After spending hours familiarizing himself with the Nine Heaven Sword Arts fundamentals, Ryven finally turned his attention to the Eternal Origin Cultivation Technique. The inherited memories revealed this to be far more than just another cultivation method—it was a sophisticated system perfectly designed to work with his yang-based physique and unlock its true potential.
The technique operated on multiple levels of complexity. As a standard cultivation method, it absorbed spiritual qi from heaven and earth with unprecedented efficiency, refining it through his Eternal Origin Physique into an exceptionally pure and potent form of internal energy. The refined qi produced by this technique was several times more concentrated and stable than what ordinary cultivation methods could achieve, giving practitioners a significant advantage in both advancement speed and combat effectiveness.
However, the technique's true magnificence lay in its dual cultivation capabilities. Unlike crude methods that exploited one partner for another's benefit, the Eternal Origin Technique created a perfect harmony between yin and yang energies. Male practitioners could absorb yin qi from willing female partners and refine it into pure yang qi, while female practitioners could convert male yang qi into pure yin qi. Both partners benefited equally from the exchange, advancing their cultivation while strengthening their foundation.
The inherited knowledge also revealed why this technique was so perfectly suited to his physique. The Eternal Origin Physique was inherently yang-dominant, requiring constant supplementation with yang energy to maintain optimal function. Without proper yang resources or dual cultivation to balance the yin-yang equation, practitioners would eventually hit bottlenecks that could permanently damage their cultivation foundation.
But Ryven had no intention of pursuing dual cultivation yet. The technique's standard form would suffice for now, especially given his extraordinary comprehension abilities and the remaining power of the Harmony Convergence Pill.
Settling into a lotus position on his bed, Ryven began practicing the Eternal Origin Cultivation Technique for the first time. The moment he initiated the breathing patterns and energy circulation methods, he felt an immediate and dramatic difference from his previous cultivation attempts.
Where before his efforts had been like trying to fill a bucket riddled with holes, now spiritual energy flowed smoothly through his meridians in perfect circulation patterns. His Ancestral Chaos Bloodline, no longer fighting against his physique thanks to the pill's harmonizing effects, actually enhanced his comprehension of the cultivation process. He could instinctively sense the optimal pathways for energy flow, automatically adjusting his technique for maximum efficiency.
The spiritual qi of heaven and earth responded to his call with unprecedented eagerness. Energy streams that had been invisible to him for eleven years now appeared as clearly as flowing rivers of light. His Eternal Origin Physique greedily absorbed this energy, compressing and refining it before storing it in his dantian as pure yang qi.
Hours passed in what felt like minutes. When Ryven finally opened his eyes, dawn light was streaming through his windows, and the transformation within his body was remarkable. Not only had he consolidated his position at Body Refinement's peak, but he could sense the barrier to the next major realm—Qi Awakening—trembling under the pressure of his accumulated energy.
More importantly, his understanding of qi itself had reached a level that should have taken years to achieve. The combination of his Ancestral Chaos Bloodline's comprehension enhancement and the Eternal Origin Technique's profound insights had given him an intuitive grasp of spiritual energy that bordered on supernatural. He could sense qi flows in the air around him, track energy patterns in objects, and even detect the cultivation levels of distant family members through their energy signatures.
One Week Later - Strathor Family Estate
Ryven's transformation over the past week had been nothing short of miraculous. His cultivation sessions had become increasingly intense as he pushed his limits, consuming every yang-attributed resource he could afford. The local suppliers who serviced the Strathor family's cultivation needs had been surprised by his sudden bulk purchases—fire root essence, solar crystal fragments, phoenix grass extract, purified yang stones, and various other rare materials that cost him nearly fifteen thousand dollars of his accumulated savings and graduation gifts.
The investment had paid dividends beyond his wildest expectations. Each cultivation session brought noticeable improvements not just to his energy levels, but to his physical form, mental acuity, and spiritual awareness. His body had been continuously reforged by the constant influx of pure yang energy, becoming stronger, faster, and more resilient with each breakthrough.
But it was his intellectual transformation that had truly shocked everyone around him.
On Monday, he'd returned to Millbrook University for what he'd assumed would be his normal routine. Within the first hour of his advanced calculus class, Ryven had absorbed and understood concepts that typically took students weeks to master. During the break, he'd approached his professor with questions that demonstrated a grasp of mathematical principles far beyond the course curriculum.
By lunch, he'd visited the library and consumed the contents of textbooks from graduate-level physics, chemistry, and engineering courses. Subjects that had once challenged him became trivially easy to understand. His Ancestral Chaos Bloodline didn't just enhance his comprehension of cultivation—it dramatically improved his ability to grasp any complex system or abstract concept.
That evening, he'd made a decision that sent shockwaves through the Strathor family.
"I'm dropping out of university," he'd announced during dinner, his parents staring at him in stunned silence.
"Ryven, you can't be serious," his mother Elena had protested. "You're so close to graduating. What brought this on?"
"The formal education system can't keep up with my learning pace anymore," he'd explained calmly. "I can absorb more knowledge in one night of independent study than most students learn in an entire semester. Sitting through lectures covering material I mastered hours ago is a waste of time I could be spending on more important pursuits."
His father, David Strathor, had been skeptical until Ryven demonstrated his newfound abilities. In thirty minutes, he'd solved complex engineering problems that stumped graduate students, explained advanced quantum physics principles with perfect clarity, and even identified several strategic flaws in the family's business expansion plans. His analysis of their martial arts academy chain's financial projections was so insightful that David immediately scheduled meetings with their accountants to implement Ryven's suggestions.
"His bloodline must have finally awakened," Elena had whispered to David afterward, unaware that Ryven's enhanced hearing could detect their conversation from the next room. "The Strathor lineage has always produced exceptional minds once properly activated, but I've never seen anything like this."
They attributed his sudden transformation to a late-blooming manifestation of the family's intellectual gifts, having no idea about his dual inheritance or the true scope of his abilities. Ryven was content to let them believe this convenient fiction rather than reveal the reality of his situation.
Now, a week later, Ryven sat in his private cultivation chamber—a converted section of the guest house basement that he'd reinforced with sound-dampening materials and privacy wards. His yang resource supplies were completely depleted, but the results had been extraordinary.
He had reached the absolute peak of Body Refinement, his physical form perfected to the theoretical limits of the Foundation Realm's first stage. More importantly, his understanding of qi manipulation had evolved to such a degree that he was confident he could skip the traditional Qi Awakening stage entirely and breakthrough directly to Qi Condensation.
Most cultivators needed months or even years to properly awaken their qi sensitivity before they could begin the condensation process. But Ryven's comprehension of spiritual energy had reached a level where he could already perceive and manipulate qi with the skill of someone several stages above his current cultivation. The Qi Awakening stage, designed to teach practitioners basic qi sensitivity, was redundant for someone who could already see energy flows as clearly as physical objects.
However, this rapid advancement came with a significant problem—his yang energy reserves were running critically low. The Eternal Origin Physique's demanding nature meant that without constant supplementation, his cultivation would not only stagnate but potentially suffer permanent damage. He needed resources urgently, and the quantities required for his next breakthrough were far beyond what his personal savings could support.
Fortunately, Ryven knew exactly who to approach for help.