Folk Lore (2)

The four old monsters of the previous generation spoke leisurely. Even though they didn't restrain the volume of their voices, not a single word floated outside of their vicinity. With the tacit understanding between them, it was impossible for anyone to overhear their conversation.

"According to Little Ryu, about a few hundred years ago, he stumbled upon a folk tale. Usually, these folk tales describe fanciful and embellished stories of the past while holding the barest modicum of truth, if that. Often, you could read a thousand lies before unknowingly sweeping past a factual recollection of events. However, Little Ryu found something interesting within this tale, something you might raise an eyebrow at, Merula."

Mistress Kunan took a pause before continuing. "Like many other folk tales, this one recounted stories of the Sky Gods. In fact, there were hundreds of tales depicting adventures of at least half a dozen of these legendary figures. The one that caught Little Ryu's attention was one about the Fire Sky God.

"According to the tale, unlike the other Sky Gods, Gracchus was born feeble and weak. Not only was he unable to fend for himself, he was doomed to live a short life due to his frail body."

Ryu's grandparents couldn't help but tremble when they heard these words. They were all experts who had lived through billions of years of life, how could they not immediately pick up why this story caught their grandson's attention? The reality of the matter made them feel powerless and weak.

Taking a deep breath, Vorena managed to stabilize her emotions.

"This folk lore, instead of telling a tale of glory, it told one of sadness and despair. The story simply ended with the death of Gracchus, alone and destitute, having committed suicide due to his own uselessness."

"But then… Isn't it obvious to ignore this story as a lie?" Priest Saint Kunan couldn't help but ask his wife. "Sky God Gracchus obviously became a great man, he was among the pioneers that led the human race to subvert the rule of the Ancestral Beasts. How could his life have simply ended like that?"

"If finding the puzzle pieces that connected to this ruin was so simple, wouldn't someone have found it long before our Little Ryu?" Vorena glared at her husband. She was trying to tell a touching story yet this blockheaded man wanted to interrupt. One should never stop a grandmother when she's in the middle of praising her grandson.

Kunan shrunk back, the blue and gold lightning flickers in his eyes and hair dimming considerably.

"Anyway. Little Ryu also ignored this tale originally. However, a few decades later, he was doing research on Spiritual Foundations in order to help Little Titus breakthrough to the next stage. He wanted to find what heavenly treasures were capable of solidifying an already mature Spiritual Foundation…"

The three grandparents listened to Vorena's tale intently, hanging on her every word, not because she was a good storyteller, but because they loved their grandson very much. His short lifespan only made them cherish him all the more. Even if he had turned out to be a useless debauchee, they would have loved him regardless.

To them, the words 'Spiritual Foundation' were practically taboo for that exact reason. Ryu was born with talent that could shake the very foundation of the Shrine Plane. The momentum of his birth was so momentous that the entire Plane was shrouded in dark clouds for months. Yet, all of that talent was wasted on account of the fact he was born with a False Spiritual Foundation.

In the Martial World, it could be said that there were four pillars that decided one's future. The first was bloodline grade. The second was skeletal grade. The third was meridian grade. Yet, the place where all of these things took root, and the fourth and most important aspect, was one's Spiritual Foundation.

As the Legatee of four Ancestral Grade bloodlines, Ryu passed this first test with flying colors. For this same exact reason, his skeletal grade was off the charts, also being of the Ancestral Grade. Finally, his meridian grade fell behind in no way, also being evaluated at the Ancestral Grade.

These rankings might seem meaningless to many, but for those of the Shrine Plane, this sort of event was unprecedented!

Common grade, Black grade, Earth grade, Heaven grade, Sovereign grade, Ancestral grade and the legendary Origin grade. These seven rankings alone decided the future of young geniuses everywhere, yet Ryu topped them time and time again.

One had to understand that the Origin Grade was rare even among the Sky Gods. In fact, only one of them could claim to have reached such a level! Only a single person in history! For all intents and purposes, Ryu was unmatched in talent.

However… The Spiritual Foundation was all encompassing. It was difficult to explain in just a few words, but it was the method by which all cultivation took root. Those born with False Spiritual Foundations were doomed to a life of mediocrity no matter how profound their remaining talent was.

"… During this research, Little Ryu managed to succeed, of course, making Little Titus practically unmatched in the Shrine Plane, but, at the same time, he came across something curious.

"Once more delving into folk lore to find clues about these magical herbs, Little Ryu found another tale about the Gracchus. It was seemingly disconnected. In fact, it seemed like a completely different story entirely, as though it wasn't even the same character at play.

"The first portrayed Gracchus as a poor, but loving boy. He couldn't bear the idea of his parents struggling to keep him alive, so he committed suicide when he realized that his efforts toward becoming stronger were useless.

"However, the second folk lore described him as a cruel war lord. A man who took women as he pleased and killed men for leisure.

"The entire tale was disgusting and off-putting, however, the curious part was that at the end of his life, Sky God Gracchus reached a level of being where his Will was accepted and melded into the Will of the Heavens. Just like the other Sky Gods, he became immortalized and as such, became capable of choosing successors by Spiritual Foundation Rebirth.

"What caught Little Ryu's attention was the fact that the requirement for this Second Awakening was suicide!"