The Elven Cultivator

”To be able to assassinate members of the Dragon Race and escape unscathed, this Fallen Dragon Association must be quite powerful.”

”Why have we never heard even a whisper about an organization like this before?”

”What is their purpose in attacking the Dragon Race?”

The three elders and Thorvin discussed the Fallen Dragon Association for a while, but they were completely clueless.

The organization seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Before today, they hadn’t heard a single rumor about it, leaving them unable to make heads or tails of the situation.

Anton stood to the side, feigning curiosity as he listened to the discussion.

He didn’t reveal what he knew about the Fallen Dragon Association; after all, he couldn’t explain the source of his information.

’He was more curious about something else: did the Fallen Dragon Association know that the Dragon Race might have already lost the Dragon God’s protection?’

’Was this assassination of Dragon Race members a probe, or just a routine operation for the organization?’

A short while later, Thorvin stood up to take his leave.

He had to return to oversee the mining area.

After the Dwarf elder left, only the three elders and Anton remained in the hall.

Anton then took out a prepared list of materials and presented it to the three elders for approval.

The three agreed without a second thought, telling Anton to go directly to the storehouse to retrieve them.

After that, Anton showed no intention of leaving immediately. Instead, he suddenly spoke, ”Elders, regarding the Radiant Ash Dragon leaving Dragon City, I’ve been thinking about it these past few days and feel that something is strange.”

The three elders looked up in unison, their gazes falling upon him.

”Strange?” The Third Elder looked puzzled. ”What do you mean?”

Anton said with a calm expression, ”The Radiant Ash Dragon has guarded Kresol Dragon City for several hundred years and has never left. But this time, it went against its usual behavior and departed Dragon City, flying in the direction of the Dragon Court.”

He paused, his eyes sweeping over the three elders. ”I was thinking, perhaps something has happened at the Dragon Court, which is why a Giant Dragon guarding a region would leave in such a hurry?”

The hall fell silent.

The three elders exchanged a glance, thoughtful expressions appearing on their faces.

In truth, they had also felt for some time that something was wrong.

The Giant Dragons were the foundation of the Dragon Race’s rule over the Ten Thousand Races. Each Giant Dragon guarded a territory and would not leave it lightly.

But the Radiant Ash Dragon’s departure this time came without any warning.

And judging by its appearance that day, its departure seemed rather rushed?

Because of their established way of thinking, they had never considered the Dragon Court, but now, with Anton’s reminder, they immediately realized the two might actually be connected.

”It is indeed unusual,” the Third Elder said, his brow furrowed. ”But the Dragon Court is far away in the center of the continent. Even if something has happened there, we have no way of knowing.”

Anton had anticipated this response and replied without hesitation, ”Verifying this won’t be difficult. We just need to send someone to secretly leave the Eldron Plain and investigate the Dragon Cities in other regions. If the Giant Dragons guarding those other cities have also left, it will prove our speculation is correct—that something major has truly happened at the Dragon Court.”

The three elders’ eyes lit up.

That was indeed a viable method.

The Second Elder said decisively, ”I’ll make the trip myself.”

The Great Elder thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Currently, the main entry and exit routes of the Eldron Plain were blockaded by troops from Kresol Dragon City. It would be difficult for an ordinary Elf to break through the Dragon’s Fang Line and leave the Eldron Plain.

More importantly, if they were captured, it would inevitably implicate the entire Clan.

To be safe, it was more appropriate for the Second Elder to go himself.

No matter how tight the Dragon’s Fang Line’s blockade was, it couldn’t stop a Golden Tier expert.

With the Second Elder’s strength, it wouldn’t be difficult to cross the Dragon’s Fang Line as long as he was careful.

”If the Giant Dragons in other places have also left their Dragon Cities...”

The Third Elder only spoke half his sentence, but the implication made the others’ expressions turn solemn.

If that were truly the case, it meant the Dragon Race was definitely experiencing some kind of serious internal problem.

As the hegemons of the Dawn Continent, if something were to happen to the Dragon Race, the entire continent would be affected, possibly even thrown into violent turmoil.

If that was the case, they needed to make preparations early.

Seeing the change in the three elders’ expressions, Anton breathed a small sigh of relief.

This was also his purpose in suddenly mentioning the Radiant Ash Dragon’s departure.

Although he couldn’t explicitly state that the Dragon God had fallen, he could at least give the three elders a heads-up, making them realize that the continent was likely to face turmoil and chaos, and thus prepare in advance.

The period before the turmoil and chaos arrived was a golden age for the Clan’s development and growth.

It couldn’t be wasted.

Having achieved his goal, Anton didn’t linger. He bowed to the three elders, took his leave, and turned to exit the hall, heading to the storehouse to collect his materials.

There was still much to be done.

After Anton left, the three elders remained seated around the round table. The light cast down from the Glowing Flower Buds traced shifting patterns of light and shadow on their faces.

The Great Elder lifted his tea, took a sip, set the cup down, and suddenly said, ”Speaking of which, the position of Clan Leader has been vacant for many years.”

The Second and Third Elders’ gazes paused, and complex expressions appeared on their faces.

The previous Clan Leader of the Silver Moon Race, who was Leonard’s son, had fallen in the war against Dragon City over ninety years ago. The position of Clan Leader had been vacant ever since.

The losses the Silver Moon Race suffered in that battle were not just a Clan Leader, but also the deaths of a large number of elite main forces.

The Silver Moon Race had spent nearly a century trying to recover and had still not fully regained its strength.

If not for a genius like Anton appearing in the Clan, they would likely still be mired in the war with the Molten Spike Tribe, growing weaker little by little.

Perhaps one day in the future, they would have been annihilated at the hands of the Molten Spike Tribe.

