The Elven Cultivator

Chenxi Calendar, Year 9356. Spring.

All things were reviving. The fragrance of Honeybell Flowers drifted through the woods, weaving with the crisp scent of new leaves and scattering with the breeze to every corner of the Silver Moon Forest.

The treehouse, Artifact Refining room.

Anton had been sitting cross-legged before the refining furnace for three days and three nights.

His Divine Sense, like countless fine threads, coiled around the golden seal taking shape within the furnace’s core.

The Five Elements True Flame surged and ebbed inside the furnace, enveloping the golden seal layer by layer.

With every flicker of the flame, a restrictive rune was branded onto the seal’s body.

These runes were as fine as hairs, yet they held the essence of the entire Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array. Each line was a microcosm of the Array, and every stroke was a manifestation of its rules.

The moment the final restrictive rune was embedded into the seal, the golden seal jolted violently, letting out a clear, melodious hum.

Within the furnace, the Five Elements True Flame receded like a tide.

The golden seal slowly rose from the heart of the flames and hovered in midair, its entire body radiating a brilliant golden light.

The light wasn’t blinding, but it carried a sense of profound weight, as if it were not a small seal but a solidified mountain.

Anton opened his eyes and gestured with his hand.

The golden seal drifted down into his palm.

It was warm to the touch and surprisingly heavy.

The golden seal was no larger than an adult’s fist. It was square, with a flat face engraved with complex array runes.

The seal’s knob was carved into the shape of a gnarled ancient oak. Its trunk was thick, its branches stretched out, and its canopy spread like an umbrella, perfectly mirroring the form of the Eternal Tree.

The ancient oak’s roots extended downward, wrapping around the body of the seal as if to firmly root the entire golden seal in the earth.

Anton gazed at the golden seal in his palm, feeling the profound connection it shared with his very being, and a genuine, joyous smile spread across his face.

With this, the final step of the Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array was complete.

Anton let out a long sigh of relief, rose to his feet, and walked out of the treehouse, making his way to the base of the Eternal Tree.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, sprinkling onto his skin with a gentle warmth.

Anton stood beneath the Eternal Tree, looking up at the colossal tree that seemed to pierce the heavens.

It still stood there in silence, its canopy like a dome that covered half the sky. Aerial roots dangled from its branches, swaying gently in the breeze and exuding an ancient, distant aura.

After gazing for a while, Anton lowered his gaze back to the golden seal in his palm.

He took a deep breath, and his Divine Sense surged out like a tide, connecting with the golden seal. In an instant, it linked with the array runes, array flags, and Array Discs spread throughout the forest.

In that moment, the ”heartbeat” of the entire Silver Moon Forest was clearly transmitted to his senses.

This was no metaphor.

Through the golden seal, he could ”see” the array runes flowing slowly through the roots of the Eternal Tree, like blood surging through veins.

He could ”hear” the faint hum of energy transferring between the array flags and Array Discs, like a giant harp being gently plucked by unseen fingers.

He could ”feel” every tree, every blade of grass, and every leaf resonating with the Array.

Their Life Force converged into an invisible river, surging through the forest.

The entire Eternal Tree was like a massive, steady heart, rhythmically absorbing the free-floating energy between heaven and earth. Then, through the Array’s transformation, it fed this energy back to every inch of land, every tree, and every flower in the forest.

The Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array had come to life.

...

In a corridor on the west side of the Eternal Hall, Elena walked briskly, her leather boots tapping out a crisp rhythm on the wooden floor.

She had just returned from the Dark Nether Realm, still carrying the unique damp, earthy scent of the subterranean world. Her leather armor was stained with several dark patches.

She planned to first report the recent mining progress to the Elder Council in the Eternal Hall, then return to her quarters for a good bath and a change of clean clothes.

”Captain Elena!”

A familiar, cheerful voice suddenly called out from behind her.

Elena paused and turned to see Romance striding over, her War Axe on her back and an eager look on her delicate face.

”Oh, it’s you, Romance.” A smile appeared on Elena’s face. ”What is it?”

Elena had always admired this young Elf, who was more battle-hungry than many Warriors.

Romance had a cheerful and generous personality. She was never coy or pretentious, and was extremely popular within the Clan.

Everyone, from the older seniors to her younger peers, enjoyed being around her.

Especially after her promotion to the Golden Tier, Romance’s status in the Clan had skyrocketed. She was already showing the potential to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the veteran powerhouses.

Of course, what people valued most was her relationship with Anton.

Everyone in the Clan knew that Romance was Anton’s childhood sweetheart. They had grown up together and were as close as family.

On that point alone, no one in the Clan dared to treat her with anything but respect.

”I heard they found traces of Mind Flayers in the Dark Nether Realm again?”

Romance asked impatiently as she hurried up to Elena.

The young Elf was eager to go. ”Let me lead the team to clear them out this time. I haven’t had a proper fight in ages.”

Watching her rub her palms together in anticipation, Elena couldn’t help but chuckle and shake her head. ”You’re too late. That Mind Flayer has already been eliminated.”

