The Elven Cultivator

After his Magic Power had completely ’stabilized’, Darian officially began teaching Anton magic.

For a student like Anton, who possessed a Super Magical Physique and immense potential, Darian taught him with the utmost dedication, holding nothing back.

It was just a shame that Anton’s heart wasn’t in magic at all.

If he’d had a suitable reason to refuse, he wouldn’t have even wasted a single moment on magic.

At its core, magic was merely a technique for applying energy, a crude imitation of the Power of Law.

A Caster could spend their entire life studying magic, yet their ultimate goal was merely to touch the threshold of the Law.

But the Great Dao of cultivation pointed directly to the Heaven and Earth Law. If his goal was to understand the Law, why would Anton choose a roundabout path when a direct one was available?

Even if he needed to learn energy application techniques as a stopgap, Techniques were undoubtedly more worthy of his effort than magic.

The difference in energy density between Magic Power and Spiritual Qi was enough to prove the vast disparity in their power.

What’s more, above Techniques, there were Divine Techniques.

Moving mountains, filling seas, plucking stars from the sky—that was true freedom, true liberation.

No matter how you looked at it, the Techniques and Divine Techniques of the cultivation system were superior.

’There’s no future in learning magic.’

Although his Cultivation Level at the Early Stage of Qi Refining was still too low to practice Techniques, martial skills were by no means inferior to magic and were more worthy of his devotion.

Fortunately, learning magic itself required a great deal of time to study rune models and practice casting; he only needed to consult his teacher when he encountered difficulties.

For the most part, Anton was relatively free.

He studied diligently during his lessons, and spent the rest of his time focusing on refining Spiritual Qi, studying Talismans, and cultivating his martial skills.

He had secretly gathered information and learned that the outskirts of the Silver Moon Forest were protected by a three-layered warning system: Songbirds, sentinel trees, and living thorns.

The Songbirds were fist-sized Emerald Feathered Songbirds that would chirp at a specific frequency upon discovering any unfamiliar creature. The Forest Guard had special tools to receive the Songbirds’ calls, alerting them to an intrusion.

The living thorns were magical plants buried deep underground. They usually remained hidden beneath fallen leaves and decaying earth, but if they sensed unusual vibrations or auras, they would erupt like vipers, intertwining to form a vine wall several meters high.

The barbed vines were as tough as iron and contained a paralytic toxin, enough to make any intruder lose their ability to resist as they struggled.

If an enemy managed to break through the living thorns, they would next have to face the sentinel trees.

The combat strength of these animated trees was not as great as an oak guard’s, but their advantage was their sheer number. Each one possessed the power of a low-tier White Rank, comparable to the elite soldiers of most town garrisons. In many cases, they could successfully hold back enemies, buying time for the Guard to arrive.

It was thanks to this defensive network that the Forest Guard had successfully intercepted and repelled the Lizard-men’s invasions on numerous occasions.

If Anton wanted to leave the Silver Moon Forest, he would also have to face this inescapable net.

Fortunately, he already had a rough plan.

’A Concealing Breath Talisman to hide my aura, a cloaking talisman to hide my form, and a Body Technique to reduce the noise I make while traveling... hmm, adding a Light Body Talisman would make it even safer.’

Anton calculated silently.

With these methods, he should be able to pass through the warning network silently and leave the Silver Moon Forest.

But before that, he still needed some time to develop.

After all, the Scale Rock Lizard was still a Dragon Beast and wouldn’t be easy to deal with. It would be safer to hunt it after refining a bit more Spiritual Qi, mastering a few more martial skills, and accumulating more Talismans.

This could be considered a gamer’s instinct, etched into his very bones. He always felt insecure if he didn’t max out his skills and stock up on supplies before entering a dungeon.

...

「The center of the Silver Moon Forest.」

A colossal oak tree that reached for the heavens stood quietly, its roots deeply embedded in the earth.

Its towering, dense canopy was like a green dome, obscuring half the sky.

The trunk was so thick that a hundred people holding hands couldn’t encircle it. Its bark was covered with countless glowing, ancient patterns, like silver blood flowing through veins. Countless aerial roots hung from the branches; some burrowed into the soil to become new trunks, while others swayed gently in the wind, suspended in mid-air.

Glowing moss and unknown white flowers grew near its roots. The entire tree was as quiet as if it had slept for a thousand years, yet it also seemed to be breathing slowly.

A male Elf stood before the Eternal Tree, gazing quietly at the source of life for the Elf Race.

His face was young, appearing to be only in his twenties, but his amber eyes seemed to hold the weight of ages, and his entire being exuded an aura of having weathered the vicissitudes of time.

”Great Elder.”

Darian had appeared behind the Great Elder at some point and bowed respectfully.

”Ah, Darian.” The Great Elder did not turn around. His slightly hoarse voice carried a strangely calming quality. ”You have been teaching Anton magic for some time now. What do you think of his performance?”

Darian hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully, ”Anton’s Magic Power is growing very quickly. By my estimate, he has already reached the level of a low-tier Black-Iron Caster. But his talent for magic... is quite average.”

Initially, Darian had held high hopes for Anton’s magical talent.

But after actually teaching him, Anton’s performance had been a great disappointment.

After more than two months of lessons, Anton had yet to master even the simplest level-one magic, the Fireball Technique.

It wasn’t that Anton’s magical talent was poor. In fact, it was quite normal for a beginner to spend several months or even half a year mastering their first spell.

It was just that with the gem of his Super Magical Physique as a precedent, Anton’s magical talent seemed all too mediocre by comparison.

As if sensing Darian’s thoughts, the Great Elder turned around and said calmly, ”With his Super Magical Physique, it doesn’t matter if his magical talent is a bit mediocre. As long as he grows smoothly, it’s highly likely our Clan will produce a Sage in the future.”

Darian’s heart stirred.

He was well aware of the obsession this elder before him had with the word ’Sage’.

Ever since the previous Sage and Clan Leader died in the war against Dragon City, the Silver Moon Race had not produced another Sage for a very long time.

The position of Clan Leader had remained vacant ever since.

More than anyone, the Great Elder longed for a new Sage to appear, take up the mantle of Clan Leader, and lead the Clan back to its former glory.

”Great Elder, Eleanor’s aptitude is also quite good. I believe she also has a great chance of becoming a Sage in the future,” Darian said suddenly.

The Great Elder shot Darian a look that was not quite a smile. He didn’t nod in agreement just because Darian was praising his granddaughter. Instead, he shook his head. ”Eleanor’s talent is indeed good, but it’s still far inferior to the Super Magical Physique.”

”Whether a Warrior or a Caster, before one touches the Law, the competition comes down to technique and the accumulation of Magic Power. With the Super Magical Physique, Anton will face almost no bottlenecks in accumulating Magic Power in the future. This point alone surpasses years of hard work that others must struggle through.”

Darian pressed his lips together and said nothing.

As a Caster, he naturally understood what the Super Magical Physique signified.

”You are Anton’s teacher, so the task of teaching him magic is yours. Whatever resources you need, feel free to take them from the storehouse.” The Great Elder’s expression turned serious, his tone solemn. ”Anton is an orphan with no other family. You are his only elder. You must look after him.”

”Yes, Great Elder.” Darian nodded with a solemn expression.