The Elven Cultivator

A spar?

The Elves of the Silver Moon Race exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of emotions.

The Great Elder looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

Kalefin smiled. "Each of our sides will put forth one person for a friendly, limited-contact spar. If the Silver Moon Race wins, I'll make the decision to increase the annual trade quota to five ounces. If you lose, it will be reduced to two ounces. What do you say?"

The moment he spoke, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense.

The Great Elder's eyes flickered, but he did not answer immediately.

Kalefin smiled and added, "Of course, there's no need for old folks like us to get involved. It's better to let the younger generation have a friendly match."

He turned his head to look at Daniels beside him. "This is my deputy, Daniels. He is one hundred fifty-three years old this year. We'll have him represent our delegation in this match."

With the Great Elder's keen sight, he could naturally see the pride and arrogance deep in the young Elf's eyes.

His expression shifted slightly. He asked, "Is Lord Daniels a Golden Tier?"

"Elder Leonard has sharp eyes." Kalefin nodded with a broad smile.

Daniels subconsciously puffed out his chest, his back ramrod straight.

His gaze swept across the members of the Silver Moon Race opposite him, awaiting the shock and amazement he expected.

On previous diplomatic missions, whenever Kalefin announced his age and tier, the Elves of other Clans would always show expressions of shock, envy, or disbelief, which he found quite gratifying.

This time, however, Daniels was disappointed.

The reaction of the crowd opposite him was... unexpectedly placid.

It was so underwhelming that Daniels couldn't help but suspect Kalefin had misspoken. 'Did he say "Golden Tier" instead of "Silver Tier"?'

Kalefin was also a little surprised by their reaction, but he didn't give it much thought.

His proposal for a spar was not made on a whim.

In fact, with every Elf Race he visited, Kalefin would find a way to arrange a spar.

On one hand, it was to display the power of the Royal Court and intimidate these Clans.

On the other hand, it was also to probe the foundations of these Clans and gauge their strength.

"Daniels is a holder of the Royal Court's 'Radiant Star' title," Kalefin added.

The Great Elder's expression flickered, and he glanced at Daniels.

The Jade Royal Court was different from ordinary Elf Races. Although they also had the Wind-Whisperer system, they didn't place much importance on it.

Instead, they had their own system of honorary titles. Based on the aptitude and potential of the younger generation, they were divided, from top to bottom, into Sacred Star, Radiant Star, and Genesis Star.

Among them, the Genesis Star title required reaching the Silver Tier before the age of one hundred.

Those who could pass the Wind-Whisperer trials could basically all obtain this title.

The Radiant Star title required advancing to Silver Peak before the age of one hundred.

As for the Sacred Star, it required advancing to the Golden Tier before the age of one hundred.

A Wind-Whisperer, considered the highest honor among ordinary Elf Races, was merely the lowest rung of genius in the Jade Royal Court.

And any holder of the Radiant Star title, if placed in any other Clan, could become the strongest of the younger generation.

As for a holder of the Sacred Star title, they were a top-tier genius that ordinary Elf Races could hardly even imagine.

The Great Elder fell silent for a moment, his mind racing.

'If the opponent were only a Silver Tier, I could send either Romance or Eleanor.'

'But a Golden Tier...'

He glanced at Elena, who was standing to the side.

The youngest Golden Tier present was Elena.

That said, Elena was also over three hundred years old, more than twice Daniels' age.

Having her fight would undoubtedly violate the rule Kalefin had mentioned about the younger generation sparring.

Seeing the Great Elder's prolonged silence, Kalefin thought to himself, 'It seems the Silver Moon Race has no Golden Tiers under two hundred years old.'

He wasn't surprised by this.

Golden Tiers under two hundred years old weren't a dime a dozen, after all.

Aside from the Jade Royal Court, very few Clans could cultivate a genius of this level.

Although they might occasionally produce one or two young Elves with outstanding aptitude, they lacked the resources to support their rapid growth.

Only in the Jade Royal Court could these geniuses truly realize their talent and potential.

Kalefin was just about to say a few pleasantries to ease the stalemate when he saw the Great Elder turn his head and instruct Elena, who was beside him, "Elena, go find Anton. See if it's convenient for him to come over."

For any other matter, the Great Elder would have just brushed it off and wouldn't have bothered Anton with it.

But this time, it involved the Lunar Radiance Spiritual Liquid.

And this was precisely a resource Anton desperately needed, so he had no choice but to ask him to come.

Elena nodded, then rose and left the hall.

Kalefin was slightly taken aback.

'The Silver Moon Race really has a Golden Tier under two hundred?'

'What's more, why did Elder Leonard's tone sound... so respectful toward that person?'

That wasn't the tone one would expect when addressing a young Elf.

A flash of surprise also crossed Daniels' eyes, but he quickly dismissed it.

'In my view, even if the Silver Moon Race has a Golden Tier under two hundred, they're probably barely a Lower Gold. Compared to me—a Middle Gold who has mastered numerous powerful combat techniques—the gap is still obvious.'

He was curious to see what kind of opponent the Silver Moon Race could send out.

