497: 21

21

A Lower Skeleton Warrior didn't have any intelligence of its own. At least, not truly. Its strength existed in three facets.0

The first was that it was incomparably sturdy. As though it was refined by the sturdiest metals and ores known to the cultivation world, it was incredibly difficult to even nick a Skeleton Warrior, let alone destroy it. And, this benefit only became more apparent as it evolved. 

The second was that it was capable of self repair. A Lower Skeleton Warrior only needed time and qi to repair it, namely death qi. The more pure and powerful the death qi, the faster a Lower Skeleton Warrior could repair itself and thus the stronger it would be overall. 

The third was the final point was the one Ryu harped on first. 

A Skeleton Warrior was a blank slate, almost like other Corpse Puppets. However, it was far more convenient to use and almost worked like Hecate's puppets to a small degree. 

The weapon a Skeleton Warrior wielded depended on the user. Likewise, the skill of a Skeleton Warrior was entirely dependent on the user as well. 

As one might imagine, not many Necromancers were also a master of weapons. So, Skeleton Warriors were only used by extremely low level Summoning Necromancers, or used by Summoning Necromancers with such large pools of death qi that drowning an opponent in numbers was more than possible. 

Then there was the Skeleton Wolf. Comprehension could not be transferred to this wolf. Rather, it had the bestial instincts of a true creature. It made up for its lack of comprehension with agility, quickness, and viciousness. 

Beyond this, the Skeleton Wolf had the same sturdy body and regenerative abilities a Skeleton Warrior had. In fact, its body was a bit tougher and its recovery a bit quicker in comparison.

Finally, there was the wraith. It obviously didn't have a sturdy body or vicious physical attacks like its counterparts, nor did it have the ability to share comprehension with its owner. However, wraiths were far more flexible and had countless potential paths. It could be said that a wraith had a myriad of possibilities attached to it. 

A wraith could be used as a soul double, saving a soul from an unexpected attack almost like a substitution technique. A wraith could be used to add soul offensive components to one's attacks, forcing one to have to defend themselves both physically and spiritually. A wraith could be used like a domain to turn any area into one of excessive yin. A wraith could even be perpetually stored within one's Spiritual Sea, and as long as one had solid yin characteristics, it would constantly nurture one's soul. 

The list was far longer than this and if every possibility was listed out, Ryu would lose track of the number of tomes it would fill. 

Still, though a wraith had endless flexibility and possibilities available, it was also a summon difficult to control the stronger it became. Wraiths were wrathful souls that might not have life in them anymore, but what they did have was a large amount of animosity. And, with that animosity came an instinct to fulfill what they had failed to do in life. 

Due to this, those who controlled wraiths had to be either extraordinarily cautious or even more powerful. 

In the end… Ryu still reached out for the Skeleton Warrior. The moment he did, a legacy on how to summon them was imprinted onto his mind and the seal almost became an inseparable part of himself. 

Ryu frowned. He didn't like the feeling of something being imprinted directly into his mind like this. It had happened with such ease that he instead felt a welling up of disgust within him. It was almost as though this person could have access to his mind whenever he wanted. 

Shaking his head, Ryu didn't ignore this feeling. Instead, rather than stepping out of this world immediately, he directly entered the Crystalline Jade, heading for the library. 

… 

"Master!"

Ryu called out as he entered the library, only to find Balaur still gloating to the gloomy faces of his fellow Ancestors. 

"Ah! My precious disciple! Come come, it's been too long since you've come to see me."

"… Long? It's been less than two weeks."

At that moment, the Zu Ancestors gave Ryu a weird look for several reasons. For one, Ryu's demeanor seemed to have completely changed. The coldness between his brows had lessened, the tone with which he called Balaur master was almost… affectionate? And, his aura seemed far more warm and inviting than it had been in the past. 

But, this wasn't why they had given him weird looks… 

"A day? It's been over a year." Balaur spoke after a while. "I may be growing senile, but I'm not completely out of it yet."

Hearing these words, Ryu froze. He felt his heart skipping several beats before starting up again so wildly that it almost flew from his chest. 

A year? How was that possible? He had left the Sect, traveled with Sarriel for a few days, then entered this place, traveled for several more days, before he finally came here. 

Though it made sense for Sky Gods to be uncaring about a year's passage of time, even to the point of still being on about the same topic even these 12 months later. However, for Ryu, who was still barely 20 years old in this life, this year of time was 5% of his life. This was too much. 

What was going on? How could a year have passed? Why could his Master feel it but now him? No, it wasn't just his master, the other Ancestors didn't refute it at all. Clearly they agreed and clearly they had their own way of telling time accurately in this place. 

Ryu immediately turned his eyes to his own body, what he saw left him frozen. He wasn't 20 years old anymore, he was 21. He had aged by a year and he wasn't even aware of it until now. 

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