The Shattered Pagoda was a ruin of black stone and rotting wood, perched precariously on a cliff edge like a vulture waiting to die.
Below its cracked foundations lay the "Yin-Spring"—a natural vent of cold, necrotic energy that seeped up through the floorboards. For a normal cultivator, sleeping here would mean waking up with withered meridians and frostbitten lungs. It was a death sentence disguised as exile.
"It's perfect," Aris whispered.
He stood in the center of the main hall, inhaling deeply. The "poisonous" air rushed into his lungs, but instead of killing him, it was instantly broken down by his Abyssal Sovereign Body. The necrotic chill was converted into dense, violet Qi that settled in his dantian like heavy syrup.
This wasn't a prison. It was a private generator.
He ignored the thick dust and the hanging cobwebs, walking straight to the basement. He needed tools. He needed a face.
"System," Aris commanded. "Open the Creation Forge. Crafting Project: The Mask of the Faceless."
A holographic anvil appeared in his mind's eye, glowing with a dark, industrial light.
[Requirements for 'Mask of the Faceless':]
150 AP (Deducted from Balance). 1x Fragment of a Mirror ( scavenged from the ruins). 1x Drop of Host's Blood (The binding agent). 1x Soul of a 'Deceived' Enemy (The lingering fear harvested from Kael).
Aris placed the broken mirror shard on the floor and let a drop of his blood fall onto it.
"Execute."
[Crafting... 10%... 50%... 100%]
The mirror shard dissolved, mixing with the blood and the invisible essence of fear. It swirled into a liquid, pearl-white substance before hardening instantly into a solid shape.
Aris reached out and took the object. It was a mask made of smooth, white porcelain. It had no features—no eyes, no mouth, no nose. It was a blank canvas.
[Item Created: Mask of the Faceless]
[Rank: Growth-Type Artifact]
[Feature: Identity Synthesis]
Current Form: "The Pale Alchemist." Effect: Alters the wearer's height, voice, and aura signature. Cultivators Level 60 or below cannot see through the disguise. Passive Skill:Merchant's Eye (Instantly appraises the market value and hidden defects of any item).
Aris pressed the cold porcelain to his face.
It didn't feel like wearing a mask. It felt like his face melted away. His bones shifted, stretching and cracking painlessly. His small, five-year-old frame elongated, growing into the height of a grown man. His ragged tunic morphed into high-collared, midnight-black robes.
He walked to a puddle of water to check his reflection. A tall, faceless figure stared back.
"Time to go to work," Aris said. His voice was no longer a child's rasp; it was a deep, smooth baritone that commanded attention.
The First Venture
That night, the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.
Aris utilized Ghost-Step combined with Nox's Shadow-Walk. He didn't just walk past the estate guards; he slipped through the gaps in their perception.
For the first time in five years, Aris stood within the walls of the Royal Capital of the Great Qin Empire.
It was a sensory overload. The city was a neon-lit fantasy of floating jade carriages and towering pagodas that glowed with internal spiritual fire. The streets were packed with cultivators, merchants, and beasts. The air smelled of roasted meat, rare spices, and ozone.
Aris moved through the crowd like a shark in a school of fish. He headed straight for the Black Market District—the underbelly of the city where questions were expensive and morals were cheap.
He needed capital. And the fastest way to get it was to exploit the incompetence of this world's "experts."
He stopped at a chaotic stall piled high with withered plants and rejected herbs. A sign read: "Discounted Scraps - 1 Copper Each."
[Abyssal Eye: Active]
[Merchant's Eye: Scanning...]
His vision turned into a spreadsheet.
[Item: Wilted Dragon-Tongue Grass]
Market Price: 2 Copper. True Value: 50 Gold. Analysis: The "wilt" is actually a concentrated layer of Yin-Essence. To a normal Alchemist, it is poison that ruins the pill. To the Abyssal Sovereign, it is a high-grade catalyst.
Aris pointed a gloved hand at the heap of rotting black grass.
"I'll take the whole pile," the Pale Alchemist said.
The stall owner, a greasy man with a missing tooth, squinted at him. "You sure, stranger? That stuff is dead. If you brew it, you'll just make a pot of sludge."
"I am conducting... experiments," Aris replied smoothly. "Do you want the copper or not?"
The owner laughed, eager to offload the trash. "Sure, sure. If you want to brew a pot of death, be my guest."
Aris paid with the few coins he had looted from Kael. He walked away with a sack full of "trash" that was worth a small fortune, if processed correctly.
The Secret Laboratory
Back in the safety of the Shattered Pagoda, Aris emptied the sack onto the stone floor.
He didn't have a cauldron. He didn't need one.
"System," Aris commanded. "Open the Creation Forge."
He threw the "trash" herbs into the air. He extended his hand, and violet Abyssal Qi surged from his palm, suspending the herbs in a swirling vortex of gravity-defying energy.
[Processing: Pure Essence Extraction...]
[Refining Method: Abyssal Calcination.]
[Adding Catalyst: Host's Qi.]
The dead, black leaves withered away, leaving behind glowing droplets of silver liquid. Aris compressed them, his will crushing the energy into solid form.
A few minutes later, the vortex vanished. Three pills hovered in the air.
They were jet black, smooth as obsidian, with a single, glowing violet stripe encircling them.
[Item Created: Abyssal Foundation Pill]
[Rank: Earth-Grade (Top Quality)]
[Effect:] Instantly clears 20% of impurities from a cultivator's body, boosting cultivation speed by 200% for 24 hours.
[Side Effect: Shadow-Addiction.]
Note: The user's meridians will crave the specific frequency of Abyssal Qi. They will feel "empty" when using normal pills afterwards.
Aris plucked one of the pills from the air, examining it under the moonlight. It was beautiful. It was dangerous.
"With these," Aris smirked beneath his mask, his violet eye reflecting the sinister glow of the pill, "I don't just get rich. I get leverage."
A normal merchant sold a product. A smart merchant sold a necessity. A villain? A villain sold an addiction.
[Abyssal Nexus: Wealth & Progress Update]
[New Quest: The Hidden Monopoly]
Goal: Sell your pills at the Golden Phoenix Auction House and earn at least 500 Gold. Reward: 300 AP + Unlock Feature: 'Abyssal Forging: Weapon Soul'. Time Limit: 48 Hours.
Aris stored the pills in a jade bottle.
"Nox," he called out.
The shadow-beast emerged, yawning.
"Rest up," Aris said, looking toward the distant lights of the Auction House. "Tomorrow, we disrupt the market."