alchemy, it required skill in the path of the alchemist that had created it. If you failed to do so, even the greatest alchemists would fail.
'I see, it's no wonder the Flowing Frost Yin Water was placed before this trial. Without it, completing this task would be practically impossible. With it, though…"
Ryu began, his eyes glowing with a particular eight trigram diagram.
On his first attempt, he actually failed, only managing to reach the 60% threshold, but his mind remained focused. He had worked so fast getting here that the amount of time he had left was practically astronomical.
On his second attempt, he crossed 70%, quickly approaching his goal.
Ryu paused, thinking back. This was a bit difficult because most of the Yin Water was sealed away within his Yin Water Seed. As such, much of its secrets and profundities were hidden away from him. He could only use bits and pieces of what he could sense to come away with a clear picture.
In addition to this, the Yin Water the Perfect Sky God had left behind wasn't exactly the same as it was now. Because it had been fused with an equal part of Life Qi thanks to Ryu's Bloodline Talent, its fundamental nature had also changed, so Ryu had to piece these apart and find what the original intention of this female Sky God was.
Ironically, due to his talent, this final trial was even harder for Ryu than it would be for most. However, Ryu still didn't seem very fazed at all.
"That should be it…" Ryu said lightly.
Ryu's third try hit the mark, reaching 87% purity.
With a light click, a doorway unsealed itself and Ryu walked into an odd inner space.
Beneath his feet there was an expanse of white grass. The skies above were dark with the exception of a singular golden full moon, and in the distance, there was a small wooden hut formed of soft brown wood with a tree of white bark and branches hanging overhead.
The light was just enough not to be grating on the eyes and yet bright enough that one wouldn't have any trouble seeing, not that Ryu could anyway.
Ryu walked forward, the shoes upon his feet suddenly vanishing to allow him to feel the soft grass. Soon, he made it to the hut and opened the door, only to find the illusion of a beautiful and familiar woman sitting on a rocking chair that swayed to and fro.
The Flowing Frost Sky God looked up, an unmoved light in her eyes.
"I never expected that it would be a man who received my legacy in the end."
She didn't sound very angry, just somewhat surprised. Potion makers were very rare to begin with, and a large reason for that was because it was difficult for men to wield and rein in Yin Water, it simply wasn't in their nature and it could very easily affect their foundation and fertility if they weren't careful.
Clearly, though, Ryu didn't have this problem.
The Flowing Frost Sky God raised an eyebrow when she saw that Ryu wasn't actually paying his respects and was only looking around the room, she sighed inwardly.
After all these years, it seemed that not only was her legatee a man, but he was also an arrogant one who didn't even put a Perfect Sky God in his eyes. It seemed that her luck was quite bad, but she was already dead. How much could she do about it?