1268 Anything
This feeling gave Ryu a feeling of weight that went beyond just his body. He felt as though he was wielding an energy countless leagues beyond Bronze Resonance Qi, just in terms of heft and density, it was impossible even to compare the two.
But what was especially mystical about it was the fact that Ryu didn't feel as though the power came from his body. It was as though he was accessing a strength that was beyond the limits of himself, extending beyond a reasonable time and space.
It took him a while to understand even with the current strength of his mind. But after a while, Ryu realized that it was exactly because of that. The laws of the world had a looser restriction on him all of sudden. He wasn't moving and acting through distortions anymore, his strength, his qi, his power, were all as pure as they came, even the source itself extended beyond the current realm around him, he ground beneath his feet and the skies above his head.
It was difficult to explain it more clearly. It was a mystical feeling that even Ryu himself couldn't quite grasp, but it simultaneously felt as natural to him as breathing.
Extended from this, Ryu felt that the limitations of the void and space were much looser on him as well. He was certain that he could enter the void even without relying on the Unbalance Mantra and Quivering Spectral Wings. In addition to this, the distance that he could cross and move through in a single bound had been accelerated greatly.
Beyond this, he felt that his control over time had increased significantly as well. In the past, he hid this ability for two reasons. First because this affinity was especially rare, so rare that even in dozens of generations, a single person with such an affinity might not appear. Secondly, it was too excellent of a trump card. Saving it for use at the right time was far better than using it randomly and giving his potential enemies the chance to prepare for it.
Ryu understood the way of the world and he knew that no power was infallible. Any affinity, when taken to an extreme, could be exceptionally powerful. That was especially the case since he felt that time and space were actually the simplest of them all. So, though his affinity was rare, he chose to hide it.
Of course, there was another reason for this, and that was because the amount of stamina it took was absolutely ridiculous.
Now, however, using time felt so simple that Ryu actually felt that it was faintly easier to use than even his Spatial Element which had already been greatly improved. It was hard to believe; but Ryu was certain that this wasn't just his imagination.
Ryu realized now that hiding his time affinity as a trump card now wasn't in his best interest. Since there wasn't the burden of difficulty anymore, the losses outweighed the gains. With his Bone Structure, masking the fact that it was actually his Soul Nature was much easier. Compared to souls, Bone Structures were much more difficult to steal, that was because snatching them required essentially giving up your body. Unless you were a person who only had a soul left to begin with, you wouldn't do so. And if you were already at that point to begin with, then you might as well snatch an entire body.
If Ryu was going to be scared of even such an outcome, he might as well stop cultivating all together.
The next thing Ryu noticed was a change to his blood vessels.
Ryu's original body was a complex network of swirling black silk and the dense veins and arteries of a Body Realm cultivator. Outside of being thicker than usual, Ryu's blood vessels weren't very special, especially not when compared to geniuses of the higher Heavens.
However, his blood vessels emitted a dull silver color that was only a shade or two away and a bit of loss in luster from grey. Intertwining with the silky black, it looked quite beautiful, albeit not very human. It looked more like a complex and layered three dimensional abstract sculpture rather than the body of a living, breathing being.
These blood vessels were where the oddity of Ryu's Bone Structure could influence the Vital Qi of his blood, but interestingly enough, it seemed to have a calming effect on his Bloodlines.
There were several kinds of Bone Structures in existence. Ones that could influence Bloodlines, ones that couldn't. Ones that granted affinities; one that didn't. Ones that could bolster defenses, ones that were strictly offensive... There were even Bone Structures that could influence any number of Pillars, even one's Spiritual Foundation.
Ryu's was clearly a Bone Structure that could directly influence his Bloodlines. In fact, since it had rebuilt his circulatory system, it was network connectivity with his Meridians and inner organs as well.
When Ryu saw how docile his Bloodlines were even without his Ice Jade Crystal Body, he sighed a breath of relief. After this, he began to analyze why this might be and came to a quick understanding.
Just like was the case with his strength, his odd silvery-grey energy that churned within his bone and fused with his Vital Qi seemed to displace him from the influence of the world around him, allowing him to surpass some of the restrictions that many faced...
Why was it that Fire and Ice couldn't mix? Why was it that his Dragon Bloodline hated his Qilin Bloodline? Why were his Bloodlines constantly pushing and tugging against one another when they had already been born into the same body already? Wouldn't it be in their best interest to be silent and obedient?
But then it hit Ryu.
One could argue that Fire and Ice couldn't mix because of their innate properties, and this would be true enough. But Ryu's greatest struggle with his Bloodline was the result of three Emperor Line Bloodlines being within him. The Emperor Phoenix, the Fire Dragon and the Lightning Qilin were all the rulers of their own races. They abhorred the idea of sharing a body and having to dim their dominance.
But how did these Bloodlines know that they were Kings and Emperors?
Once again, it came back to one thing... Faith.
Why was it that Ryu had struggled to dual wield his spears? The glaive? The halberd? Why was it that when he battled Starlight he was forced to abandon his Great Swordstaffs because they were hindering him more than helping?
It all came back to Faith.
When he was fighting Starlight, he found that his Sword God aura was unrefined and limited, but that wasn't because of his own flaws, but rather because it was resisting his application of it to his Great Swordstaff.
Realizing the problem, he had no choice but to throw his Great Swordstaffs to the side and use his fists alone. Using a Fist God's aura on his fists had no such bottleneck at all and he was able to freely flow in the midst of battle and even suppress Starlight in terms of pure battle skill.
This was the same premise matched with the issue of his Bloodlines.
They were all bound by the strings of Karma and the Chains of Faith. He was carrying not only his Bloodlines, but all the memories of his predecessors, and was further tied by their Faith and Fate. He couldn't do as he pleased with his Bloodlines because they would always be tied down in this matter.
Normally, although he had the ability, Ryu preferred to keep his Dragon and Qilin Bloodline separate, for example. It was more powerful to fuse them together, but his stamina when doing so was too easily limited and the backlash was great. This was why after he gained control, he rarely used the both at the same time.
But now...
Ryu's pupils couldn't help but constrict.
The bounds of the world seemed to have vanished. After this odd grey energy fused with his Vital Qi, it loosened the restrictions on his Bloodline.
His Ice Jade Crystal Body and his Heavenly Chaos Body worked by forcing a balance on his Bloodlines. But his Boundless Cosmos Bone Structure removed the need for balance between his Bloodlines entirely because it separated him from the bounds of Fate.
No, this might not be completely accurate... It was more like it had replaced the bounds of Faith that had once tied him down with new chains, but these chains found their roots within his own world, his own universe.
In this world, the Fire Dragon, the Lighting Qilin and the Emperor Phoenix Bloodlines didn't know they were Kings...
His Spear didn't know that it was designed to be used with two hands...
His Sword God Aura didn't know that it couldn't be applied to a Great Swordstaff with great ease...
Ryu had a completely blank slate, a slate he could use to write anything.
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