Elven cultivators

Anton opened his eyes.

The soft light from the light source stone came into view.

The walls of the quiet room, the rattan cushions, and the honey bell plant on the windowsill—everything remained the same.

Outside the window, the fireflies of the Eternal Tree swayed gently in the night breeze, like an inverted Milky Way.

Anton looked down at his hands.

Long, slender fingers, still warm from the medicinal pills.

"This is the tribulation of inner demons..."

Anton murmured to himself, then shook his head.

No, this is not the real tribulation of inner demons.

The inner demons only triggered a simulated, low-intensity "rehearsal".

The inner demons that arise when one truly condenses the elixir are far more dangerous and harder to escape than this.

Even so, the experience he had just had left a deep impression on him.

That kind of despair of watching everything happen helplessly and being powerless to change it.

The stinging pain of having all pretenses exposed and being confronted with the deepest fears in one's heart.

Everything felt incredibly real, leaving a lasting impression.

"A mediocre transmigrator..."

Anton repeated in a low voice the voice in the illusion's assessment of him, his tone calm.

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Because he knew in his heart that those words were actually subconscious thoughts deep in his mind.

Without the Great Dao Jade Slip, he would truly be nothing.

Without the Primordial Returning to the Source Technique, without the Star Luo Sword Scripture, without the Five Elements True Fire, without those top-notch pill formulas and weapon-refining methods, he was just an ordinary transmigrator.

Perhaps by predicting the game's plot, one could make some preparations in advance, but it is absolutely impossible to have reached this point in less than two hundred years.

This is a fact.

He never denies it, nor does he need to.

"The Great Dao Jade Slip is my destiny, just like other people's talents and bloodlines, it's something I was born with."

"To deny this is to truly deceive oneself."

Anton raised his head, his gaze passing through the window to the Eternal Tree outside.

His eyes were calm and clear, revealing a kind of insight and composure after seeing through a certain obsession.

Even though it was just a low-intensity simulated inner demon tribulation, successfully overcoming it still significantly improved his state of mind.

After going through another ten or twenty times, the inner demon tribulation during the core formation process will no longer be a problem.

"It will still be some time before we can condense the core. Let's take it slow and steady."

Anton stood up and stretched his limbs.

The bones made a faint creaking sound, like old bamboo shoots growing in the spring breeze.

He suddenly sensed something, paused slightly, and then focused his mind inward.

Within the dantian, the primordial true essence continued to rotate slowly, absorbing and releasing the energy of heaven and earth.

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Although its volume has not changed and it still occupies half of the Qi Sea, upon closer inspection, one can find that the true essence seems to be more condensed and purer than before.

Like metal that has been repeatedly hammered, impurities have been removed, leaving behind the most solid core.

Each strand of true essence was heavy, carrying an indescribable sense of weight.

Anton quickly mobilized his true energy and unleashed the Star Luo Sword Scripture.

To everyone's surprise, the same sword move consumed significantly less true energy than before, while the sword energy became even more solid.

"I see."

Anton seemed to be deep in thought.

"The tribulation of inner demons can not only temper one's Dao heart, but also refine one's true essence."

"Although the quantity of true essence has not increased, its quality has improved."

Anton immediately sat down cross-legged and focused his inner energy.

Sure enough, he found that his speed of condensing true essence was much faster than before.

He pondered for a moment, and quickly figured out the key to it.

The condensation of true essence is never just a simple accumulation of energy.

A cultivator's state of mind, will, and understanding of the Dao all influence the quality and efficiency of their true essence.

This is a two-way process.

When one's true essence is strong, one's mind is stable; when one's mind is stable, one's true essence is pure.

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They complement each other and are mutually reinforcing.

The core function of the Inner Demon Guidance is to temper one's Dao heart.

The more steadfast one's Dao heart is, the clearer one's understanding of one's own Dao path will be, and naturally, one's cultivation will be twice as effective with half the effort.

As for his true essence becoming more condensed and pure, it was mostly due to the tempering of the inner demon tribulation, which gave him a deeper understanding and control over his own power.

Just like a sword, after it is forged, it needs to be repeatedly sharpened and polished before it can truly reveal its sharpness.

The same applies to true essence.

Condensing is only the first step; repeated refining and purification are necessary to achieve higher quality.

When this is taken to its extreme, it will become a golden elixir.

The tribulation of inner demons is like a deep sharpening and grinding process.

"And the Star Luo Sword Scripture."

Anton looked at the sword light in front of him, and with a slight thought, the sword light instantly split into eight.

Eight sword lights swirled and leaped around him like swimming dragons, extremely agile.

Before today, although Anton had vaguely touched the threshold of the sword light splitting into eight, he was never able to take that step.

But just now, at the end of the inner demon illusion, I naturally used this move.

And the facts proved that this was not his hallucination.

His mastery of light separation and dispersive technology has indeed reached a new level.

This is clearly one of the benefits of overcoming inner demons.

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"If a low-intensity simulated inner demon tribulation has such a noticeable effect, how strong would the effect be if it were a real inner demon tribulation at the Core Formation stage?"

Anton vaguely understood why condensing a first-grade golden core would trigger a tribulation of inner demons.

That was actually a profound tempering of one's own state of mind, comprehension, and true essence.