”Huh?” The excitement on Romance’s face instantly deflated.

”There weren’t many of those stray Mind Flayers left to begin with. If it weren’t for the complex terrain of the Dark Nether Realm, they would have been cleaned up long ago. We have plenty of forces there now, so whenever one is discovered, a team is organized to eliminate it the same day.”

Elena smiled and patted her on the shoulder. ”Next time, I’ll let you know sooner.”

Romance sighed and grumbled, ”I haven’t had anything to do lately besides cultivate. I’m about to get rusty from boredom.”

Elena smiled, her gaze sweeping past Romance as she casually asked, ”Where’s Eleanor? Aren’t you two usually inseparable? How come she’s not with you today?”

Romance shrugged. ”Eleanor’s been in seclusion for a while now.”

A flicker of surprise appeared in Elena’s eyes. ”Is she about to advance to the Golden Tier?”

”Not exactly,” Romance said, scratching her head. ”Eleanor plans to switch to Anton’s Cultivation Technique.”

Elena froze, thinking she must have misheard.

”Switch to Anton’s Cultivation Technique?”

”That’s right.” Romance nodded.

Elena fell silent.

Unlike Warriors, for a Caster to switch to Anton’s Cultivation Technique was nearly equivalent to abandoning the entire system of Magic.

Decades, even centuries, of accumulated knowledge of Magic and casting skills would become useless.

Years of hard work would go down the drain.

More importantly, the future path was uncertain.

No one could guarantee they would become stronger than before.

Without sufficient resolve, it would be difficult to make such a decision.

”Eleanor... she really has guts.”

The astonishment on Elena’s face gradually gave way to deep admiration, and she couldn’t help but sigh in praise.

She had always felt that while Eleanor might appear gentle, she was actually tough and competitive, with an unyielding spirit.

’I just never thought she would have this much determination.’

To abandon a hundred years of cultivated Magic Power, just like that.

Not everyone possessed such decisiveness and courage.

”Eleanor has always had a mind of her own,” Romance said with a grin, feeling a genuine sense of pride for her dear friend.

”I hope it goes smoothly for her.” Elena nodded slightly. ”Once she succeeds in her cultivation, our Clan will have another powerful asset.”

”I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Romance said with a firm nod. Then, she changed the subject. ”By the way, Captain Elena, have you heard? Anton is planning to set up a massive Array in the forest.”

”Of course,” Elena nodded.

Although she had spent the last few years in the Dark Nether Realm overseeing the mining operations, she had still heard plenty about it.

After all, it was something Anton was working on.

His name alone was enough to give immense weight to anything associated with it.

Besides, the project had caused quite a stir.

The Enchanters were drilling in and out of the ground all over the forest every day, drawing array runes. The commotion was impossible to hide.

While most of the Elves couldn’t understand what those complex and profound runes meant, it didn’t stop them from being incredibly curious and expectant.

”I think it’s called... the Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array?” Elena recalled. ”I wonder what this Array will look like when it’s activated.”

”An Array set up by Anton is bound to be extraordinary,” Romance said as if it were a matter of fact.

In her eyes, everything Anton did was amazing.

”That’s true,” Elena said with a smiling nod.

Anton’s past achievements were plain for all to see, but none of his projects had ever caused such a huge commotion.

Something that required him to spend so much time and energy, and use so many resources, was definitely not going to be simple.

Thinking of this, Elena grew even more curious about the Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array.

’An Array that can cover the entire Silver Moon Forest... what a magnificent sight that would be.’

Just then, her expression suddenly changed. She whipped her head around to look at the ground.

Romance noticed the strangeness at almost the exact same moment.

The ground beneath their feet was trembling slightly.

It wasn’t a violent tremor like an earthquake, but an extremely subtle, rhythmic vibration.

It was as if the entire forest had come alive at that moment and had taken a slow, deep breath.

In the air, an invisible power was surging.

The power wasn’t violent. Instead, it had a warm and gentle quality, like a warm spring breeze or a welcome summer rain, seeping silently from every inch of the earth.

”The concentration of elemental energy... it’s increasing!”

Elena took a subconscious deep breath, an expression of utter astonishment on her face.

She could clearly feel the concentration of energy in the forest rising at an unbelievable rate.

”Huh?” Romance suddenly let out a soft cry of surprise, staring dumbfounded at the sky. ”What is that?”

Elena quickly looked up toward the sky above the forest.

High in the heavens, a pale cyan curtain of light was slowly appearing.

The light curtain was as thin as a cicada’s wing, almost transparent. Only at certain angles, when the sunlight refracted through it, would it reveal a faint bluish-green hue, like a newly sprouted bud in spring, brimming with vigorous life.

Countless fine Runes flowed slowly within the light curtain like swimming fish.

The trajectory of the Runes seemed to follow some profound, mysterious law. Staring at them for too long gave one the dazed feeling that their very mind was being pulled in.

In that instant, Elena had an inexplicable feeling.

The entire Silver Moon Forest seemed to have awakened from a deep slumber.