After finalizing the deal at the Outer Hall Affairs building, Rinne held the small house token given to her by the teller.


    The token was more than just proof of ownership; it contained a detailed record of the house’s location, etched within its core. She swept her spiritual sense over it, quickly understanding the directions to her new home.


    "Right. This is where I''ll stay."


    The token also functioned as a key, allowing only the owner—or those they explicitly permitted—entry into the house.


    While this security measure was significant, it couldn''t prevent access to anyone at the Nascent Soul stage or above. However, that didn’t concern Rinne for now, as Nascent Soul cultivators in the sect were elders with no reason to interfere with a mere outer disciple. In the future, she considered improving the house’s defensive formations if she stayed long enough, or perhaps moving to a better home.


    ''Perhaps I''ll improve it when the time comes.''


    Rinne finally arrived at her destination—a modest structure tucked away in a quieter area of the Frostfire Sect’s outer disciple quarters. The cold mountain wind whipped through the air, carrying with it the bite of frost, but the small house stood firm. It was built with simple yet sturdy materials, a stone building that insulated the interior from the biting cold outside.


    The stone walls shimmered faintly with lingering spiritual energy, and as Rinne pressed the token against the door, it unlocked with a quiet click, granting her entry.


    ''It’s smaller than expected… but it''ll do.''


    She stepped inside and immediately scanned the house with her spiritual sense, taking in every detail. The interior was basic but functional. The common room had a low stone table, a couple of old chairs, and a modest fireplace that still retained a trace of warmth from its last use.


    The walls were bare stone, but Rinne’s sharp eyes caught a few scratches that seemed deliberate—likely remnants of the house’s previous owner. The scratches formed crude mnemonics for a Spirit Gathering manual, a clear sign that the former resident had tried to use the house as a study space.


    She activated the house token once again, this time reading the recorded history embedded within it.


    The previous owner had been a male disciple at the 5th Spirit Gathering stage, who had died during a mission. His death meant he could no longer pay the monthly rent, and the house was reclaimed by the Outer Affairs Hall. They had already cleaned the place, confiscating anything of value left behind.


    "Rest in peace, senior brother."


    To Rinne, this information was irrelevant—just another faceless story in a world filled with fleeting lives.


    Rinne walked down the short hallway, peeking into the small kitchen and then entering the bedroom, which was just large enough for a single bed and a wooden chest. She inspected everything methodically, ensuring no hidden threats or prying eyes were left behind.


    After a thorough examination, Rinne let out a quiet breath, her thoughts quickly shifting to the task at hand. The house was adequate for her current needs, but she wasn’t one to leave things in their basic state. She took out a small knife from her spatial bag, the familiar weight in her hand steadying her. Kneeling at the corner of the common room floor, she began carving a series of formations into the stone.


    Her first formation was one she often used—the Evil Blood Sacrifice Formation.


    Despite its ominous name, the formation’s original purpose was not inherently evil. It was designed to extract energy from various sources, allowing the user to substitute spiritual stones with other materials. However, certain evil sects had twisted its function, modifying it to drain vitality from mortals and other living beings, which led to its dark reputation.


    Rinne, however, planned to use it for its intended purpose, without the sinister modifications. With this formation, she could fuel her formations with other materials that provide spiritual energy, like how she used Spirit Gathering pills during the trial before. This was useful because she was not rich at the moment and her supply of spirit stones was limited.


    Once she finished carving the first formation, Rinne moved on to her second task.


    This one was far more intricate, the Array Automatic Creation Formation—a formation she created that could automatically project a design from her mind and imprint it on the stone surfaces of the room. It was one of her favorite creations, sparing her the tedious labor of manually inscribing each rune. Instead, with this technique, she could "print" an entire formation in an instant.


    ''This will save me a lot of time.''


    Of course, the formation design Rinne created was very complex and almost impossible to create manually by hand. This was because this formation used the concept of micro sculpting, which could literally compress a large-scale formation into a compact size, making it much smaller.


    In modern times, it''s like comparing a bulky old hard drive to a micro SSD—which compresses large amounts of data into a compact, efficient design.


    However, Rinne knew that the process of projecting the formation design from her mind would be no simple task. Transferring the complex series of intricate lines and runes from her mental blueprint into the physical world would strain her focus. It wasn’t a task she could complete lightly; it would require a steady mind and plenty of spiritual energy to endure the mental toll.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ''It''s done for now, best to rest before attempting this.''


    Satisfied for the moment, Rinne sheathed her knife, mentally preparing for the work ahead.


    She would rest for the night, ensuring her mind was clear and her energy restored before attempting such an endeavor. There was no need to rush. Tomorrow, with a refreshed spirit, she would begin the delicate work of imprinting the formation.


    ???


    The next morning, Rinne awoke as the first light of dawn seeped through the window.


    She blinked a few times, feeling refreshed after a night of rest. Though the familiar dull ache of her unstable spiritual root still lingered, she had adjusted to the pain—it was no longer a hindrance, just a constant reminder of her condition. Sitting up, she stretched her arms, feeling her muscles loosen, then swung her legs over the side of the bed.


