Riven sat cross-legged on his bed.
A flat slab of polished wood rested across his lap, steadying the stack of papers spread out before him. A small ink pot sat to the side, and in his hand a feather pen hovered just above the page.
His expression was focused.
It had been a while since he last did this.
Back then, it had been with Vaern.
Now—
He was alone.
Riven exhaled quietly and looked down at the page.
>>>
Current State Overview
[Cultivation Method]: Frozen Gale Codex
[Cultivation]: Mid Inner Condensation Realm (13 Cycles)
[Physique]: Early Inner Condensation Realm
[Bloodline]: Stage 1 (0–25% coverage) — 11.3%
[Bloodline Ability]: Divine Speed
[Soul Force Method]: Knight's Soul
[Soul Level]: Faint Soul
Special Techniques
[Dual Fate Seal] (Mastery: Unknown)
→ Effect: Transformation; Raises physique by one minor stage; Grants sharpness
[Arachnotoxin Canon]
→ Venom: Predator Spider
→ Tier: Lesser Feral
→ Properties: Tracking Mark
[Silk Symbiosis] (Mid E-Rank)
→ Status: Not yet learned
Martial Techniques
[Vaern's Basic Martial Arts] (Mid F-Rank)
→ Mastery: Major
→ Effect: ~20% amplification to all base physical attacks
[Frostbind Chains] (Upper F-Rank)
→ Mastery: Minor
→ Effect: Binding / Restriction / Control
[Falconburst Kick] (Upper F-Rank)
→ Mastery: Major
→ Effect: Boosts kick speed by 65%
→ Gale Variant (Mid E-Rank) — Unlearned
→ Wave Variant (Mid E-Rank) — Unlearned
[Velvet Thorn Acupuncture] (Unknown Rank)
→ Velvet Touch — Major Mastery
• Near-invisible needle throw
• Delayed internal detonation
→ Blooming Accuracy — Unlearned
→ Maiden's Requiem — Unlearned
→ Gentle Maiden — Unlearned
>>>
Riven leaned back slightly, eyes scanning over the page.
The first few entries didn't require much thought.
Cultivation.
Physique.
Bloodline.
All of it was straightforward.
But the next section wasn't as simple.
Soul Force Method.
Soul Level.
Riven tapped the feather lightly against the wooden slab.
The old overview hadn't included anything like this.
Because back then—
He hadn't understood it.
Now he did.
At least partially.
His eyes lingered on the words Knight's Soul.
A name he had chosen himself.
The more he read the nameless manual he had taken from the Knight's Order girl the more he understood its value.
It functioned as a method for the soul.
A way to train it. Strengthen it. Refine it.
To honor the girl he took it from he named the method "Knight's Soul".
Then his gaze dropped to the line beneath it.
Faint Soul.
According to the manual, that was the most basic state.
The starting point.
A level most cultivators at the Inner Condensation Realm would naturally reach—whether they were aware of it or not.
Riven was there now.
But unlike most—
He had a method.
Which meant he could improve it intentionally.
Not just passively through cultivation.
If he trained it properly…
His soul could grow stronger than his realm.
That thought lingered for a moment.
Then he moved on.
His eyes shifted to the rest of the page.
The techniques.
One by one.
He skimmed over them, slower this time.
More deliberate.
After confirming it earlier, both the Gale Variant and Wave Variant were mid E-rank.
Not upper like their base version.
But still—
A clear step above what he currently had.
Riven closed his eyes briefly.
There were… a lot of skills now.
More than he could properly work on without a plan.
He opened his eyes again.
His gaze settled on the page once more.
Now came the important part.
"…What to focus on?"
Riven stared at the page for a moment.
Then slowly began sorting through it.
Not everything needed attention.
Not everything could be improved right now.
Cultivation came first.
He had only just reached thirteen cycles.
But the qi in his dantian already felt dense—close to full.
There was room to push it further.
A few more cycles.
More compression.
More refinement.
That was his foundation.
Everything else depended on it.
Physique. Bloodline.
Riven's gaze passed over those lines briefly.
There wasn't much he could do there right now.
Soul Force.
His eyes lingered there a moment longer.
The Knight's Soul method.
That was something he could train.
Not quickly.
Not explosively.
But steadily.
It would take time.
Still—
It was worth doing.
On the side.
His gaze shifted downward.
Special Techniques.
