Riven moved into the Offensive Arts section on the second floor.
Compared to the strange assortment of skills in the Special Techniques aisle, the shelves here felt far more direct.
Strikes. Blades. Kicks. Palms.
Techniques meant for ending fights.
He walked slowly along the rows, scanning the scroll titles.
Most were unfamiliar.
A few sounded powerful enough that he paused to read the descriptions—but each time he moved on again. Learning even more new techniques wasn't something he was interested in.
He already had enough to train.
And with the beast training skill coming up soon...
There was no more space for additional skills.
So what he was looking for was really just one thing.
An upgrade.
Then his eyes caught a familiar name.
Falconburst Kick — Gale Variant (E-rank)
Riven stopped.
A small smile appeared.
There it is.
He pulled the scroll out and unrolled it.
The description immediately confirmed what the girl had said earlier.
This was not an entirely new technique.
It was an expanded form of the one he already knew.
The text described a unique way of using the spirals formed by the skill to allow the kick's trajectory to shift after the initial burst.
In simple terms—
The strike could change direction mid-attack.
Riven nodded slowly.
That would make the technique much harder to predict.
And much harder to dodge.
He rolled the scroll closed.
But before returning it, his eyes moved to the scroll beside it.
Falconburst Kick — Wave Variant (E-rank)
He blinked.
Two?
Riven opened the second scroll.
This one modified the technique differently.
Instead of altering the direction of the kick, it used another application of the spirals to quickly chain another kick after the first.
Riven considered both scrolls for a moment.
Different applications.
Both useful.
And while Riven hadn't fully mastered the original Falconburst Kick yet—
He felt confident that he would soon.
With that in mind, he tucked both scrolls under his arm.
Afterward, he searched the shelves for a while longer.
One category of skills remained in the back of his mind.
Basic Martial Arts.
Basic Punch.
Basic Kick.
The techniques that made up Vaern's Basic Martial Arts.
But no matter where he looked, he couldn't find any upgraded version of them.
Eventually, he realized why.
The technique itself wasn't really a cultivation skill.
It was exactly what the name implied.
Basic martial arts.
Simple movements. Efficient strikes.
The only unusual part was the faint thread of qi woven through each motion.
Barely any energy at all.
And that was exactly why Riven liked it so much.
It was almost like a cheat.
For almost no cost in qi, the technique slightly amplified every ordinary movement he made.
Punches.
Kicks.
Elbows.
Even simple grapples.
Recently, he had started noticing something else.
The technique was becoming easier to maintain.
If he could eventually keep the qi circulation active while using other martial skills…
Then Vaern might have been a genius.
I guess what I have is already the full version…
Riven adjusted the scrolls under his arm and turned back toward the Special Techniques section.
He wasn't interested in learning any more offensive skills right now.
He already had enough to practice.
All he wanted now was the one technique Seris had mentioned.
The beast-taming skill.
Riven stepped back into the Special Techniques aisle.
He moved slowly, making sure he didn't miss anything.
At first, he just kept finding the same kind of odd techniques until eventually he reached a corner with beast-related skills.
There weren't many.
Which already said something.
His fingers brushed across the first few scrolls.
Beast Sense Method — establish a faint bond to track a creature's location.
Riven paused briefly.
Then moved on.
He already had that.
Kind of.
Not perfectly and only limited to some special spiders, but close enough to know that this wasn't what he wanted.
Next.
Beast Slave Technique — E-rank
He pulled it out and skimmed it.
A crude method of forcefully binding a weakened beast through repeated suppression of its will.
As far as he could tell this was probably what Seris had meant.
But Riven frowned.
The description made it clear what the result would be.
Obedience.
But at a cost.
The beast's instincts dulled. Growth slowed. Potential limited.
It turned something living into little more than a tool.
Riven rolled the scroll back up and returned it to the shelf.
He wanted the spider to grow stronger so he could keep upgrading his Arachnotoxin Canon.
Crippling it from the start made no sense.
Is this really it?
He continued.
If that was what Seris had recommended, then it was going to be a disappointing trip.
But he didn't give up just yet.
His eyes skimmed over a few more techniques.
None of them very interesting.
Until eventually, he stopped.
Silk Symbiosis — E-rank
A scroll set slightly apart from the others.
Darker thread binding. Less decorative.
There was a note stuck to it.
[Caution — Pavilion Elder]
This method is unsuitable for most disciples.
Restrictions:
Applies only to arachnid-type beasts.
Initial capacity limited to one bonded creature.
Does not grant full control. The spider may turn on you.
Requirements:
The target must willingly or instinctively apply venom to the user.
The user must survive the venom.
The user must project soul force into the creature without triggering rejection or hostility.
The spider must accept the bond.
Failure in any step may result in:
Severe backlash to the soul.
Immediate hostility from the target.
Death.
Disciples are advised to select a different method or proceed with extreme caution.
Riven stared at the note for a moment.
Then let out a quiet breath.
"…That's one way to discourage people."
It wasn't subtle.
Most would stop reading right there.
Too many conditions.
Too many risks.
And even if it worked—
No control.
No guarantee.
Just a "bond."
His gaze shifted to the first page of the scroll itself.
Mid E-rank.
Riven raised a brow slightly.
With a rating like that… and everything written above—
It would make perfect sense if no one bothered with it.
Most disciples would glance at the warning, see the rank, and walk away without even reading the rest.
But Rivens eyes lingered on the requirements again.
Venom.
He had already been bitten.
Soul connection.
He had already felt that thread.
And as far as he could tell—
Spiders didn't seem particularly interested in harming him.
If anything, they liked him.
He looked down at the tattoo on the back of his hand.
A faint, familiar presence lingered at the edge of his awareness.
The predator spider.
Riven looked back at the scroll.
Then pulled it out and started reading.
The technique was… different.
Not crude.
Not incomplete.
Just unlike anything else he had seen so far.
It described a connection.
A thread between two beings.
Not equal.
But not one-sided either.
Through it, both sides would sense:
Instinct.
Emotion.
Intent.
Not thoughts.
Not commands.
But enough to understand.
The spider wouldn't be controlled.
It might follow his intent—
Or ignore it entirely.
That part depended on the bond.
But this wasn't enough to stop him from reading.
Because the further he read, the more interesting it became.
The first benefit was immediate.
Venom Immunity.
The user would become immune to the poison of the bonded spider.
Riven's eyes flickered slightly.
Useful.
The connection would also deepen over time.
Reactions growing faster.
Movements aligning more naturally.
Further down, the scroll hinted at future versions of the technique.
Higher ranks.
Additional bonds.
Shared senses.
Seeing through the spider's eyes.
Using it as an extension of oneself.
It sounded almost excessive—
If not for the entry requirements.
But for him…
That wasn't a problem.
Riven glanced down at his hand again.
He already had the foundation.
He looked back at the scroll, a faint spark of interest settling in his eyes.
It wasn't overwhelming.
It wasn't flashy.
But it fit.
Better than anything else here.
And unlike his other techniques—
This one didn't demand time.
No forms to practice.
No stages to refine.
You either formed the bond—
Or you didn't.
Everything after that depended on growth.
Which meant he wouldn't have to divide his focus.
He could continue improving his other skills.
Riven nodded slightly.
"…Yeah."
He rolled the scroll closed and tucked it under his arm alongside the other two.
It might not show much value now—
But he was convinced that at higher ranks…
This wouldn't stay a mid-tier technique for long.