The candlelight danced restlessly in the secret chamber, casting wavering, distorted shadows upon the walls. A strange, composite scent lingered in the air—the dust of long-sealed scrolls, the cold, sharp tang of metal, and the faint, cloying sweetness of gold. Finn's eyes slid past the chests that would have driven any mountain bandit to madness, drawn instead to the silent, imposing row of bookshelves.
He moved towards them, his fingertips brushing lightly over the spines of heavy tomes before finally settling on an atlas. The pages, made of some tough animal hide, felt rough and parched beneath his touch. He unrolled it slowly, the vast panorama of the world spreading out before him. His eyes quickly found the area marked "The Savage Reach"—it was merely an insignificant corner of the map, like a scrap of cloth carelessly tossed aside, bordered by vast expanses of blank, unknown territories. To its northeast lay a much larger landmass, rendered in dark ink and labeled with three stark, ancient characters: The Province of Skyreach.
So, this chaotic land they inhabited was but a mere fragment of the world.
The realization carved a peculiar void in Finn's heart, akin to standing atop a solitary peak, gazing down upon an endless, cloud-choked abyss. A faint chill settled in his chest. He carefully rolled the atlas shut and picked up the miscellaneous record that mentioned the Starfall Sect.
Its pages were yellowed with age, yet the script remained starkly clear. It chronicled that thirty years prior, at its zenith, the Starfall Sect had been the undisputed hegemon of the entire Savage Reach, boasting nearly twenty registered Champion-rank experts. The three highest-ranking elders had even ascended to the terrifying realm of Champion Rank 10, a single, agonizing step away from the legendary Grandmaster realm.
Twenty Champions. Three peak-level experts.
The numbers struck him like a block of ice, instantly freezing any lingering trace of contempt in his heart. A starved camel is still larger than a horse. Such a former behemoth, even in its diminished state, was not an entity Blackwind Keep could challenge lightly.
One month was impossibly short. He had to seize every fleeting second, converting every available resource into tangible power he could grasp in his hand.
His gaze, now sharp and resolute, finally turned towards the five large wooden chests.
He strode over to them, not bothering to search for a key. He simply formed his fingers into a blade, the newly born Champion True Qi condensing at their tips into a sharp, barely visible edge.
*CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!*
Five crisp, successive sounds echoed through the chamber as the sturdy brass locks shattered.
He threw open the lids. A torrent of gold coins instantly spilled forth, bathing the entire secret chamber in a lavish, dazzling glow. Twenty-three thousand gold coins lay piled within, silent and immense, like a slumbering pack of golden beasts waiting to be roused.
Finn drew a deep, steadying breath and pressed his palm firmly onto the cold, unyielding pile of gold.
"Deposit all."
`[Gold deposit successful. Current balance: 23,000.]`
`[You have received 230 basic draws.]`
Finn's eyes narrowed, becoming focused and sharp. He didn't immediately synthesize advanced draws. Instead, he fell back on the "metaphysics" of a veteran gamer from another world—a ritualistic act, bordering on superstition, a sacrifice to the capricious gods of luck.
First, use the low-tier prize pool to "cushion the blade," exhausting all the misfortune before going for the soul-stirring pull from the high-tier pool.
"Basic draw, twenty-pull."
The plain white wheel spun rapidly, lights flickering indistinctly. The results were mostly white-quality junk, the equivalent of hollow "Thanks for playing" messages. Finn's expression remained unmoved; he had expected this. He initiated a second round without hesitation.
This time, the wheel seemed to spin a little slower, its momentum finally dying on a soft, promising blue glow.
`[Congratulations! You have obtained: The Aegis of the Unbreakable Vow (Blue)]`
A subtle, almost imperceptible smile touched Finn's lips. It was working. His luck was turning.
Without further delay, he synthesized the remaining one hundred and ninety basic draws into nineteen medium-tier draws.
"Medium-tier draw, six-pull!"
The azure wheel materialized, its light richer and more brilliant than before.
`[Congratulations! You have obtained: The Bodhi Heart Sutra (Blue)]`
`[Congratulations! You have obtained: The Dragon's Claw (Blue)]`
`[Congratulations! You have obtained: The Spirit Monkey Movement Technique (Blue)]`
`...`
A cascade of blue lights flashed one after another, each representing an exquisite-quality technique or skill. Finn's heart began to beat a little faster, a growing heat spreading in his chest. He could feel his "luck" gathering, coalescing, climbing towards a peak.
He staked his final hopes on the remaining chances.
"Continue!"
The wheel spun wildly once more, the interweaving blue lights forming a dazzling, hypnotic tapestry. The pointer gradually lost momentum, gliding teasingly over countless blue slots. Then, as if caught by an invisible, irresistible force, it made a final, decisive leap, skipping over all the blue sections and landing squarely in a deep, crystalline purple that shone with the ancient cold of ten-thousand-year glacial ice!
*BZZZZT—!*
A hum that seemed to originate from the very depths of his soul exploded in his ears, and the entire system interface was swallowed by a noble, overwhelming, icy purple radiance.
`[Congratulations! You have obtained a Supreme Aura Art: The Frigid True Qi (Purple)]`
"Extract all!"
*BOOM—!!!*
A torrent of energy, vaster, purer, and carrying a bone-deep, soul-numbing cold far beyond anything he had ever experienced, erupted from the void and violently flooded his meridians!
If his previous power was a babbling brook or a flowing river, then what now surged into him was an entire polar ocean, frozen in silence for millennia!
His original Violet Twilight Force, faced with this ultimate Yin and absolute cold, did not resist but rather retreated and merged willingly, becoming a part of the Frigid True Qi itself, deepening its cold and making it even more profound and restrained.
His Vital Essence underwent a qualitative transformation in that very moment!
Champion Rank 2... Rank 3... Rank 4...
A cyan-quality aura could help him open three Nodes of Power; a blue one, six. But the immense, terrifying energy contained within this purple-quality Frigid True Qi violently and relentlessly forced open a full eighteen new Nodes of Power for him in one continuous, breathtaking surge!
Combined with the twenty-three Nodes he had opened during his initial breakthrough and the subsequent gains from the blue-quality techniques, the total number of Nodes of Power in his body reached an astonishing, formidable figure!
Finally, as the last of the icy torrent subsided, Finn's cultivation level stabilized firmly at the peak of Champion Rank 5!
He slowly opened his eyes. A visible wisp of pure white, frost-laden air escaped his lips, condensing into a shower of tiny, glittering ice crystals in the air before slowly dissipating.
The temperature in the entire secret chamber had plummeted, as if winter had claimed it in an instant.
He raised his hand, examining his seemingly unchanged, still-slender palm. Yet, he could feel with utter clarity the terrifying power coursing just beneath the skin—a dormant, frigid force capable of freezing all creation.
The Starfall Sect...
A cold, sharp smile, thin as a blade, finally curved the corners of Finn's lips.
Now, he possessed the strength to face them.