The Elven Cultivator

After spending over twenty years in the Silver Moon Forest, accustomed to fragrant flowers and lush greenery, Anton was momentarily dazed by the sudden sight of this desolate landscape, which was nonetheless teeming with a primal life force.

He stood there, staring for a long while before slowly coming back to his senses.

'After being cooped up in the forest for so long, even a patch of wasteland is a sight for sore eyes.'

Anton couldn't help but sigh.

'In my past life, players often joked that Elves were a bunch of shut-ins, capable of staying in the forest for centuries without ever leaving. Real-life homebodies were complete amateurs by comparison.

Who would've thought I'd become one of those century-long shut-ins myself.'

Composing himself, Anton activated the Thousand Faces Skill.

With a faint, crackling sound, the skin on his face began to ripple. His high nasal bridge flattened, the piercing glint in his deep-set eyes faded, and their color changed from translucent amber to a murky brownish-yellow.

His brow ridge receded, his thin lips grew fuller, and the cartilage of his ears curled and folded inward, becoming short and rounded, completely hiding his iconic elven ears.

His long, pale-gold hair, like faded brocade, rapidly dulled, turning into an unremarkable dark brown.

His originally exceptionally handsome features became plain and unremarkable in the blink of an eye.

Even his tall, slender frame shrank by more than ten centimeters, transforming him completely into the guise of a human.

Anton touched his face and nodded in satisfaction.

'An Elf's appearance is too conspicuous out here. It's much safer to travel in a different guise. This way, I also avoid the risk of running into my kin and exposing the fact that I've left the Silver Moon Forest.'

The Thousand Faces Skill was a disguise art he had found in the Taoist Jade Scroll. It used Spiritual Qi to alter one's very bones and flesh, allowing one to mimic the appearance of others.

Though not a powerful combat technique, it was extremely practical in certain situations.

The crucial part was that this was no illusion, but a genuine physical transformation. Even an inspection with Magic would reveal nothing amiss.

Anton then took a black steel sword from a storage talisman, fastened it to his waist, and strode purposefully into the depths of the hills.

The terrain of the Thousand Rock Hills was rugged and covered in bizarre rock formations. Vegetation was sparse, with only occasional clumps of withered yellow thorns clinging to rock crevices, shedding flakes with every gust of wind.

In such a harsh environment, ordinary beasts and birds naturally found it difficult to survive.

But the Scale Rock Lizards were an exception.

They were the offspring of a Rock-Horned Dragon and a Wild Giant Lizard, possessing a faint trace of the Dragon Race's bloodline. Their stomach acid was strong enough to digest even rocks, from which they extracted the nutrients needed for survival.

Therefore, the most abundant creatures in the Thousand Rock Hills were the Scale Rock Lizards.

Anton didn't have to walk far before he encountered one.

Its long, flat body was a little over two meters long, with its tail accounting for about a third of that length. Its body was covered in a thick layer of rock that served as natural armor.

Its limbs were short and thick yet powerful, and its claws glinted with a cold, metallic light. It looked like something not to be trifled with.

The moment it spotted Anton, the Scale Rock Lizard opened its gaping, tooth-filled maw and charged, radiating killing intent.

An adult Scale Rock Lizard's power level was generally between lower-tier and upper-tier Black Iron. You could basically judge its specific rank by its size—the larger the creature, the stronger it was.

A two-meter-long Scale Rock Lizard like this one was clearly only at the lower-tier Black Iron level.

Even so, Anton didn't underestimate it. With a grim expression, he drew his weapon, stepped forward to engage it, and with a horizontal swing of his sword, a great wave of fire instantly materialized, sweeping towards the Scale Rock Lizard.

Divine Sun Sword Skill!

The Scale Rock Lizard never expected that this human, who appeared to be a sword-wielding Warrior ready for close combat, would unleash an attack that resembled Magic. Caught completely by surprise, it was instantly engulfed by the wave of fire.

The scorching heat instantly burned the rocky plating on the Scale Rock Lizard's body a glaring black, covering it in a dense web of cracks.

A blood-curdling shriek escaped its mouth, echoing through the empty hills.

