Shattered Sanity

The breakthrough potion carried a surprisingly sweet taste.

It melted almost instantly upon touching Riven’s tongue before flowing down his throat as a soothing warmth that spread throughout his body, leaving behind a faint herbal aftertaste that lingered inside his mouth for only a few brief moments.

Then, deep within his Soul Vessel, Riven suddenly felt something gently stirring.

The refined Aether released by the breakthrough medicine gathered together before slowly beginning to rotate around itself, forming a tiny whirlpool at the very centre of his Soul Vessel, as almost immediately afterwards, countless tiny strands of natural Aether began flowing towards it from every direction.

The whirlpool had awakened.

’I see.... So this is what the special potion does....’

Riven thought, as sitting motionless upon the meditation mat, he quietly observed the strange phenomenon unfolding inside his body.

The sensation was unusual.

It felt less like pain and more like a faint tingling deep within his chest, as though countless tiny streams of warm water continuously flowed towards a single point inside him.

There was no discomfort or pressure, only the quiet awareness that something inside him had begun changing.

’So I’m just supposed to resist the increasing pressure now?

That’s simple enough....’

Riven thought internally, as he calmly focused upon the steadily growing whirlpool within his Soul Vessel.

The first few minutes quietly passed, as the whirlpool continued spinning while more and more Aether entered his Soul Vessel, yet Riven’s breathing remained perfectly steady and his expression never changed.

”That’s it, Young Master.

Simply maintain your concentration and resist the expansion for as long as you comfortably can.

You’re doing wonderfully.”

Aldren encouraged, as he watched the young man with complete confidence.

Beside him, however, the Imperial Anatomist remained far less composed.

His weathered hands stayed clasped tightly behind his back while his eyes never left Riven for even a single heartbeat, as years of planning, years of research, and years of carving had all ultimately led to this very moment.

Watching Riven calmly beginning his first breakthrough, he felt less like a physician observing his patient and more like a sculptor standing before the masterpiece upon which he had spent an entire lifetime.

As slowly, fifteen minutes quietly slipped by.

”How is the pressure now young master? Are you feeling okay?”

Aldren asked, as Riven simply nodded with his eyes closed, as the whirlpool continued drawing enormous quantities of Aether into his Soul Vessel without pause.

Yet, apart from the faint tingling sensation growing ever so slightly stronger, he felt almost nothing at all.

The expected pressure simply never arrived, as his breathing remained calm, his heartbeat normal, and his mind at ease.

”Excellent, Young Master.

Very, very good.

Just continue exactly like that.”

Aldren praised, as his confidence remained unwavering.

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Another fifteen minutes gradually passed before Riven finally noticed the very first hint of resistance.

It was so faint that had Aldren not explained the breakthrough process beforehand, he doubted he would have recognised it at all.

The walls of his Soul Vessel gently pressed outwards, as without hesitation, Riven simply focused his will upon them, causing the movement to immediately stop.

”Thirty minutes.

You’re progressing beautifully, Young Master.

Keep going!”

Aldren commented, as he briefly glanced towards the Imperial Anatomist with an approving smile.

Thirty minutes already placed someone near the upper limit of an ordinary Ascendant, as most breakthroughs naturally concluded around this point when the Soul Vessel could no longer withstand the mounting internal pressure.

Riven, however, showed no signs whatsoever of approaching his limit, as the whirlpool continued spinning relentlessly while the surrounding Aether continued pouring into his Soul Vessel without pause.

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Before anyone truly realised it, thirty minutes quietly became one full hour.

Only then did Riven’s breathing finally begin changing, as slow, heavy breaths gradually escaped his lips while sweat slowly formed across his forehead before rolling down the side of his face.

Even so, the calm expression he had maintained since the very beginning never changed, as he merely continued suppressing the increasingly violent urge to let his Soul Vessel expand.

Meanwhile, across the room, Aldren’s own expression gradually began shifting.

Resisting breakthrough for one full hour meant that Riven was a true prodigy level genius, and yet, what astonished him even more was the speed at which the surrounding Aether continued disappearing into Riven’s Soul Vessel.

The whirlpool currently showed absolutely no signs of slowing down, which meant that Riven could still probably go on for many more minutes.

’Just how much Aether is that Soul Vessel holding?’ Aldren wondered silently, as disbelief slowly crept across his face.

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Another fifteen minutes quietly passed before genuine pain finally began making itself known.

The burning sensation within Riven’s chest rapidly intensified until it felt as though a blazing furnace had been lit beneath his ribs, while the pressure pressing against his Soul Vessel also grew noticeably heavier.

Yet none of it surprised him.

Months of having his reconstructed body continuously saturated with Aether had already accustomed him to heat beyond what ordinary people could endure, while pain had accompanied nearly every waking day of his life since arriving beneath the Imperial Anatomist’s laboratory.

Compared to shattered bones, compared to muscles being carved apart, and compared to having a thousand needles stabbed into your veins for years, this was absolutely nothing.

As Riven simply gritted his teeth and continued enduring.

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By the ninety minute mark, it was Aldren who had begun sweating.

His eyes repeatedly shifted towards the Imperial Anatomist before returning to Riven once more, as part of him desperately wanted to end the breakthrough before something unimaginable occurred, yet another part understood that interrupting the process now could rob the young man of a foundation that might never again be attainable.

So despite his own nerves, he remained silent.

The whirlpool continued spinning, more Aether continued gathering, and the pressure continued climbing until, eventually, two full hours passed.

By now, Aldren felt his mouth gradually becoming dry while his palms had long since become drenched with sweat.

Never in his entire career had he witnessed anything remotely approaching this, nor had he ever even heard stories of someone maintaining the compression for two full hours.

The boy sitting before him had already stepped beyond the realm of ordinary geniuses, and was now bordering upon monstrosity.

”Young Master...

Do you truly intend to continue until either your will finally breaks... or your Soul Vessel does?”

Aldren asked quietly, as he suddenly remembered the question Riven had asked before beginning the breakthrough.

’Could resisting for too long damage the Soul Vessel?’

He had asked, as at the time, Aldren had dismissed the concern without giving it another thought.

However, only now did he finally understand why the question had been asked.

For ordinary people, the pain they experienced long before reaching this point would already have shattered their concentration, with many willingly surrendering while others simply lost consciousness altogether.

Yet the young man seated before him had endured years of suffering that made today’s pain seem almost insignificant by comparison.

His breathing had grown heavier, sweat continuously rolled down his face, and the pressure inside his Soul Vessel had reached an almost unimaginable level, yet his resolve never wavered even once.

Five more minutes quietly passed before the pressure inside Riven’s Soul Vessel finally surpassed even the limits of his extraordinary will, as a deafening explosion echoed through his consciousness while the walls of his Soul Vessel burst apart all at once, expanding with terrifying force as an overwhelming torrent of Aether flooded every corner of his body, marking the birth of an Ember Rank Ascendant unlike any Aldren had ever witnessed before.