“… I was having an episode. There’s no need to worry, mother. It won’t happen again.”

Ryker comforted his mother for already the third time in their short conversation. Obviously, Joanna was far smarter than that. Ryker had had many episodes in the past, but he had never ended up suffering so badly from them. Usually, it was others who suffered, and even when they didn’t, he would just end up being a bit humiliated.

Ryker didn’t feel there was a point in telling his mother about who had schemed against him to the point things ended up like this. It would just make her needlessly worry and make her health worth.

This was also why he didn’t tell her that soon, at least after the situation with the Glory Path was handled, he planned ongoing to hunt down the very beast his father had failed to.

This was the second reason he didn’t tell his mother about what happened back then, because part of the reason he had such a fierce reaction was because he was furious about the Mystery Master Alliance going against their word.

It was quite ironic, actually.

That day was the day he had been the absolute closest to shattering his contract with the Silver Mirror and falling to the 8th Circle, and likely also damaging his Pure Soul.

Even if his uncle had done nothing, he would have likely succeeded in making Ryker suffer.

Well, then again, to a family that had never birthed an 8th Circle Talent before. Even if Ryker fell to the 8th, they were likely to still see him as a threat. So maybe his uncle would have taken such a risk, regardless.

Either way, Ryker had no intention of telling anyone what happened back then because he was going to enjoy killing that man with his own hands.

It was just unfortunate that it would have to wait until he could likewise crush his grandfather. Only then could he make sure that nothing else would be out of his control.

“Okay, okay, I won’t ask about this anymore,” Joanna said with a smile. “Then tell me about your adventures.”

Ryker obliged and didn’t hide anything from his mother.

Joanna sighed. “I really do not know how I will face Little Jaana now. When did I raise such an ingrate?”

“Mother!” Ryker protested, but the smile on his face was still bright.

“Look at you, grinning ear to ear,” she spoke as she reached over and pulled on his cheek. “I raised you better than this. What’s so good about having so many women?”

Ryker grinned. “You want to meet them?”

Joanna blinked. “Of course!”

Ryker laughed heartily. “Sofia can stand to learn some of mother’s grace. As for Patience, I think mother will like her quite a bit. She looks fierce, but her personality is quite a lot like mother’s.”

Joanna’s eyelashes fluttered for a moment before she seemed to remember that she should be reprimanding her son.

“You—,” she pinched his cheeks more fiercely. “No more women, at least not until you give Jaana proper status. That young girl has been too filial to me for you to be so careless with her feelings.”

“Of course not. In this life, Jaana can only be my wife and no one else’s.”

Seeing her son’s imposing might, Joanna sighed. Had it not been for her mistake, how could her child’s radiance be hidden for so long?

She sighed again. “The Silver Mirror, what happened to it?”

Ryker was surprised for a moment before he chuckled.

“Do you think I gave up on it too, mother?”

Joanna blinked in surprise as the Silver Mirror suddenly flashed out of his dantian and appeared before them both.

At the moment, it radiated a holy, but ephemeral aura. It was hard to trace, but it was clear that this mirror was no longer the same as it had been in the past.

Joanna’s eyes widened, and she wanted to sit up, but her body was too weak.

“You… Ryker, you succeeded?”

Ryker grinned. “When has your son ever failed at anything?”

Joanna couldn’t calm down for a long while. It was only after several deep breaths that a bright smile appeared on her face as well.

“Tell me, is it Time Type?”

Ryker’s pupils constricted. It seemed that his mother knew far more than he was aware of.

“Is that the ability of the Adonis family?” Ryker asked back.

When Joanna heard this, her gaze became even brighter before she sighed.

“Little Ryker, if you’ve comprehended Temporal Weave, then do not use it. If you want to use Time Type Spirit Energy, the price is too high. However, if the Silver Mirror has this affinity, then you might have a lane to use your bloodline abilities without worrying about the backlash. Otherwise, you will end up like mother.”

Ryker’s expression became solemn.

It was just as he expected. His mother’s condition was because of Temporal Weave.

“You don’t need to worry, mother. My Pure Soul is immune to it.”

Joanna reacted with surprise again, but when she thought about it, she nodded. Finally, she seemed to sigh a breath of relief. She seemed genuinely happy for her son, then she laughed.

Seeing her like this, Ryker felt at peace as well.

He was trying to keep most things from her, but this time he chose to be direct precisely because he knew that if he hadn’t, she would continue to worry about it.

Clearly, he had been correct.

“Mother, I managed to find a soul method here. It might be helpful to you.”