Dual Fate Seal.
Arachnotoxin Canon.
Riven tapped the pen lightly against the wood.
There wasn't much to improve there either.
Not immediately.
The seal remained… unclear.
The poison technique depended on better venom.
For now, the best he could do was grow more familiar with both.
Understand them better.
Then—
His eyes settled on one line.
Silk Symbiosis.
That was his priority.
Before cultivation.
Before everything else.
If he formed the bond…
He could take the predator spider with him.
Which meant—
A steady path to improving the Arachnotoxin Canon later.
That alone made it worth it.
Martial Techniques.
Riven scanned the list again.
Most of them… weren't immediate priorities.
Frostbind Chains was still at minor mastery.
He could probably improve it now.
But—
Not important enough.
Velvet Thorn Acupuncture…
He shook his head faintly.
Too complex.
Too far off.
Not something he could advance quickly.
That left two.
Falconburst Kick.
Vaern's Basic Martial Arts.
Riven leaned back slightly.
He had already obtained the upgraded versions of Falconburst Kick.
But he didn't plan to focus on that yet.
Instead—
His gaze settled on the other.
Vaern's Basic Martial Arts.
Mid F-rank.
On paper—
His weakest technique.
But in practice…
Riven's eyes narrowed slightly.
The most useful.
Low cost.
Constant effect.
And more importantly—
Scalable.
If he pushed it further…
Beyond major mastery…
Into perfection—
He had a feeling.
A strong one.
That he could keep it active while using other techniques.
If that worked—
It wouldn't just be a minor boost anymore.
It would amplify everything.
Riven nodded slightly.
The structure in his mind solidified.
Clear.
Efficient.
He lowered the pen and added a final section beneath the page.
[Training Priorities]
- Learn Silk Symbiosis → Form spider bond
- Increase qi cycles
- Memorize Falconburst variants → Prepare for later training
- Advance Vaern's Basic Martial Arts → Aim for perfection
- Improve Falconburst Kick / Frostbind Chains
- Work on Knight's Soul whenever there is time
Riven stared at the list for a moment.
Then exhaled quietly.
"…That should do."
Now—
He just had to follow it.
Riven looked at the list for a moment longer.
Then he pulled out the scroll.
Silk Symbiosis.
No reason to wait.
He shifted slightly on the bed, straightening his posture before unrolling it again.
The method itself was… surprisingly simple.
At its core, it described the formation of a mark.
Not a physical one.
Something made from soul force.
An interweaving net.
One that had to be shaped precisely—
And then embedded.
Merged with the target.
Riven's eyes narrowed slightly as he read through it once more.
…Another pattern.
That made it the fourth time now.
The projection method.
The Arachnotoxin Canon.
The vortex.
And this.
All of them relied on shaping the soul into something specific.
Riven exhaled quietly.
"…So that's how it works."
He closed his eyes.
His awareness sank inward, settling into the mind palace.
The pale light of his soul greeted him again.
Calm.
Stable.
He didn't rush it.
Carefully, he began shaping the pattern described in the scroll.
At first, it didn't hold.
The structure collapsed almost immediately, dissolving back into formless light.
Riven didn't react.
He tried again.
And again.
Each attempt lasted slightly longer than the last.
The pattern grew clearer.
More stable.
More defined.
Time passed quietly.
Until eventually—
It held.
A faint structure, hovering within his soul.
Riven opened his eyes.
And the pattern dissipated.
That was enough.
He knew how to form it now.
Now he just had to do that alongside the spider.
The rest would come during the bond itself.
Riven stood.
The scroll was rolled up and returned to his ring without another glance.
No reason to delay.
He stepped out of his room and into Jasmine Garden.
The air was calm.
Still.
The same as always.
Riven didn't linger.
His steps carried him out of the garden and down the familiar paths of the sect.
The Venom Hall wasn't too far.
It didn't take long before the structure came into view.
Dark stone.
Subtle.
Almost blending into its surroundings.
Riven stepped inside.
The scent hit him immediately.
Sharp.
Faintly bitter.
Recognizable.
Poison.
Seris greeted him at the counter, her attention focused on a paper in front of her.
She glanced up as he approached.
"You learned it?" she asked.
Riven nodded.
"Yes."
Seris held his gaze for a moment.
Then gave a small nod.
"Good."
She turned without another word.
"Come with me."
Riven followed.