The Elven Cultivator

A few months after the Jia Shen Divine General was forged, the Clan had another joyous occasion to celebrate.

The Second Elder had broken through.

The moment the aura emanated from the Enlightenment Platform, Anton was deep in contemplation of the Sword Dao.

A smile touched his lips. In a flash, he appeared on the stone platform at the center of the Enlightenment Platform.

Almost at the exact moment he landed, several figures darted in from different directions.

Great Elder, Third Elder, Cedric... They were all high-ranking members of the Clan, drawn by the aura.

Watching the aura seep from behind the stone door, the faces of the Elves present lit up with joy.

Before long, the stone door opened, and the Second Elder strode out.

Anton gazed at him, noticing that the aura around the Second Elder had indeed undergone a significant change.

Unlike the cold, iron-like sharpness he once possessed, his current disposition had a new, indescribable ethereality.

It was as if he had been cleansed from the inside out by an invisible wind, making every inch of his being, every wisp of his aura, feel light and clear.

Yet, beneath this lightness surged a torrential, majestic vital energy.

That was the characteristic vital sign of a Cultivator at the Third Transition of Force.

His physical body was now tougher than metal, difficult for even Divine Soldiers to harm.

His internal organs were forged into one, forming a single, integrated whole.

Below his abdomen, a core of essence had condensed—the culmination of a Force Cultivator’s vital energy, the very source of their life.

As long as this core of essence did not disperse, his physical body could not perish.

Even if his limbs were severed and his organs shattered, as long as the core of essence remained, he could use his vital energy to reconstruct his body, restoring it completely.

It was equivalent to having an innate, albeit weaker, version of Void One Yuan Life Qi.

This was the truly fearsome aspect of the Third Transition of Force.

It wasn’t merely an increase in power, but a transition to a higher state of being.

It was a transformation from a mortal vessel to an undying one.

”Axel, congratulations!”

”Now our Clan has another member at the Legendary Tier.”

”We’ll have to celebrate properly tonight.”

Unable to contain their excitement, the Elves surged forward to offer their congratulations.

The Second Elder responded to each of them with a smile.

His usually expressionless face was now filled with irrepressible elation.

Advancing from Golden Peak to Legend was not just an increase in strength, but an ascension to a higher level of existence.

For any intelligent being, this was a pivotal transformation.

Yet many at the Golden Peak level could never take this crucial step, eventually dying of old age.

Originally, given his talent and the resources the Silver Moon Race could provide, his chances of advancing to Legend were slim.

It was more likely that he would have remained at Golden Peak his entire life, watching time slip through his fingers and eventually dying full of regret.

That was, until Anton appeared and changed everything.

The Eight Desolates Prison-Suppression Scripture, the near-divine cultivation method, the Enlightenment Stele... not to mention countless Pills, Spiritual Materials, and Blood Soul Crystals.

It was because of these Cultivation Resources from Anton that he had been able to break through the barriers of both Golden Peak and Legend in just over a century.

After accepting the congratulations of the other Elves, the Second Elder walked up to Anton and bowed deeply.

”Clan Leader.”

”Congratulations,” Anton said with a smile.

”It is all thanks to you, Clan Leader.” The Second Elder’s face was filled with sincere gratitude.

”You earned this through your own hard work.”

Anton smiled faintly. With a flick of his wrist, three ancient tomes materialized before him, hovering in mid-air and bobbing gently.

The eyes of everyone in the hall were instantly drawn to them, and they soon made out the titles on the covers.

Celestial Wind Traveling Feather, Song of the Long Wind, and Carefree Wander.

”Now that you’ve reached the Third Transition of Force, you can cultivate Divine Techniques. I’d recommend choosing one that shares the same lineage as your Wind-Feather Evasion Technique.”

”I’ve carefully selected these three Divine Techniques. They all share the same origin as the Wind-Feather Evasion Technique. Take a look and pick the one that suits you best.”

With a light wave of his hand, Anton sent the three tomes floating over to the Second Elder.

The Second Elder’s expression turned serious. He accepted the tomes and began to look through them carefully.

Meanwhile, Anton began to softly explain the characteristics of the three Divine Techniques in detail.

The first was the Divine Technique, Celestial Wind Traveling Feather.

It focuses on the principle of ’the body becoming as the celestial wind, the form scattering while the spirit concentrates.’

When cultivated to an advanced level, one can temporarily transform their physical body into an intangible current of air, granting immunity to all physical attacks.

Dispersed, you become traceless. Gathered, you reform in an instant.

While moving in a state of wind, you can also perceive all disturbances in the air currents, leaving no place for enemies to hide within a radius of several miles.

This was a Divine Technique that pushed survivability and reconnaissance to their absolute limits.

The second Divine Technique, Song of the Long Wind, also involved a Body Technique, but its might was entirely different.

Once this Divine Technique was unleashed, it began like a long, steady wind: unhurried, yet ceaseless and unending.

With each step, one’s speed increases.

With every passing breath, the Body Technique quickens by ten percent.

At first, it’s like a spring breeze brushing past a willow; in the next instant, it’s a hurricane tearing through.

As the Body Technique is active, it is accompanied by a song-like wind that builds layer by layer.

With each new layer of the wind’s song, the Body Technique undergoes a new Transformation.

One moment, it’s as elusive as drifting willow catkins; the next, as dense as a net; then again, as ethereal as smoke.

When the song of the wind stacks to its ninth layer and its power reaches its peak, a single step allows one to transform into a streaking rainbow, piercing through enemy lines with the force of a boundless gale.

Sword Qi and the wind’s power fuse into a single cyan streamer that stretches across the sky. Wherever it passes, clouds are torn asunder and the earth is carved with deep furrows.