Ryker handed over the soul cultivation method he had created. He wasn’t sure if it would help, which was why he still planned on finding the Rainbow Feathered Peacock to take its heart.

However, he hoped that this would help stabilize her situation.

“A soul cultivation method?” Joanna was surprised once again. She had never heard of such a thing.

Normally, their souls could only strengthen over time and with the advancement of their normal qi cultivation.

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“Use this for now,” Ryker said as he stood. “I will be back within two weeks.”

Joanna looked up, a hint of worry returning.

“Be careful.”

“No worries, mother. I’m just going to see my lovely fiancee.”

Only when Joanna heard this did she relax again.

“Okay. Say hello to Oliviana for me. I haven’t been able to see her for a long while.”

“Of course. I’ll have to stay awhile to show some filial piety to mother-in-law.”

Ryker waved goodbye to his mother.

The moment he left the room, his gaze became frighteningly cold. It was time to go.

**

Planet Rivarius.

It was to the Rivarius Clan what Planet Valorian was to the Valorian Clan.

Unlike what he told his mother, though, Ryker didn’t go to see Jaana. At least not yet.

He was eager to see her as well, but he knew that if he went to see her, it would be a long endeavor. There was no way he could just stay for a day and then vanish, and if he tried to do so, she would definitely either be angry, or force him to explain. In the end, if he explained what he was going to do, she would definitely ask make him to come, and this matter was far too dangerous.

With her talent, Jaana had likely stepped into Elevated status by now. But how could she know that this wasn’t nearly enough?

So, when Ryker touched down, he didn’t inform the Rivarius Clan at all. Instead, he booked a ticket right to one of their most dangerous zones.

Every planet had their danger zones, and the Valorian Clan had their own share as well. But the Valorian Clan danger zones weren’t of interest to Ryker, at least not yet.

The most direct boost to his power would be a new Water Type Beast. He just wasn’t sure of exactly which kind just yet. Though, he had three in mind.

The first was a familiar creature, and Jaana’s first contract, the Blue Cloud Seeking. It was a rare seahorse Spirit Beast that was also a Variant Type, having both Water and Spirit Type energies under its control.

The good of this creature was obvious.

First, it got rid of one of the main weaknesses of Water Type Spirit Beasts: that being that they couldn’t live outside the water, and many that could find themselves greatly weakened without their water type of preference.

The Blue Cloud Seaking was capable of using a Domain ability to create water from nothing. It could cast such spells capable of turning other elements into the water element and use it to strengthen itself. This was where its Spirit Type energy came from.

The bad was that it was only a 7th Circle Beast. Of course, this also meant that Jaana was a 7th Circle Talent as well, since it was her first contract.

The issue with this, though, was that the reason he even considered it was because most Water Type Spirit Beasts would tank on land. It could be said of most of the 8th Circle Talented Water Type Spirit that he knew of would be like fish in a barrel on a battlefield.

Most Water Type Mythical Masters would be specialists who carried around Water Type treasures that could deploy Domain Barriers.

The reason why they would choose to specialize in the Water Type was because if you deployed a Domain Barrier that turned the surroundings into a land of water, other Type Spirit Beasts would obviously have a hard time. You would end up handicapping your own beast.

The Rivarius Clan happened to have a special Spiritual Resonance that could deploy a Domain of Water without entering the Ascension Realm. Once they became Ascendeds, the power of this Domain would increase exponentially. So they were obviously all Water Type Mythical Masters and they could deploy excellent tactical formations.

It could be said that in battle, the Rivarius Clan was one of the last you would want to come across because they could not only change the entire landscape and handicap most of your beasts, but their Domains could suffocate you to death if you were careless as well.

The other two beasts Ryker had in mind were the Draconic Sapphire Whale and the Emperor Crown Octopus.

Both of these were extremely powerful creatures of the 8th Circle that stood on an even playing field with Phoenix’s Twin Headed Serpent Clan. Though their power would tank out of the water, they were so powerful that they would still be stronger than most 7th Circle Talents, even in their territory.

Even with all his knowledge, these three were the best Ryker could think of, and if he was honest with himself, the more he thought about it, the less satisfied he was.

However, if he could find an egg or infant as talented as Phoenix among these three, it could change everything. That was why he had put in so much effort into the sundial. Now that things had come to this point, there was no going back.

He couldn’t waste the Dao of Water he had formed, and likewise, that very Dao of Water was his trump card this time and the very reason why, instead of choosing a vessel to venture into deep waters, he made it out on his own.

