Riven flipped through the first pages of the Arachnotoxin Canon, scanning the lines carefully.
Much of it described what Seris had already explained to him earlier.
The venom reservoir was not meant to release poison directly.
That was inefficient.
Instead, the venom should be applied through contact.
A thin strand of toxin drawn from the reservoir could be wrapped around a weapon, spread across the fingers, or coated onto a strike. Once it touched an opponent, the poison would enter their body naturally.
But it also mentioned that against opponents of a higher realm, that would not always be enough. Those cultivators often carried a thin layer of protective qi around their bodies, meaning the barrier would have to be broken—and the opponent wounded—before the venom could take hold.
Riven nodded faintly.
He had heard that before.
The manual continued.
Creating the reservoir was only the beginning.
If cultivated properly, the venom could grow.
The text described two primary ways to improve it.
The first involved the soul itself.
As a cultivator advanced through higher realms, their soul force would naturally strengthen. When that happened, a new fragment of soul force could be separated and merged into the venom vessel, expanding its capacity and stability.
Riven paused there for a moment.
After what had just happened to his soul…
That was not something he was eager to repeat anytime soon.
He continued reading.
The second method focused on the venom itself.
The poison could be refined by injecting stronger venom of the same species into the reservoir. Each infusion would strengthen the toxin and deepen its properties.
Riven leaned back slightly, thinking.
That meant he would need venom from stronger predator spiders.
His gaze drifted toward the tattoo on the back of his hand.
The one he'd met was just a lesser feral.
So he'd have to find a greater feral version.
But as far as he knew the predator spiders were pretty rare.
It wouldn't be easy.
Then he remembered something.
The technique Seris had mentioned earlier.
A beast taming skill.
Riven looked down at his hand again.
He had already felt a strange connection with that spider.
And wanted to take it with him.
So if he could raise it.
Improve its level...
Then he wouldn't need to search for stronger spiders later.
He could simply wait for it to grow stronger.
And take its venom again when it did.
Riven closed the manual.
He had a decent enough understanding of the theory now.
Time to test it out...
He stepped outside again, returning to the quiet paths of Jasmine Garden. The afternoon light filtered softly through the branches, and the faint rustle of leaves followed him as he moved toward one of the flower beds.
Brann wasn't here anymore.
Riven raised his hand.
The venom reservoir beneath the spider tattoo stirred faintly in response to his will.
A thin strand of toxin slid outward from the mark, almost like a thread of dark mist stretching from his skin.
He let it sit on his palm and then touched a nearby leaf.
The moment he touched the surface, the venom sank into it.
Riven paused.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
He could feel it.
A faint thread tugged at the edge of his perception.
The leaf.
Riven closed his eyes.
The garden disappeared.
But the sensation remained.
A quiet point in his awareness, steady and clear.
He opened his eyes again.
"It really does work to track," he murmured.
Riven looked down at the marked leaf again.
"Let's see how long it lasts."
He reached out and picked another leaf from the nearby plant.
Once again, he applied the poison and felt the faint thread of connection form.
Then he walked toward one of the lanterns hanging along the garden path.
The flame flickered softly inside the glass.
Riven held the leaf over it.
Within seconds the edge began to curl and darken.
The fire spread quickly, devouring the thin green surface until nothing remained but drifting ash.
The moment the leaf burned away—
The connection vanished.
Riven nodded slightly.
"Makes sense."
His gaze shifted back to the first leaf still resting on the plant where he had touched it earlier.
The faint thread in his awareness remained steady.
Still there.
Riven turned and began walking toward Jasmine Garden's exit.
He would check on it later.
Just to see how long the mark lasted.
But for now he'd go check out the Martial Skill Pavilion.
>>>
The Martial Skill Pavilion looked exactly as Riven remembered.
Square walls of dark timber. The same green-tiled roof. Nothing about it suggested the kind of techniques stored inside could split mountains or shatter bones.
But that was the nature of the sect.
The most important places rarely looked impressive.
Riven stepped through the doors.
The interior greeted him with the quiet scent of old paper and polished wood.
Rows of shelves stretched between thick pillars, just like before. Signs marked the aisles in neat calligraphy: Movement Arts, Offensive Arts, Defensive Arts, Special Techniques.
And at the front—
The same elder sat behind the lacquered desk.
Shaved head. Calm eyes. Still as stone.
