Floating in the bathwater, Riven had his eyes closed. Right beside him, the brush floated on the surface of the water in the same manner, moving gently with the ripples.
After some time, Riven slowly opened his eyes and stepped out of the tub. All the sweat and blood that had accumulated on his body during the ritual had been washed away. The brush also lifted itself from the water and floated toward him. Riven caught it in his hand.
He then walked toward the mirror and looked at his reflection.
Riven noticed the changes immediately. His previously weak-looking body had grown slightly stronger. Though his complexion was still pale, he no longer looked as frail and lifeless as before.
His messy black hair had now turned completely white and looked much cleaner than before. The hair had grown long enough to fall over his face, partially covering his eyes.
The same ice knife he had used earlier formed in his palm once again. With careful movements, he slowly trimmed his hair. Strands of white hair fell quietly to the floor.
After some time, he finished and gently brushed his hand through his hair before looking at the mirror again.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Much better."
His gaze then shifted toward his left hand.
The previously blackened hand had now returned to a normal color. However, when he focused his mind slightly, thin black lines slowly began to appear on the surface of his skin.
Gradually the lines spread across his hand, forming a scale-like pattern that covered his entire left arm like a tattoo.
The previously blackened hand had now returned to a normal color. However, when he focused his mind slightly, thin black lines slowly began to appear on the surface of his skin.
Gradually the lines spread across his hand, forming a scale-like pattern that covered his entire left arm like a tattoo.
Riven raised the arm closer to his eyes. The scales shifted subtly, moving beneath the skin like flowing blood. From afar they were nearly invisible, but upon close inspection their movement could be seen clearly.
These were the marks left behind by the blood essence that had been stored within his brush.
As if recalling something, Riven took out the brush and focused on it and the world around him faded slowly.
His consciousness entered a dark space.
Within the darkness floated four glass vials.
They rotated slowly in the void.
When he looked closely, he noticed that three of the vials contained dark crimson blood that shimmered faintly with energy.
The last vial was different.
It held completely black blood that bubbled continuously inside the container.
After observing them for a moment, Riven withdrew his consciousness.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"It still retains the blood essence I previously stored."
Feeling satisfied, he stepped out of the bathroom.
His eyes fell on the dirty clothes he had worn earlier.
He raised his left hand slightly.
For a brief moment, the scale patterns appeared across his arm again.
At that same moment, a thin translucent layer spread over his body like a film. Within seconds it solidified and transformed into clothing.
A purple robe with blue stripes appeared around him. It did not carry the insignia of the sect, but it looked far more refined and elegant than the torn robe he had worn earlier.
Riven then walked toward the window and pushed it open.
The storm had already passed, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky.
He raised his right hand to shoulder height.
A gentle stream of wind drifted toward him and passed through the town below. The townspeople continued their daily work without noticing the faint movement of qi in the air.
Riven looked down at his palm.
Four small stones lay there, each about the size of a fingernail.
He brought his hand close to his face and gently blew on it.
A strange scene unfolded.
Qi from the surrounding air began swirling around the stones. Slowly they started to glow, drawing in the spiritual energy floating in the atmosphere.
The difference was subtle but important.
The qi in the air was scattered and unstable, while the qi inside the stones was condensed and contained.
Within moments, the ordinary stones transformed into spirit qi stones.
Earlier, while walking through the town, Riven had noticed that most transactions were conducted using spirit stones. That observation had given him the idea.
After creating them, he picked up the key to the room and walked out.
When he reached the front desk, he noticed that a young boy was sitting there instead of the girl who had greeted him earlier.
Riven placed the key and one spirit qi stone on the desk.
The boy looked up just in time to see the white-haired cultivator walking away. He glanced down at the key and stone.
"Strange…" he muttered.
The guest had not said a word, simply paid and left.
Shrugging, the boy placed the spirit stone inside a pouch and stored it in a drawer.
Some time later, the girl returned.
"You can go back now," she said to him.