Seeing the Great Elder proactively bring up the vacant Clan Leader position, the other two understood his intention almost immediately.

”Isn’t that simple?” the Third Elder said with a chuckle. ”Once Anton has matured, we’ll just have him take over as Clan Leader.”

Every Elf Clan has an unwritten rule: the Clan Leader must be a Sage or a Sword Saint.

The so-called Sage corresponds to the Legendary Tier in the Caster system.

The Sword Saint, in turn, corresponds to the Legendary Tier in the Warrior system.

Both are just general titles and don’t necessarily reflect their literal meanings.

For instance, a Sword Saint doesn’t necessarily use a Long Sword as a weapon; it is merely an honorary title.

In any Elf Clan, the Legendary Tier represents the pinnacle of power. Across the entire Dawn Continent, they are beings who stand at the very top of the pyramid.

Only such a figure could lead an entire Clan to survive and thrive on the fiercely competitive Dawn Continent.

This was a realization the Elf Race had gained through blood and lives over countless years, a survival wisdom etched into their very bones.

And with Anton’s talent, ascending to the rank of Legend was practically a sure thing.

It was only a matter of time.

On this point, all three elders were utterly convinced.

”Anton is indeed the most suitable candidate for Clan Leader.”

A rare smile appeared on the Second Elder’s face, softening the hard lines of his features.

”In terms of contribution, the positive changes he has brought to the Clan are plain for all to see.”

”In terms of character, although he is young, he is composed and far more mature than his peers. More importantly, he has the decisiveness to make the right call at critical moments.”

In the battle against the Molten Spike Tribe, if Anton hadn’t acted decisively to tie down and kill Zhuo Gu, the outcome of that fight would have been hard to say.

No matter how one looked at it, Anton was the undisputed choice for the next Clan Leader.

”I’ve never doubted that,” the Great Elder said, nodding in agreement, a hint of emotion in his tone. ”I just don’t know if I’ll live to see that day.”

He was already over eight hundred and seventy years old. In terms of an Elf’s lifespan, he was entering his twilight years.

Although he was more long-lived than an ordinary Elf due to having broken through to Golden Peak, he would not live past thirteen hundred years at most.

Unless he could advance to Legend, causing the essence of his life to undergo a sublimation, his lifespan would not see a qualitative leap.

However, he had not a shred of confidence in that regard.

He had been stuck at Golden Peak for several hundred years, unable to take that final step.

At his current age and condition, the hope of a breakthrough was growing ever more distant.

”Leonard...” the Third Elder opened his mouth, wanting to offer some words of comfort, but the Great Elder stopped him with a raised hand.

”Don’t try to comfort me.” The Great Elder smiled faintly, his expression serene. ”I have lived for over eight hundred years. I’ve seen the Clan’s most glorious moments and experienced its darkest days. Now, I have seen the hope of the Clan’s return to glory. I am already content. As for everything else... I’ll leave it to fate.”

The other two elders looked at each other and remained silent.

「...」

Anton was unaware of the discussion the three elders were having about him.

In the following days, he was so busy he barely had time to breathe.

Origin Pills, the Separation Fire Shield, the Golden Light Prison Formation... these three projects alone consumed most of his energy.

Time flew by.

The last warm breeze of late summer swept through the treetops, turning the deep green to rust.

The sweet fragrance of Honeybell Flowers quietly faded, replaced by the rich scent of humus and ripe acorns.

Autumn in the Silver Moon Forest had arrived silently one dawn.

In his most recent material combination test, Anton finally refined his first batch of Origin Pills.

Looking at the dark-gold, longan-sized Pills in the Alchemy Cauldron, Anton let out a long breath, a smile appearing on his face.

”I finally succeeded.”

He immediately picked up an Origin Pill.

Under the glow of the Light Source Stone, a halo swirled across the Pill’s surface, faintly reflecting varying shades of dark gold.

The Pill rested in his palm, feeling quite heavy and substantial. A warm sensation traveled up from his fingertips, as if he were holding a golden bead fresh from a furnace.

Without hesitation, Anton popped an Origin Pill into his mouth, then sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate.

Within his Dantian’s Qi Sea, his Primordial True Essence slowly revolved like a five-colored cloud of light.

The moment the medicinal power seeped into his Qi Sea, the rotation of his True Essence suddenly accelerated. The leisurely rotating cloud of light transformed into a turbulent vortex, devouring the worldly energy that poured in.

The energy of heaven and earth surged in from all directions like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, passing through his skin, muscles, and bones, gathering in his meridians, and then flowing along the path of his Cultivation Technique towards his Dantian. Finally, it was engulfed by the five-colored vortex and assimilated into new True Essence.

With each breath cycle, his True Essence grew stronger.

Although the increase was as fine as a strand of hair, it was clearly perceptible.

Anton immersed himself in the process, feeling the cloud of light in his Dantian slowly expand, like a growing star swallowing and spitting out endless light and heat.

After an unknown amount of time, Anton opened his eyes. Sensing the True Essence in his Qi Sea had grown noticeably stronger, he nodded in satisfaction.

”The effect of the Origin Pill is indeed far superior to the Dragon Essence Pill.”

He estimated that at this rate, he should be able to break through to the Second-Layer Foundation Establishment in about eight more years.

After that, he could increase his True Qi by ten percent roughly every ten years.

He could reach the peak of Foundation Establishment in less than a hundred years!

”Having sufficient resources really does make cultivation faster.”

Shaking himself from his elation, Anton calmed his mind, stood up, and walked toward the Artifact Refining room.

Compared to the Origin Pills, his progress on the Separation Fire Shield and the Golden Light Prison Formation was much slower.

However, now that the Origin Pills were taken care of, he would have more time to devote to the other two projects.