Obvious
'Easy enough…'
Though Ryu thought this, he was surprised by himself, especially as three Lord Tribulation triggered all at once. He was even forced to put a Faith Barrier up between them, lest they fuse into one and cause more trouble than he was expecting.
He had always been able to help others break through, even long before he got Embryonic Qi. In fact, this time, he hadn't used Embryonic Qi at all, but that was beside the point.
The only reason Ryu didn't use this ability of his more was that he had no interest in it. It was the same reason why he felt that his Dao would be capable of making him maybe the greatest Emperor to ever exist, and yet he never used it either.
Only rarely did he use the manipulation aspects of his Dao, and even then, it was in niche circumstances.