Rivers of the Night

Chapter 747: Lucky Me

Theron pulled back and found himself heaving for breath. There was such a great strain on his Soul just now, but it felt deeper than just that—the sort of fatigue that made one want to sleep continuously and for a very long period of time.

This was no doubt a product of putting his Soul through so much in such a short time. Although it had grown stronger, it was like he had been stretched thin to do that.

Normally, when one cultivated, you were refueling and strengthening at the same time. But Soul Methods—or at least this one—seemed to work differently. It pulled apart his existing soul, making gaps that could only be filled with time and rest.

But he was sure that once he awoke, he would be wildly stronger.

And so, for the second time in just as many days... Theron actually fell into yet another deep sleep.

**

Theron woke up feeling especially refreshed, and almost immediately, a new idea came to mind.

Maybe the pill formula was more useful than he thought. Not only was there the Soul Method within, but if he had to guess, the Soul Method was probably meant to be used in tandem with the pills themselves.

Like this, one would stretch his soul, and the other would replenish it. In a dance of yin and yang, they would accelerate his pace of improvement. That way he wouldn’t have to sleep off the fatigue every time.

But regardless, this was certainly an excellent way of progress.

Until now, Theron’s improvement in the soul had also relied on emotional fluctuations. His Heated Path burned his soul, and his Chilled Path iced it over. The push and pull of both led to steady improvement over time, but they also relied on the volatility of his own emotions.

He had had to have great emotional fluctuations in the past to have great improvements. Even his Soul Tribulation was no different. He couldn’t remember ever being so completely infuriated in his life.

However, it was also clear that that method of improvement had had terrible consequences on who he fundamentally was as a person and how he interacted with the world.

Although this Soul Method wasn’t tied to his body and bloodline, and he felt less of a connection to it, it was more controlled, more manageable, and had better repeatability.

That was invaluable.

Maybe while he used this Soul Method both as a way to improve, to comprehend the Angel and Demon Doctrines, and also to reach better mastery of his Meridian Pathways, he could also use it to understand his bloodline more.

It had been a very long time since he had used the Bloodline Marble slab. But that was also because he hadn’t had any Mandate Plaques to feed it and trigger its awakening either.

This just might be a different opportunity.

**

Theron stepped out of a teleportation platform, wearing a completely new look.

His hair was done up in a complex pattern and pinned down by an ornament that looked like something only a crown prince would wear. His robes were elaborate and well-pressed, shimmering in creamy whites and delicate blues. And then there was his smile—it seemed almost unnaturally gentle and soothing to the heart.

To his left was a crimson wolf with a coat that shone like a blazing red giant star, standing even taller than himself on all fours by more than just a head or two.

To his right was a woman with a cold expression and a face so delicate and beautiful it reminded one of the year’s first snowfall, its features no less perfect and symmetrical than the icy flakes that fell from the clouds above.

Ayame, she called herself.

Honestly, Theron wasn’t sure if that was the female assassin’s real name, but it honestly didn’t matter to him. Since she wanted to be called Ayame, he would call her that.

Theron offered her his arm, his gaze focused on her eyes rather than her curvy silhouette. The silver and blue cheongsam she wore fitted her hips and slender waist almost too tightly.

They hadn’t been out for long, and the number of looks she had attracted wasn’t few. But that much was also fine.

Ayame looked at Theron’s arm for a moment and gave him a skeptical look. She wasn’t the biggest fan of this plan, and now it just felt like Theron was trying to take advantage of her.

Theron’s smile didn’t falter, though. "I’ve seen your wall of sex toys but you won’t take my arm?"

Ayame’s gaze flickered coldly, and Theron could swear he heard the smallest snort before she took his arm.

"Lucky me," Theron said with a gentle laugh, leading her down the stairs of the teleportation pad.

The stones of Umbra City were worn and ancient, dark in all the right ways. It gave the city a rustic and real feel, though. It certainly wasn’t a dirty or lackluster one.

The architecture of washed greys, deep blacks, and maroon walls pulled everything together quite elegantly.

But at the moment, the hustle and bustle of the city could be said to be anything but elegant, though. Unsurprisingly, with such a big event about to take place, it was only natural that the population spike like this acutely.

It was said that the Umbra Clan was merging with the Chron Clan through an unexpected marriage alliance.

Not many even knew that the Umbra Clan Head had a daughter to begin with, but it was said that she was a great beauty, delicate and charming in all the right ways.

Of course, the implications of this alliance went beyond just these two Clans. Both played key, strategic parts in the Resistance Army. The Chron Clan especially was a pivotal part in the transportation and movement flexibility of the Resistance Army. Without their Spatial Mancy, many things would be much harder.

Quite frankly, no one expected such a thing. But Theron was focused on other things.

How would he get into the main event?