The Dao of Chaos was ethereal. Ryker felt like he could grasp onto some of it, but too much slipped right through his fingers. It felt like a net that encompassed everything, to be felt but not seen, experienced but not realized.

As Ryker meditated on it, he realized that he could only grasp half of it. Compared to everything else that had been so easy, this felt impossible even for him to complete the foundation of.

No, maybe not impossible… but just too difficult to do so in the time constraints that he had. Maybe it would take him decades of meditation to grasp what he wanted.

It was then he understood that the fox creature’s Dao wasn’t incomplete because it was a fool, or because it hadn’t managed to complete it, but rather because it couldn’t complete it.

There was an entire half of the Dao of Chaos that was hidden from it.

If Ryker wanted to take that step as well, it would inevitably be incomplete as well.

He was unwilling.

Looking at the number of Circles he had still yet to fill, Ryker felt a bit of anxiety. He was still unaware that he had accomplished more than he needed to, and at the moment, with the Earth Flame still tempering his body, his Circles were already tending toward perfection. He had already passed the threshold of entering the Ascension Realm. There was only so long that he could continue to suppress it.

He chuckled bitterly. He had spent so many years being overly patient and cautious, but in the end, his arrogance had still gotten the best of him.

He internalized this lesson. Pride was something he would have to fight against for a lifetime.

The sad part was that he had an idea already.

If half of Chaos was formed by fire and water, it seemed obvious that the other half would have to be earth and wind, two Daos that he had just comprehended as well.

If he wanted to peek into the other half, he would just have to resolve these Daos and help them to fuse. At that point, would the Dao of Chaos still be elusive to him?

The issue was that he just didn’t have enough time. Even with this plan, it would take him months. There was no way he could delay his cultivation for that long, even if he didn’t have these time constraints.

Plus, there was also no guarantee that he’d succeed, either.

Ryker took a breath and made a decision.

Rather than focusing on the Dao of Chaos, he dispersed the runes that were trying to form and turned his attention to the Dao of Water instead.

Once again, it was swift and easy. But after seeing the variations and changes within the Dao of Chaos, Ryker changed his approach to how he comprehended these “lesser” Daos.

Within the Dao of Water, there were several more complex branching Daos. He didn’t know their exact names, but if he had to pick them himself, he would describe them as the Dao of Ice, the Dao of Cold, the Dao of Absolute Zero, even something that felt like the Dao of Nothingness.

The Dao of Water acted as a foundation, allowing these more complicated Daos to build up from it.

The Dao of Nothingness was on the same level as the Dao of Sealing or Time. The Dao of Ice was on the same level as the Dao of Water, but the Dao of Absolute Zero and the Dao of Cold were Daos that would occupy six Circles.

Backtracking, Ryker realized that he could do this very same thing for the Dao of Wind, Fire and Earth as well. Each one had a seemingly endless number of Daos they connected to.

Ryker obviously couldn’t comprehend all of them. Even he didn’t have enough Circles for this. He realized that he needed a far more systematic method of continuing because this would decide his future.

Because he had condensed the Dao of Water, he had decided that his next contract definitely had to be a Water Type Spirit Beast. The question was how to organize all of this.

Since he wasn’t going to be able to fill all of his Circles today, he made a decision.

His Silver Mirror became supported by the Dao of Time. Prometheus became supported by the Dao of Sealing for the time being. Phoenix became supported by the Dao of Fire, Wind and Earth. Finally, his new Dao of Water occupied a vacant three Circles.

Watching this scene, Ryker calmed even further.

This was because he realized how imperfect it all was. It became clear how he was trying to push himself too far.

For example, Phoenix and Prometheus could only occupy eight Circles, but he had forced nine onto them. This led to a slight imbalance where one Circle was a bit stuck in limbo, unable to exert its full strength.

This made Ryker think about those that weren’t even 9 Circle Talents. How would they deal with this situation? What did it mean to have 72 Circles instead of his perfect 81?

Ryker wasn’t one to measure his success based on what others could or couldn’t accomplish, however, he had a very clear goal.

Even the cat lady from the outside world wasn’t a 9th Circle Talent. How perfect could these people be?

