“I feel like this kid does not belong to this world. A Chosen amongst the Chosens. This isn’t possible though. Not after the Gods decided to change the laws of the mortal worlds. Could someone be trying to break out of the condemned cycle that is doomed to repeat? What is happening in the ascended planes of existence…? Well that’s not my problem, my body is already destroyed during that ‘incident’ with ‘them’… ” The Qilin said remorsefully. Since the Qilin’s spirit was residing in the God-Sealing Orb previously, it naturally meant that his physical body had perished. The divine beast that was once one of the guardians to the Jade Emperor, one of the handful of Supreme Gods that rules over their own ascended realms, had somehow ended up in this miserable state.

A Chosen one was someone blessed by the Heavens, bestowed with special talent and luck and destined for greatness. Ryu’s innate talent and luck could qualify him as one of the strongest Chosens the Qilin had seen. Only one out of ten million born would be fortunate enough to be one. With the Heaven Continent’s population, there should be at least a hundred of these Chosens at any one time. Yet the Heaven Continent did not have many outstanding individuals because the environment they are provided with is simply lacking compared to other continents. There are also many false self-proclaimed Chosens.

“Although I made it sound like he made the right choice… it wasn’t really a choice. He is the second person that could wield my true powers… Everyone else that had the destiny to meet me could only wield the superficial power I’ve condensed from my foes but not form a contract with me. To think I would meet someone similar to master.” The Qilin reminisced the first and strongest master he had eons ago. Both his first master and Ryu had the ability to contract a Divine Spirit and both had innate deposition to be an illustrious and benevolent ruler. The other partners he had met could only wield the superficial power he collected from those he devoured.

“Still that kid is interesting. Did he not accept the Divine Core because it will limit his future advancements?” He mused to himself. The Divine Core is a much later evolution of the Qi reservoir. It was something that Ryu would only achieve hundreds of levels later if he ever makes it there. By accepting a Divine Core however would mean that he would forever be stuck at a certain level though.

This was the same concept as using essences to level. If one uses essences or cultivating resources close to their level to advance, it is possible to refine that foreign source of Qi and make it their own. Thus allowing them to continue cultivating in the future. If the essence or cultivating material is of much higher grade, not only will it be life-threatening to absorb but even if one does succeed, there will be no chance of advancing further for them. It’ll be impossible to refine that overpowering source of foreign Qi. A lot of cultivators nearing the end of their life would take such gambles but it’s rare to see one succeed. However the Divine Core he presented was tempered with by the Qilin and could be safely assimilated into the user, granting them the power of the Divine Domain. The only downside is that they would not be able to progress past the Divine Domain.

“Even if he is a Chosen, his soul should not be this powerful! A Chosen one might reach this stage if they managed to achieve immortality but this little kid is only twenty-one years old. He’s also only level 67. How can his soul be comparable to that of an Immortal’s? Not only that, his abilities are unworldly and banned by the Heavens.” The Qilin was confused as to how he was able to enter Ryu’s soul. A person’s soul resides in their Qi reservoir. Essentially a Qi reservoir is the container for both Qi and a person’s soul. Because Ryu’s Qi reservoir hasn’t even evolved into the gaseous state that comes when one enters the Emperor Domain, the holy beast was confounded at how it could contain him at all. The Qilin could only see Ryu’s primary Qi reservoir which had the Dimensional Destruction, Time Dilation and Divide and Conquer specializations. The Qilin wasn’t able to see Ryu’s other reservoirs and their specializations or else he would be even more shocked. The multiple Qi reservoirs that Ryu obtained from the Infinity Tomes partly explains why his soul was irrationally powerful.

“How can this be…? Unless he is an Anomaly like my first master…the Great Sage Confucius? But with the current dominant powers in charge of the Heavens, how could they tolerate his existence or even let him be born?” The Qilin pondered after a long debate.

[Speculation that Ryu could be an Anomaly was first mentioned by a God-like being in Chapter 29]

“Yes, he must be an Anomaly. The rate at which he’s gaining power is astonishing given his miniscule time spent living. Although those who are destined to meet me are fated for greatness, they were always accomplished and had achieved immortality before our meeting. Someone is definitely rushing this little boy’s destiny… but for what? And what other ‘special assets’ will he be bequeathed with to fight his foes?” The Qilin asked himself as he racked his brain. He had never encountered a scenario such as this over the billions of years he had lived. Unfortunately even with all his heavenly powers, the Qilin can’t see the Infinity Tomes. In fact, so far none of the outstanding figures Ryu had encountered could see them at all.

