As they were about to visit another location, the old man had talked to the sect master and returned.
By then, Riven had already seen most of the important places within the sect.
With that, the vice sect master respectfully took his leave and returned to his duties, while Riven and the old man exited the sect together.
The moment they stepped outside, Riven sensed a subtle shift in the surroundings. The qi felt thinner and less refined compared to inside the sect.
Before leaving for Thaloryn, he decided to gather a few necessary items. Together, they walked toward a large marketplace.
The area was bustling with activity as merchants called out loudly, displaying herbs, pills, talismans, and various materials. Buyers moved through the crowd, bargaining and inspecting goods.
There was a huge crowd around as many people were buying and selling things like herbs, pills, materials, and other things.
Riven stopped at a shop that specialized in books and maps.
"What maps do you have of the continents?" he asked.
The merchant quickly searched through his collection and brought out three maps.
"These two," he said, pointing, "are the most detailed maps of the Solaryx and Thaloryn continents."
Then he lifted the third.
"And this… is a complete map of the plane. It shows all four known continents."
Riven unfolded the map and examined it carefully.
The layout was clear.
The Solaryx Continent lay near the center, and closest to it was Thaloryn, while two other continents, Vulkareth and Umbraxis, were much farther away.
They appeared smaller, but the merchant explained, "It's not that they are small, sir. It's just that we lack information about the continents and very few have traveled that far."
Riven nodded, paid for the maps, and left. Outside, he compared them with the one he had previously bought, and the measurements aligned well.
Satisfied, he turned to the old man.
"Where can we depart for Thaloryn?"
The old man thought for a moment before replying, "Immortal master, we can use a flying beast from the sect and can leave today."
Riven nodded, and the old man returned to the sect to prepare, while Riven continued walking through the city alone.
He noticed that the city was having quite a bit of turmoil.
Disciples and elders from the Drifting Mist Pavilion were moving rapidly through the streets, many mounted on horses and heading out of the city in haste.
But Riven paid it little attention.
Eventually, he came across a large, luxurious dining hall where well-dressed individuals entered and exited under strict security.
Riven stepped inside.
The interior was grand, with large tables filling the hall, occupied by wealthy guests enjoying food, conversation, and entertainment, and at the center stood a raised stage where performers entertained the crowd.
Riven smiled faintly at the lively atmosphere.
He found a small table with three empty seats and sat down.
A waiter approached immediately.
"What would you like, sir?"
Riven, watching the performance, replied calmly, "Bring me the best tea you have."
The waiter nodded and left.
When Riven entered, he could feel many eyes on him as his presence stood out. His attire was unlike that of ordinary cultivators or nobles.
A white robe with black stripes, sleeves ending just below the elbows, is simple yet elegant.
His clothing style was unique, unlike the robes of cultivators, which were full-sleeved, covering their bodies; martial attire with boots showing heroism; or wealthy merchants' fully embroidered coats and robes.
And beyond that there was something about him. An aura that combined refinement, calm authority, and quiet strength.
After a while, the attention faded as people returned to their conversations.
Instead of the previous waiter, a graceful young woman approached with a teapot and cups. She placed them gently on the table.
"Esteemed guest, this is Mist Petal Tea, the finest in the city."
Riven glanced at her briefly, then at the tea, and poured himself a cup. The liquid was pale, almost translucent, with a delicate fragrance that spread subtly into the air.
He took a sip and a faint smile appeared.
"Good tea."
The woman smiled, clearly pleased, and left.
Riven returned his attention to the stage.
The previous singer had finished, and now a musician played a soft melody while a dancer moved gracefully to the rhythm.
Just as he was enjoying the performance, there was a sudden commotion at the entrance of the dinner hall as various disciples of Drifting Mist Pavilion entered along with a middle-aged elder of the sect.
All of them had various weapons in their hands.
They looked around the dining hall, and suddenly one of the disciples pointed towards the Riven.
The elder had anger on his face as he looked at Riven, who completely ignored the disturbance and continued to sip the tea in silence while others stopped what they were doing and looked towards them.
He then walked to Riven's table and looked at him, along with all the disciples surrounding him.
The elder looked at the sitting Riven and said, "Are you the inner sect disciple who used the unknown spell on my direct disciple?"
Riven looked at the elder and just said, "Who? There are many I have used the technique on."
He knew that what the elder was talking about was the person he buried underground outside the city, who kept saying that he was the direct disciple of the law enforcement elder but still feigned ignorance.
The elder became angry and waved his hand to throw away the teapot. But before his hand could reach the teapot, Riven took the teapot and elegantly poured himself another cup of tea, along with the empty cup on the table.
The elder froze momentarily, as he hadn't even seen the movement clearly. Still, anger clouded his judgment.
"You are not listed among the inner sect disciples," he said sharply.
"Do you understand the crime of impersonating one?"
Riven remained calm and said, "Since you're already here, why not sit down and have some tea?"
The elder frowned.
"I am not here to drink tea. I am here to—"
Riven interrupted him.
"I wasn't talking to you."
The elder's anger surged, but before he could respond, another voice spoke.
"Alright."
The crowd looked around and was surprised to see that an old man had unknowingly appeared beside them.
The law enforcement elder's expression changed. He was a Core Formation expert with an elemental core, yet he had not sensed this man at all.
When the old man appeared, his alertness increased, but there was still anger inside him when he thought of what had happened with his direct disciple.
After the old man returned to the sect, he took the flying beast used by the sect and the fastest one. Since he couldn't bring it to the city, the flying beast was outside the city, waiting for them.
Since the beast was trained from when it was born, it is loyal and won't run here and there and cause any problem.
After that, the old man returned; he went to find Riven, and it wasn't a problem for him to scan the whole city and find Riven.
The old man sat down opposite Riven and took the cup and drank it slowly while looking at the elder from the law enforcement hall.
The law enforcement elder thought for some time and ignored the old man and said to Riven, "You used a demonic technique to harm my disciple."
"What is your purpose here?"
"Are you here to create trouble for the Drifting Mist Pavilion?"
"You will come with us for interrogation and undo whatever you have done."
After Riven finished the tea, he looked at him and put down the teacup.
"Hmm..."
"Demonic technique? What's that?"
He paused briefly before adding, "And you sound just like the disciple of yours."