He wasn’t even sure if his own path was the right one to begin with. It was better if he took things one step at a time and took the changes as they came. If he tried to do too many things at once, he would end up ruining himself while being completely unaware of what point he had screwed up at.

When he thought to this point, he smiled, and his heart was at peace.

The only thing he did after this was raise his Dao of Wind, Earth and Water to the same level of complexity as the Dao of Fire.

Then he released his stranglehold on his cultivation.

BOOM!

At that moment, it felt like the entire world was shaking. Ryker’s aura was like a furious volcano erupting. In fact, that was precisely what happened.

The volcano above burst forth with a violent amount of force. However, because of the sudden forceful fusion of fire and ice, it caused a large amount of steam to pool forth instead. At the same time, the lava solidified and became meteors falling from the skies.

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The devastation was impossible to fathom, especially for Ryker, who was entirely focused on his breakthrough.

In truth, Ryker was completely shocked.

In his time in the Valorian Clan, he had witnessed several breakthroughs into the Ascension Realm. He had simulated the power of his breakthrough several times by scaling it against those of weaker talent than himself, but this…

Was completely out of his expectations.

The power was easily more than ten times greater than his best estimates, and the only explanation for that was the Earth Flame and the Daos.

The Earth Flame had purified his Spirit Energy and Circles more than any cultivation technique could have hoped to.

Under normal circumstances, it would be up to the unique method of a Spirit Energy circulation method to grind away at the impurities in one’s Spirit Energy, but how could they surpass what such a natural treasure could do?

The Earth Flame had condensed his Spirit Energy so much that even without breaking through, it had already matched his previous estimates of what he would have been capable of once he became an Ascended.

More shocking than that, it had increased the standard of his body by several measures. Ryker hadn’t been able to find a body cultivation method that truly resonated with him. He had, at best, been able to cobble together some methods, and even then he just used them as a cheat code to use his Time Type Spirit Energy.

But once again, the methods of the Earth Flame were better than anybody cultivation method he could have had.

With the foundation of his body increasing, the standard of his Spirit Energy naturally followed.

This alone was enough for a shocking change, but when his Daos were incorporated, it was even greater.

The instant Ryker allowed his breakthrough to move forward, he realized that he had truly been panicking for no reason.

His breakthrough seemed to want to focus on a single Dao for its breakthrough, forcing him to pick one to improve his Spirit Energy to a new standard.

When Ryker realized this, he laughed at himself. All this time, he could have just formed one Dao and called it a day.

In the end, he ended up picking the Dao of Time because it was the most useful to his combat process.

The result was his Spirit Energy skyrocketing once again.

The aura of an Ascended billowed from him in waves even before the breakthrough was complete.

Ryker took a deep breath despite being bathed in flames and a wild grin spread across his face soon afterward.

Raising his head to the skies, he roared, erupting out from the stream of Earth Flames.

His power spread out in all directions. Only Mythics should have been able to stand in the skies, and yet the momentum of his breakthrough was so thick that the air practically felt solid beneath the soles of his feet.

His skin glistened, rippling with vitality and stretching beneath the shredded muscles beneath.

He felt like he had the power of a world in the palm of his hands.

BANG! BANG!

Still in the middle of his breakthrough, Ryker’s gaze flickered as two heavy forms landed in the underground world. It was a pair of Third Elevated beasts that he recognized all too well.

However, when he saw them this time, he didn’t feel the same level of fear.

The gap between the Ascension Realms was impossibly vast. He had been able to kill First Ascendeds with ease, but a Second Ascended like Ravenna had almost taken his life. Even if he was quickly stabilizing his First Ascended aura now, facing off against even one First Elevated should have crumbled all his resolve, let alone two Third Elevateds.

And yet, he was absolutely calm.

The two fox creatures unleashed a roar. Clearly, they were more intelligent than their comrade. Or at the very least, they were more experienced with the ways of the world.

Seeing Ryker, they were immediately hostile, pinning him as the reason for all of this chaos.

The Spirit Energy in the surroundings became chaotic to the point it seemed the world might collapse any moment now.

However, at this moment, Ryker profoundly felt the difference between existences with Daos and those without them. It hadn’t felt clear when he faced off against the fox creature because its Dao was incomplete and it was too stupid to know how to use it effectively.

