Old Wan coughed, rubbing his aching head for a moment. After a while, he sighed and started from the beginning again.
"There isn't much to add, the danger should be obvious. Your enemies are people who had Eighth Dimensional heritage, whether that's their core techniques or their bloodlines. Those that were willing to offend our half despite knowing this definitely have comparable backgrounds."
"The nitty gritty details are still not things that we are fully aware of, but what we can say is that this isn't a casual matter."
Old Wan took a sip of tea before taking a slight look up. But what he found surprised him.l
Selheira was smiling her usual smile, Ryu was just as cold and expressionless, while the only one who seemed to show any emotion at all was Mae who only now realized what she was getting herself into. Even so, she just gripped Ryu's hands a bit harder, looking forward with a cold gaze.
Old Wan sighed, he felt that these youths didn't truly understand what they were up against.
The Dual Radiance Star Bloodline had diluted somewhat after their separation. The Dual Radiance Bloodline was the strongest with both halves fused into one, but the last person born with that was Aika, a fact that may very well have led to the final destruction of the Radiant Star Sect, or at the very least, the version of themselves that had been on the Seventh Heaven.
Even so, just the appearance of that bloodline alone, even if one's other talents were subpar, would put one on a completely different level.
The Fading Star half of the Bloodline allowed fusion with Constellations. The Radiant Star half of the Bloodline allowed the amplification of Constellations and the easier communication with them. When the two were put together, it was without a doubt a Chaos Grade Bloodline. In fact, it was a Chaos Grade Bloodline that was a half step away from an Origin Grade Bloodline and in the right hands could show off the color of a true Origin Grade Bloodline.
The reality was that even with just half of this Bloodline, it was still considered a Chaos Grade Bloodline at its strongest. Although there would always be variables between people depending on Bloodline density and awakening this was a fundamental truth.
In Old Wan's opinion, even if these few ran into a couple entry level geniuses of the current Fading Star Sect, the results would be quite devastating. He didn't think they stood a chance at the same cultivation level. In fact, even if the Fading Star Sect individual was a realm or two below them, depending on who it was, they might not win either.
And that was just Ryu and Selheira, he didn't think this Mae stood a chance at all. Although Selheira was from the Seventh Heaven, the Fading Star Sect was an anomaly even there, very few dared to challenge them, and even then they would usually have to band together to do so.
Old Wan sighed again. "You brats, there's no need to put on such a brave face. Let alone the higher ups, the young geniuses under them aren't the kind of people you can take casually. Don't be complacent, it will take a lot of work to
catch up to them."
Old Wan looked toward Ryu."That goes especially for you. I'm worried about you and how you'll take a setback. Being too rigid makes you brittle."
Old Wan seemed to be doing this out of good will and a hint of teasing, but Mae frowned.
"My husband already defeated your so-called genius of the Fading Star Sect?"
"Hm?" Old Wan looked toward Mae, raising an eyebrow. Obviously, he didn't believe and thought that she was just trying to save face for Ryu.
Mae's frown deepened. "He called himself Starlight and he entered the Heavenly Path. Ryu defeated him for access to a Dao Lord's Inheritance."
"Dao Lord?" Old Wan's pupils constricted.
Before anyone could say anything more, a rush of wind passed by and Aika appeared before Ryu, so close that their noses almost touched as she stared. She seemed to be trying to find any sort of fluctuation at all, but to her surprise, while Ryu did flinch, it was actually to grab toward his great swordstaff. It a very subtle action, and Ryu seemed to feel somewhat embarrassed that this had been his reaction toward Aika of all people, but how could it escape the sharp senses of a Sky God?
When she saw this, Aika almost burst into a fit of laughter.
"It seems like you owe my Little Ryu an apology, you've underestimated him."
Old Wan frowned, seemingly not believing it.
"Was it a child?"
Mae was getting more frustrated with Old Wan's reaction by the minute. Why was it so hard to believe?
"He was old enough and in the Half-Step Path Extinction Realm."
Hearing this, Old Wan was even more stunned. Although it was clear that Ryu's cultivation was higher, the of a single Realm shouldn't have been enough for Ryu to win.
