Chapter 76: 76: Both Paths

When Ryu opened his eyes, he found that he had stepped upon a bow that was as black as obsidian. There also seemed to be a dainty black glove attached to its string. From cursory inspection, Ryu wasn't very impressed. He thought he might have stumbled upon a treasure, but what he found was a mere Peak Black Grade bow. If he remembered correctly, this bow actually came from the Sect Master's ring. As for the dainty glove, it was such a size because the Natural Order Sect's Master was a woman.

'The three Half-Step Divine Vessel Grand Elders all had Lower Earth Grade weapons, but the Sect Master was left with a Peak Black Grade bow? How odd…'

Ryu lifted the black bow from the ground, but his eyes contracted at its weight. This bow was actually almost two hundred jin heavy! That was easily twenty times the weight of his current Lower Common Grade spear, glaive and halberd for a weapon that wasn't known for its heftiness.

After Ryu opened his six Body Pulses, his base strength had increase to about two thousand jin, so there was no problem lifting this bow with his raw strength. It was just surprising because bows weren't usually so heavy. To make matters odder, the size of this bow was incredulous. The attachment of the dainty glove completely didn't match the bow's over two-meter-long arc. It stood as tall as Ryu himself!

It was only then that Ryu decided to intently inspect this bow. The truth was that he had already abandoned the path of the bowman. He had his hands full with trying to comprehend the Tatsuya Saintly Weapons. Although it would make his Grandpa Kunan sad to hear it, it was the truth. However, when Ryu realized that the true treasure wasn't the bow, but rather the dainty glove, his eyes couldn't help but light up in interest.

At first, he had thought that the glove was simply the habit of a woman. Even as their Leader, the Sect Master might have been enamoured with her looks even in her old age. The glove, or so Ryu thought, was likely a method of protecting her fingers from becoming calloused. But, who would have known that this dainty glove was actually a Unique Grade treasure!

'This glove is most definitely the heirloom of this Sect.' Ryu's eyes shone, delving into the secrets of the glove.

A Unique Grade treasure fell into a special category of its own. It was possible for it to be even better than some Origin Grade treasures, but it was also possible for it to be inferior to even a Common Grade treasure. Unfortunately, it seemed that this glove was closer to the latter than the former. However, surprisingly, Ryu wasn't disappointed.

'What an amazing crafted treasure. Truly the Natural Order Sect…' Ryu plucked the glove from the bow string, turning it in his hands. 'By relying on the nourishment of its Master's understanding of the Natural Order, this glove is able to form an arrow of corresponding power. It seems that despite calling themselves the Natural Order Sect and passing this glove down for generations, the Sect was never able to make this glove into the treasure it should have been…'

Up to now, Ryu had comprehended a Mortal Endowment. If his level were to be labeled by those of the Immortal Plane, they would call him an Heir. This was the first level of the so-called Mortal Endowment and a step many cultivators died before ever reaching.

Of these levels, there were seven. The first was Ryu's Heir level, the second was the Impose level, the third was the Rule level, followed by the Small Realm level, the Dominion level, the Divinity level and finally the Deity level. Each of these realms had their own associated Titles. Heir was associated with the Inheritor title, a step forward and one would be known as a Lord, then a Ruler, then a Monarch, then a Sovereign, a Minor God, and finally a God. So, Ryu could be called a Spear Heir, or a Glaive Inheritor.

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What this black glove needed was Ryu's steady improvement in these realms, not just the Mortal Endowment realm alone, but also the Natural Enlightenment realm which followed a different system.

With a thought, Ryu ignored the black bow for a moment and tried to slip the glove on. At first, it resisted, causing Ryu's brow to furrow. But, it was only then that he realized that the Spiritual Mark left on this glove was reinforced over many generations, making it more powerful than normal. In the end, it took Ryu three days to chip away and finally destroy this mark to claim this treasure for himself.

Finally, the glove shifted, morphing and widening to fit Ryu's large hand. In that moment, it trembled with excitement, feeling that Ryu's Essence was very deep, or at the very least, deeper than it was used to. As though it was a hungry child, it greedily gobbled up this Essence, glowing a faint translucent light.

This 'Essence' wasn't Ryu's own energy. The energy used to cultivate was known as Mortal Qi, but Essence was a natural energy of the Heavens. This was the energy that Ryu's comprehensions were rewarded with. When one's understanding of the Mortal Endowment or Natural Enlightenment deepened, it was this energy that increased the strength of your attacks. It also happened to be this kind of energy that this black glove loved the most.

'So the Sect Master never reached the Heir realm?...' Ryu's brow furrowed. 'No, that isn't what it is. It's possible that the Sect Master even faintly touched upon the Imposing realm. It's just that the Tatsuya Saintly Weapon Inheritance is on a whole other level compared to what she comprehended. My Small Success Heir realm is already stronger than her Half-Step Imposing realm.'

Suddenly, the black glove began to evolve on Ryu's hand. First, its fabric lengthened, shooting up Ryu's arm and becoming a sleeve that extended from the tips of his fingers to his broad shoulder. Then, a black metal guard began to form, making the extremities of the glove look reminiscent of a knight's gauntlet.

A comfortable feeling washed over Ryu. He suddenly felt like he was being nourished by the natural energies of the Heavens.

Almost absentmindedly, he took control of the tall bow, pulling it back with all his strength. Despite his efforts, the string only reached 10% of its full flex, yet, a dense energy of spear, halberd and glaive qi swirled into one, forming an arrow of unfathomable, pulsing power.

The winds blew fiercely around Ryu, causing his white hair to whip about. However, his rapidly draining Spiritual Qi woke him up from his trance, causing the arrow to dissipate. If he had actually let it go, the illusory formation that protected this Sect would have been blasted to oblivion!

He suddenly understood why the bow was so heavy and why the Sect Master never tried to find herself an Earth Grade bow. Only a bow with an incredibly sturdy build could withstand such a powerful arrow…

'I cannot let this treasure go to waste… I will follow both paths!' Ryu thought resolutely.

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