The Elven Cultivator

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Chenxi Calendar, Year 9370. Autumn.

Taichu City, Ninefold Celestial Tower.

The Dao Enlightenment Platform.

As its name suggested, this was an area specifically created for comprehending the Laws.

Before now, the platform had been more symbolic than practical. Hardly anyone ever used it.

But today, it was about to live up to its name.

In the center of the great hall, a three-foot-tall stone platform stood silently.

The platform was carved from a single block of Cyan Jade. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, and its edges were engraved with complex runes.

A stone stele, about the height of a person, stood atop the platform. The stele was a deep cyan, its surface as smooth as a mirror, yet one could faintly see fine patterns flowing slowly beneath it, like the rings of an ancient tree or the ripples of a stream, exuding a primitive and profound aura.

At this moment, the area around the stone platform was already crowded with Elves.

The three Elders, Cedric, Elena, Romance, Eleanor... all the high-ranking members of the Clan stared intently at the cyan stele, their expressions varied.

As the Clan grew stronger, it had become rare for the upper echelons to gather like this, save for a few extremely important meetings.

Today, however, was an exception.

It was because Anton had suddenly announced that he had found a method to help them awaken and manifest the Power of Law.

Among the Clan’s upper echelon, the three Elders and Cedric were all at the Golden Peak, striving to break through to the Legendary Tier.

Elena and Romance were at Upper Gold, and their next goal was also to awaken the Power of Law.

Although Eleanor was currently only at the Fourth-Layer Foundation Establishment, she too would eventually have to cultivate a near-deity method and comprehend the Laws.

Thus, upon hearing the news, they had immediately dropped everything and rushed over.

”Clan Leader, is this the... method you mentioned that can help us comprehend the Laws?”

The Third Elder circled the stone platform, his gaze sweeping over the stele, his eyes filled with scrutiny and curiosity.

”This is a Dao Enlightenment Stele.”

Anton didn’t keep them in suspense and immediately gave a concise explanation of the stele’s principles and function.

When he finished, silence fell over the hall.

The Elves looked at each other, their eyes wide with shock.

Sealing one’s own comprehension of a Law into a stele for others to observe and learn from... such a method was simply unheard of!

They almost instantly realized the immense significance of the Dao Enlightenment Stele.

As long as Legendary Powerhouses continuously infused their comprehension of the Laws, the Dao Enlightenment Steles could be passed down indefinitely.

If they could cultivate more Legendary Powerhouses using the steles, they could then create more steles, providing a wider range of Laws for future generations to comprehend, which would in turn cultivate even more Legendary Powerhouses... This would create a virtuous cycle.

Generation after generation, as more steles were accumulated, covering an ever-widening range of Laws, it would become easier and easier for their clansmen to awaken and manifest the Power of Law.

High Tier combatants would also emerge in a steady stream.

This wasn’t just a temporary boost; it was about laying a foundation for the Clan for thousands, even tens of thousands of years to come.

At this thought, the three Elders exchanged a look, each seeing the irrepressible excitement in the others’ eyes.

This was clearly another monumental feat that would elevate the Clan’s developmental potential!

The other Elves soon realized this as well, and their gazes toward Anton filled with even greater awe and reverence.

Anton said calmly, ”This Dao Enlightenment Stele is sealed with comprehensions of the Wood Element Law. It’s better suited for comprehending Laws related to plants, life, and thorns. It won’t be very effective for other Laws.”

”However, I will continue to create more Dao Enlightenment Steles to cover a wider range of Laws.”

The Elves’ faces lit up with joy.

The Great Elder, in particular, couldn’t suppress his smile.

After all, he had awakened the Thorn Law, making this Dao Enlightenment Stele perfectly suited for him.

The same went for the Third Elder.

He had awakened the Light Unification Law, a derivative, lower-tier Law of the nature category.

It allowed him to draw energy from sunlight and convert it into Magic Power or Life Force, greatly enhancing his combat endurance.

Especially during the day.

He could also release the stored Light Energy all at once in a light-blast attack.

Strictly speaking, the Light Unification Law was also somewhat related to plant-based Laws, so he might be able to gain some insights from this stele.

Elena was also eager to try.

She hadn’t decided which type of Law to comprehend yet, but now with the Dao Enlightenment Stele, it seemed she no longer needed to hesitate.

Romance was also interested.

After her Magic Power had condensed to its limit, she had asked Anton for a near-deity method called the ’Golden Wheel Thunder Body’, which she had been studying recently.

It was a near-deity method that combined the lethality of the thunder attribute with physical enhancement.

Its core concept was ”Forge wheels with thunder, protect the body with wheels; as wheels turn, thunder is born, endlessly regenerating.”

A Cultivator used the power of lightning to condense ”Golden Wheels” within their body, suspending them at each vertebra and deeply integrating them with their bones, meridians, and vital energy.

The Golden Wheels served as both the core for condensing thunder-attribute power and the source of power for physical enhancement.

The turning of the wheels generates thunder, the thunder fortifies the body, and a fortified body allows the wheels to turn faster.

The three elements formed a self-contained, cyclical system.

More importantly, this near-deity method originated from the Divine Technique ’Nine Wheels Golden Meridian Thunder Body’ and was a simplified version of it.

This meant that once she broke through to the Third Transition of Force, she could directly switch to cultivating the Nine Wheels Golden Meridian Thunder Body, saving a great deal of effort.

And since the thunder attribute belongs to the Wood Element in the Five Elements, she could also use this Dao Enlightenment Stele to comprehend the Law.

