About half an hour later, Riven stepped back out into the mountain air — the sun lower now, brushing the path in soft amber light. His head was a little clearer. His shoulders… slightly heavier.
The "very important" thing Vaern had wanted to discuss?
A training plan.
In essence, an overview of everything he was juggling — laid out on a single page so it wouldn't get lost in the chaos of daily sect life.
Because, as Vaern had bluntly put it:
"You've got potential. But if you train like a headless bird, you'll die like one."
So they laid it all out.
Current Situation
Cultivation: Inner Essence Realm (Middle); Frozen Gale Codex
Bloodline: Unexplored
Martial Skills:
• Falconburst Kick — Upper F-Rank; Minor Mastery
• Frostbind Chains — Upper F-Rank; Not yet learned
• Basic Martial Arts — Mid F-Rank; Not yet learned
• Velvet Thorn Acupuncture — Unknown Rank; Not yet learned
Other: Combat Skill – Basic
The most important thing in cultivation, Vaern had said, was the foundation.
Strength came from power — and power came from cultivation. No matter how clever your techniques, if your qi ran dry after a few moves, you'd end up dead all the same.
And Riven had noticed that himself in the trial.
He had barely been able to use the Falconburst Kick before he ran dry.
So that would be the main focus: 60% of his training time would be dedicated to cultivation. Pushing his realm forward, slowly but steadily.
Next came his bloodline.
That was where his real advantage lay. His physical strength, his speed — all of it stemmed from that mysterious blood running through his veins.
But right now, it was mostly dormant. Untapped. Unknown.
He needed to figure out what element it aligned with — and then, once in the city, try to get his hands on matching beast cores. Absorbing those could push his affinity further… and unlock even more power.
But that was not something he could do right now.
So besides figuring out his bloodlines elemental affinity, he'd shelve that until the city.
Then there were the martial skills.
This was where things had gotten embarrassing.
Of the four martial skills he'd been taught or come across… he'd properly trained only one.
Falconburst Kick, a raw explosive attack technique, had reached minor mastery. That was the first threshold in a martial skill's progression — with major mastery, perfection, and transcendence being the milestones beyond. But reaching those could take long.
Which is why Vaern had told him to put it aside for now.
He already had the basic mechanics down — it wouldn't bring massive returns in the short term to keep drilling the same thing.
Instead, Vaern would finally begin teaching him his Basic Martial Arts — the foundation for amplifying attacks with qi. It was flexible, clean, easy and would give his attacks that slight additional punch. That would likely boost his combat ability the fastest.
20% of his training time would go there.
That left two skills: Frostbind Chains and Velvet Thorn Acupuncture.
Neither had been practiced yet. One was an control-type technique he'd gotten at the Martial Skill Pavillion alongside the Falconburst Kick but never practiced yet — the other, a weaponized qi-needle art with more unknown origins.
But in battle, sometimes the unexpected could save your life. Knowing more was always better than knowing less.
So they'd allocated 10% each to those.
And finally — his combat fundamentals.
Vaern had mentioned there were institutions outside that measured one's combat proficiency — movement, reaction speed, technique use, field awareness, adaptability. That sort of thing.
Right now, Riven would be ranked at the lowest grade — basic level. But that wasn't unusual. He was still new.
And for now, there was no need to push that.
Staying alive in the cultivation world would most likely raise his level just by itself.
"Vaern is way more structured than you would assume from his appearance." Riven muttered as he finally made it back to his residence.
The flowery place was empty now.
No Mira to tend to it.
A bit absentminded he stepped inside, quickly making his way to his room.
Everything else aside, what he really wanted to try right now, was blood vision.
The ability to visualize your blood in a zoomed in form that Vaern had claimed everyone with beast blood possessed.
Time to try it.
He closed his eyes, drew in a slow breath, and focused.
Down. Down. Past his heart. Past the flow of qi. Until he felt the blood move — in pulses, in heat, in rhythm. He stilled his mind, letting the beat echo.
And there —
A flicker.
He saw it.
Not with his eyes — but something deeper. Something internal.
