Ryu nodded. In the end, he felt that this was a decision best left up to them, and he didn't really mind one way or another. He quite liked Eska, and Isemeine had her own charm. Them being in the same body was more entertaining to watch than anything else, and since they preferred to keep things this way for the sake of their strength, he wouldn't' be the one to get in their way.
After a while, Ryu reluctantly rose from bed.
"Wait here, I have a few breakthroughs to finish first. Then we'll go out together."
Eska's gaze flickered as she observed Ryu vanished deeper into his immortal cave.
He was the only one whom she had ever heard speak of breaking through so casually, he didn't seem to take it seriously at all. She thought that maybe things would change after coming to the True Martial World, but apparently not.
Now that she thought about it, how long had it been since Ryu had come? She could intimately feel his age when they were as one as she felt that he hadn't changed much since he entered that odd White Phoenix cocoon. By her calculations, that meant that he spent nearly 1000 years in a rebirth state, which meant that he had only been in the True Martial World for two years at most? Was it even that long?
From what she knew, the Ryu of old had been in the 1st Path Extinction Realm. But now, he was already on the verge of entering the Cosmic Seed Realm? So soon? And why did his body feel like it was both in the World Sea Realm equivalent and not at the same time? If she also accounted for the fact that Ryu would have to recultivate his foundation just to reach the standard of the True Martial World, she couldn't help but shake her head bitterly. This man was hard to understand through common logic.
Of course, she didn't know that after Ryu had completed his rebirth, his cultivation had fallen as well, or else maybe she would have been even a little bit more surprised.
...
Ryu sat down in meditation, calmly observing his body. There had been quite a number of modifications that he hadn't taken into great account yet. If one wanted to be able to exhibit 100% of their strength, then it was also necessary to be able to understand 100% of their body. One couldn't possibly come without the latter.
The largest change was probably the addition of his second Cosmic Seed and the changes to his Meridians, or more accurately, the counterpart set of Meridians to his Chaotic Silk Meridians. This second Cosmic Seed had a flame character, but it gave off no heat. While the first had been formed of Infinity Mist, this one was formed of Origin Flame. In addition, due to its creation, his Embryonic Qi had gone from a drizzle in his Meridians, to a proper stream. Although it still wasn't to the point of being as ubiquitous as his Chaos Qi was, it was still a beautiful sight to behold.
Ryu realized that it was likely the more Cosmic Seeds he formed and the closer he brought his Beyond Perfect Extreme to entering the World Sea Realm, the more modifications there would be to his Meridians. He truly didn't know what the end goal would be.
The second largest change, interestingly enough, was in the re-establishment of his Dao Heart. It felt like all the lingering issues he had faced while spending so many years without it had been remedied. And now that he was aware of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits, he could sense their link far clearer than he could in the past. Which was also why he could likewise sense the presence of an outsider...
Ryu's focus turned toward the White Phoenix.
When his Do Heart had shattered, this guy had hidden away and gone completely dormant, refusing to answer his commands. Of course, this had happened with his other talents as well, but it was far more exaggerated with his living Spiritual Foundation. It had even co-opted other portions of his body, sealing off his Chaotic Silk Meridians from him. He hadn't even been able to access them through his true Spiritual Foundation.
It was no surprise that this pissed Ryu off in no small part, but he also wasn't in a position to toss this to the side. His Chaotic Silk Meridians require two Spiritual Foundations, and he couldn't just pluck another one out of existence... Yet.
Ryu actually had some ideas on this. He felt that with his new Boundless Cosmos Bone Structure, it wouldn't actually be impossible to pick out and choose a new Spiritual Foundation. It was just whether it was worth it, and even if it was, he didn't
yet have the strength to do so.
It had to be remembered just how strong Spiritual Foundations were. Whether their
owners were worthy or not, they all had the potential to withstand a Dao God's cultivation. When they weren't under the ownership of another and didn't suppress themselves, they were probably the greatest treasures in all of existence. They couldn't just be carelessly submitted.
Even the Martial Gods could only seal his Spiritual Foundation away, and that was only after he had been born. Just the seal alone was so powerful that Ryu, who had gathered more Heavenly Fate than anyone else in the history of the Incomplete Heavenly Path, could hardly cause a hairline fracture on the chains that bound it.
In the end, it was actually precisely because his Spiritual Foundation was so utterly powerful that it ultimately was able to break free. But it also had to be remembered that because it was bound to him, it was far weaker than it could have been!
And then there was the obvious elephant in the room... and that was whether or not the so-called Phoenix Sk God would allow it.
Ryu's gaze flickered with coldness. But in the end, he sneered. He would be ready when the time came.
