The Elven Cultivator

”How so?”

Anton’s spirits lifted.

”I asked a friend to inquire about it. The annual production of Moonflower Spiritual Liquid is limited, and the Jade Royal Court doesn’t easily let it circulate externally, unless...”

At this point, the Great Elder’s expression became a little strange. ”Unless the Silver Moon Race is willing to become a vassal of the Jade Royal Court. Then, the Jade Royal Court would be willing to grant us a small annual trade quota for Moonflower Spiritual Liquid.”

The Jade Royal Court was the Elf Race power that established the City of Ten Thousand Trees.

They were the largest and most powerful Elf Clan on the Dawn Continent, bar none.

”A vassal?” Anton was a little surprised. ”Like with Dragon City?”

”No.” The Great Elder shook his head. ”We wouldn’t need to offer any tribute. On the contrary, they would even allow us to open a trade route to the City of Ten Thousand Trees and trade with the Jade Royal Court. Their only demand is that we recognize the Jade Royal Court as the royal family of the Elf Race and, when necessary, answer the Royal Court’s call to war.”

Anton’s expression shifted. He asked, ”Besides our clan, the Jade Royal Court has probably made similar offers to other clans, right?”

”That’s right.” The Great Elder nodded slightly. ”It is said that the Jade Royal Court has dispatched numerous envoys across the continent to approach the various Elf Clans.”

Anton understood.

In other words, the Jade Royal Court wanted to become the sovereign of the Elf Race, the supreme leader acknowledged by all Elf Clans on the Dawn Continent.

’As for their goal...’

A vague guess formed in Anton’s mind.

’The Jade Royal Court has probably already learned of the incident at the Dragon Court.’

’After all, if the Silver Moon Race could investigate it, the Jade Royal Court certainly could as well—and their intelligence would be even more detailed.’

’Although it was unclear to what extent the Jade Royal Court understood the whole affair, their restless ambitions were already plain to see.’

’Secretly uniting the Elf Clans across the land is the first step.’

’As long as they become the nominal supreme leader of the Elf Race, they’ll be able to control, to some extent, all the Elf Race powers on the continent.’

’If the Dragon Court doesn’t present an opportunity in the future, so be it. But the moment it shows any weakness, the Jade Royal Court will unsheathe its sharpened blade without hesitation and strike a vicious blow.’

In fact, in Anton’s memory, the Jade Royal Court would indeed do just that in the future.

And it wasn’t just the Jade Royal Court.

The top powers of the four major races—the Dwarves, Beastmen, Humans, and the Sea Race—had likely already sensed that something was amiss and were secretly sharpening their knives.

On the surface, the Dawn Continent seemed calm, but undercurrents were already surging beneath.

However, none of this concerned Anton for the time being.

’To leap off the chessboard and go from being a piece to a player, one needs to be at least at the Legendary Tier.’

’He didn’t have that kind of power yet. It was pointless to overthink it.’

”What do the elders think?” Anton asked.

The three elders exchanged a glance. In the end, it was the Great Elder who spoke. ”We intend to accept the Jade Royal Court’s terms.”

The Third Elder chimed in, ”It’s just a title, anyway. We don’t have to pay any price, and there are benefits. We won’t lose out by agreeing.”

”That makes sense.” Anton nodded slightly.

Exchanging a mere title for a trade partnership with the City of Ten Thousand Trees, plus the ability to trade for Moonflower Spiritual Liquid—the pros certainly outweighed the cons for them.

Even if they recognized the Jade Royal Court as the sovereign of the Elf Race, it didn’t mean they had to obey its commands unconditionally.

Waving flags, cheering, and building momentum were low-cost gestures they could make. But if it required a significant price, the Silver Moon Race would definitely refuse.

The other clans would surely do the same.

Of course, if the Jade Royal Court offered sufficient benefits, the various Elf Clans wouldn’t resist its commands either.

In truth, the title of ’sovereign of the Elf Race’ could only be truly effective when backed by a deep foundation and formidable strength.

Otherwise, it was just an empty title.