For a moment the old man simply watched him approach.
Then he gave the faintest nod.
Recognition.
Riven figured that even in this sect, a one-armed disciple still stood out.
He returned the gesture.
The elder didn't speak.
Of course not.
Riven walked past the desk and into the hall.
For a moment he paused, letting his eyes travel across the familiar rows of shelves.
It had been months since he'd last stood here.
Back then he had just entered the Inner Essence Realm, still figuring out how to circulate qi properly.
Now he had stepped into the Inner Condensation Realm.
Which meant something important.
E-rank techniques.
Riven turned toward the back of the pavilion.
A wooden staircase rose beside the far wall. He hadn't paid much attention to it the first time he'd visited.
There hadn't been any reason to.
Now there was.
He climbed up.
The second floor looked similar to the first, but the atmosphere felt… quieter. Fewer shelves. Fewer scrolls.
It might have been his imagination, but each one seemed to carry a faint weight to it.
More complex techniques.
More refined qi control.
More dangerous mistakes.
Riven stepped between the rows, scanning the wooden placards marking each section.
The same sections as on the bottom floor.
He stopped in front of the Special Techniques aisle.
According to Seris, the beast-taming skill should be somewhere in this section on the E-rank floor.
Riven moved down the aisle, fingers brushing lightly across the scroll labels as he read.
Spirit Lure.
Blood Scent Tracking.
Qi Resonance Thread.
Strange names. Stranger descriptions.
Typical for this section.
He still remembered how there was an F-rank skill to track cats downstairs.
Then he reached for another scroll.
And stopped.
Frostbind Chains — E-rank
Riven frowned.
He pulled the scroll out slowly.
"…Huh?"
E-rank?
He stared at the scroll in his hand.
"Why is this—"
"Hey!"
A voice interrupted him.
Riven looked up.
A young woman stood a few steps down the aisle, watching him with raised brows. Her green tassel marked her as an inner sect disciple, the thin silk thread swaying lightly as she tilted her head.
Her gaze dropped to the scroll in his hand, and her eyes lit up immediately.
"Oh! You found it!"
She hurried over.
As she stepped closer, a faint scent of jasmine drifted to his nose.
"Can I have that?"
Riven blinked.
"You were looking for it?"
"Yeah," she said quickly. "I've been searching this aisle for ten minutes."
Riven shrugged and handed the scroll over.
"Sure."
She accepted it with a grateful smile.
"Thanks."
But as she moved away again, he opened his mouth slightly.
"Can I ask something?"
She glanced back.
"Sure."
"I saw this technique here before," Riven said. "But it was F-rank back then."
The girl paused.
Then she turned and looked at him more carefully.
Her gaze traveled briefly across his robes, his posture, his face.
He did look younger than most disciples browsing the second floor.
Understanding flickered across her expression.
"Ah."
"You must've advanced recently."
Riven nodded slowly.
"Something like that."
She held up the scroll slightly.
"This is a more complete version of the technique."
"The one downstairs is the foundation."
Riven's brows drew together.
She continued.
"Most techniques are like that. The sect splits them across ranks so cultivators don't try learning something their bodies can't handle yet."
She tapped the scroll.
"And," she added with a sly grin, "it also makes sure low-ranked disciples don't walk off with the full technique if they decide to leave the sect."
Riven blinked.
"Hard to steal something you were never taught in the first place."
Then she lifted the scroll slightly again.
"Once you master the F-rank foundation and reach the next realm, you can learn the E-rank form."
"Sometimes it adds more movements, better qi flow, or even entirely new applications."
Riven glanced at the scroll again.
"…So it's basically the upgraded version."
"Pretty much."
She nodded.
Then she tucked the scroll under her arm.
"Anyway, thanks again."
With that she turned again and walked off.
Riven watched her disappear around the end of the aisle.
But the faint scent of jasmine still lingered in the air.
How much of that stuff did she put on?
A small smile crept onto his recently very stoic face.
Then he looked down the row of strange scrolls around him.
He didn't really care about Frostbind Chains.
It was a technique he had rarely used.
But the skill itself didn't matter.
What mattered was what it meant.
If Frostbind Chains had an E-rank version…
Then Falconburst Kick should have one too.
Maybe even—
Vaern's Basic Martial Arts.
Riven turned and stepped out of the Special Techniques aisle.
His original purpose all but forgotten.