Having landed the first blow, Anton pressed his attack. He executed the Star Shifting Step, flashing like a whirlwind to the Scale Rock Lizard's side, and followed up with another vicious slash.

The martial arts passed down by the Taoist Jade Scroll numbered in the millions, and even among such a staggering collection, the destructive power of the Divine Sun Sword Skill was in the absolute top tier.

When cultivated to a profound level, a top-tier divine martial art like this could even rival the power of most Techniques.

Under Anton's relentless assault, the Scale Rock Lizard lost the initiative and was so overwhelmed it could only roar in futility.

In the span of just three or four breaths, the rocky plating on its body was riddled with cracks and falling to pieces, revealing the scorched, grayish-brown flesh underneath.

Seeing this, Anton no longer held back and thrust his sword straight forward.

It seemed like an ordinary thrust, but the moment the sword lunged, the surrounding air distorted. A red glow, so intense it was almost blinding, erupted from the blade, like a miniature sun bursting into existence. A roiling heatwave wrapped in flames surged forth, crashing down upon the Scale Rock Lizard.

BOOM!

The Scale Rock Lizard was instantly submerged in the wave of flames, turning into a blazing fireball that was thrown back, crashing heavily onto the ground more than ten meters away.

It rolled and struggled frantically, but it could not extinguish the fierce flames on its body. After a moment, its movements gradually weakened until, finally, it went still and silent.

The smell of scorched flesh filled the air.

Anton let out a long breath and slowly lowered his sword.

'The Divine Sun Sword Skill is powerful, no doubt, but the cost to use it is terrifyingly high. My Taichu Spiritual Qi is one of the highest grades there is, yet a single use of that 'Sun-Piercing Strike' drained nearly half of it.

If I were to use 'Nine Suns Arising,' wouldn't it drain me completely?

My current Cultivation Level isn't high enough to unleash the full power of the Divine Sun Sword Skill. I'd better use my Big Moves sparingly. Regular sword strikes are more than enough for Scale Rock Lizards.'

Coming back to his senses, Anton looked at the corpse of the Scale Rock Lizard on the ground, his spirits lifting once more.

'I knew I wouldn't have any trouble with a lower-tier Black Iron Scale Rock Lizard, but I'm still a bit surprised at how easy it was.

At this rate, my overall combat strength must be at least upper-tier Black Iron.

And with my Talismans, I could probably even take on someone at Black Iron Peak, right?'

'Upper-tier Black Iron strength at the Early Stage of Qi Refining... the Cultivator system is just too overpowered,' Anton marveled.

'Once I reach Foundation Establishment, couldn't I fight a Golden Tier expert head-on?'

After reveling in his excitement for a moment, Anton started to deal with the Scale Rock Lizard's corpse.

The rocky plating on its body had long since cracked and shattered under the intense heat, revealing the charred black flesh underneath.

Anton slapped his forehead in frustration. 'What a waste.'

'Forget the meat and blood, but the scaled hide of a Scale Rock Lizard is a prime material for leather armor. It's quite valuable and can be sold in town for a good price.

Considering the massive amount of materials I'll need for Alchemy and Artifact Refining in the future, I should start building up my funds now.

And these Scale Rock Lizard hides are definitely a good way to earn some coin.

I'll have to use a different martial art to deal with Scale Rock Lizards from now on.'

This was not a problem for Anton.

In the last four years, he had cultivated more than one weapon-based martial art.

Besides the Divine Sun Sword Skill, there was also the Cold Abyss Sword.

It was based on the concepts of extreme yin and cold, making it the polar opposite of the Divine Sun Sword Skill, which was based on extreme yang and resilience.

Simultaneously cultivating two martial arts with conflicting attributes was a major taboo for ordinary Cultivators—something strictly forbidden. But for Anton, who practiced the Taichu Hiding Skill and could freely convert his Five Elements Spiritual Qi, it was as natural as breathing.

'Come to think of it, lizards are cold-blooded creatures, extremely sensitive to temperature changes. The Cold Abyss Sword might be surprisingly effective against them.'

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