Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

The birth of a new Sky God was impossibly rare, yet it was a phenomenon that could grip the whole of the martial world by its horns. As fascinating as Ryu's breakthrough into the Cosmic Realms with his Pupils had been, this was far more fantastical, albeit far less fear inducing. 

No one froze in place, no one felt as though their Fate was being toyed with, but everyone could feel a wash of energy flooding over them as a new Godhood was formed from the ground up. 

It was quite shocking indeed. It should have only taken Aberardus a few days to breakthrough given the potency of One with World. But, the fact that he had taken a year meant one of a few possibilities. 

The first was that he had run into trouble. This trouble was likely that his State of Meditation was accidentally cut short and he had to go the rest of the way himself. It wasn't impossible for this to have happened, but with Okie's protection, it was highly unlikely. 

This was where the second possibility came in… In this case, Aberardus had spent the whole of this year in meditation. Realizing that he had a unique opportunity, rather than forming the Godhood he had been trying to build himself all along, he chose to scrap it and rebuild a more solid foundation. 

To take the second route took courage and a willingness to fail. It was very possible that this would be Aberardus' last enlightenment in this life. For him to be willing to risk it all would speak volumes about his character and his determination. 

If Aberardus took this route, he would have been able to complete a soft reset of his comprehension, returning to the Heir Realm and rebuilding himself all the way back up to true Godhood. Like this, he would be able to fill in any holes his foundation had had and his Godhood would benefit greatly from it. In fact, if he had truly taken this route, he would easily be tens of times more powerful than he would have otherwise been upon breaking through. 

Ryu couldn't help but smile inwardly. 

He was over 90% sure that Aberardus had taken the second route and he had actually broken through at such a convenient time. Ryu had initially planned to rely on that Sky God woman to cover for the commotion he was causing, but it seemed that that old man knew how to repay a favor. 

While the woman was shocked both because of Ryu's actions and the fact a Sky God was breaking through so close by, Ryu wasn't paying attention to any of that. Instead, he was looking at the sword qi hovering before him. 

It was just over ten meters in length and tinged with the slightest sheen of red. Just the slightest vibration of its body caused space to split apart as though it was nothing more than a thin sheet of paper. There was no doubt that if this blade was turned on a normal World Sea Realm expert, they would die ten out of ten times. 

The female Sky God looked in the direction of Okie's forge, her gaze flickering. 

'How… How could this be possible…'

She bit her lip unconsciously. It was more than just a little troublesome for a Sky God to appear here. While everyone else was basking in the shocking and glorious breakthrough of a new Godhood, she realized just what this meant for the Armament Guild. The appearance of a new Sky God would most definitely shift the power balance of the Armament Guild. How could this happen?

From what she understood, there shouldn't have been anyone so close to becoming a Sky God. Though the Peak World Sea Realm seemed to just be a step away, that step was like multiple chasms stacked back to back to back. Clearing the path to the next Realm was impossible for most Peak World Sea Realm experts. 

'What is…'

The woman snapped her attention back, sensing the violent aura of the sword qi hovering above Ryu's palm. Her expression changed violently once more, half in fear, and half in unwillingness. 

The value of such a sword qi was hard to explain. However, she understood that it had nothing to do with her. It was under Ryu's control, so while he could absorb it, she would suffer great backlash if she tried to do the same. She couldn't help but feel jealous. 

Absorbing such a qi would have a ridiculous amount of benefits. For one, it would help Ryu form a Minor Godhood, just a step shy of a Godhood, in one sweep. On top of this, it wouldn't be a normal Minor Godhood either, as it would have the air of a true Godhood, making it far more powerful than others of its level. 

Secondly, because of this air of a Godhood, it would add a destructive element to Ryu's attacks that couldn't be matched. His already obscene battle prowess would take another enormous leap forward. By then, it was likely that it wouldn't be impossible to battle Cosmic Seed Realm experts. 

Even to a Sky God like herself, this sword qi was greatly tempting, let alone a junior like Ryu. The woman couldn't help but sigh. 

Suddenly, her expression changed once again. 

"What are you doing?!"

Ryu didn't respond. He stretched out a finger, causing the sword qi to respond to his command. 

Ryu had always been a Master of the Four Arts. In this life, he had never had the time to dabble in painting, go, music or calligraphy as he was too busy training, but right now, he felt a sudden inspiration. 

He pressed his two fingers together, his body seemingly vanishing from thin air. However, the reality was that he had just fused with the very essence of all that was around him, forgetting about everything else. 

He didn't choose his favorite language. In fact, he chose a language known for its ugliness and crass nature. It was a primitive language that didn't last very long in history before it was replaced, and it had characters that were grating on the eyes just to look at. 

But, for what Ryu needed them for, they were absolutely perfect. 

Ryu took on the air of a Master of Calligraphy, his body becoming fluid and his strokes carrying an air of elegance what he wrote simply couldn't match. 

The sword qi shot forward, beginning to carve out words into the side of the valley below. 

It only took Ryu a few breaths to finish, but the Heavens above seemed to sing. It had been quite a long time since Ryu felt this feeling, he almost missed having that brush in his hand, feeling the slide of the ink and paper listen to the beck and call of his wrist. 

He took a step back and admired his work. 

His hand stretched outward and his fingers spread. In that moment, as though listening to a command, the sword qi, too, dispersed, fusing with the word he wrote. 

The woman looked at the strokes of calligraphy. Its sharp and crass lines seemed to speak its meaning into her soul. The skill was beyond anything she had ever witnessed before, but it only made her expression as pale as a sheet of paper. 

"Why would I ever absorb the sword qi of such scum? I don't need such garbage." Ryu said coldly. 

The character on the wall of the valley shimmered for all to see:

'TRASH'.