The Elven Cultivator

Ever since the first Regeneration Potion appeared, Anton had been regularly releasing new, improved potions.

The Silver Moon Race went from initial shock to admiration, and now to acceptance. They had almost grown accustomed to the young clan member’s constant stream of astonishing feats.

But even so, when news of the Dragon Essence Potion spread, it still caused a massive uproar within the Clan.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that, unlike the previous improved potions for healing and support, the Dragon Essence Potion was a strategic item truly capable of changing the Clan’s destiny.

Thanks to this, Anton’s prestige within the Clan soared to unprecedented heights overnight.

At the same time, under a direct order from the Elder Council, the Forest Guard—who had rarely left the Silver Moon Forest before—uncharacteristically mobilized in full force. They ventured deep into the Northern Wilderness to hunt and capture Lizard-men.

While the Clan was in an uproar over these two events, the man responsible for the commotion paid no mind to the outside world. He locked himself in his treehouse beneath the Eternal Tree, focusing entirely on his cultivation.

Anton had previously released a series of improved potions to gain the Clan’s support. Now that his goal was achieved, there was naturally no need to continue acting so conspicuously.

The next step was to peacefully enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Aside from taking some time to create potions, Anton devoted most of his energy to refining Spiritual Qi, burying himself in his cultivation.

With an ample supply of Dragon Essence Pills, his speed of refining Spiritual Qi could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds.

Time flowed by without him noticing. In the blink of an eye, it was the year 9288 of the Chenxi Calendar.

Just before the arrival of winter, Anton finally refined his fifty-fourth strand of Primal Spiritual Qi, successfully breaking through to the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

Looking inward, fifty-four streams of Spiritual Qi coiled like a galaxy in his Dantian, swirling with a hazy mist.

Seeing this, a genuinely joyful smile appeared on Anton’s face.

The four minor realms of the Qi Refining Stage generally progressed from easy to difficult.

The Late Stage of Qi Refining meant he had already completed half of this long journey.

As long as he condensed another fifty-four strands of Spiritual Qi, he could break through to the Peak of Qi Refining, at which point he could begin preparing for Foundation Establishment.

And with the help of numerous external aids like the Spirit Gathering Talisman, the Gui Xu Tun Hai Gong, the Life Source Crystal, the Eternal Tree, and Dragon Essence Pills, the time needed to refine fifty-four strands of Spiritual Qi would only be shorter than before.

Anton estimated he could reach his goal in about ten years at most.

In addition, a Cultivation Level at the Late Stage of Qi Refining meant he could unleash the full power of most martial skills without having to worry about the consumption of Spiritual Qi.

Even for a top-tier demonic combat technique like the Divine Sun Sword Skill, he could now continuously execute its ultimate killing move, ’Nine Suns Appear,’ six times in a row.

Below the Golden Tier, it was doubtful anyone could withstand the might of a searing sun incinerating their body six times in a row.

The same was true for Techniques.

Although one could practice Techniques starting from the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, the Spiritual Qi consumption was truly immense.

Take Palm Thunder, for example. A single Palm Thunder consumed sixteen strands of Spiritual Qi.

If a Cultivator in the Middle Stage of Qi Refining were to cast one Palm Thunder, they would have almost no Spiritual Qi left.

Even after breaking through to the Late Stage of Qi Refining, Techniques could only be used as a killing move at critical moments. Conventional combat still relied mainly on martial skills.

Only after breaking through to the Peak of Qi Refining would one have a bit more leeway when using Techniques.

That said, Anton was still determined to learn several more Techniques.

’One can never have too many trump cards.’

This was especially true for Techniques capable of defeating a stronger opponent or turning the tables.

Recently, Anton had been practicing a Technique called ’Yin Thunder Seed’.

This Technique was created specifically for the weak to defeat the strong.

During a fight, one would covertly strike a Yin Thunder Seed into the opponent’s body. Like a speck of dust in the ocean, it would cause no abnormalities when inactive but would slowly absorb the target’s vitality and energy to strengthen itself.

Once the Yin Thunder Seed matured, the caster could detonate it with a single thought. The thunder would erupt from within, making it impossible to defend against from the outside—a truly insidious and unavoidable killing move.

If Palm Thunder was a technique of fierce and violent Yang Thunder, then the Yin Thunder Seed was a method of soft and pervasive Yin Thunder.

This move was simply perfect for dealing with enemies stronger than himself.

As long as he could survive the initial disadvantage, he would have a chance to reverse the situation and seize victory.

“This kind of coin-toss move should be surprisingly effective against the Golden Tier.”

Snapping out of his joy, Anton calmed his mind and then opened the Taoist Jade Scroll, browsing through content related to Artifact Refining.

After breaking through to the Late Stage of Qi Refining, a Cultivator could begin to attempt Artifact Refining.

Of course, this was just refining ’artifacts,’ not Magical Treasures.

In the Cultivation Realm, the lowest item qualified to be called a Magical Treasure was a Magical Artifact.

When a Magical Artifact produces Profound Light, it becomes a Profound Artifact.

When a Profound Artifact develops its own consciousness and a trace of intelligence, it becomes a Spiritual Artifact.

If it could advance one step further and become a True Artifact, it could then transform its spirit into a human form, possess a sense of self, and even cultivate the Dao like a Cultivator.

And above True Artifacts were the even more profound and mysterious Dao Artifacts.

However, all of this was far too distant for Anton.

The prerequisite for refining a Magical Treasure was condensing True Essence. At his current stage, he couldn’t even refine a Magical Artifact, let alone higher-tier Profound Artifacts or Spiritual Artifacts.

The only things Cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage could refine were Talisman Artifacts.

A so-called Talisman Artifact was a weapon inscribed with Runes to grant it extraordinary power.

Most Talisman Artifacts were, in essence, equivalent to reusable Talismans, which is why they were often called Talisman Treasures.

’Although a Talisman Treasure can’t compare to a Magical Treasure, its advantage is that the material requirements are extremely low. Even a weapon made of ordinary refined steel can be used to make one.’

’The only stringent requirement, conversely, is the refiner’s proficiency with Runes.’

Anton wasn’t too worried about this point.

It had been nearly fifty years since he first started learning to draw talismans.

In the art of talisman drawing, even if he wasn’t a master, he certainly deserved to be called proficient.

With some practice, mastering the refining of Talisman Artifacts shouldn’t be difficult.

’I wonder how Talisman Artifacts compare to magical items. Which is superior?’

Anton thought for a moment and decided to find some time to study a few books on Alchemy.

On one hand, he wanted to learn from the craft of making magical items and see if he could incorporate it into his own Artifact Refining.

On the other hand, he also wanted to gain a more systematic understanding of the material system of the Dawn Continent.

In the game, materials were just names, and players didn’t need to understand their properties. But in reality, only by thoroughly grasping the characteristics of each material could he use them effectively.

Although Talisman Artifacts didn’t have high material requirements, if the quality of the materials was superior, the resulting Talisman Artifact would naturally be stronger.

Furthermore, it was also preparation for gathering materials to refine Magical Treasures in the future.

Refining Spiritual Qi, concocting Pills, crafting Talisman Artifacts, cultivating martial skills and Techniques, and also needing to find time to hunt Scale Rock Lizards to maintain his blood-and-flesh body tempering…

After laying out his plans, Anton found that his schedule for the foreseeable future was completely packed.

He gazed out the window. Dusk was painting the Silver Moon Forest in a gradient of interwoven gold-red and violet-blue. In the fading light, the crown of the Eternal Tree stood like a silent lighthouse.

“I’m going to be busy from now on.”