The Elven Cultivator

Time flew, and more than three months passed in the blink of an eye.

In the tranquil treehouse, Anton sat cross-legged with his eyes gently closed, his breath as fine and steady as a silken thread.

Deep within his Dantian, five streams of Spiritual Qi swirled like roaming dragons. The qi of the Five Elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—chased one another, constantly colliding and merging.

The cycle of the Five Elements teetered on the brink of collapse, seeming as though it might disintegrate at any moment. Yet, under the control of his will, it consistently maintained a delicate balance.

After an unknown amount of time, a subtle resonance finally emerged among the Five Elements.

Wood begets Fire, Fire begets Earth, Earth begets Metal, Metal begets Water, and Water begets Wood. The generative forces gradually rose as the suppressive ones faded. The flow of the five types of qi became ever more harmonious, like five spiritual serpents with their tails in their mouths, weaving a tapestry of unending life within his Dantian.

Suddenly, a tiny wisp of flame appeared silently at the heart of the Five Elements cycle.

It was no bigger than a candle's flame, yet it swirled with five colors—shifting between green, red, yellow, white, and black. It flickered erratically, as if it were a living thing.

The Five Elements True Flame, born at last!

Anton slowly opened his eyes, a five-colored light flashing in their depths before vanishing.

He looked down and stared at his palm. With a mere thought, a wisp of flame appeared from thin air. It changed its form and color according to his will, yet even as the flame flared and danced wildly, his palm felt no heat at all.

"I've finally succeeded in refining it."

A smile of genuine joy spread across Anton's face.

The Five Elements True Flame was not only the foundation of Alchemy, but also a devastating weapon of unpredictable power.

He now had another powerful trump card.

'With my current strength, dealing with opponents in the lower to middle echelons of the Silver Tier should be no problem.'

'And if my opponent has an elemental weakness, I could even take down someone at the peak of the Silver Tier.'

As a long-lived race, the average strength of the Elves far surpassed that of most other races.

Their long lifespans gave them ample time to accumulate power. Even those with mediocre talent could reliably reach the Black Iron Tier after a few hundred years of cultivation.

For those with slightly better talent, advancing to the Silver Tier within their lifetime was a matter of course.

Therefore, although the Elf Race had a small population, the number of their experts was still impressive, placing them among the five great races of the Dawn Continent, second only to the Dragon Race.

The Human Race was the stark opposite.

The average human lifespan is only a few decades. Forget comparing them to Elves, Dwarves, Beastmen, or the Sea Race—even among the Ten Thousand Races, their lifespans are among the shortest.

Most humans live their entire lives without ever reaching the threshold of the Black Iron Tier.

But the Human Race's strength was in its numbers. Even if only one in a thousand possessed outstanding talent, the sheer size of their population meant the number of geniuses was still impressive.

Relying on their exceptional gifts, they managed to achieve, within their short lifespans, accomplishments that were no less impressive than those of the long-lived races.

As a result, the Human Race had just as many experts as any of the other races, allowing them to also be counted among the five great races.

However, human territories were vast, and their experts were scattered far and wide, making them a rare sight in ordinary times.

Anton's current strength was only considered average among the Elf Race.

But in a town populated by humans, he would be considered a master of some renown.

'Now that I've forged the Spiritual Fire, I can start trying my hand at Alchemy.'

'But before that, I need to head to Bishui Port to buy the materials.'

Thinking of materials, Anton took out the Life Source Crystal.

Ever since obtaining the Life Source Crystal, his efficiency in refining Spiritual Qi had increased dramatically.

Even better, the Life Source Crystal could rapidly heal injuries and produce Life Spring Water.

Especially the latter.

A treasure like Life Spring Water, filled with pure life energy, could be used as a substitute for most Wood Attribute Spiritual Materials. This would save him the countless hours he would have spent searching for alternatives.

It was a real godsend.

The Dawn Continent was home to many other rare treasures like the Life Source Crystal, and Anton knew the locations of quite a few.

However, those places were either hidden in treacherous lands or occupied by powerful entities. With his current strength, he didn't dare covet them.

He would have to wait until his Cultivation Level was higher before making any plans for them.

He glanced at the wall clock. Seeing it was still early, he hopped out of bed, gathered his things, and got ready to leave.

Before leaving, he found Romance, as he always did, and asked her to cover for him.

After earning the title of "prodigy of both magic and combat," Anton enjoyed near-total freedom within the Clan.

The unique nature of magical combat meant that no one could teach him; he could only rely on his own research to advance.

Aside from consulting Darian or the combat instructors when he ran into difficulties, he was free to manage his own time.

Still, a cover story was necessary. Anton had no desire to be discovered sneaking out of the forest.

'I'll just have to put up with it for now. Once I become a Wind-speaker, I won't need to sneak around anymore.'

He applied a Concealing Breath Talisman, a Stealth Talisman, and a Light Body Talisman. His body moved like a wisp of smoke as he expertly slipped past the defensive perimeter and out of the Silver Moon Forest.

Only the Thousand Rock Hills separated Bishui Port from the Silver Moon Forest. A journey through the outskirts of the hills would only take a few hours.

For safety's sake, one could also go around the Thousand Rock Hills to reach Bishui Port, but that would take several times as long.

Thanks to his earlier conversation with Harvey and his group, Anton had learned a fair bit about Bishui Port.

Bishui Port was a large port city with a mixed population of various races, predominantly Human. Its trade and fishing industries were extremely developed, making it one of the commercial hubs of the entire eastern coast.

Spices, silks, and gemstones from overseas were gathered and distributed here before being transported inland via overland routes.

The city was not directly ruled by a Draconic Lord, but was managed by a self-governing organization called the Bishui Council.

Each year, they paid a massive sum of Gold Coins to Kresol Dragon City and allowed it to station a garrison in exchange for "autonomy."

Dragon City, in turn, permitted Bishui Port's merchant ships to engage in coastal trade under strict supervision, but all profits were subject to heavy taxes levied by Dragon City.

The two sides thus maintained a delicate balance, allowing Bishui Port to remain relatively prosperous and open.

'The Silver Moon Race is insular but relatively free, while Bishui Port is open but bound by countless shackles. It's hard to say which is better...'

The thought flashed through Anton's mind, and he immediately shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh.

It wasn't a matter of which was superior. Whether insular or open, both were fundamentally strategies for survival.

The Silver Moon Race didn't have to face the brutality of the Dragon Race's rule directly, but they had to fend off the incursions of Lizard-men and Dragon Beasts every year.

And while Bishui Port was prosperous and faced few external threats, it was constrained by Dragon City at every turn.

Neither choice could change the fundamental reality: before the Dragon Race, they were not free peoples. They were vassals—penned in, exploited, and ripe for the reaping at any moment.

Only by tearing down the iron curtain of the Dragon Race's dominion could they welcome true freedom.

However, achieving that would only be possible in six hundred years, after the fall of the Dragon God Ayo and the subsequent decline of the Dragon Race's power.

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