The Elven Cultivator

Chapter 339: Chapter 312: People from Two Different Worlds

Behind the long table, the look on Anton’s face showed he had expected this.

He had previously speculated that Ivy possessed a Spirit Body.

And among the few possibilities he had envisioned, the Taiyin Body was one of them.

Eleanor had also recovered from her shock by this point, and her gaze toward Ivy was filled with a hint of awe.

The Taiyin Body ranked among the top Yin-Yang Spirit Bodies and was naturally attuned to Yin and Water Attribute Spiritual Qi.

Those who possessed this Spirit Body could absorb and refine Spiritual Qi at a speed far surpassing ordinary people. When cultivating related Cultivation Techniques, their efficiency was dozens of times greater than that of an ordinary Cultivator.

The Haoyang True Body was already an extremely rare Spirit Body, unique among the nearly one thousand disciples of Taichu City.

But the Taiyin Body was even rarer than the Haoyang True Body.

In the hierarchy of Spirit Bodies, only one or two others, such as the Pure Yang Body, could be considered its equal.

’For our Clan Leader to go on a single trip and casually bring back someone with a Taiyin Body... his luck is a little too absurd.’

Ivy opened her eyes. Her gaze fell on the silver-gray halo of light on the Jade Disc, a bewildered look on her face.

She didn’t know what this light meant, only that the atmosphere around her seemed to have subtly changed.

Noticing this, Eleanor chuckled. ”Don’t be nervous. This is an aptitude test. Your talent is outstanding.”

Ivy breathed a sigh of relief. A wave of joy washed over her, and she couldn’t help but look up at Anton.

With a flick of his wrist, a tome appeared in his palm. It then levitated and floated over to Ivy.

The Half-Elf girl caught it instinctively. As she looked down, three large words inlaid with silver thread on the cover instantly met her eyes.

Taiyin True Understanding.

”This Cultivation Technique is the most compatible with the Taiyin Body,” Anton said. ”Take it to study and cultivate. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask Eleanor.”

The Taiyin True Understanding was a top-tier legacy custom-made for the Taiyin Body. It contained numerous combat arts and Divine Techniques, a supreme Cultivation Technique that pointed directly to the great Dao.

Likewise, this Cultivation Technique could only be practiced by someone with the Taiyin Body.

Ivy held the tome with both hands, her palms feeling slightly warm.

At this point, how could she not realize that her life was about to change once again?

Not long ago, she had been talking with Morrek about her goal of becoming a disciple of Taichu City.

But in the blink of an eye, that goal had become a reality.

In just over a month, her destiny had changed twice.

And the source of it all was the figure currently seated behind the long table.

Ivy’s throat tightened, and her eyes grew warm. She gazed at Anton with reverence and gratitude.

”Th... thank you, Lord Anton.”

”Cultivate diligently,” Anton said, his tone even. ”I look forward to your future performance.”

He shot Eleanor a look.

Eleanor took the hint, summoned Furlo, and gave her a few instructions.

Furlo nodded, approached Ivy, and offered a gentle smile. ”Come with me, Junior Sister Ivy.”

Ivy hastily agreed, stole another glance at Anton, and then turned to follow Furlo out of the hall.

The moment she stepped out of the Ninefold Celestial Tower, the warm light of dusk settled on her shoulders, causing her to instinctively narrow her eyes.

She glanced down at the tome in her arms, yet it felt as if she were walking on clouds, lost in an unreal daze.

Walking ahead, Furlo glanced back at the Half-Elf girl and couldn’t help but marvel internally.

’The last disciple in Taichu City to have a Spirit Body is now acknowledged by all as the Eldest Brother, and his strength is absolutely immense.’

’And now this Half-Elf girl, with a Taiyin Body that surpasses even the Haoyang True Body... how far will she go in the future?’

...

Silence returned to the Celestial Essence Hall.

”I never expected such a promising talent to emerge from the Half-Elves,” Eleanor remarked with a sigh.

Anton smiled faintly. ”Spirit Bodies are found by chance, not by searching. The probability of one appearing is extremely low. When the odds are that slim, it has very little to do with race. It’s all down to luck.”

For the Silver Moon Race at its current size, the difference between a one-in-ten-thousand chance and a two-in-ten-thousand chance is negligible.

Only if the Clan’s population were to experience exponential growth in the future, vastly increasing the pool of disciples, would such probabilities hold any real significance.

”Give Ivy some extra attention.”

”I’ll keep a close eye on her,” Eleanor nodded. Then, changing the subject, she said, ”There’s been a new development with the Red Blood Fertile Soil. They suddenly withdrew their troops from the borderlands yesterday and retreated back into their own territory.”

Anton wasn’t surprised. He said with a scornful laugh, ”They’ve been scared off by the Shadow Soldiers. They intend to move the battle to open ground.”

A slight smile touched Eleanor’s lips. ”They probably don’t realize that a head-on engagement in open territory is actually more advantageous for us.”

Anton’s smile widened. ”It looks like the war will be over soon.”

...

In the Taichu Spirit Realm, Anton’s every move was under immense scrutiny.

News that he had specifically granted an audience to a Half-Elf had already spread like wildfire throughout the Taichu Spirit Realm.

Countless people speculated about the reasons behind this move.

Thus, Ivy had barely stepped out of the Ninefold Celestial Tower when the news spread like wildfire: she possessed the Taiyin Body, had been personally taught a Cultivation Technique by the Clan Leader, and was now an official disciple of Taichu City. The information spread through the entire Clan with astonishing speed, causing a massive uproar.

If it were merely a member of a Vassal Race being promoted to a disciple of Taichu City, it would be surprising, to be sure, but not enough to cause such a sensation.

