The Elven Cultivator

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Before dawn, the plaza on the north side of Taichu City was already filled with Elves.

The Elves gathered in twos and threes at the edge of the plaza, their gazes all drawn to the silent, cyan-and-white Flying Ship hovering in the center.

The morning light flowed over the auspicious cloud patterns on the bow, creating a fine golden luster. From a distance, it looked like a flood dragon peeking its head out from a sea of clouds, waiting for the right moment to soar.

In the middle of the hull, soft light shone from the windows of the two-story pavilion, where figures could be vaguely seen moving about.

It was the disciples of Taichu City conducting their final checks.

In the Control Chamber, Laine stood before the core Array hub, his eyes sweeping over the rows of flashing Rune arrays.

His fingers slid quickly across the Array hub. With every touch, a faint Spiritual Light seeped from his fingertips and into the hub.

At the same time, a series of voices reached his ears.

”Cloud Pattern Array is operating normally. Energy circuits are clear, no blockages.”

”The Floating Array is stable. Lift output is steady, balanced left and right.”

”The Wind-Breaking Array is pre-activated, set to automatically switch to cruise mode after takeoff.”

”Spirit Stone furnaces one through six are ignited, energy output is stable. Seven through nine are on standby.”

The disciples in charge of each system reported their inspection results one by one, their voices steady and calm.

Laine nodded slightly, his gaze falling upon the largest Array Disc in the very center.

On the surface of the Array Disc, countless Runes flowed slowly like living things. Cyan and white light intertwined, outlining the energy flow map of the entire Flying Ship.

Everything was normal.

He took a deep breath, then raised his hand and pressed it onto the Array Disc in the center of the Control Console, injecting his Spiritual Qi into it as he spoke in a deep voice.

”Set sail!”

BUZZ!

A low hum suddenly emanated from within the Flying Ship, like an ancient beast, slumbering for a thousand years, awakening from a long dream and taking its first deafening breath.

The array patterns on the hull lit up one after another. Cyan and white light flowed like water across the ship’s surface, spreading from bow to stern and back again in a ceaseless, unending cycle.

The auspicious cloud patterns on the bow suddenly brightened, transforming into a thin layer of mist that enveloped the entire Flying Ship.

At the edge of the plaza, the Elves unconsciously held their breath, their eyes fixed on the mist-shrouded Flying Ship, filled with shock and awe.

For many of them, this was the first time they had ever seen such a large flying vessel take off.

Not to mention a large flying Magical Treasure like the Cloud-Surging Flying Ship, which far surpassed ordinary airships.

The Flying Ship’s ascent was completely silent, without even the slightest disturbance of airflow.

When the Flying Ship had climbed to a height of one hundred meters, Laine raised his hand again and tapped lightly on the Array Disc.

BUZZ!

The Flying Ship jolted, then shot forward abruptly.

It was so fast that before the Elves in the plaza could even react, the cyan-and-white Flying Ship had already become a blurry dot on the horizon, disappearing completely into the morning light in an instant.

Only a faint, cyan-and-white trail remained on the distant horizon, as if someone had lightly brushed the sky with a paintbrush, only for the mark to be scattered by the wind a moment later.

...

Aboard the Cloud-Surging Flying Ship, on the deck.

Romance leaned against the railing with both hands, her upper body tilting forward slightly as she gazed out with unblinking eyes.

The clouds churned below like a boundless white ocean, stretching to the ends of the sky.

Taichu City had completely vanished from sight, replaced by endless wilderness and forests.

The earth appeared and disappeared between the gaps in the clouds, like a map torn into countless pieces. Rivers, mountains, and towns—everything was rapidly receding.

”So fast.”

Romance’s eyes sparkled, a brilliant smile on her face.

This was her first time on a flying vessel, and everything she saw felt new and exciting.

At this moment, she finally showed the vivacity and energy befitting a young woman.

Not the deputy commander of the Silver Moon Legion who carried a War Axe and charged into battle.

Not far away, the Third Elder stood by the railing, looking down at the scenery below. ”This speed...” he marveled. ”I’m afraid it’s even faster than a Legendary Giant Dragon flying at full strength.”

The Second Elder nodded slightly. ”At this rate, we’ll reach the Holy Dragon Mountain Range by tomorrow.”

The Great Elder and Cedric also stared outside, their faces showing unconcealed amazement.

No matter how powerful they had heard the Cloud-Surging Flying Ship was, it was nowhere near as shocking as experiencing it firsthand.

In the Heavenly Pivot Chamber.

Anton sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, concentrating on refining the Pill Poison.

Within his Dantian, the Golden Core rotated slowly. A five-colored radiance seeped from the surface of the Pill Body, only to be reabsorbed in a continuous cycle.

After three years, the Pill Poison had thinned by another layer.

He was one step closer to completely breaking through the Shell Barrier and entering the Golden Core Second Stage.

Outside the window, the clouds were retreating at high speed.