But would he be so incompetent?

It wasn’t just this either. A Dao alone wasn’t enough to bridge this kind of gap. But not only did Ryker have several, he also happened to be immune to the two elements that these creatures relied on the most.

The violet chaotic energy of Prometheus was the best at dispelling Fire and Water Type Spirit Energies.

“I’m in a need of a battle to check my gains. Why are you two standing there and growling? Just come. Prometheus is in need of a few more resources.”

The furious roar of two apex beasts spread across the continent.

**

The Valorian Clan.

The silence was palpable despite the chaotic energy in the air. The Spirit Energy was so dense and the Soul Candle flame so bright that it blew back several individuals. And yet, they couldn’t take their eyes off it… off of Ryker.

This was the aura of the Ascension Realm. There was no doubt.

How long had it been? Had it even been two months since he disappeared?

But the moment he broke through the shackles of the 1st Enlightenment Realm, he was like a furious comet, streaking through the skies.

From the 2nd Enlightenment Realm to the 9th. They thought that he would at least pause for a small while, but here he was becoming a First Ascended.

Completing such a task at just 22 years old made him slow by the standards of the absolute highest echelon of the Valorian Clan, but on average, this was still faster than the vast majority.

But even more shocking than that… what was this momentum? What was this power?

It felt more like Ryker was becoming an Elevated. In fact, it somehow felt even deeper than that alone.

The aura wasn’t chaotic or volatile at all. It was frighteningly stable and for a moment, they felt hints of the aura of a God rising from within it.

At that point, they all had the exact same thought.

The genius of the Valorian Clan that they had all been promised had finally returned.

And when he stepped foot back into the Clan, he would likely do so with a vengeance.

Helios, Ryker’s father, along with Geffrei, and Hugo stood in silence. Of the three, Helios’ eyes were the brightest, and surprisingly, he was also the first to leave.

After these long weeks, the last worries in his heart could finally be put down. His son would most definitely return.

The commotion spread through the Clan and even beyond, reaching even Treasure City and spreading further through various channels.

The only 9th Circle Talent in their documented history had entered the Ascension Realm!

…

Geffrei sat in silence, sipping his tea. Across from him was the middle child of the three, Hugo. Both of them were the older brothers of Ryker’s father and his uncle.

The two didn’t speak a single word, their expressions unreadable.

“Father!”

A bellow came from the side and a young man burst into the courtyard. Geffrei looked over indifferently toward his son, though the young man didn’t look very much like a Valorian. He had a hair of fiery red and it seemed he didn’t share much of his father’s temperament at all.

Despite seeing his uncle there, the young Errelius couldn’t hold back his words at all.

He pointed a finger at his father without the slightest hint of respect and seemed like a volcano about to blow.

“You told me time and time again to be patient, time and time again to hold back my desires for Jaana, and now look at what’s happened. He’s entered the Ascension Realm in just two months, and who knows what will happen to his cultivation in the next two?

“Do you think Jaana’s Clan will still be so opposed to their marriage then?! If we had moved earlier, what would they have been able to say? Now what!? You made me stay so patient just to lose everything in the end?!”

Errelius was truly furious. The aura of a First Elevated billowed off of him in waves, and yet it barely rustled the two men at all.

Geffrei looked away from his son and waved a hand. Errelius was sent flying out of the courtyard and the door was slammed behind him.

The two men went back to sipping tea as though nothing at all had happened, still not exchanging a single word.

They weren’t worried at all because they knew Ryker’s temperament well. After becoming an Ascended, he wouldn’t be able to help himself. He would rush back here and try to puff out his chest as arrogantly as he always did, completely forgetting how deep the waters of the Valorian Clan were.

There were any number of people that had only left the Valorian Clan alone for so long because Ryker was effectively a cripple. Who would want to see the rise of a 9th Circle Talent in the hands of another? Many of those powers included existences that stood above the Valorian Clan as well.

They seemed to recall that the Mystery Master Alliance was a place Ryker had sworn in the past to raze to the ground. They wondered if they would sit idly by once the time came.

Ah, a grudge of a mother’s health. It was indeed not one that could be smoothed over so easily.

In the end, would they even have to do anything at all? It was best to keep the peace of the Valorian Clan.