    Sunlight streamed through the frosted window of her modest house, illuminating the room with a soft glow. Today was supposed to be the day of the new disciple orientation, but Rinne had no intention of attending.


    The orientation merely introduced sect rules and basic cultivation techniques—things she already knew. The basic cultivation class was particularly irrelevant to her; it only taught new disciples how to introduce spiritual energy into their bodies and officially enter the 1st Spirit Gathering stage. Rinne had already achieved this the moment her meridians were transformed.


    “Nothing useful there. Wasting time.”


    Instead of wasting her day, Rinne decided to continue with her own tasks.


    She took out a Spirit Gathering Pill and placed it in the center of her Energy Extraction Formation—or the former Evil Blood Sacrifice Formation due to its infamous history. But in Rinne’s case, there would be no blood spilled today.


    With a subtle gesture, she activated the formation.


    Immediately, a transparent white glow enveloped the pill, far different from the deep crimson glow that often accompanied this formation. The lack of vitality or resentment meant that the energies extracted from the pill were pure. Human vitality, stored mostly in blood, was absent, which explained why there was no blood-red glow.


    Though the energy extracted from the pill was modest, it was sufficient to activate the next formation that overlapped with it—her Spirit Gathering Formation, which would sustain the operation. After stabilizing everything, Rinne took a deep breath and braced herself for what came next.


    "Let''s do this."


    Rinne’s favorite formation, the Array Automatic Creation Formation, came into action.


    It scanned the image of the intricate formation she had stored in her mind and began to project the corresponding lines onto the floor, walls, and ceiling of the room. Almost instantly, a sharp pain shot through her skull, as though a migraine had gripped her entire mind.


    "Ugh…"


    Rinne winced, enduring the discomfort.


    Unlike typical formation lines packed with visible runes, this one manifested as a series of compact 5cm straight lines. Yet upon closer inspection, these lines were densely packed with microscopic runes, compressed so tightly that they appeared almost seamless. Such precision was beyond manual carving—only a sophisticated formation could etch these designs.


    The process was mentally exhausting, taking four hours to complete. As Rinne bore the headache, she watched the lines spread throughout the floor, walls, and ceiling of her home, seeping into the structure. When the final line settled into place, the formation activated.


    Suddenly, the entire room distorted, as though the very fabric of space rippled outward from the formation. Rinne instinctively shut her eyes as the shift took place, the strange sensation disorienting her senses for a brief moment. When she reopened them, the once modest and cramped space seemed to stretch outward. Her small house appeared significantly larger, the walls receding far beyond their original positions.


    She blinked, examining her surroundings.


    "Did it succeed…?"


    Of course, the room itself hadn’t actually grown in size. Instead, the objects within the formation that weren’t imprinted by its lines had shrunk, creating the illusion that the space was far more expansive. The effect wasn’t permanent—it only worked within the house.


    If any object left the building, its size would revert to normal.


    "This will do… for now."


    Real spatial-changing formations required rare materials like void stones, which contained spatial energy—materials far beyond Rinne’s current reach. Still, this illusion served its purpose.


    To make things even smoother, Rinne also added an illusion function, a derivative of Phantasmal Mirage Formation, designed to mask the transition of size. Anyone standing outside the house would still see the people inside as their normal size, while those within could see the outside world without distortion.


    But that wasn’t the main feature of this function.


    The interior of the house, which was originally simple, has now transformed into a luxurious estate with modern aesthetics.


    Marble walls adorned with intricate carvings replaced the plain stone. The floor turned flat and glossy, as if coated in epoxy, softly reflecting her image, while plush fur carpets spread across the ground. The ceiling seemed to stretch higher, decorated with colorful glasswork that cast a subtle glow over the room.


    The moment the Illusion Formation activated, the transformation of the room was far more than just visual.


    The illusion extended its reach to all five senses, enveloping Rinne in a fabricated reality that felt as tangible as the real world. As she moved through the room, the smooth marble walls felt cool beneath her fingertips, even though they were only the rough stone walls beneath the illusion. The fur carpet underfoot had a plush, luxurious softness, a stark contrast to the plain flooring hidden beneath.


    The high ceiling and intricate glass decorations sparkled with elegance, casting fragmented lights across the room. Rinne couldn''t help but marvel at how real it all seemed, even though she knew, logically, none of it existed. The scent of fresh, crisp air, tinged with a faint floral note, filled the room as if a gentle breeze carried it from a distant meadow. This, too, was part of the illusion, masking the actual smell of dust that lingered in the real space.


    However, not everything was perfect. The original furniture, not imprinted by the formation, had also shrunk and stood out awkwardly against the grand illusion. Still, that was a minor issue.


    Satisfied, Rinne retrieved her stone cauldron and stove from her spatial bag, placing them near the fireplace, which had also grown in size. The Array Automatic Creation Formation had created an area that would provide a fireless, concentrated heat—perfect for her pill refining.


    A smile tugged at her lips.


    "With this, Atelier Rinne is officially open! Just kidding."


    It was a joke, but the pride she felt in her work was no less real. Now, her home was not only secure, but it also provided the perfect environment for her alchemical pursuits.