The Elven Cultivator

Leaving the training grounds, Anton and Eleanor stepped into a central corridor of Nine Nether City.

Light seeped from the runes on the walls, bathing the corridor in a bright glow.

The sound of their footsteps echoed through the empty space, accentuating the surrounding silence.

”Eleanor, there’s something I need you to do,” Anton said suddenly.

Without breaking her stride, Eleanor glanced sideways at him and replied crisply, ”I’m listening.”

”I want you to establish a comprehensive and detailed Merit Points system. You can model the specifics after the Contribution Points system for the Taichu City disciples.”

Eleanor paused for a moment, then, understanding his intent, she mused, ”You’re talking about... the vassal races?”

Anton explained, ”It’s not just for the vassal races. Our own clan members can also participate. By completing tasks issued by the clan or making other contributions, they can earn Merit Points, which can then be exchanged for resources.”

”Furthermore, accumulating a certain number of Merit Points can also raise a vassal race’s status, granting them larger resource quotas, priority in task selection, superior living conditions... things of that nature.”

Anton had entertained a similar idea back when he first decided to recruit vassal races.

However, the clan’s overall structure was still incomplete back then. Rashly implementing a Merit Points system would have only created chaos, so he decided it was better to wait until everything was running smoothly.

Clearly, that time had now come.

Moreover, the successful implementation of the Contribution Points system in Taichu City over the past few years had proven to Anton that such a framework was viable.

The disciples, eager to exchange for better cultivation resources, actively took on missions. Their drive significantly boosted the overall operational efficiency of Taichu City.

Anton felt it was time to roll out this system on a much larger scale.

Of course, the Taichu City disciples had to be kept separate from the ordinary clan members and vassal races. It wouldn’t be appropriate for them all to share a single incentive system, as that would surely lead to confusion.

After all, the disparity in the tiers of resources each group could redeem was immense.

’You can’t just exploit the vassal races without offering any incentives.’

’If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it. The more they do, the more they’ll get. The better their work, the higher their status will be. Once they’re motivated, they will take the initiative and contribute more actively to the clan.’

Eleanor quickly understood Anton’s line of thinking.

In the past, other powers had treated their vassal races with simple oppression and exploitation. They used force to compel them to work and punished them at the slightest sign of discontent.

While this method could make people work, it was highly inefficient. The vassal races harbored nothing but resentment and would rebel the moment they saw an opportunity.

The fall of Kresol Dragon City was the perfect example.

Anton’s approach was different.

The Merit Points system wasn’t about exploitation. It was a system of exchange.

The clan would provide resources, and the vassal races would provide labor.

Each side would get what they needed, making it a mutually beneficial arrangement.

With something to strive for, the vassal races would naturally work harder for the clan.

Once this positive feedback loop was established, the potential of the vassal races would be unleashed to its fullest.

More importantly, this system would significantly raise the cost of betrayal.

A vassal race that had invested significant time and energy into the Silver Moon Clan’s system, accumulating a wealth of Merit Points, would have to think twice before considering betrayal.

Would they be willing to simply abandon everything they had built up within the Silver Moon Clan?

After leaving the Silver Moon Clan, could they find another power willing to offer them the same benefits?

The answer was obvious.

When they realized they were too deeply entrenched in the Silver Moon Clan’s system to easily break away, loyalty would no longer be a choice, but an inevitability.

Fear and violence bought only temporary submission; only bonds woven from mutual interest could withstand the test of time.

”I’ll have my people draft the specifics for the Merit Points system as soon as I get back,” Eleanor said with a solemn nod.

Anton nodded. ”There’s one more thing. It’s about the direction of our exploration in the Dark Nether Realm.”

”Aside from the region behind Nine Nether City, I want you to send people to explore the other three directions as well. If there are no passages, have them use the Stone-Shifting Technique to create them.”

The mind flayers had originally set up warning arrays in three directions, completely sealing off this area and turning it into their private hunting ground.

Any creature that tried to leave would immediately trigger one of the arrays, bringing the mind flayers down upon them in pursuit.

But now that the mind flayers have been wiped out, those warning arrays have fallen into disrepair, their energy long since depleted. All we need to do is use the Stone-Shifting Technique to open up paths, and we can continue our exploration.

Eleanor understood. ”Advancing on multiple fronts?”

”Exactly,” Anton nodded. ”By tackling it from multiple angles, we might find more.”

”Besides, if exploration in one direction is blocked, the other three can still proceed. That way, a setback on one front won’t stall our overall progress.”

The Dark Nether Realm was simply too vast.

No one knew what this sprawling subterranean world truly held.

A few kilometers to the east might reveal a rich vein of rare ore; a few days’ journey to the west might lead them straight to a Legendary-Tier subterranean overlord.

Advancing on multiple fronts would, at the very least, spread the risk.

”Understood,” Eleanor agreed. Then, she recalled something else and changed the subject. ”What about the disciples from Taichu City? Should we have them participate in the exploration as well?”

Anton shot her a knowing glance. ”Someone’s been bending your ear, I see.”

Eleanor didn’t try to hide it, chuckling lightly. ”It was Lucius. He doesn’t want to just bury his head in his cultivation; he wants to join an exploration team and temper himself in real combat.”

Anton raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He had seen for a long time that Lucius wanted to walk the path of a Sword Cultivator.

The quiet, taciturn boy had an almost obsessive focus on the sword.