Among all the Elf Race on the Dawn Continent, only the Jade Royal Court truly had the qualifications.

”In that case, I will reply to the Jade Royal Court later and accept their terms.”

The Great Elder made the final decision.

”The Jade Royal Court should send an envoy to sign the agreement afterward. We can discuss the Moonflower Spiritual Liquid with them then.”

After discussing the official business, the three elders didn’t keep Anton any longer and told him to go back and rest.

Back in his treehouse, Anton quickly washed up, changed into a clean set of clothes, and then began to take stock of his gains from the trip.

First were the various ores.

Mithril, Ghost Mushroom Copper, Tearful Skull Gold, Abyssal Silver, Lightless Iron... Ores of all sizes nearly filled half the space in his Dimension Ring.

Anton roughly estimated that these rare metals were enough for him to refine another five to six hundred Five Camp Divine Soldiers.

The premise was that the supply of Magic Cores could keep up.

Furthermore, these metal ores still needed to be smelted.

However, Anton planned to entrust this task to the Elves in his clan, rather than letting it pass through the hands of the Dwarves.

Putting aside the other rare ores, the origin of the Mithril would be difficult to explain.

For now, it was not advisable to let the Dwarves know about the existence of the Mithril vein.

Next were the various materials.

Blood Moss, Dark Light Mushroom, Glowing Crystal, Shadow Root Grass... These were all found in obscure nooks and crannies.

Additionally, there were the corpses of over a hundred subterranean creatures.

Anton planned to find some time later to process them, saving them as materials for future Artifact Refining and Alchemy.

Finally, there were the Mind Flayer corpses.

Anton took a count: two hundred and thirty-seven bodies in total.

This included one High Tier Mind Flayer at the Golden Peak, as well as twelve slightly weaker Golden Tier Mind Flayers.

On the Dawn Continent, a Mind Flayer’s body was itself a precious alchemical material.

Their skin could be made into resistance leather armor, their tentacles were a core material for crafting psychic protection items, and their brains were a rare ingredient for certain high-level potions.

The Mind Flayers’ method of reproduction and survival endowed their brains with unique properties.

They were creatures with advanced brains that wielded Spiritual Energy, and they loved to devour the brains of intelligent beings. After tens of millions of years of evolution, their brains had developed the ability to process mental energy far beyond that of most intelligent life.

The mental activity of an adult Mind Flayer’s brain was dozens or even hundreds of times greater than that of an ordinary human brain.

Furthermore, it possessed the properties of amplifying and storing large amounts of mental energy.

It was because of these properties that a Mind Flayer’s brain became an excellent material for making mental-type potions.

”They loved to devour the brains of other intelligent beings in life, and in death, their own brains are used as materials. I suppose that’s karmic retribution.”

Anton sighed, then a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

The properties of the Mind Flayer brain reminded him of a material called Nightmare Soul Jade.

Nightmare Soul Jade was a rare jade produced in places of netherworldly gloom or chasms of extreme Yin Qi.

It could only crystallize into jade after being steeped in Yin Qi for several hundred years in a place where countless beings had fallen and their resentment had gathered.

It naturally possessed the ability to ”amplify” and ”manifest” thoughts and emotions. It could stir the deepest obsessions, fears, and regrets within a Cultivator’s heart, magnifying them and manifesting them as illusions.

Because of this, Nightmare Soul Jade was often used to set up illusion-type Arrays or to refine hallucinogenic potions.

But its more widely known use was for refining the Heart Demon Guide.

When a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator tries to form a top-tier, First-Grade Golden Core, they will often trigger a Heart Demon tribulation. They must see through the illusion and look within themselves to successfully solidify the pill.

For most Cultivators, the Heart Demon tribulation was an even more perilous trial than Solidifying the Pill itself.

After all, Solidifying the Pill tested one’s aptitude, accumulated Cultivation Level, and resources—all of which were traceable. As long as one had sufficient resources, a superior Cultivation Technique, and the aid of a Solidification Pill, there was a seventy to eighty percent chance of success.