After all, there were already several precedents.

But this time, it involved an extremely rare Spirit Body.

The last disciple with a Spirit Body, after all, was Laine.

He was the leading figure of the Silver Moon Race’s younger generation.

He had reached the Golden Tier before the age of one hundred, and his future ascension to the Legend rank was considered a certainty.

With such a living example before them, no one doubted that Ivy had a bright future ahead of her.

Another dazzling star was about to rise within the Clan.

...

「Inner City Courtyard」

Listening to the words from the Sound Transmission Talisman, Una’s eyes widened in astonishment.

’A Spirit Body!’

’And the extremely rare Taiyin Body, no less!’

’It’s... It’s just so enviable!’

Una sighed and scratched her ear.

’I thought my progress with the Eight Desolates Prison-Suppression Scripture was pretty good,’ she thought. ’My master even praised my talent, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself.’

’But compared to this, my progress suddenly feels like nothing at all.’

After a moment’s daze, Una strode toward her meditation chamber.

’This won’t do. I have to work even harder on my cultivation.’

’We’re both from Vassal Races and we’re both new disciples. I absolutely cannot lose to that Half-Elf, Ivy!’

’...At least, I can’t fall too far behind.’

...

「Nine Nether City Domain, Front-line Camp」

”A Taiyin Body?!”

Mia’s eyes went wide the moment she heard the news about Ivy from Furlo.

It was one thing for a Half-Elf to be found to have a Spirit Body, but for it to be a top-tier one like the Taiyin Body!

That was just too unexpected.

Beside her, Laine and Lucius also looked surprised.

But they both quickly composed themselves.

Laine had a magnanimous nature; he was simply impressed by the news, feeling not a hint of jealousy.

Lucius, on the other hand, was simply indifferent.

He had confidence in his sword.

He believed his sword was in no way inferior to any Spirit Body.

”A Taiyin Body... Her cultivation speed must be terrifyingly fast,” Mia said with a grimace. ”Looks like I’ll have to work harder. It would be too embarrassing to be surpassed by a brand-new junior sister.”

Laine chuckled. ”In that case, Junior Sister Ivy’s arrival is a good thing. It might just be what’s needed to cure your lazy habits. You’ve slacked off quite a bit since you reached Foundation Establishment.”

Lucius said nothing, but nodded in agreement with Laine.

”What’s that supposed to mean... I’ve only been slacking off a little bit lately,” Mia muttered, before vowing, ”I’ll start cultivating diligently as soon as this war is over.”

...

「Evening」

Morrek ran home in high spirits, his steps much lighter than usual.

He had just pushed open the courtyard gate when he saw his parents standing in the yard, chatting.

”Father, Mother,” Morrek greeted with a smile.

Aolu turned. Seeing the unconcealable joy on his son’s face, his eyes lit up and he quickly asked, ”What is it? Did you test for a Spirit Root?”

”Of course! Your son is so brilliant, he was bound to have one,” Morrek couldn’t help but grin. ”A Metal Spirit Root.”

”Good, good!”

Aolu was overjoyed.

Possessing a Spirit Root basically meant he had one foot in the door to becoming a disciple of Taichu City.

All he needed now was to accumulate enough merit.

Although they hadn’t been with the Silver Moon Race for long, Aolu already had a deep understanding of the status and prospects awaiting a disciple of Taichu City.

If his son could become a disciple of Taichu City, it would be an incredible blessing for their family.

Morrek’s mother was also overjoyed, smiling from ear to ear.

After a few moments of celebration, Morrek suddenly recalled something. ”Father, Mother, what were you talking about just now?”

Aolu’s smile faltered for a moment. ”You know about the Clan Leader summoning Ivy, don’t you?” he said.

Morrek froze for a second, then nodded. ”I know. I was actually there. Why?”

”Ivy was found to possess a Spirit Body. The Clan Leader taught her a Cultivation Technique on the spot. She’s a disciple of Taichu City now.”

Morrek froze on the spot, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Having always aimed to become a disciple of Taichu City, he had, of course, heard of Spirit Bodies and knew exactly what they signified.

That was precisely why the news left him so utterly stunned.

”Ivy... has a Spirit Body?”

”That’s right,” Aolu said, his expression complex. ”And they say it’s a Spirit Body even more exceptional than Lord Laine’s.”

Morrek’s jaw dropped.

’Doesn’t that mean that in the future, Ivy could become a major figure on the same level as Lord Laine, or even surpass him?’

Morrek’s heart was filled with shock, but also an indescribable sense of loss.

Just moments ago, when he found out he had a Spirit Root, he had been looking forward to becoming a disciple of Taichu City alongside Ivy.

Who could have imagined that she had already achieved that goal, leaving him behind.

He could already foresee that the gap between them would only grow wider, and they would slowly drift apart...

Seeing the stunned look on his son’s face, Aolu sighed to himself.

He had long noticed his son’s affection for the Half-Elf girl.

He hadn’t opposed it before, but now he’d had a change of heart.

’Ivy, with her Spirit Body, is destined for a boundless future.’

’Even if my son becomes a disciple of Taichu City, he and she will be people from two different worlds.’

’It’s better for him to give up on the idea now than to face disappointment later.’

”Everyone has their own path. It’s a wonderful thing that you tested for a Metal Spirit Root.” Aolu patted his son’s shoulder. ”Don’t compare yourself to others. Focus on your own path. That’s more important than anything.”

”...I know,” Morrek said sullenly.

He knew his father was right, but for the moment, he couldn’t shake the suffocating feeling in his chest, as if his heart were being squeezed.