The path of the Sword Cultivator was different from other paths. While it still valued cultivation and enlightenment, honing oneself through combat to deepen one’s understanding of the Sword Dao was equally essential.

One could never forge a true sword in seclusion.

Only in the midst of life-and-death struggles, in the moments where steel clashes against steel, can one truly grasp the essence of the Sword Dao.

It was no surprise that Lucius had made such a request.

Now, hearing what Eleanor said, Anton’s thoughts went a layer deeper.

The path of cultivation was never meant to be one of solitary study.

Of the countless sect legacies recorded in the Taoist Jade Scroll, whether they were orthodox or heretical, all had a tradition of sending their disciples out into the world to gain experience.

Some would enter the Red Dust to temper their hearts, polishing their Dao hearts amidst the fickleness of human emotion and the impermanence of the world to grasp their true selves.

Others would slay demons and devils, using an air of slaughter to sharpen their edge and testing what they had learned in the crucible of life-and-death battle.

Still others would wander the world, visiting famous mountains and great rivers in search of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge.

It was as the saying goes: ”Read ten thousand books, and travel ten thousand miles.”

The same held true for cultivation.

Meditating in a quiet chamber and absorbing Spiritual Qi could certainly accumulate Magical Power and raise one’s Cultivation Level.

But a path of pure, isolated cultivation, without being tempered by the world and tested by life and death, was like an uncut gem. Its brilliance would remain contained, its edge unrevealed. One could never achieve true greatness that way.

True powerhouses were never made by simply consuming pills, nor were they forged through secluded, arduous training alone.

Only by accumulating experience in countless battles and honing one’s will on the verge of life and death could one truly master all they had learned and convert their cultivation into tangible combat strength.

’Didn’t I get to where I am today by fighting and struggling my way here?’

’If that was true for him, it was even more so for the disciples of Taichu City.’

’A greenhouse can’t produce a thousand-year-old pine.’

’In addition to their training, they really did need to get some practical experience.’

In a flash of insight, Anton made his decision.

”Send word to Taichu City. The disciples may volunteer to participate in the exploration of the Dark Nether Realm. Any Merit Points they earn can be converted into Contribution Points at a set ratio.”

”But there are two conditions.”

Eleanor listened intently.

”First, their cultivation level must be at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining or higher.”

A cultivator at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining has already refined more than eighteen wisps of Spiritual Qi and possesses basic combat capabilities.

More importantly, at this stage, a cultivator’s control over Spiritual Qi is proficient enough for them to begin learning techniques.

This gives them a fighting chance to protect themselves against the various dangers of the Dark Nether Realm.

”Second, they must have mastered at least five combat skills or techniques and must pass a practical combat assessment.”

He wasn’t being unreasonable.

The Dark Nether Realm was nothing like the surface world; it was a place ruled by the brutal, undisguised law of the jungle.

Throwing a disciple with no combat experience and no established fighting style of their own into such a place would be no different from sending them to their deaths.

Eleanor mentally noted each of these requirements, her mind already working out the fine details of implementation.

Their conversation continued all the way until they stepped into the great hall at the center of Nine Nether City.

Anton didn’t stay long. After entrusting the affairs of Nine Nether City to Eleanor, he returned to Taichu City alone.

...

It was still early in the day when he returned to Taichu City.

Anton headed straight for the Artifact Refining chamber.

He planned to begin refining the second Dao-Enlightenment Stele.

Over the past three years, his cultivation of Divine Techniques had progressed rather smoothly.

He had completely mastered the Profound Yellow Dragon-Grasping Hand and the Primordial True Gang.

The Daluo Celestial Sleeve and the Six Ding Divine Fire weren’t quite there yet and still required more time to perfect.

However, at his current pace, he would be able to completely master these two Divine Techniques in another year or two at most.

At present, he could imprint three types of laws into a Dao-Enlightenment Stele: the Laws of the Water Element, Earth Element, and Metal Element.

After careful consideration, Anton ultimately chose to imprint the Law of the Earth Element.

Currently, Cedric was the only one in the entire clan who could not benefit from the first stele, which was attuned to the Wood Element.

The Mountain-Suppressing Art he practiced belonged to the Earth Attribute of the Five Elements, making him suited only to comprehending an Earth-Element Dao-Enlightenment Stele.

This was the perfect opportunity to refine one for him.

In addition, regarding his Sword Dao, the power and speed of his individual sword lights were steadily increasing.

His progress with their quantity, however, was slow. He still hadn’t fully mastered the technique of splitting one into two hundred fifty-six.

The Light Splitting and Reunification technique grew exponentially more difficult in its later stages.

Each step of progress demanded a huge investment of time and energy in repeated practice and contemplation.

It was a level that could no longer be broken through by sheer effort alone; it required a stroke of serendipity and a deeper understanding of the Sword Dao.

But once he broke through, his attainment in the Sword Dao would reach an entirely new realm.

The refinement of the Pill Poison, on the other hand, was proceeding more smoothly than he had anticipated.

Thanks to the threefold support of the Nine Transitions Evil-Refining Array, the Evil-Transforming Pill, and the Spirit Vein, his refinement of the Pill Poison had maintained a remarkable pace.

He had now refined nearly seventy percent of the Pill Poison.

At this rate, in another fifteen or sixteen years at most, he would be able to completely refine the remaining Pill Poison, shatter the Shell Barrier, and advance to the Golden Core Second Stage.