Its power was absolutely immense.

As for the final Divine Technique, Carefree Wander, it was even more profound.

It discards all stances and moves, striking directly at the very essence of Body Techniques.

Where the mind wills it, the body arrives.

There is no need to prepare a stance or gather power. The body moves when the thought arises and stops when the thought ceases.

Across heaven and earth, movement is dictated solely by one’s will.

Your enemy sees you standing with your hands clasped behind your back, making no apparent move, yet a hundred of their attacks have already missed their mark.

It is not a matter of speed, but of the will preceding the body, the body following the will. The moment the will arrives, the body arrives.

Simply put, it is speed pushed to its absolute limit, where the body merges with the world and the will travels with the wind.

When Anton finished his explanation, the hall fell silent. All eyes were on the Second Elder.

He had just finished a rough perusal of the three tomes. After a moment of thought, he chose Song of the Long Wind without hesitation.

”Clan Leader, I’ll cultivate this Divine Technique.”

Anton nodded, unsurprised.

Because they all shared the same lineage as the Wind-Feather Evasion Technique, all three Divine Techniques focused on enhancing one’s Body Technique, though to different extents.

Celestial Wind Traveling Feather leaned toward survival and reconnaissance, making it suitable for a Cultivator whose core tactics revolved around intelligence gathering, battlefield mobility, and surgical strikes.

Carefree Wander was a pure pursuit of speed, pushing the Body Technique to its absolute limit.

Only Song of the Long Wind balanced its focus on Body Technique with offensive power.

Although it wasn’t as absurdly fast as Carefree Wander in terms of pure speed, its strength lay in its versatility.

It was balanced in both offense and defense, allowing for calculated advances and retreats.

For a Warrior like the Second Elder, who always charged into the thick of battle, Song of the Long Wind was undoubtedly the most suitable choice.

”Song of the Long Wind is a Force-based Divine Technique. It uses your vital energy as its foundation and the intent of the wind as its guide,” Anton advised. ”With your current Cultivation Level, it will likely take a considerable amount of time to master it completely. But there’s no rush. Take your time.”

The Second Elder nodded, accepting the tome with both hands, his expression solemn.

The atmosphere in the hall relaxed.

The Third Elder laughed heartily. ”Axel, you must train hard. Once you master this Divine Technique, our Clan will have another powerful asset.”

The Great Elder remained silent, simply smiling as he looked at his old friend with a sense of relief and pride.

Cedric stood to one side, his gaze lingering on the Second Elder for a moment before shifting to the tome Anton had offered. A flicker of intense longing flashed in his eyes.

He, too, was only a single step away from the Third Transition of Force.

Over the years, his Magic Power accumulation had reached its limit, and his comprehension of the Law of Mountain Suppression was steadily deepening with the help of the Enlightenment Stele.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before he, too, could reach that threshold.

Elena felt a similar sense of yearning.

She had spent the last few years leading exploration missions in the Dark Nether Realm. Thanks to the high-energy environment of Nine Nether City and a plentiful supply of Blood Soul Crystals, her strength had improved rapidly.

Less than two years after Anton and the others left for Darkness Fortress, she had already broken through to Golden Peak and mastered the Wind-Feather Evasion Technique.

Now, her Magic Power was also close to its limit.

In another year or two at most, she would be able to start using the Enlightenment Stele to comprehend the Laws.

She had a very good chance of breaking through to the Legendary Tier before her three-hundredth birthday.

In the past, this was something she wouldn’t have even dared to dream of.

”Clan Leader, about Darkness Fortress...” the Second Elder began hesitantly after putting away the tome.

Anton mused, ”You just broke through. You need to stabilize your cultivation and train your new Divine Technique. Don’t go to Darkness Fortress for now. It’s not too late to rejoin the team once you’ve mastered Song of the Long Wind.”

He paused, his gaze shifting to Cedric. ”The same goes for you, Cedric.”

”As for the others...”

Anton’s gaze then swept over Romance and the Third Elder.

Romance immediately shook his head. ”I still want to be on the team. I think fighting Dragon Souls and Giant Dragons in the Subspace is more beneficial to my growth than contemplating in front of the Enlightenment Stele.”

Anton nodded slightly, agreeing with Romance.

Romance’s personality was indeed better suited to the path of finding enlightenment through real combat.

After a moment’s hesitation, the Third Elder said, ”Then I will stay behind.”

He was a Caster, not a Warrior, so using the Enlightenment Stele to comprehend the Laws was a more suitable path for him.

Besides, the battles in the Subspace over the years had given him many insights, and it was time for him to settle down and properly process them.

”Then it’s settled.”

Anton made the final decision right then and there.

With his increased strength, the presence of a few more or less Golden Peak members on the team made no difference.

It was better to let the Third Elder and the others stay behind and focus on their cultivation.

The team was sufficient with just him, the Great Elder, and Romance.

Once the Second Elder mastered Song of the Long Wind and rejoined them, the team would have three members with Legendary Combat Power.

A lineup like that was already stronger than many of the elite squads in the Subspace.

”Get ready. We’re returning to Darkness Fortress tomorrow.”

Anton said to the Great Elder and Romance.

They had been away from Darkness Fortress for some time, and it was time to return. The hunt for Dragon Souls and the search for spatial nodes could not be put on hold.

He was also counting on earning more Contribution Points to exchange for a few Myriad Wood Source Hearts, hoping to expand the Silver Moon Forest until it connected with Taichu City.

He would also bring the Jia Shen Divine General along.

Although it had only charged for a few months, that would be enough to use at a critical moment.