He slipped away from the city under the cover of night, shrouding himself in fluctuations of the Dao. In this state, he was so one with the world that most senses would just pass right over him.

Over time, he had realized that not only could the Dao speed up his recovery, but it had all sorts of miraculous effect.

Little did he know that many of these abilities weren’t the kind he was supposed to awaken so soon after grasping a Dao.

Soon, he had made it to the vastest ocean of the Planet. Though, in reality, while there were three oceans noted on the map, it was just one enormous body divided into currents.

Planet Rivarius was over 90% water, while the rest were islands. The main city was located on the largest island, which was only barely 10% the size of the Valorian Clan minor continent.

However, that was also what made this planet so special.

Without a word from anyone else, Ryker began to walk into the ocean waters until he completely vanished.

The Rivarius Clan would probably be infuriated if they knew this. After all, you couldn’t just stroll into a Clan’s danger zone because you wanted to. After all, they considered most of this planet to be their own personal backyard.

But Ryker didn’t care, chuckling to himself.

‘Think of it as a dowry.’

He was very curious.

The ocean was excessively dangerous and extraordinarily difficult to explore, even for Water Type Mythical Masters.

He wondering if his Dao of Water would give him some interesting surprises as he ventured deeper.

**

“He came?”

A man dressed in blue robes sat behind a desk, a dignified aura radiating off of him.

“Yes. He touched down on Reef Island only an hour ago.”

“Reef Island? Why not Rivarius Island? Did he not come to visit his my granddaughter?”

The informant remained silent.

As the planet of a powerful family, it was not a surprise that the Rivarius knew the comings and goings of any and all who entered their atmosphere.

“This child has stirred up such a big storm the moment he returned. Many are restless.”

The man spoke calmly after a while.

“It is impossible to protect him if he insists on doing things his own way. If things continue like this, the Rivarius Clan might have to draw a clear line with him. This storm is too great.

“The matters that happened with the Mystery Master Alliance back then aren’t so simple, and there’s certainly a large contingent of people that know that he’s here as well.

“Why would he choose to land on the island with the only 8th Circle Treasure City? Is he not going to be satisfied unless he sticks a rod further up the Mystery Master Alliance’s ass?!”

The more the man spoke, the less dignified he became, and the more vulgar his language.

This grandson-in-law of his was going to infuriate him to death. And he had already lost track of how many times he had had this exact thought.

It was like Ryker was antagonizing them on purpose, worried that they wouldn’t send experts after him.

It was a clear provocation.

Planet Rivarius had a Treasure City just like Planet Valorian, and yet instead of landing in the safe haven that was Rivarius Island and City, Ryker landed right in the heart of Treasure City.

He couldn’t have been more infuriating if he tried.

“I swear if he makes my granddaughter a widow before she’s even married, I’ll rip his balls off personally!”

The informant kept his head lowered the entire time, smiling bitterly.

This was a mighty God Realm expert, and of the water element no less. Who would expect his real personality to be like this?

“Get me the movements of those Treasure City bastards, at least restrain them somewhat. Dammit, this infuriating brat. He definitely knew I would do this for him. He’s trying to use my hand to kill. If I don’t spank a layer of skin off his ass, my name is Irozan!”

**

As Ryker moved deeper into the sea, he felt comfort.

By this point, he had sunk several hundred meters and was still walking along the bottom. The pressure should have begun to get to him, but not only was his breathing even, he didn’t really feel much pressure at all.

The water was him, and he was the water. The fact he could breathe so easily was a testament to that.

Usually, experts would have to rely on treasures that would have pressure ratings and deep diving limits. But Ryker felt that as he descended, and his Dao improved, he could continue quite easily.

By the time he had descended a kilometer, and was over a hundred kilometers from shore, he felt his Dao of Water breakthrough and reach the same level that his Dao of Fire had.

The pressure around him practically vanished, and a bubble easily formed around him.

Ryker shook his head and reeled it back in. The water touched against his skin and suddenly he became no different from a current moved through the dark blue depths.

“I should be coming up to the 7th Circle beast territory soon. I guess we can check out the Blue Cloud Seakings first to see if there’s anything of interest.”

Ryker sped forward, then suddenly chuckled to himself.

‘I bet that old man is throwing a tantrum already.’

Then his gaze flashed with a cold light that seemed to make the dark depths even chillier.

He knew what the old man would do, but quite frankly, he hoped that a few slip through the cracks first.

He certainly wouldn’t mind killing a few of that Alliance first just to collect some interest before he truly wiped them off the map.