Then she asked casually, "Did anything happen while I was gone?"
The boy paused for a moment before remembering.
"Oh, right."
He opened the drawer and took out the spirit qi stone.
"Some white-haired cultivator came earlier. He left this along with the key and walked away."
The girl frowned slightly. She picked up the key and examined it carefully, and recognition appeared in her eyes.
"This is the key I gave to that cultivator from the Drifting Mist Pavilion…"
But from what she remembered, the man had dark hair.
She checked the key again, and it was definitely the same one.
Still confused, she eventually dismissed the thought and returned to her work.
...
After leaving the inn, Riven asked around and eventually found a shop that sold maps.
The shop did not have a complete map of the region, so he purchased several smaller maps instead.
Fortunately, they were cheap.
For just one spirit qi stone, he bought multiple maps.
Standing outside, he began examining them carefully.
After studying the markings, he discovered that the nearest major city was Drifting Mist City.
Since the Drifting Mist Pavilion was located there, the city itself must be quite large.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to travel there. It would be a good place to gather information about the current era and make plans for the future.
Soon he arrived at a busy area where numerous carriages were waiting for passengers.
The drivers quickly noticed him standing alone, and several of them rushed forward.
"Sir, where do you wish to go? I can take you anywhere in the shortest time!"
"Don't listen to him, sir! My carriage is the fastest here!"
They began arguing loudly in front of him, but Riven ignored them and continued looking around.
After some time, he spotted a carriage that appeared sturdier and cleaner than the others and walked toward it.
Seeing this, some drivers gave up and returned to their places, while others followed him at a distance.
One driver stepped forward with a friendly smile.
"Sir, this is my carriage. Where would you like to go?"
"I want to go to Drifting Mist City," Riven replied calmly. "How long will it take?"
The driver smiled confidently.
"It won't take long, sir. If we leave now, we can reach the city by tomorrow afternoon."
Riven nodded.
"Alright. Let's go."
"Of course, sir!"
Riven stepped inside the carriage.
The interior was clean and spacious. It was not particularly luxurious, but it was comfortable enough.
The driver climbed onto the front seat, urged the horses forward, and soon the carriage left the city.
While sitting inside, Riven took out the maps again and began aligning them according to their markings.
As he pieced them together, he traced the road with his fingers.
The journey was fairly straightforward. Only a small town was marked along the way.
The road was mostly smooth, though there were occasional bumps.
As the sun began to set, darkness slowly spread across the land. Visibility decreased gradually.
The driver slowed the carriage and spoke from the front.
"Sir, the sky is getting dark. Should we stop at the town ahead or wait here until morning?"
Riven glanced outside briefly.
"Go to the town."
"Yes, sir."
The carriage continued forward and eventually stopped near a small inn in the town.
After Riven stepped down, the driver took the carriage to a nearby stable and led the horses away while Riven entered the inn.
Inside, he was surprised to see that the place was extremely crowded. People filled nearly every table, and the atmosphere was lively and chaotic.
Waiting for the crowd to settle a little, he spotted an empty seat beside a group and sat down. The people at the table glanced at him curiously. The young man who had just sat beside them looked wealthy and composed.
After a moment, Riven asked calmly,
"Why is there such a crowd here in this town? Is something happening?"
The group exchanged glances.
One of them smiled.
"Aren't you heading to Veil City for the same reason as everyone else?"
Riven frowned slightly.
"What reason? And who said I'm going to Veil City?"
Now it was their turn to look surprised.
"You're not?"
"Why should I be?"
The man sitting beside him leaned closer and explained,
"Don't you know? A natural treasure has appeared near Veil City. Cultivators from all over are coming here to try their luck."
"Treasure…"
Riven's expression changed slightly.
Inside his mind, a thought surfaced.
They believe the thunder caused by me is the birth of a natural treasure. Shouldn't they know that if a natural treasure is born, the phenomenon starts to occur way earlier, not like such sudden thunder?