The Heart Demon tribulation, however, tested the nature of one’s Dao heart and the most hidden flaws in the depths of one’s soul. There was no way to prepare, no shortcuts to take. The Heart Demon is born from you and knows you best. Whatever you fear, it will come. Whatever you obsess over, it will become. The slightest misstep could trap you in an Illusion Realm forever, and even a sky-high Cultivation Level would be powerless to save you.

Many exceptionally talented Cultivators with sufficient Cultivation Levels and an abundance of Pills still ended up failing at the Heart Demon tribulation.

It wasn’t a lack of strength, but a lack of mental fortitude and insufficient tempering.

And the Heart Demon Guide was an auxiliary Pill created to solve this very problem.

Its core effect was to amplify the deepest obsessions and emotions within a Cultivator’s heart, preemptively triggering a controllable, low-intensity, simulated Heart Demon tribulation. This allowed the Cultivator to personally experience the various transformations of a Heart Demon without any real danger, thereby tempering their Dao heart and patching up their weaknesses.

By the time of Solidifying the Pill, with a complete state of mind and sufficient experience, passing the Heart Demon tribulation would naturally be effortless.

To train an army, first train the general; to pass a tribulation, first train the heart.

This was the very purpose of the Heart Demon Guide’s existence.

Anton’s goal was to form a First-Grade Golden Core, so the Heart Demon tribulation was a hurdle he had to overcome.

He had also considered using a Heart Demon Guide in advance to temper his Dao heart, but he had never found a substitute material for Nightmare Soul Jade, so he had to shelve the idea for the time being.

But now, it seemed there was a solution to this problem.

’If I can use Mind Flayer brains to refine a Heart Demon Guide, my chances of successfully Solidifying the Pill in the future will increase by another notch.’

Anton quickly made up his mind.

’Looks like I’ll have to find some time to research the Heart Demon Guide.’

After inventorying all his gains, Anton nodded in satisfaction.

He had only spent three short days in the Dark Nether Realm and had already obtained so many resources. It had to be said, the Dark Nether Realm was truly a treasure trove... at least for him.

’I’ve plundered all the mining areas around the Mind Flayer city-state. I won’t get enough ore if I strike again so soon, so I should let it be for a while.’

Anton decided to go down to the Dark Nether Realm to reap a harvest periodically.

’And then there are the military outposts on the Dragon’s Fang defensive line. I haven’t hit them in two years. I should find time to make a move.’

’From now on, I’ll also have to go hunting periodically. I can also earn some Contribution Points from the Fallen Dragon Association to exchange for resources.’

Anton suddenly had the feeling that he was running dungeons in a game.

He was like a player, running back and forth between two ”dungeons”—the Dark Nether Realm and the surface world—collecting resources to increase his strength.

The boss of the surface world was Kresol Dragon City, and the final boss was the Dragon Court.

The boss of the Dark Nether Realm was the Mind Flayer city-state, and as for the final boss...

Anton suddenly remembered something.

The Dragon Court had established Dragon Cities all over the Dawn Continent, not even excepting the deep sea.

But there was one place they had conspicuously missed.

The Dark Nether Realm.

The reasons were widely debated.

But only Anton knew the real reason: an ancient creature called the Vile Abomination existed in the Dark Nether Realm.

Historically, the Vile Abomination had always been in a state of deep slumber, only to awaken during the Age of Ascending Gods and begin to encroach upon the Dark Nether Realm.

Even a being as mighty as the Dragon God was extremely wary of the Vile Abomination’s existence.

He even went so far as to strictly forbid the Dragon Court from entering the Dark Nether Realm, fearing they would awaken the Vile Abomination from its slumber.

It was precisely because of this that the Dark Nether Realm was the only region that did not have to endure the exploitation and oppression of the Dragon Race.

Of course, given the extremely harsh living environment of the Dark Nether Realm, it made little difference whether the Dragon Race was there to oppress them or not.

’Perhaps the Dragon Race themselves didn’t want to enter the Dark Nether Realm to suffer.’