The Second Elder’s ’Wind-Feather Evasion Shadow’ was the same; the wind attribute also belonged to the Wood Element in the Five Elements.

Only Cedric’s ’Mountain-Suppressing Law’ belonged to the Earth Element category, making it incompatible with this Dao Enlightenment Stele and temporarily useless to him.

After this, aside from the Great Elder who stayed behind to cultivate with the Dao Enlightenment Stele, the other Elves left one by one.

Leaving the Ninefold Celestial Tower, Anton and Eleanor each used the Wind Manipulation Technique to head toward the Dark Nether Realm.

Romance followed them.

She took out a white feather and blew a sharp breath on it.

The feather trembled, broke free from her grasp, and instantly transformed into a swirling cloud of mist that enveloped her. In a flash, she turned into a streak of white light and shot off, catching up to Anton and Eleanor.

On the way, Anton asked Eleanor about the supply reserves and personnel arrangements for Nine Nether City.

Nine Nether City was the name of the cavern-residence in the Dark Nether Realm.

After three years of planning and construction, Nine Nether City had been completed at the beginning of the year.

The Mountain Protection Array Anton had chosen for this residence was called the ’Nine Nether Cold Abyss Array’.

This Array was adapted to the local environment, drawing upon the subterranean cold veins to create an icy power that weakened enemies, focusing more on control and defense.

This was also how Nine Nether City got its name.

”In terms of supplies, everything is mostly allocated.”

”Pills, Talismans, Sensing Spirit Stones, food, fresh water... The current reserves of these supplies are more than enough to last for two to three years, and they will be replenished periodically.”

”As for personnel, I’ve requisitioned a full banner-squad from the Silver Moon Legion to serve as the main force for exploring the Dark Nether Realm.”

”They are currently undergoing acclimatization training in the Dark Nether Realm.”

”Also, following the list you gave me, I sent people out to search for suitable races. We’ve recently found two targets.”

The list Eleanor mentioned referred to the surface races Anton had previously identified as suitable for operating in the Dark Nether Realm.

Anton’s interest was piqued. ”Which two?” he asked.

”The Ghost Scale Race and the Catmen.”

A flicker of light passed through Anton’s eyes, and he nodded slightly.

Among the many races he had considered, these two ranked quite high.

The Ghost Scale Race were descendants of the Sea Race.

It was said that in ancient times, while their ancestors were still living in the sea, a geological shift trapped them in an underground lake. To adapt to the subterranean environment, they were forced to evolve many special abilities.

Even after they returned to the surface, these abilities remained.

These abilities included, but were not limited to, sensing the flow direction and biological activity of any nearby underground water source through their scales.

They had magnetic crystals in their bodies that allowed for precise navigation in underground labyrinths where one could completely lose their sense of direction.

Their metabolism was extremely slow, allowing them to survive for up to three months without food, subsisting on moisture seeping from rock walls.

They could even enter a state of suspended animation to reduce energy consumption.

Because of this, Ghost Scale Race Adventurers often took on quests like underground river exploration and water source prospecting, and they were quite famous in this field.

As for the Catmen, they were a feline humanoid race who were born with the traits of nocturnal predators.

They were excellent climbers, agile in their movements, and capable of bursting into incredible speeds for vertical movement.

In addition, they possessed darkvision and keen senses, allowing them to see clearly in lightless environments and detect hidden enemies in advance.

In a place like the Dark Nether Realm, with its complex, almost three-dimensional terrain, the many abilities of the Catmen made them natural hunters and scouts, better suited than most races to survive and fight in this dangerous subterranean world.

Numerous thoughts flashed through Anton’s mind as he gestured for Eleanor to continue.

”After we contacted them and explained our purpose, both races were very willing to become our Vassal Races and assist us in exploring the Dark Nether Realm. I’ve selected some elites from their people to be integrated into the exploration team.”

”According to the schedule, they should be arriving at Nine Nether City today. I’ll arrange for them to train with the banner-squad.”

”Do you want to go and see them?”

Anton nodded and was about to speak when Romance cut him off.

”Anton, I want to be the captain of this exploration team!”

Anton looked at Romance in surprise, then turned to Eleanor.

She gave him a helpless shrug.

Ever since Romance learned the Clan was forming a main team to explore the Dark Nether Realm, she had been pestering Eleanor relentlessly, wanting to be the captain. She claimed she was getting rusty from boredom.

In the end, Eleanor couldn’t wear her down and said she had no objection if Anton agreed.

So, the moment Anton left the Ninefold Celestial Tower today, she had immediately followed, finally finding her chance to bring it up.

Anton pondered for a moment, then finally nodded under Romance’s expectant gaze.

”Alright, the position of captain is yours.”

”Yes!”

Overjoyed, Romance instinctively moved to leap into Anton’s arms but was subconsciously pulled back by Eleanor.

When Romance turned to look at her in confusion, Eleanor realized what she’d done. She cleared her throat and said, ”We’re almost at the mining area. Behave yourself. It wouldn’t look good if others saw.”

Romance didn’t think much of it and agreed with a grin.

Anton paid no mind to their small interaction.

’I only agreed to let Romance be the exploration team’s captain because for someone with her personality, only combat and bloodshed will allow her to comprehend the Laws more quickly.’

’Physical tempering can be rapidly improved with resources and Arrays, but something like a near-deity method relies more on personal insight. Grinding it out through hard training has some effect, but not much.’

’If Romance can master the Golden Wheel Thunder Body faster through combat, it will be a good thing.’

’At worst, I can find time to forge an escape-type Magical Artifact for her, so she can flee in time if things go south.’