Chapter 8: A Treasure Beyond Reasoning
Riven had lost all sense of time. He had been sprinting for… who knew how long. The chamber seemed endless, stretching forward without a single sign of an exit.
His breaths came in ragged gasps, his legs felt like lead. Desperation began to creep in, gnawing at the edges of his thoughts. Regret wasn't far behind. Maybe he had made a mistake choosing this path. More than once, he stopped, tempted to turn back. But each time, he forced himself forward. Going back now would waste all the effort he'd already spent—and he didn't have the strength to waste on retracing his steps.
So he kept running.
Minutes later, he finally stumbled out into what looked like a massive hall. The sudden change in space made him slow down, his eyes widening. A quiet sense of relief stirred in his chest… but it didn't last long. As his gaze adjusted, he realized the chamber he had just left was only one of dozens of openings carved into the walls.
"I actually thought I'd come out into a jungle or a forest…" he muttered under his breath, letting out a long sigh. "Who would've thought I'd find… this? A hall filled with holes."
Disappointment and curiosity mixed in his expression. The place was unnervingly well-made—every pillar, every wall, every opening shaped with precise, deliberate skill.
Then he felt it.
That strange prickling on the back of his neck… like someone's eyes were on him. And the air—it was heavy, pressing down not only on his body, but on his soul. He shook his head, forcing the feeling aside.
"Who in the world carved this place?" he thought, stepping deeper inside.
While Riven couldn't cultivate, he'd spent years learning about various trades. On the Constellation Continent, three main occupations stood above all: Alchemy, Blacksmithing, and Inscription. He had wanted to try them all, and even knew their basic principles. But without spiritual energy—and without the cultivation level those arts demanded—he could never truly master any of them.
After a short hesitation, Riven picked one of the holes at random and stepped inside. To his mild disappointment, it was just as spacious as the chamber he'd come from.
After walking a few hundred meters, he reached a corridor. Here, the walls changed—not Earth Crystals, but smooth jade that gave off a faint glow in the dim light. Strange paintings and writings covered the surface.
Riven slowed, his eyes narrowing. The script was unlike anything he had ever seen, the curling characters almost making his head ache if he stared too long. The paintings, however, were clear—violent scenes of a great war between humans and massive beasts.
According to ancient texts Riven had read, spirit beasts were far more powerful and violent than ordinary beasts. While normal animals existed, any beast that gained the ability to absorb spiritual energy became a spirit beast. Their strength was ranked from Rank 1 to Rank 3—the strongest ever recorded in history.
The paintings here showed the chaos of those wars. In one scene, a red-haired man wielded a crimson sword so sharp it looked as if it could cut the world itself in half.
A few minutes later, Riven came across what looked like an altar. Sitting atop it was a reddish fruit—half grape, half apple in shape.
The moment he saw it, his stomach growled. Only now did he realize—he hadn't eaten for over a day. His mind wandered briefly to the Argus Clan Head's birthday party happening today.
"I wonder how it's going over there… right about now, the party should be at its liveliest," he thought.
He tore his eyes from the memory and back to the fruit.
Riven wasn't stupid, but the more he looked at it, the more a strange urge to eat it grew—clouding his reasoning.
As he stepped closer, realization struck him like lightning.
"Dragon Earth Fruit!"
His voice echoed through the corridor.
Dragon Earth Fruits were spirit fruits that could reach Rank 5 when fully matured. They were said to cleanse the body of all impurities and greatly strengthen it. Their maturity was marked by curly, vein-like patterns resembling dragons across their skin, and they could only grow in places rich in earth energy—hence the name.
When he was just a foot away, Riven froze as if struck again. His eyes widened.
"Seven veins… Rank Seven Dragon Earth Fruit!"
This was an absolute treasure—one that had never been seen in Sky City. The highest rank ever recorded there was Rank 5, and even that had been auctioned to the Xiao Clan. Within a few short years, that fruit had helped elevate them from a minor clan to one of the city's powerhouses.
If just a Rank 5 fruit could do that… what could a Rank 7 fruit accomplish?
Without another thought, Riven lunged forward to grab it.
The moment his hand closed around the fruit, something small and crystal-like rolled from behind it—something he hadn't noticed before. It hit the jade floor with a faint crack.
At first, the crack was small. Then it spread—widening—until…
BOOM!
A blinding white light exploded from the floor, swallowing the entire hall. Before Riven could even react, it had already engulfed him.