Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Ryu felt that probably the smartest thing to do would be to help bolster his Bone Structure. It was among the hardest talents he had to unshackle and absorbing Heavenly Favor had proven to be an excellent shortcut. If he focused on things like this, he should be able to unleash more of full potential. 

The four facets of his Ice Jade Crystal Body were Healing, Friend of Nature and Beasts, Absolute Balance and Symmetry, and finally, Ungodly Cultivation Speed. 

Building an alloy that followed these four facets would be difficult, but not impossible. Ryu already had several ideas based on his knowledge from Sacrum, but he was sure that if he read up on more information exclusive to the True Martial World, it would be long before he could think of several more ideas. 

Maybe the only real issue lied in two factors. 

The first was that Ryu wasn't sure if this was where he would stop. Because of the nature of his Bone Structure, it was actually strongest when it had things to balance and form into its absolute balance and symmetry. A large part of the reason Ryu's Ice Jade Crystal Body could display its full prowess was because it had to balance Ryu's many Bloodlines. 

In fact, this actually led to the second factor that had to be considered. 

Because of Ryu's Ice Jade Crystal Body's propensity to become stronger the more of its abilities it was forced to use, it had actually mutated. 

Back then, when Ryu formed his Fire Spirit Body, there was actually meant to be a great clash within him. To form the Spirit Bodies of such volatile elements, from two creatures who were practically life and death enemies, would have been a death sentence for anyone without Ryu's Bone Structure. 

Even the Ice Jade Crystal Bone Structure had been under immense pressure back then, causing it to combust and reform itself into something greater and stronger. As of right now, although it was heavily shackled, all four of its facets had grown explosively in strength, in addition to gaining a potential fifth that revolved around Lightning and Fire. 

This second factor that stalled Ryu showed that his Ice Jade Crystal Body was excellent at reading and adapting to pressure. Much of its strength came from being in tune with nature, and what force was better at adapting than nature itself?! 

Ryu suddenly froze, his body entering a slight state of enlightenment. 

It had to be remembered that Ice Jade Crystal Body, the name of Ryu's Bone Structure, was actually lost in translation. 

[Author's Note: First mentioned in volume 2]

The term "ice" never related to cold or even the water element, it was just the best word Sacrum had to refer to the particular kind of purity the Bone Structure represented. 

Originally, the word "ice" was meant to refer to a transcended state, one where the Bone Structure was capable of changing form and becoming purer and more untouchable. The best word to describe this was ice, which formed delicate crystals and was an evolution of phase from the liquid water. 

The word "jade" was likewise not meant to strictly refer to jade. While it was in one part meant to embody the polished gem, it was also meant to adhere to what the stone represented as well… gentleness… serenity… harmony… and balance… 

It didn't need to be said, then, that "crystal" also had a transcendental meaning. It had countless meanings across just the same number of cultures, but it often went back to perfection, purity and healing, whether that was physically or spiritually. 

If Ryu was to create a more accurate translation of what the name of his Bone Structure should be, it would take him several hundred words at the very least. While the translate "Ice Jade Crystal" wasn't necessarily satisfactory, it was the best that could be done

Ice: a rise in purity through a change in phase. 

Jade: a polished and shining beacon of harmony and the core prosperity. 

Crystal: spiritual and physical healing… a transcendent purity. 

Ryu's mind danced with many thoughts, but he immediately felt that he was honing in on the wrong things. He had been too focused on the results and the symptoms rather than the actual root cause. 

Yes, his Ice Jade Crystal Body had four pillars of talent that made it the Ancestral Grade Bone Structure that it was, and these four pillars seemed to have given birth to a fifth and also seemed to have potential to bloom more in the future. 

This made things overly complicated and shielded Ryu's eyes from making a near certain judgment… But from the very beginning, he was focused on the wrong thing. 

What matters isn't the result, but what caused such results to begin with. What he needed to embody wasn't healing, friend of nature, balance and cultivation speed. No.. What he needed to embody in this alloy was Ice, Jade and Crystal. 

When Ryu thought to this point, the path ahead was all too clear. He didn't need to worry about making a bunch of add-ons to account for every shift and potential shift he might experience in the future. So long as he focused on Ice, Jade and Crystal, he would create the perfect alloy for him, one that would be able to read and adapt to any path he should so choose in the future. 

After realizing this, Ryu ignored the introductory books on Blacksmithing and began to read what he could on language and even sought to find introductory books on Bone Structures, hoping to find something in depth on his own. 

If Ryu wanted to do this, he needed a more and more accurate picture of exactly what it was the Ice Jade Crystal Body represented, he couldn't leave any stone unturned, because once he set off on this path, there would be no turning back. 

This was why the [Refinement Sutra] was both the easiest and more ubiquitous cultivation technique there was, and simultaneously why it was the most unused. Many saw it as nothing more than reference material, while most wouldn't even give it a second glance on the shelves. 

Ryu, though, was determined to make it work for him.