Riven walked slowly through the sect.
As he observed the light mist drifting through the mountains, he recalled the first time he had awakened in this world. Back then, he had also been surrounded by mist, but that mist had been entirely different.
It was heavy and oppressive, weighing down the body and suffocating the senses.
In contrast, the mist within the sect was gentle and refreshing, almost nourishing.
As these thoughts surfaced, Riven reflected on everything that had happened since his arrival. It hadn't been long, yet it felt strangely familiar, almost as if nothing had changed.
It reminded him of his past, how he had once joined a sect, walked the path of cultivation, grown stronger, formed bonds… and eventually lost them.
How he had fought battles, how he had closed his eyes to merge with the laws themselves.
And when he opened them again, he had found himself here in a different world and in a different body.
His former strength had vanished, yet, somehow, it didn't feel unfamiliar.
Now, once again after reconstruction, his power had begun to return slowly but steadily.
Still far from what it once was, but rising.
As he was reminiscing about the past, Riven arrived at a quiet place within the sect. A small bridge arched over a clear stream. The surroundings were silent, with only the soft movement of water, and the occasional ripple broke the stillness.
Riven stepped onto the bridge and looked down at the fishes swimming lazily in the stream. But as soon as he appeared, they gathered beneath him, looking up and waiting.
Riven smiled faintly and gently rubbed his thumb and index finger together.
From his hand, tiny white particles drifted downward into the water. Seeing this, the fish became restless with excitement, darting toward the falling particles.
It was not food but condensed qi drawn from the surrounding mist.
Suddenly an old voice came from behind, "You are not from this sect, so why are you wearing an inner sect disciple's uniform?"
Riven did not turn.
Riven, still looking at the fish with a smile, said, "What about now?"
As he spoke, the clothes around him changed. The robe changed from purple with blue stripes to white with black stripes, and even the sleeves shortened and reached around a little below his elbows.
The old man standing behind him was startled, and his eyes sharpened instantly.
"How…?"
"I didn't sense any qi fluctuation."
Riven replied calmly, "Qi is not the only thing that governs change."
The old man stepped closer, observing him carefully.
"Who are you?"
"And why are you in the Drifting Mist Pavilion?"
Riven turned slightly, his expression calm. "Who I am… is not something you need to know."
"As for why I'm here..."
"I came to check on someone."
The old man narrowed his eyes.
He had a long beard reaching his chest, and his posture remained upright and composed. Yet beneath that calm exterior, there was tension.
Suddenly, Riven's gaze sharpened.
He stepped forward.
The old man immediately became alert and began circulating his qi, but with a simple wave of Riven's hand the qi dispersed instantly.
The old man's eyes widened.
Before he could react further, Riven had already reached him.
Riven raised his hand and pulled something out of the old man's chest.
The old man gasped.
In Riven's hand was a fragment of bone.
A finger bone had been lodged inside his body for years, and every attempt to remove it had failed.
At regular intervals, the fragment would release a dense miasma that destabilized his qi, forcing him to abandon the attempt each time.
Yet now, it had been removed effortlessly.
Riven examined the bone as dark miasma seeped out of it, but the moment it touched his hand, it retreated as if suppressed.
The old man immediately bowed deeply.
"Immortal Master, thank you for saving this old man's life."
Riven continued to observe the bone.
"Where did you obtain this?"
The old man kept his head lowered.
"Ten years ago, a cultivator from another plane descended upon this world. He caused great destruction."
"Many powerful cultivators formed an alliance to oppose him, and hundreds fell in battle."
"In the end, the invader retreated with grave injuries. But before leaving, he severed one of his arms and used it to injure many of the remaining cultivators."
"This fragment… was one of those pieces."
"So this finger was one of the pieces that has been lodged in my chest since then."
Riven, looking at the finger, said, "Well, this thing is taking your life force and qi from your body."
"The cultivator likely intended to retrieve his arm later."
The old man shuddered.
"So that's why… I thought my decline was due to age."
Before the old man could say anything, he saw Riven looking at the finger, and his eyes turned completely black. If one looked carefully, they could see small stars shimmering in them.
Even a scale-like tattoo formed on his hand, covering his arm.
In the next moment everything subsided, the tattoo and the black eyes, but in front of the old man a complete skeletal arm had formed.
The old man knew that this was the arm of the cultivator who caused the tragedy and was surprised that the Immortal in front of him had simply teleported all the pieces.
What was even more surprising was that the bones slowly turned into dust and flew away.
And as the dust blew away, the surrounding qi surprisingly became denser.
'What kind of spell or technique is this?'
'What is this realm?'
'Does he have the same power as the invader from other plane.'
He then mustered up his courage and asked, "If it's not any problem, Immortal Master… may I ask you something?"
Riven looked at him and smiled faintly. "Yes, you may, but tell me, where are the records of the disciples of this sect?"
The old man thought for a moment and answered, "Ok, immortal master, I will take you there."
They began walking together.
After some time, the old man asked carefully, "Immortal master... are you from another plane?"
Riven, while looking around, answered, "No."
Hearing this, the old man was visibly surprised. "You reached such a realm in this plane. I thought the path to the higher realm was severed in this realm."
Riven turned his gaze to him and said, "There is no such thing as a path cut off unless it is deliberately hidden or obstructed by others."
The old man fell into deep thought. After a while, he spoke again, "I cannot progress any further, and it feels like I've reached my limit."
Riven remained silent.
Soon, they arrived before a massive building that radiated an ancient aura.
"This," the old man said, "is the Records Pavilion."
"Immortal Master, the records of all disciples of this sect are stored inside the building."
Riven nodded, and as they were about to enter, a guard suddenly appeared there, but when he saw the old man, his eyes widened, and he immediately bowed to him and said, "Greetings, ancestor. I was unaware of your arrival."
The old man simply nodded and said, "You may leave. I am here to check on something."
The guard immediately nodded and left.
Riven looked at the old man and said, "So you are the ancestor of this sect."
The old man smiled modestly, "It is nothing worth mentioning."
Riven then said, "Then you must know about cultivation."
"How do you think the cultivation, the realms, and the methods to cultivate qi came into being?"
The old man fell silent and began to think.
Cultivators had existed long before him.
Qi had existed even before them.
So where did it all begin?