“However, even an Anomaly would take many millenniums or even a million years to reach immortality. In that short span of time, I hope nothing goes wrong… I wonder what heaven shaking changes he would bring about.” Most would be shocked, a million years is definitely a long time for most but this Qilin beast actually called it short. This is because the divine beast had lived for billions of years and had seen almost all there is to see. In its lifetime, he had seen countless Gods and Immortals. He had witnessed many worlds and realms being created and destroyed. It could be said that there is almost nothing that could surprise this ancient divine beast. Yet there is always a selected few that manage to surprise this mighty Qilin and that is the Anomalies.

An Anomaly is a mortal that have the potential to gain earth-shattering powers that could stand up to the Gods. Their tremendous tyrannical powers were illogical. A regular mortal that achieves immortality could attain the powers of a regular God perhaps. Anomalies could obtain powers that rivals most Gods and stand on par with the more distinguished Gods. The most fearsome aspect regarding these Anomalies was that their creations were not planned by the Gods nor could their fates be controlled by the Gods. The Gods created the mortal worlds and the laws that govern it. An Anomaly ignores the regulations and edicts set by the Gods and proceed to gain powers that exceed what is possible. The Anomalies always bring about change that the Heavens are afraid of. They show mortals and immortals alike that the rules and boundaries set by the Heavens could be broken. They were beings that are detested and feared by the Heavens the most.

“Master Confucius… the kid does remind me of you. It’s been so many billions of years since I last saw you… I wonder where you are now.” The Qilin whispered as his mind took him back to a time so long ago that only certain Gods remember. His first master, the wise and compassionate sage Confucius, was also an Anomaly and had the backing of one of the Heavens so he was given the chance to mature into a legendary figure that made the Gods acknowledge him. He had a demon sealing mirror which allowed him to vanquish all his foes. The Qilin longed for the days where he would join forces with his master and overthrow Gods and Devil Kings alike. One of the Supreme Gods, the Jade Emperor, saw the potential that Confucius had and supported his growth despite the discontentment from other Gods. However some Anomalies were not as peaceful as his master who sought for peace and enlightenment and created irreparable damage that branded the Anomalies as forbidden beings that the Gods should kill on sight. His first master Confucius had to flee to an unknown location after a few incidents caused by other Anomalies and the holy Qilin beast never saw him again.

The Qilin was the guardian of the Gods so naturally he had met a few of these Anomalies which created mayhem in the Heavens. Other than his first master, he had fought one firsthand and was utterly suppressed by his overwhelming power. Since Anomalies have the devastating power to slay Gods, the Qilin was lucky to have survived the encounter. The Monkey King, Sun Wukong, was born from a magical stone made from the powers of Heavens and multiple worlds. He also had a magical stick that could be considered one of the strongest weapons in existence. With such overbearing powers, he single-handily defeated a hundred thousand warrior Gods and created the biggest havoc in the Jade Emperor’s realm. It was during this time that the Qilin was defeated by the hands of the Monkey King as well. Gods and true immortals can not descend upon a mortal world but the Monkey King had managed to do the impossible! The Qilin was certain of this because a few hundred million years ago when the Qilin was perpetually resting in the God-Sealing Orb inside a volcano in the middle of nowhere, this unpredictable Anomaly came out of nowhere and started to chat with him. They reminisced about the past together and the Monkey King dropped him off in the Heaven Continent where he became a revered object passed between different sects.

[Ryu got a martial art manual regarding a profound stick technique from an ape beast in the Forbidden Forest in Chapter 19. Prince Na’Vi sparred with the Monkey King once in the past mentioned in Chapter 33 ]

There were other notorious Anomalies that produced critical disasters of similar scale in other Heavens. One was a mortal who had not reached immortality yet but managed to gain the approval of the God-Slaying, Heaven rebelling sword Excalibur. His sword managed to gain its terrifying awe-inspiring reputation because of its unknown origin and its ability to slay Gods at the hands of a mortal. The mortal later became known as King Arthur. He had created a group of noble knights that bravely fought alongside him against the Gods before they achieved immortality. Last the Qilin heard, the Gods managed to exile the rogue group that dares to wage war against selected groups of Gods to a certain dimension. His companion, a mysterious wizard named Merlin, was rumored to be an Anomaly too and was possibly in the same world as the Qilin now. During the Qilin’s time with Exoe and other past owners, his fame and invincible prowess was mentioned countless times. Unfortunately the holy beast couldn’t verify if it’s the same ‘Merlin’ from the legends since he lost his corporeal body before entering this world.