Before long, the sound of steady footsteps came from the entrance of the hall.

Kalefin followed the sound with his gaze and saw a young Elf walking in with Elena.

The newcomer's attire was very simple. His pale golden hair was casually tied back, but it didn't look messy; instead, it gave him an ethereal air.

His features were exceptionally refined, stunning even among the Elf Race.

His amber eyes were especially deep, like pools of water. Staring into them for too long gave one the faint illusion that their very soul was being drawn in.

With Kalefin's keen eye, he could naturally tell that the newcomer was no older than one hundred and fifty.

Even younger than Daniels.

'A Golden Tier of this age, even if only a Lower Gold, is still quite impressive.'

'It seems the Silver Moon Race has some good prospects after all.'

Daniels was also sizing up the newcomer, his gaze appraising.

The other's appearance had piqued his interest slightly.

"Anton, you're here."

The Great Elder gave Anton a slight nod, his tone gentle.

"The delegation from the Royal Court wants to have a spar with us. We were planning to have you represent the Clan. Is that alright?"

On the way, Anton had already heard what happened from Elena. Upon hearing the question, his gaze swept over the delegation, and he nodded calmly.

"Fine."

His tone was as casual as if he were agreeing to attend an ordinary party.

Daniels' brow twitched, and a trace of displeasure rose in his heart.

'This guy... he's looking down on me a bit too much.'

The Great Elder took in both of their expressions, smiled meaningfully, and rose to his feet. "Then let's move to the training grounds."

Everyone rose and walked out of the hall.

Somehow, the news had gotten out.

By the time the group arrived at the training grounds, quite a few Elves had already gathered around the area.

They stood together in twos and threes, whispering to one another.

Romance and Eleanor had also heard the news and rushed over, standing at the front of the crowd.

"Someone from the Jade Royal Court wants to spar with Anton?" Romance shouldered his War Axe, a mischievous grin on his face. "Interesting. I'll have to get a good look at this."

Eleanor also wore a subtle expression, her eyes fixed on Daniels.

'A Golden Tier in his one-hundred-fifties would be a top-tier genius anywhere.'

'It's just a shame he ran into Anton.'

In the center of the training grounds, Anton and Daniels stood facing each other, about twenty meters apart.

Daniels rested one hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, the other hanging at his side. His posture was relaxed, and a faint smile played on his lips.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Daniels Emerald, a Golden Tier Warrior."

"Anton Silver Moon."

Anton only introduced his name and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Daniels' brow furrowed slightly, his displeasure with Anton's lukewarm attitude growing.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, and he suddenly noticed something strange.

'The way the spectating Silver Moon Race Elves are looking at me... it's strange.'

It wasn't awe, nor curiosity, and certainly not anticipation.

It was... pity?

Daniels froze for a moment, then chuckled in spite of himself.

'I'm probably overthinking things.'

'How worldly can an Elf from a remote Clan be?'

'Those spectators have no idea what a Radiant Star from the Jade Royal Court truly represents.'

'Fine. I'll just have to show them what a real genius looks like.'

Daniels focused his mind, pushing aside his stray thoughts.

"Be careful."

Despite his annoyance with Anton, Daniels still properly followed dueling etiquette, giving a warning before he struck.

The moment the words left his mouth, his figure moved abruptly, quick as lightning, as he shot toward Anton.

The Long Sword at his waist was already unsheathed, tearing through the air with a sharp whistle as it thrust toward Anton.

Even though he was certain he would win, Daniels didn't underestimate his opponent in the slightest, unleashing his full power from the very first move.

But to his astonishment, faced with his attack, Anton showed no sign of drawing a weapon. Instead, he simply opened his mouth.

'He opened his mouth?'

Daniels froze for a second. Then, a sudden chill shot up his spine.

A Golden Tier Warrior's intuition screamed a warning at him.

In the next instant, a stream of pure white Sword Qi, imbued with a sharpness that could sever anything, shot through the air like a white rainbow piercing the sun.

Fast.

So fast it was beyond what Daniels' eyes could follow.

Before he could even react, the Sword Qi had already grazed past his cheek.

HISS!

A lock of pale golden hair drifted gently down.

Daniels' Long Sword froze mid-air. He stood completely still, as if paralyzed by a spell.

He felt a cool sensation on his cheek as a warm liquid trickled down his jaw.

He subconsciously reached up to touch it, his fingertips coming away stained with a streak of crimson.

Blood.

In that instant, Daniels felt a chill shoot up from his spine straight to the crown of his head.

'If that Sword Qi had been off by even an inch...'

He didn't dare to think about it any further.

The surroundings fell deathly silent.

The Elves of the delegation, including Kalefin, were all dumbfounded, their faces filled with disbelief.

The spectating Elves from the Silver Moon Race, however, looked as calm as ever, as if they had expected this all along.

"It's over."

"As expected, Anton is still the stronger one."

"So much for the Radiant Star from the Jade Royal Court."

The whispers rose and fell among the crowd.

Listening to the chatter, Daniels' face alternated between pale and green. His lips moved a few times, but he couldn't say a word.

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