Ryu was almost shocked into silence.
If there was one thing that was the same between Sacrum and the True Martial World, it was the sizes of Spiritual Foundations. Half a meter for Common Grade, one meter for Black Grade, two meters for Earth Grade, three meters for the Earth Grade, up to five meters for the Ancestral Grade, and then finally doubling to ten meters for the Origin Grade.
In a rare instance, for Spiritual Foundations of the True Martial World, all those above Ancestral Grade shared the exact same size, however this wasn't to say that they were all of the same strength. The differences came from the strength of these Spiritual Foundations and their special abilities, special abilities that would begin to manifest themselves in the Dao Pedestal Realm.
Some would provide access to very special and rare types of qi, others would cause mutations in one's Meridians, others would provide special benefits to one's Cosmic Seeds or apply special properties to one's World Sea or unique nurturing for one's Godhood...
The benefits were potentially endless and there were simply too many to list. This was why many said, quite accurately at that, that the true benefits of the Spiritual Foundation wouldn't begin to make themselves clear until the Dao Pedestal Realm!
However, Ryu had never heard of a Spiritual Foundation capable of growing beyond the 40 kilometer mark, or more accurately, he had never heard of one growing beyond 81 kilometers.
This might sound confusing, but the explanation could be found within the fine print of the first Realm of cultivation, the Awakening Realm.
It was already known that during the Awakening Realm, one underwent their Rites. Entering the first Rite, or Awakening, would allow one to connect with their Spiritual Foundation for the first time, and each subsequent Rite completed would double the size of the Spiritual Foundation.
This was where the hidden suppression was located.
40 kilometers was just a rounded estimate. In reality, if one started at 10 meters, during one's second Rite you reach 20 meters, then 40 meters, then 80 meters, then 160 meters, then 320... all the way until 40,960 meters. This meant that technically, rather than your Spiritual Foundation being 40 kilometers, it was really 40.96 kilometers.
Why did this difference matter? That was because if you tried to double it again, it would be 81,920 meters across, 920 meters beyond 81 kilometers.
What was the problem with this?
The issue lied in the so-called 9 extremes. Even compared to the 9 extremes, the number 81 was particularly auspicious, representing the extreme of the 9 extremes. To surpass 81 kilometers seemed like a ceiling the Heavens didn't allow Spiritual Foundations to exceed. As such, all Spiritual Foundations, regardless of strength, capped themselves at 10 meters across upon awakening. This would allow geniuses to experience a maximum of the 13 Rites without missing out on the benefits of any one of them.
But for some shocking reason, Ryu's own Spiritual Foundation completely broke this rule, reaching 999 kilometers across which would be considered the extreme of the extreme of the 9 extremes. In fact, there were colloquial terms for this.
The number nine was known as the Immature Extreme, 81 was the Imperfect Extreme, while 999 was the Perfect Extreme. This was exactly why all Heavenly Pupils had precisely 999 seals to be undone before they could reach maturity. Ryu truly didn't know what to say when he saw this, his Spiritual Foundation didn't seem to follow any sort of conventional rules.
These were terms that only Feng Shui masters and Formation Masters would be so clear on, but it was precisely because Ryu was so clear on them that he found it difficult to wrap his head around.
But what he didn't know was that this was only the beginning of the surprises for him, because just when he thought his Spiritual Foundation was finished growing, it shuddered once again, shattering the final layer of chains.
1000 kilometers.
BOOM!
The silvery blue light that fell upon Ryu grew fiercer and fiercer.
Even in his shock, Ryu no longer hesitated and finished circulating his breakthrough method.
The pillar of silvery blue light doubled in size, then doubled again.
A flood of strength surged through Ryu's body as the barrier to the Dao Pedestal Realm shattered to pieces.
At that moment, in the depths of the Abyssal Plane, a Spiritual Foundation that had called itself King vanished, and when it finally reappeared, the entire Chaos Plane quaked.
Ripples of wild energy shot out in all directions, and suddenly, the volatile Chaos Qi in the region stabilized. The silvery blue energy rooted itself without even the slightest hint of trouble, but what was the most shocking was what happened next.
The Chaos Qi was suddenly being catalyzed into something entirely different.
If others could see this, they would have been frozen in shock. The Chaos Qi seemed to be evolving, but what could Chaos Qi possibly be evolving into? Wasn't it already at the highest extremes of what qi could be? And more importantly, how could an immature Spiritual Foundation cause changes in it?
But at that moment, Ryu felt it.
The catalyzed Chaos Qi completely changed and it suddenly flooded into Ryu's body. Upon entering the Dao Pedestal Realm, the final barrier himself and his Spiritual Foundations finally vanished and large swaths of Qi Fumes flooded his Meridians with energy a half-step from becoming Cosmic Grade.
Ryu in silence, feeling the energy flooding his body. He was absolutely certain of what it was, there was no doubt.
This was the only energy that could stand up to Chaos Qi, the only energy in existence that was its equal.
Essence.
His Foundation was catalyzing Chaos Qi into Essence. It was catalyzing Chaos Qi into Essence. It was... catalyzing Chaos Qi into Essence.
At that moment, Ryu's Heavenly Chaos Bone Structure began to evolve again, the Heavenly Favor that had once been its foundation being stripped away as the much higher form of Essence took its place. And then, a name whispered itself into existence, and yet it rang in Ryu's ears like a clap of thunder.
The Beyond Perfect Extreme Spiritual Foundation.
The name echoed in Ryu's head, even making his ears bleed, and yet he didn't seem to notice at all.
He understood what was happening. His Spiritual Foundation's ability to reach the Perfect Extreme like it had when it reached 999 kilometers, and then... it would take a step beyond. Just now, it had taken his Chaos Qi, granted to it by his Chaotic Silk Meridians, brought it to the Extreme... and then took it a step beyond.
Chaos Qi was already at the extreme, so how could you take a step beyond it?
It was a concept as old as time itself, one that could be found at the very core of Formation Mastery and Feng Shui, a concept birthed along with the universe itself, and yet one that was a mystery of mysteries...
The extreme of the extreme of water was fire....
The extreme of the extreme of wind was earth....
The extreme of the extreme of Chaos Qi was Essence.
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