The Elven Cultivator

In the year 9284 of the Chenxi Calendar, a bitter wind howled.

Yet the Silver Moon Forest remained lush and green.

The frigid wind swept down from the north, but the moment it touched the forest’s edge, it was tamed by the Eternal Tree. The gales transformed into gentle currents, carrying only a pleasant, refreshing chill.

Eleanor emerged from the Eternal Hall with a frown. Her deliberately heavy footsteps thudded along the wooden corridor, the sullen echoes betraying her frustration.

Laila, who was leaning against a pillar in the hall, saw it all and knew at once that her friend must have failed again.

She straightened up and approached her. ”The Great Elder refused you again?”

”I don’t understand.” A hint of suppressed indignation tinged Eleanor’s voice. ”I’m obviously stronger than many of the Forest Guard. Why won’t they let me fight?”

Laila tried to console her. ”Underage Elves are strictly forbidden from fighting. It’s always been the Clan’s rule. The Great Elder probably doesn’t want to break it, just to spare you from gossip.”

Eleanor bit her lip, saying nothing.

’Being the Great Elder’s granddaughter brought her advantages at times, but it could also be an invisible chain, placing her every move under the scrutiny of her fellow clan members.’

’She had to be more outstanding, more obedient, and more flawless than anyone else.’

”Come on, let’s go to the training grounds.”

Laila could see Eleanor was in a foul mood, so she took her hand and led her toward the training grounds, figuring it would be a good way for her to blow off some steam.

As they passed through a canopied walkway, they heard a sudden burst of cheers in the distance. Following the sound, they saw a group of Forest Guards approaching, all in high spirits.

They were spattered with blood and caked with mud, obviously having just returned from a fight. Yet they seemed full of energy; even the wounded on the stretchers were laughing and playfully cursing their comrades for being clumsy.

Laila spotted a familiar figure in the group and immediately waved. ”Valerie!”

An Elf Maiden in the crowd, her hair tied in a high ponytail, looked over at the sound of her name. Seeing Laila and Eleanor, she smiled, waved back, and broke away from her group to walk over to them.

”Valerie,” Eleanor greeted her as well, then asked curiously, ”Did you all just get back from a battle?”

’Every winter, those cold-blooded reptiles from the north invade the forest. It was about time for them to show up.’

Sure enough, Valerie nodded. ”Those damn reptiles broke into the forest two hours ago. We just finished a fight with them.”

”From the looks of you all, it must have been a crushing victory,” Laila said with a grin.

”It was more than that.” Valerie’s smile grew even wider. ”We thrashed those Lizard-men. And when we tallied the results after the battle, we didn’t have a single casualty.”

Eleanor and Laila were stunned by this news.

The annual Lizard-man invasion always inflicted considerable casualties on the Silver Moon Race. In fact, it was the main reason their population hadn’t grown significantly in years.

It had been a persistent headache for the Elder Council.

Zero casualties. That was a concept utterly foreign to the Silver Moon Race.

They never expected to hear those words from Valerie.

Seeing the looks of disbelief on their faces, Valerie smiled. ”Actually, it’s all thanks to Anton.”

”His improved Flesh-Regenerating Potion is unbelievably effective. No matter how severe the injury, a single vial heals most of it in an instant. It’s drastically reduced our number of casualties in battle.”

”And his new Recovery Potion is far better than the old Magic Power recovery potions we used to use. If you drink a vial before a fight, you basically don’t have to worry about running out of Magic Power. It’s massively improved our combat endurance.”

”The Fire-Essence Potion that boosts Fire Element Magic is also incredibly useful…”

Valerie rattled off several more potions, her voice filled with awe and praise for Anton, as if the young Elf who’d never even set foot on a battlefield was the true hero of this victory.

Eleanor and Laila listened, then exchanged a look of astonishment.

Over the past two years, they had often heard about Anton improving one potion or another and receiving high praise from the Elder Council. His reputation as a genius Pharmacist was practically a household name.

They had even used one or two of his potions themselves, and the effects had been impressive.

But they had never imagined those potions could have such a staggering impact in battle.

The impact of Anton’s improved potions on the Clan seemed to far exceed anything they had imagined.

”I used to think Anton was just gifted in his training, but I had no idea his talent for potion-making was so exceptional.”

”I heard even Master Darian can’t praise him enough. He once said in public that Anton is certain to become a Master Pharmacist in the future.”

”If that happens, it will be a tremendous blessing for our Clan.”

Valerie’s expression was full of unconcealed hope.

The members of the Forest Guard were the ones who understood the benefits of these improved potions most deeply, and their admiration for Anton was boundless.

After chatting a little longer, Valerie said her goodbyes and hurried off to catch up with her comrades.

”I never thought Anton’s improved potions were this powerful,” Laila said with a sigh. ”It’s one thing to be gifted in both magic and combat, but to be a genius Pharmacist on top of that? How can someone so incredible exist? What hope is there for ordinary people like me?”

When she received no response, Laila turned in confusion to find Eleanor staring blankly, lost in thought.

Laila gave her a gentle nudge and shot her a strange look. ”Eleanor, you’re not getting competitive again, are you? Don’t even try. You definitely can’t compare to Anton when it comes to potion-making.”

”Don’t be ridiculous.” Eleanor snapped out of it and shot Laila a look.

’She wasn’t an idiot. Why would she even think of competing with Anton in potion-making talent?’

’When it came to Alchemy, she had some confidence, but potion-making was completely out of the question.’

’In the entire history of the Silver Moon Race, there had never been a monster like Anton who could improve multiple potions after studying the subject for less than three years.’

’A talent like that was so immense, she couldn’t even entertain the thought of competing with it.’

’She’d be better off competing with Anton in terms of raw power. At least there, she might have a sliver of hope of catching up.’

At that thought, a strange sense of urgency stirred within Eleanor.

”I’ve made up my mind!”

”What is it?” Laila asked, looking at her friend in confusion.

Eleanor’s voice was firm. ”As soon as I break through to the Silver Tier, I’m going to apply for the Wind Whisperer Trial.”

Laila was taken aback for a moment. She knew Eleanor was already studying third-circle Magic. As soon as she mastered it, she would officially become a Silver Tier Caster.

Knowing Eleanor, that would take five years at the most.

And Eleanor still had thirteen years until she came of age.

”Will the Elders agree to let you take the trial early?” Laila asked hesitantly.

”Why wouldn’t they?” Eleanor scoffed. ”There’s no Clan rule that forbids taking the Wind Whisperer Trial early.”

Laila blinked. After a moment’s thought, she realized it was true.

’Everyone in the past had always taken the Wind Whisperer Trial on the day of their coming-of-age ceremony. Over time, it had simply become an accepted custom, but there was no actual rule to enforce it.’

’No one had ever considered taking it early. After all, who wouldn’t want more time to build up their strength?’

”Once I become a Wind Whisperer, I’ll have the right to fight. No one will be able to say anything then.”

Eleanor’s expression was resolute as she gazed toward the distant Eternal Tree.

’Becoming a Wind Whisperer would be the first step to surpassing Anton!’