Ryu's mind projected into his body. This was something those who had just begun on the cultivation path were unable to do, but Ryu could for two reasons. The first reason was because he could now be considered a Half-Step Spiritual Entrance expert. This title referred to the very first true step along the cultivation of one's Mental Realm. Due to the fact Ryu had partially opened his Spiritual Entrance Pulse owing to matters related to his various traumas suffered, he had managed to place a single foot in a realm he shouldn't have opened so early.
The second reason was related to his Origin Flame. Although this flame had no offensive or defensive abilities to speak of, and couldn't even be used as an alchemy flame, its supporting abilities made it so that Ryu didn't care about such disadvantages. Not only did it give him unmatched memory and recall, it made entering states of enlightenment far easier as well. To top this off, it gave passive boosts to its owner's Mental Realm.