A hazy red field stretched before him… filled with thousands of faint motes. Floating. Beating.
As he looked closer, paid more attention to them he saw more.
On them — in very small amounts, scattered like stars — were silver and golden flecks?
Tiny. Subtle.
But most definitely spots in two colours.
What is this?
Does my blood have two elements?
Besides what element is this? Silver and gold?
Riven was a little speechless.
With his Divine Speed ability, he'd expected some kind of green flecks for wind. Besides he knew what his father was. That would have only made sense. Or maybe he could have had blue spots for water? Maybe it would have been descended from his mothers bloodline.
But it was neither of those.
What the hell does silver and gold mean?
He shook his head.
I'll just ask Vaern later.
That's when he thought about another issue.
He could see the flecks — but barely. Sparse. Scattered.
If he had to guess, they only covered roughly five percent of the blood.
So I'm still in Stage 1?
With Stage 1 being a coverage up to 25% he was still in the most basic stage.
Which also meant.
I have one of those rare bloodlines Vaern mentioned.
He grinned slightly.
Of course I do. My parents are so strong afterall.
He smiled slighty thinking back.
Even after all that he'd seen in this sect, he still thought his parents were stronger than anyone here.
It just made sense to have a rare bloodline.
But quickly his mood turned sour again.
It didn't matter how strong they were if he was split apart from them.
But.
As if his mood was going up and down hills he quickly calmed down again.
Just seven more days.
In seven days he'd go to Verdance.
That would be his chance.
Maybe he could find a map.
Maybe he could find a way home.
He exhaled slowly, the room quiet around him.
And then—
Knock knock.
Riven's head snapped toward the door.
His mind quickly pulled out from the blood vision.
He narrowed his eyes.
"…Who is it?"
The door slid open half an inch.
"Riven?"
A familiar voice came through, light but uncertain.
Lumi.
Riven blinked.
What is she doing here?
The door creaked open a little farther, and she peeked in — eyes scanning the room like she was bracing for a trap.
She didn't usually sound unsure of herself.
Then again, this was the first time he'd met her properly outside of the Ressource Hall.
"...Hi?" he tried.
Lumi stepped in fully, one hand still on the doorframe as if unsure whether to fully commit. Her eyes darted across the interior — sparse, clean, and still faintly smelling of herbs.
"I didn't interrupt your cultivation, did I?"
Her voice was lighter now, almost casual — but her gaze lingered.
You're not supposed to interrupt someone when they're cultivating, There could be danger of qi backlash or something. But with Riven still being low-level nothing like that should happen. Still he appreciated her not just barging in without a care.
"No. It's fine."
She nodded, then looked around once more.
"But where's your servant?"
That made him pause.
Her head tilted. "All core disciples are assigned a servant disciple. Someone should've answered the door. Or at least shouted at me for trespassing."
Riven's expression shifted.
"I don't have one right now."
Lumi blinked.
Then gave a small, "Ah."
There was a brief pause.
"Well, that makes sense then," she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "We got a message to help you find a new servant."
Riven raised an eyebrow. "…What?"
"I actually came by to help you shop."
That caught him even more off guard.
She continued, matter-of-factly. "We're not exactly a beloved sect out there. Showing up in full robes, fancy tassel or not, just paints a target on your back. So, the elders want you guys to wear something else during the Verdance trip."
Her eyes scanned his current state.
"And since we had the servant thing and the wardrobe thing lined up," she added, "they sent me."
Riven stared at her. "…Why you?"
She grinned. "Because I'm charming."
He didn't dignify that with a response.
Lumi wandered over to the window, pulling it open slightly. A warm breeze drifted in, carrying the faint scent of blooming lotus.
She looked out at the lush garden.
Then turned back to him, teasingly squinting.
"…You know, I was thinking maybe we'd get you some kind of combat robe or traveling cloak. Something sharp. Maybe a bit of black leather."
She glanced once more out the window — then to the flower-lined balcony.
"But looking at your residence…" Her eyes sparkled. "Maybe I should just lend you one of my floral dresses instead?"
Riven exhaled sharply.
"Get out."