"Where's the Dao Lord Inheritance? What was his Dao Title?" Old Wan asked, seemingly wanting to confirm.
Mae looked toward Ryu, hesitating. Not quite knowing what to say. However Ryu, replied just as simply.
"He was a Dao Sovereign, not a Dao Lord. His Dao Title is Chaotic Space. I didn't accept the Inheritance because he's not worthy of my Karma."
Silence fell over the oasis, even Samson peeked out from the rock he was buried beneath. At that moment, the skies shook and quaked, a heart shuddering tear in the void appearing above as though the Heavens were peering down with an eye.
The pressure that descended caused the table that sat between them all to crack and then shatter into pieces.
The earth trembled and the mountain range threatened to collapse entirely. Let alone the Radiant Star Sect, it seemed that the entire Fourth Heaven would collapse any moment.
Whether it was Aika, Samson or Wan, they all had constricted pupils. Aika, who was still close to Ryu almost forgot that they were practically nose to nose, but she was entirely entranced by the sparks of radiant lightning coursing through Ryu's irises.
Aika suddenly pulled back, feeling as though her heart was about to race out of her chest. She had always reprimanded Samson and Wan for being too cowardly and not bold enough, but this Ryu... Maybe he was the exact opposite... maybe he was too bold.
The atmosphere slowly settled and Old Wan seemed to realize that neither were lying. When he looked at Ryu this time, he almost felt silly. He actually ignored a Dao Sovereign. Whether that was out of ignorance or bravery, it didn't matter. Regardless of which it was, such a person wouldn't flinch at the little vague story he had told.
Selheira's gaze sparkled as she looked toward Ryu, her radiant blue irises splitting as they fluctuated between circular and vertical pupils. She eventually had no choice but to close her eyes, waiting for the her overheating blood to chill.
"... What are your talents exactly?" Old Wan asked slowly.
"You don't know?" Ryu asked plainly.
In truth, Ryu had always been working under the assumption that Old Wan knew everything about him. But now that he knew Old Wan's origin, he had a different sort of perspective.
To Old Wan, a Hegemonic Dao wasn't all that impressive beneath the Sky God Realm, he had probably seen many who had formed such Daos, only to fail in the end and end up with lower grade Godhoods.
Even if Ryu was a Hegemonic Dao Sky God, Old Wan might raise an eyebrow. but it might not be all that impressive to him either as he had probably seen many, might very well have one himself, or maybe even an Ancient Grade Dao, Ryu wasn't sure.
With those things as a frame, why would Old Wan be all that interested in Ryu? At most, he'd be curious about how he was on the First Heaven, but even that was something he could brush off, after all, hadn't he ended up on the First Heaven as well?
Knowing that, Old Wan wouldn't have been curious enough to even care to check out what Ryu's talents were. The only reason he had taken interest in Ryu at all was because of his slow burn plan to return to the higher Heavens. Ryu was obviously had a higher starting point than the First Heaven geniuses.
"I'm not that shameless," Old Wan said with a cough.
"My talents aren't that impressive," Ryu said expressionlessly. "I have five Bloodlines. The Fire Dragon, Lightning Qilin, Dark Phoenix, Ice Phoenix and Emperor Phoenix Bloodlines."
"My Bone Structure is a mutated Ice Jade Crystal Body. My soul has a Space Soul Nature. My Dao is in the Peak Ancient Grade."
"What?"
"I said I have five..."
Old Wan got up and moved, nearly putting himself nose to nose with Ryu just like Aika had.
"You... Your Dao..."
Old Wan's gaze shifted to Ryu's forehead, realizing that the headband was gone and the brand had suddenly vanished.
He was truly speechless, he didn't even seem to realize that Ryu had purposely skipped over several details.
Old Wan had been taken aback by the mention of five beast Bloodline, three of which were actually sovereigns of their races. His shock had caused him to over what Ryu said in the middle and he only seemed to snap back into it after Ryu mentioned his Dao.
The difference between a Hegemonic Dao and an Ancient Dao was enormous, so large that Old Wan went from indifferent to completely shaken.