The Elven Cultivator

For elves who had spent their lives in the wilds, surrounded by plants, moving into a city was an immense change.

Many of their daily habits were now completely different, requiring a period of adjustment.

At a time like this, seeing familiar plants in their new home was undoubtedly a comfort to them.

”Evan.”

Just then, a voice suddenly called out from outside.

Evan turned to look and saw a familiar face peeking through the doorway.

It was Ryan.

The two had met not long ago during the aptitude test. Because they were of similar age and had both passed, they quickly became friends.

”Why are you still here?”

Seeing Evan, Ryan hurried forward and grabbed his arm, his tone urgent.

”It’s almost time to gather, did you forget?”

Of course, Evan hadn’t forgotten.

Today was both moving day and the day for new disciples to report to Taichu City.

All Taichu City disciples who passed the aptitude test were to gather at the entrance to the inner city this morning.

”Father, Mother, I’m leaving now.” Evan quickly said goodbye to his parents.

”Go on.” His mother wore a gentle smile. ”Do your best, and don’t bring shame to the Clan Leader.”

His father didn’t speak, only patting him on the shoulder, his gaze filled with profound hope.

The two youths left District A together, running toward the inner city.

Taichu City was divided into an outer city and an inner city.

The outer city was where the ordinary clan members lived, and it also housed the trade district, storage area, and public facilities.

Only Taichu City disciples could enter the inner city, which was the core area for cultivation and the teaching of Taoist Skills.

Evan and Ryan crossed the main thoroughfare of the outer city, turned down a few streets and alleys, and soon arrived at the entrance to the inner city.

A towering wall came into view.

In the center of the wall was an arched stone gate. A barely perceptible halo of light enveloped the gate, like a transparent veil.

Obviously, some kind of restrictive Array had been set up here.

Without the corresponding Token, it was impossible to pass through the stone gate.

At this moment, sixty or seventy elves had already gathered before the gate.

There were children around Evan’s age, as well as tall young men and women who were nearing adulthood.

They gathered in small groups of twos and threes, talking in low voices, their faces all filled with anticipation and excitement.

”Evan, Ryan, over here!”

From within the crowd, a girl with a ponytail waved vigorously at them, a brilliant smile on her face.

Evan and Ryan walked over quickly. Just as they steadied themselves, a few elves they knew gathered around, and the group soon began to chatter away excitedly.

About ten or so minutes later, the sound of steady footsteps came from within the stone gate.

The youths gathered before the gate instinctively fell silent, their gazes all turning toward the entryway.

Twelve figures filed out from the stone gate and came to a stop in the morning light.

They wore uniform, pale cyan robes. The hems billowed gently in the breeze, and the cuffs were embroidered with a silver oak leaf pattern—the symbol of a Taichu City disciple.

The one in the lead was a young elf with a gentle face.

It was Laine.

The eleven companions standing behind him also had composed expressions and clear eyes.

Their builds and appearances varied, but whether tall or short, thin or stout, each of them exuded a sense of calm and clarity that belied their age.

That sort of temperament wasn’t intentionally cultivated. It was a lucidity and composure that seeped from their very bones after long-term cultivation of the Dao and breathing in Spiritual Qi day and night.

It was as if dusty glazed tiles had been carefully polished, revealing their inner brilliance.

Looking at these twelve individuals, the new recruits couldn’t help but feel a little inadequate.

But they quickly came to their senses and bowed in greeting.

”Senior Brother, Senior Sister.”

Seeing the new recruits bowing uniformly before them, a slight smile couldn’t help but appear on the faces of Mia and the others.

Although they didn’t quite understand why their teacher insisted on using ”Senior Brother,” ”Senior Sister,” ”Junior Brother,” and ”Junior Sister” to distinguish seniority, it still felt quite nice to hear a group of juniors address them this way.

”Is everyone here?” Laine’s gaze swept across the crowd.

This boy, who had once been so insecure and shy, had gained an air of calm confidence after years of cultivation and tempering.

Furlo, standing to the side, took a list from her sleeve, checked it over, and said, ”Seventy-two people. That’s right, everyone’s here.”

Laine nodded slightly, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

”Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, welcome to the inner city of Taichu City.”

”Next, we will give you a tour of the inner city and then assign your residences. For now, please follow us.”

Laine’s words were concise. As soon as he finished speaking, he and the other eleven turned and walked back into the stone gate.

The new recruits hurried to follow.

The moment he passed through the stone gate, Evan felt a wave of energy so dense it was almost tangible wash over him, enveloping him completely like warm spring water.

That was the scent of Spiritual Qi.

Spiritual Qi that was countless times denser than in the outer city.

He couldn’t help but take a deep breath, feeling as if even his pores were greedily drinking it in. A soothing sensation spread through his entire body.

The other disciples also had looks of astonishment.

Some even stopped in their tracks, closing their eyes and breathing deeply, as if to etch the dense Spiritual Qi into their memories.

”Don’t stop.”

Furlo’s voice came from the front.

”Once you’ve moved in, you’ll have plenty of time to experience it.”

Hearing this, everyone quickly picked up their pace and caught up with the group.

The layout of the inner city was completely different from the outer city.

The streets were wider, paved with massive slabs of Cyan Jade stone. The surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the light of the sky and the shadows of clouds.

The buildings on either side were no longer monotonous residences but functional structures of various styles.

Courtyards with black tiles and white walls, pavilions with soaring, curved eaves, halls of ancient and simple design, and towers that pierced the clouds...

Every building emitted a faint fluctuation of energy, the sign of an Array in operation.

Laine walked at the very front, his pace unhurried, his voice carrying clearly to everyone’s ears.

”We are currently in the southern district of the inner city. This is the Pill Room Area.”

”All the functional buildings related to Alchemy are concentrated here.”

”The Alchemy Rooms are divided into three tiers: high, middle, and low.”

”The low-tier Alchemy Rooms are equipped with Talisman-level Pill Furnaces, suitable for disciples in the Qi Refining Stage.”

”The mid-tier Alchemy Rooms are equipped with Artifact Level Pill Furnaces, suitable for Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.”

”As for the high-tier Alchemy Rooms...”

Laine paused for a moment before continuing, ”They are still in the planning stages, but it’s said that in the future, they will be equipped with Profound Artifact-level Pill Furnaces.”

As soon as he said this, a low murmur of discussion immediately broke out among the new recruits.

Although they had only just embarked on the path of cultivating the Dao, they had already gained a preliminary understanding of its basic principles through various texts.

This included the classification of Magical Treasure tiers.

They knew how precious Profound Artifacts were, so learning that the Alchemy Rooms would actually be equipped with Profound Artifact-level Pill Furnaces, they couldn’t help but think, ’This is too extravagant!’

”Next to the Pill Room Area is the medicinal herb repository.”

Mia took over, jutting her chin toward a tall hall to their right.

The hall was a head taller than the surrounding buildings. A bronze plaque hung on the lintel, inscribed with the three words: ”Medicinal Herb Repository.”

”Most Low Tier medicinal herbs can be found there. Every Taichu City disciple can receive a certain quota of herbs each month to practice Alchemy.”

”If you want more, you’ll have to exchange Contribution Points for them.”