Chapter 5 – The First Ring
One year had passed since Ryuga awakened his martial spirit.
In that time, the rhythm of his life had changed completely.
The manor itself felt the shift, as if even the walls understood a new power was growing within its halls.
After learning about Whale Glue from Ryuga's old book, Granvill took no chances with his son's safety.
He tested it personally, preparing the mixture exactly as described.
The effects stunned him, showing results that no ordinary cultivation method could provide.
He did not let Ryuga touch it at first.
Instead, he consumed it himself and endured the strange discomfort it brought.
When his soul power surged and he broke through the bottleneck at level 70, he finally understood the book's value.
Soon after, Granvill hunted a thirty-five-thousand-year Shadow Mantis Beast.
He absorbed the spirit ring without a single backlash, something impossible without the Whale Glue.
Only after confirming no hidden dangers did he allow his son to begin taking it.
Ryuga's training intensified from that day forward.
He consumed Whale Glue weekly, slowly increasing its age whenever his body no longer reacted.
His schedule became full, but none of it felt burdensome — it felt like purpose.
Granvill also began teaching him the sword more seriously.
Every stance, every movement, every technique was explained in depth.
Ryuga absorbed them at a frightening speed that left even his father amazed.
He read constantly during this year.
Granvill bought books from every corner of the continent, filling Ryuga's study with knowledge.
Ryuga devoured them all, especially those about soul beasts tied to darkness, shadow, death, ice, and mental elements.
He searched for space and time-element beasts but found almost nothing.
A few references existed for space-aligned creatures, though extremely rare.
Time-element beasts were nothing more than legends whispered by old scholars.
Ryuga also spent long hours understanding his martial spirit.
Shadow Armour was clearly a mutation in a blessed direction.
It carried the essence of both his parents' spirits but surpassed them entirely.
Fully manifested, the armor wrapped around him perfectly.
It weighed nothing, allowing him to move without the slightest resistance.
Even though the plates looked dense and metallic, Ryuga felt as though he wore ordinary clothes.
The armor's defense was terrifying.
Soul Masters below level forty couldn't scratch it with full force.
The katana was equally dangerous, leaving darkness within every wound it inflicted.
That lingering darkness slowed healing and caused internal bleeding.
It also disrupted soul power recovery, draining opponents from within.
Even Granvill had been startled when he first experienced the effect in training.
Ryuga discovered another ability by accident.
During sword practice, he realized he was adapting too quickly.
Every time Granvill changed tempo or direction, Ryuga kept up effortlessly.
This wasn't normal talent.
After observing more carefully, Ryuga understood his martial spirit contained a passive ability.
Shadow Armour could subtly learn the attack patterns of opponents and adjust its defenses.
Granvill simply thought his son was a genius.
He celebrated the discovery with pride, unaware of the truth.
Ryuga didn't correct him, but deep inside he knew the armor was helping him evolve.
Meditation had also become a ritual for Ryuga.
He sat cross-legged every night, the full armor equipped, the katana resting on his lap.
He always chose the darkest places he could find, places where shadows converged naturally.
These environments suited his spirit perfectly.
They sharpened his senses and allowed him to feel the flow of darkness around him.
Each night, he felt closer to something deeper within his power.
The Transparent World was a different story.
Ryuga had almost nothing to show for his efforts.
He struggled to control his soul power with enough precision to use the ability properly.
He had studied his father's meridians while watching him use spirit skills.
Every skill followed its own internal pathway, shaped by innate talent and martial spirit nature.
That made creating a stable, universal cultivation method nearly impossible.
Still, Ryuga managed to slightly improve his intake of soul energy.
Because he had innate full soul power, most energy leaked out instead of staying within him.
His experiment reduced the leakage, though only a little.
Inspired by future knowledge, he even attempted forming a soul core.
But he lacked the control needed to keep the energy stable.
After a few dangerous attempts, he set the idea aside for the future.
A year passed in a blink because of this rhythm.
Every day brought new growth, new ideas, and new strength.
Now, all of his effort had finally led him to this moment.
Ryuga stood in the manor's training area, waiting quietly.
He was ready to absorb his first spirit ring.
The courtyard around him was shaded by high wooden canopies, creating a natural field of darkness.
He wasn't allowed to travel to the soul beast forest.
Eliza had protested fiercely when she heard about the idea.
Ryuga learned quickly that no one wins an argument against a worried mother.
He relented and agreed to obtain his first ring from a captured soul beast.
At the same time, he firmly insisted he would go personally for the next one.
Only after threatening not to eat for weeks did Eliza finally compromise.
After several minutes, footsteps echoed across the courtyard.
Granvill appeared, dragging a massive reinforced cage behind him.
The ground shook lightly as he lowered it.
Inside the cage lay a creature that seemed pulled from a silent nightmare.
A towering spectral crow rested within, its wings spanning nearly ten meters.
Its feathers drank in the light, darker than ink, yet shimmered faintly with violet and silver ripples.
Even in its weakened state, the air around it twisted unnaturally.
Every wingbeat sent a ripple of silence across the courtyard, swallowing sound completely.
Its presence felt like a patch of night had come alive.
The crow's eyes glowed with cold amethyst fire.
They were sharp, reflective, and impossibly deep, capable of tearing through illusions.
Its beak and talons gleamed like blades forged from condensed shadow energy.
When it lifted its head, its gaze locked directly onto Ryuga.
Malice burned in those glowing eyes, thick enough to taste in the air.
The creature despised him with a hatred born at the edge of death.
Its body trembled from countless wounds.
Feathers were torn away in patches, revealing darkened skin beneath.
It had only a sliver of life left — but its hostility remained fierce.
Ryuga took one silent step forward.
His face was calm, his eyes steady.
He had waited a long time for this moment, and he would not hesitate now.
Written by :- Ashborn_
Edited by :- Chat GPT