Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Ryu had already made his decision and he wouldn't take a step back from it. A technique like this one was absolutely perfect for his Dao, and he could already think of several avenues to proceed. But, he also wouldn't rashly take any steps just yet. 

First, he would have to learn a lot more about alchemy. With his foundation as an Herbologist, his path would be far easier than anyone else's. But, it would also be a bit more difficult than usual due to the loss of his eyes. 

However, Ryu now had another trump card: his Perfect Blackbody Soul. 

He hadn't forgotten that feeling he had experienced during that so-called tribulation. The lightning had leaked into his Spiritual Sea, only to be absorbed by his soul. However, what was fascinating was that not only was his soul just fine, but it even increased his comprehension of the lightning. The result of this was not only a deepening of his Thunder Character but also his Heaven Character. On top of that, it made splitting the lightning even easier. 

There was simply too little known about the Perfect Blackbody Soul in Sacrum. Ryu hadn't known much about it other than the fact it made cultivation far faster. 

From Ryu's perspective, that was all his soul could do in addition to some invulnerable characteristics. The ability to perfectly absorb qi it came into contact with wasn't something that even Ryu's Ice Jade Crystal Body could do. However, his soul could accomplish it. 

What he hadn't known was that in addition to being able to absorb all things, his soul seemed to carry some characteristics of his Dao as well. In absorbing things, it too was able to "Divide" and gain all the benefits that came with the deeper meanings of the word. 

Ryu wasn't sure if this was an innate ability of his soul, or if it was something else, but what he was sure of was that this wasn't something he would neglect and forget to take advantage of. If he could comprehend things by devouring them, then just what sort of benefits would that have? The combination of his soul and Dao would be unstoppable. 

If this thought was taken to its logical extreme, what could Ryu accomplish?

Would he be able to learn the formula of a pill just by tasting it? Would he be able to guess the best method of preparing a Spiritual Herb by eating it once? 

In fact, he wouldn't even have to eat it at all, just absorbing the residual qi of a pill or Spiritual Herb would be enough depending on the situation. 

'I will have to see what information I can find out about my soul. It's likely that the Radiant Star Sect has more in depth information about rare constitutions than Sacrum would have. I will go to their library after I finish choosing my next technique. It will be convenient because I'll have to find some books on alchemy as well…'

Ryu didn't seem like a person who would diveheadfirstt into books, but it had to be remembered that as a child, he had spent years in the Tatsuya Clan's library before finally coming out. And, even after that, it was a place he frequented almost every day. Much of his accomplishments had been built off the backs of books. 

The reason he didn't show such fervor in recent years was obvious… he already knew everything there was to know by that point. Or, rather, he knew everything that he wanted to know about. But now that he had stepped foot into a new world, he had no issues with diving back into that realm of silence once more. 

Ryu shifted gears and turned his focus elsewhere, gripping the jade in his hand as though it was far more precious than its Common Grade level would dictate. 

He could pick one other technique. Considering he already had two bow techniques and a movement technique, it didn't really make sense for him to choose anything similar. 

He thought of picking a defensive technique, but quite frankly, he was still quite confident in <Immortal Sakura>. Also, if he began to tweak it and fused it with his own Visualization <Warped Ripple>, its strength could reach an all-new level, especially with his new comprehensions of the space element thanks to Yaana and the Silver Star Visualization. 

Ryu hadn't used <Warped Ripple> in a very long time since he had already outgrown it, but it might be time to revisit it soon. 

This aside, Ryu also planned on continuing to use the bow for a little while longer. This wasn't just for his grandfather, but also because he felt like he was close to grasping something new. At the same time, he didn't have his Great Swordstaffs anymore either way. If he wanted to take a step in that direction again, he would either have to commission a new pair or forge them himself. 

Ryu was more inclined to do it himself, especially since he now had the <Refinement Sutra>. But, such a thing would once again require him to learn more about these worlds. 

One might wonder why Ryu wouldn't just rely on the knowledge he already had. After all, on his first attempt, he had already managed to forge a Black Grade dagger. 

The issue was that that process had still relied on what Ryu knew from the world of Sacrum. Even if he hadn't studied it thoroughly, with his level of expertise, some of these matters had still rubbed off on him and as such biased his views. 

Ryu wanted to know what this new world had in store for him. He felt no lingering attachments to his old ways, he just wanted to climb to that highest peak. Whatever method worked best was the one he would use. 

Coming to this point, Ryu felt that maybe he was being too narrow minded even now. The techniques he was avoiding now were just from a Sacrum lens. Sacrum pretty much only had three types of techniques, offensive, defensive and movement. But, what if the True Martial World had others?

Realizing this, Ryu no longer restricted himself looking for exactly what he needed. Instead, he wondered about, looking out for what new techniques this world had to offer. 

Almost immediately, Ryu found a technique category that had never existed in Sacrum: Healing Techniques. 

It wasn't that Sacrum didn't have methods of healing. For example, Ryu had his passive Healing Factor. There were also the Ficia Faeries who were quite adept at it. And, there were of course, the most obvious, pills and Spiritual Herbs.

Still, these things had great restrictions. You had to have a powerful body or Bloodlines to have a great Healing Factor, Ficia Faeries were the only Bloodline that could share their Healing Factor with others, and pills and Spiritual Herbs spoke for themselves. To form a pill capable of healing a Sky God, you'd need to spend a ridiculous sum of resources! 

But, this was much different. These techniques could stimulate one's Healing Factor to a greater height, even if you had a poor bloodline. 

Some of the most profound ones worked similar to Ryu's Spirit Bodies! 

Ryu could heal himself by absorbing Lightning and Fire, something he rarely had to do considering his innate passive Healing Factor. But, some of these techniques were also designed to absorb the elements to heal oneself. 

Just seeing this alone left Ryu quite stunned. These techniques could actually bridge the gap of the talent and the untalented. 

Well, it likely wasn't so exaggerated. Ryu was only comparing these techniques to his current shackled Bloodlines. One they were unshackled, there was no way these techniques would be able to compare. 

But, this alone showed just how small Sacrum was as a world. Even their strongest Bloodlines could be matched by a Common Grade talent just with a single one of these techniques. It was baffling. 

After Healing Type Techniques, before Ryu could even calm down, he found Secret Type Techniques. 

Secret Techniques were similar to burning Blood Essence. In fact, many of them did require burning Blood Essence. However, in doing so, they could harness the energy to output far more strength than one would be able to on their on. 

However, this was only one type of Secret Technique. There were Transformation Type Secret Techniques that required the blood of beasts to catalyze. One could even gain a Draconic Humanoid Form like Ryu's own if you managed to stumble into some Dragon Blood by chance. 

There were Movement Type Secret Techniques that focused entirely on straight line speed and running away. 

There was even a Life Saving Secret Technique! By cultivating a clone, you could evade a death blow and escape with your life! 

Each one of these techniques was more fantastical than the last. Ryu was once again shocked, again and again, having never run into such things before. 

But, once again, he hadn't received the chance to calm his heart when he was struck by another revelation. 

Soul Techniques? Not Visualizations? What the hell are Soul Techniques?