[There is currently a ‘Merlin’ in Britannica that is powerful enough to detect all beings on the whole continent. He’s also the one that invented the crystal technology for calling/image recording. Briefly mentioned in Chapter 37, Chapter 51]

Then there was one of the most scandalous incident that tarnished the names of many Gods, the Condemnable Conquest of Olympia. Olympia was one of the greater Heavens and no powers sane enough would dare offend it, never mind attempt to conquer it. Three Anomalies teamed up and led their forces to take over this sacred realm. A long bloody war resulted that led to the death of many Gods and Immortals, in the end the three Anomalies managed to break into Olympia’s inner sanctums. Many upper level Gods guarding the throne were slayed and ultimately the Supreme God Zeus had to intervene. No one knew what resulted from this rebellious act except that the three Anomalies never made an appearance after the incident while Olympia still stands. The names Alza-Gor the Vanquisher, Genghis Khan the Conqueror, and Alexander the Great would still strike fear into most Gods till this day though.

Then there’s the ‘Three Pandemonium Lords’ that each rule over their own ascended realm while being originally mortals. These three were considered the earliest and strongest Anomalies in existence because they managed to get the Gods to concede to their might and possess their own Heaven. The Anomalies were not infallible, they could be killed despite rumors of their invincibility. One would arise over a few eons but only few succeed in achieving a stable permanent position amongst the Heavens. Some get tired of their immortal life and attempt something outrageous which ends in their demise. Thus the number of Anomalies in existence would never exceed a handful.

The Anomalies’ control of Qi, the supernatural energy that flows through all worlds and realms, could potentially be a cut above the rest of the Gods. This is why they are considered heretics for breaking the natural laws of the world. This was demonstrated when the most infamous of the ‘Three Pandemonium Lords’, Xel’Xin the First Sinner, managed to not only defeat but spare the life of Asura the Destroyer. Fighting an opponent on even ground and killing an opponent is two different things. Unless one is significantly stronger, the weaker one could always escape or cause mutual destruction. To be able to win completely by subduing the War-God Asura to the point of sparing his life and making him announce his inferiority shows how unfathomably powerful Xel’Xin the First Sinner truly is. The unbelievable achievement of completely overwhelming one of the most accomplished War God in existence revealed to all realms that even the strongest of the Gods were not absolute beings.

It was said that Xel’Xin had the power to generate a space around him which allowed him to go uncontested inside it. The nameless power cannot be denied, negated or resisted. Under the range of this ability, even the strongest Gods will be helpless. This was why Ryu’s ability to break space and manipulate time was so taboo. The Qilin couldn’t believe it at first when it peered into Ryu’s primary Qi reservoir. The consensuses amongst all the Heavens was that such abilities could not be contracted as specializations!

[It was hinted that specializations are actually contracted to Gods in Chapter 29]

“Even if he is an Anomaly, his destiny could be cut short. Hmm I seem to have forgotten to warn him about that brat Exoe…” The beast suddenly remembered as it finished reminiscing the past and started to return to its original size.

“Well, as a possible Anomaly, he should be able to handle it. Anyways, I really have to thank him in the future for releasing me from the God Sealing Orb. His spirit world is much more spacious, I can actually have a good stretch for the first time in over a billion years.” The Qilin actually lied previously. He has his reasons not to tell Ryu the whole truth yet but he is contracted to him already, in time he would reveal all. A low level Enchantment could not have stopped a divine being such as himself from escaping the orb. It’s just that the power of his spirit was too great, there were no God-like objects outside for him to escape too. If he had simply escaped without a suitable container, his spirit would have destroyed the Heaven Continent before dispersing completely.

“All I can do is wait and see what revolution he would bring in the future. He’ll be stuck in this mortal world for another million years at least, it’ll be interesting to see how an Anomaly grows. Right now he is no more than an infant that just got weaned off breast milk.” The Qilin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity for the first time in countless eons. The ancient divine beast that had seen all there is to see suddenly found new hope in young Ryu.

Speculation from this chapter :

there could be more than one mortal worlds

There are more than one Heaven, each owned by different groups of Gods

Divine Domain is at a level far beyond what Ryu has encountered, including Prince Na’Vi who was at peak Deity Domain