The Flying Ship sped forward, carving a cyan-and-white trail above the clouds.

Sunlight poured down from above, coating the entire Flying Ship in a layer of gold. From a distance, it looked like a shooting star streaking across the sky.

...

High in the sky, a grayish-white airship was sailing through the clouds.

Its bloated, clumsy hull was covered in rivets and welding marks, and several patched-up cracks were particularly conspicuous under the sun.

A flag hung from the top of the mast, fluttering loudly in the wind.

Embroidered on the flag was a silver shield emblem surrounded by seven stars. Its edges were somewhat frayed, but it was still eye-catching.

It was the mark of the Freedom Alliance.

On deck, two crewmen leaned against the gunwale, chatting idly.

”How long has the war in the Holy Dragon Mountain Range been going on? Why isn’t it over yet?”

”Probably won’t be that fast. I heard the allied forces were blocked by some Subspace again.”

”The Dragon Race sure is tenacious, surviving a siege for this long.”

”If those Giant Dragons were so easy to deal with, they wouldn’t have been oppressing us for nearly ten thousand years.”

The older crewman knocked the ash from his pipe, refilled it with tobacco, and spoke as he lit it.

”But it’s only a matter of time. The allied forces are recruiting experts from all over. That Subspace will be breached sooner or later. No matter how strong the Dragon Race is, they can’t stand against sheer numbers.”

The younger crewman was about to say something when his gaze suddenly froze, his eyes widening.

”Wh-what is that?”

The older crewman followed his pointing finger, and his gaze also froze.

On the distant horizon, a black dot was flying toward them.

At first, it was just an inconspicuous speck, almost indistinguishable at the boundary between the clouds and the skyline.

But it was expanding at an astonishing speed, soon revealing a faint outline.

’Is that... an airship?’

But he had never seen an airship of such a peculiar design.

The young crewman’s exclamation quickly drew the attention of the other crew members on deck.

Everyone crowded to the gunwale, staring dumbfounded at the rapidly approaching airship.

”What is that? What a unique airship!”

”It looks so beautiful!”

”Wait! What kind of speed is that? So fast!”

In just a few breaths, the strange airship was already close.

Its speed was simply absurd!

A clamor of exclamations erupted on the deck as the sailors stirred like a startled flock of birds.

The noise soon alerted the people in the cabin.

The cabin door was thrown open. The captain walked onto the deck with a frown, about to scold them, but his eyes were quickly drawn to the airship in the distance, and the words died in his throat.

It was an airship unlike any he had ever seen.

No, calling it an ”airship” was an insult.

It was more like a divine vessel from some ancient legend, every detail exuding a refinement and splendor he had never witnessed before.

It was an objet d’art, not a means of transportation.

The captain stared fixedly at the vessel, rapidly searching his memory.

He had joined the Freedom Alliance’s airship fleet in his youth and had sailed all over the continent for more than twenty years, seeing the airships of countless factions.

The magnificent airships of the Jade Royal Court, the heavy transport ships of the Heart of the Mountains, the deep blue vessels of the Tide Hall, the war boats of Blood Roar Fortress... Each model had its own distinct style, and he could recognize their allegiance at a glance.

But this airship before him—he had never seen or even heard of it.

It did not belong to any faction he knew.

As the ship streaked past not far above them, a massive shadow swept across the deck like a moving cloud.

Suddenly, the captain caught sight of figures on the deck out of the corner of his eye.

Behind the railing of the Flying Ship’s pavilion, several robed figures stood with their hands on the railing, looking down at the sea of clouds below.

Their figures were slender and tall, their long hair flying in the wind, revealing long, pointed ears and delicate profiles.

Elves!

The captain’s pupils contracted slightly.

’Could this be a new model of airship from the Jade Royal Court?’

No, that couldn’t be it.

He immediately dismissed the guess.

The Freedom Alliance and the Jade Royal Court had close trade relations, with airships traveling between the two territories every year. He had seen the Jade Royal Court’s airships dozens of times.

While those airships were also well-made, ornately decorated, and exquisitely crafted, they were like crude toys compared to the vessel before him.

The two styles were completely different.

Moreover, the ship hadn’t come from the direction of the Jade Royal Court, nor was it heading toward it.

The captain looked up in the direction the Flying Ship was headed, his brow furrowing deeper.

That direction... was toward the Holy Dragon Mountain Range.

He understood.

They weren’t far from the Holy Dragon Mountain Range here.

It seemed the Elves on that Flying Ship were from some Elf Clan that had been recruited by the allied forces to join the battle in the Subspace.

To possess such a Flying Ship, they must be a major Elf Clan.

The problem was, he had heard of all the major, well-known Elf Clans on the continent, but he had never heard of any Clan possessing an airship like this one.

”Captain, what faction does that airship belong to?”

The young crewman came closer and asked in a low voice, his eyes full of curiosity.

The captain was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

”I don’t know.”

”But any faction that can build an airship like that is anything but simple.”