Once you successfully overcome this obstacle, you will experience an ultimate transformation.

"If every time I experience a tribulation of inner demons, I can improve my strength much faster."

Anton sighed, then gathered his thoughts, closed his eyes again, focused his mind, and began to condense his true essence by circulating the "Primordial Returning to the Source Technique".

This time, he felt the difference even more acutely.

In the past, when refining true essence, although the speed at which the energy of heaven and earth flowed into the body was not slow, there was always a feeling of "being separated by a layer".

It's like looking at something through frosted glass; you can see it, but it's not clear enough.

But now, the frosted glass seems to have been wiped clean.

The flow of energy between heaven and earth has become clearer and smoother.

Every wisp of energy that surged into the body seemed to come alive, actively converging towards the dantian and merging into the five-colored cloud of light.

The speed at which true essence is condensed is about 20% faster than before.

Anton was slightly pleased, but he did not get distracted and continued to concentrate on his cultivation.

The true essence slowly grows stronger in the dantian, and every bit of growth is solid and stable.

After an unknown amount of time, Anton finally broke free from his cultivation and opened his eyes.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened, and the fireflies of the Tree of Eternity shone even brighter in the night.

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Instead of resting, Anton immediately began to comprehend the Yin-Yang Heavy Water.

As expected, the trials of inner demons seemed to have tempered his Dao heart and deepened his understanding of the near-divine methods.

Those key points that I couldn't understand before, now seem to have a faint understanding when I think back on them.

This feeling is quite wonderful.

"No wonder cultivators attach great importance to tempering their Dao heart."

"The benefits of cultivating one's Dao heart are numerous."

Anton sighed again.

With this gain, he will surely be able to master the Netherworld Heavy Water before long.

……

The next morning.

Treehouse, backyard.

Anton squatted by the campfire, slowly turning the meat skewers on the fire.

The meat of the Spinosaurus was cut into even small pieces, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat. Under the heat of the flames, it sizzled and dripped oil into the fire, sparking strings of orange-red sparks.

The aroma of spices mingled with the fragrance of meat, filling the air and making one's mouth water.

Roman sat cross-legged on a stone stool, his hands supporting his chin, his eyes fixed on the skewers of meat that were almost done grilling, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Anton," Roman asked curiously, "what brings you here today to have a barbecue?"

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"Work-life balance is key," Anton said, flipping the meat skewers without looking up. "I also need to relax sometimes."

Eleanor, sitting opposite, listened to this and showed a look of deep agreement.

Anton is indeed too busy.

Over the years, his contributions to the clan have been evident to all, but the price he paid was that he devoted almost all his time to cultivation and research.

People only see his amazing achievements, but rarely think about the hard work behind them.

Taking a break now and then is definitely necessary.

Roman tilted his head, his gaze sweeping over Anton's face, then suddenly grinned and said, "Anton, did something good happen to you?"

Anton paused slightly in his movements and glanced up at her.

This girl's intuition is as sharp as ever.

"I guess so." Anton's lips curled up slightly, his tone calm. "I figured some things out yesterday."

"What's wrong?" Roman asked curiously.

Anton didn't answer, but simply handed over the grilled meat skewers.

"Try it, the heat should be just right."

Roman took the skewer, took a bite, and the rich meat juices exploded in her mouth. The aroma of the spices blended perfectly with the smoky flavor of the meat, making her squint her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.

"tasty!"

She gave a mumbled praise, her attention instantly diverted to the food, and stopped asking the question from before.

"You should try it too." Anton handed a string of skewers to Eleanor.

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"Thank you." Eleanor smiled slightly, took the grilled meat, and ate it in small bites.

Anton continued grilling the meat, and casually asked, "I heard from Roman that you've been assisting the elders with clan affairs lately?"

Eleanor paused, glanced at Anton, and nodded in agreement.

One of the changes brought about by the rapid growth and expansion of clans was the dramatic increase in clan affairs, which were numerous and tedious.

The three elders alone were already overwhelmed, so they had to select some young elves from the clan to assist them.

Eleanor was among them.

What Eleanor didn't say was that her grandfather persuaded her by saying that Anton would eventually become the patriarch, and at that time, he would need a reliable person to serve as his deputy.

Although Roman was closer to Anton, she was clearly not a suitable candidate.

That leaves only Eleanor.

In the future, she will work together with Anton to lead the clan to greater prosperity.

Eleanor was too embarrassed to say this to Anton, so she could only give a vague and perfunctory answer.

Fortunately, Anton didn't investigate further and started eating the grilled meat.

The three of them were engrossed in enjoying the food, and the courtyard quieted down, with only the soft sounds of chewing and the crackling of the campfire remaining.

A morning breeze carries the fragrance of flowers from the direction of the Tree of Eternity, which mingles with the smoky aroma of barbecue, creating a comforting atmosphere.

Anton looked past the campfire and towards the canopy of the Tree of Eternity in the distance.

An elevated state of mind not only increases cultivation efficiency but also changes one's way of looking at the world.

Those things that once made him anxious and urgent now seem to have more room for maneuver.

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The journey to condensing the elixir is still long and arduous.

But if you take each step steadily and clearly, that's enough.

He turned his gaze to his two companions beside him, who were focused on grilling meat, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Such moments are perhaps an indispensable part of the path to immortality.

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