Elven cultivators

After leaving the training ground, Anton and Eleanor stepped into the central passageway of Nine Nether City.

Light seeped from the runes on the walls on both sides, illuminating the passageway.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty space, making the surroundings even quieter.

"Eleanor, there's something I need you to do," Anton suddenly said.

Eleanor didn't stop walking. She turned her head to look at him and replied crisply, "Go ahead."

"Establish a comprehensive and detailed merit system, with specific details referencing the contribution value system for disciples of the Primordial City."

Eleanor paused for a moment, then understood Anton's meaning and pondered, "You mean... those vassal races?"

Anton said, "Not only vassal races, but also members of our own clan can earn merit points by completing tasks issued by the clan or making other contributions to the clan. Merit points can be used to exchange for resources."

"In addition, accumulating enough merit can improve the treatment level of vassal races, granting them higher resource allocations, priority in mission selection, and superior living conditions, among other things."

Anton had similar ideas when he first decided to recruit vassal races.

However, the clan's overall structure was not yet perfect at that time, and hastily implementing the merit system would only increase chaos. It was better to wait until everything was on the right track.

Now it's clearly time.

Furthermore, the smooth operation of the Primordial City contribution value system in recent years has shown Anton the feasibility of a similar system.

In order to exchange for better cultivation resources, the disciples took the initiative to accept tasks with great enthusiasm, which greatly improved the operational efficiency of the entire Taichu City.

Anton felt it was time to expand this system to a wider range of applications.

Of course, disciples of the Primordial City must be separated from ordinary clansmen and vassal races, and it is not suitable for them to share a single incentive system, so as to avoid causing chaos.

After all, the difference in the level of resources that the two sides can exchange is huge.

"We cannot exploit vassal races without giving them any benefits."

"If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it grass. The more it does, the more it gets; the better it does, the higher its status. With motivation, they will be more proactive and contribute more actively to the clan."

Eleanor quickly understood Anton's intention.

In the past, those powers treated their vassal races by nothing more than oppression and exploitation, forcing them to do things by force, and punishing them for the slightest dissatisfaction.

While this method can motivate people to work, it is inefficient, and the vassal races harbor only resentment and will rebel given the opportunity.

The destruction of Cressor Dragon City is the best example.

Anton's approach was different.

The merit system is not exploitation, but exchange.

The clan provides resources, and the vassal race provides labor.

Both sides get what they need, and it's mutually beneficial.

With hope in sight, vassal races will naturally work even harder for the clan.

Once this positive cycle is established, the potential of the vassal races will be maximized.

More importantly, this system will significantly increase the cost of betrayal.

A vassal race that has invested a great deal of time and energy and accumulated rich merits in the Silvermoon Clan system should think twice before betraying it.

Are they willing to give up everything they've accumulated in the Silvermoon Clan?

After leaving the Silvermoon Clan, can they find another force willing to offer the same treatment?

The answer is obvious.

When they find themselves too deeply entrenched in the Silvermoon Clan's system to easily extricate themselves, loyalty is no longer a choice, but an inevitability.

Fear and violence only bring temporary submission; only bonds forged from shared interests can withstand the test of time.

"I will have the details of the merit system drafted as soon as I get back," Eleanor said solemnly.

Anton nodded and then said, "There's one more thing, regarding the direction of exploration in the Underdark."

"Besides the area behind Nine Nether City, we also need to send people to explore the other three directions. If there are no passages, we will use the Stone Moving Technique to open them up."

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

Any creature attempting to leave this area will immediately trigger the warning array, attracting the pursuit of the Mind Flayers.

But now that the Mind-Stealing Demon has been destroyed, the guard arrays are no longer maintained and their energy has long been exhausted. As long as we use the Stone-Moving Technique to open a path, we can continue to explore forward.

Eleanor understood: "Multiple lines of communication?"

"That's right." Anton nodded. "Diversifying our efforts might yield greater results."

"In addition, if the exploration in one direction is blocked, the exploration in the other three directions can continue, so that the entire exploration progress will not be affected by the setback in one direction."

The Underdark is too vast.

No one knows what this vast underground world holds.

Perhaps a few kilometers to the east will lead to a rare and abundant mineral vein, or a few days to the west will lead to an encounter with a legendary underground overlord.

By pursuing multiple fronts simultaneously, the risks can at least be mitigated.

"Alright," Eleanor agreed, then remembered something else and changed the subject, "Should we also arrange for the disciples of Primordial City to participate in the exploration?"

Anton glanced at her, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Someone asked you to intercede on their behalf."

Eleanor didn't hide anything and chuckled, "It's Lucius. He doesn't want to just bury himself in hard training. He wants to join the exploration team and hone his skills in real combat."

Anton raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought.

He had long seen that Lucius wanted to pursue the path of a swordsman.

This taciturn boy has an almost obsessive focus on swords.

The path of sword cultivation differs from other paths. While it also emphasizes cultivation and comprehension, honing oneself through combat and enhancing one's understanding of the sword way is equally indispensable.

You can never forge a true sword by working in isolation.

Only in life-or-death battles, in the moments of swords clashing, can one truly grasp the essence of the way of the sword.

It's not surprising that Lucius made this request.

Upon hearing what Eleanor said, Anton even began to think about something deeper.

The path to immortality is never about blindly working in isolation.

The countless sects and lineages recorded in the Great Dao Jade Slip, whether orthodox or unorthodox, all have rules for their disciples to go down the mountain for training.

Or one may enter the mortal world to refine one's heart, tempering one's Daoist mind amidst the coldness and warmth of human relationships and the impermanence of life, and thus gaining enlightenment of one's true self.

Or they might slay demons and monsters, honing their skills through the spirit of battle, and proving their knowledge through life-or-death struggles.

Or they might travel far and wide, visiting famous mountains and rivers, seeking out rare and precious materials, broadening their horizons and gaining knowledge.

The saying goes, "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles."

The same applies to spiritual cultivation.

Sitting quietly in a room, absorbing and exhaling spiritual energy, can certainly accumulate magical power and increase one's cultivation level.

However, if one only focuses on arduous self-cultivation without experiencing the trials of life and death, it is like an unpolished jade, its brilliance hidden but its sharpness not revealed, ultimately making it difficult to achieve great things.

True strength is never achieved through elixirs or secluded cultivation.

Only by accumulating experience in battle and tempering one's will on the brink of life and death can one truly integrate all one's knowledge and transform one's cultivation into real combat power.

Didn't he also achieve his current success through hard work and struggle?

If even he is like this, then the disciples of Taichu City are even more so.

You can't grow a thousand-year-old pine tree in a greenhouse.

In addition to their cultivation, they do need to undergo some training.

In the blink of an eye, Anton had made up his mind.

"Pass down the order: disciples of Taichu City may voluntarily sign up to participate in the exploration of the Dark Region. The merit points gained during the exploration can be converted into contribution points at a certain ratio."

"But there are two conditions."

Eleanor listened intently.

"First, one's cultivation level must be at least at the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

A cultivator at the mid-stage of Qi Refining has already refined more than eighteen breaths of spiritual energy, thus gaining basic combat capabilities.

More importantly, at this stage, cultivators have mastered the basics of controlling spiritual energy and can begin to practice spells.

This gave them a certain degree of self-protection when facing the various dangers of the Darklands.

"Second, you must master at least five combat skills or techniques and pass a practical assessment."

This is not something he is demanding.

The Underdark is unlike the surface; it is a place rife with the naked law of the jungle.

Throwing a disciple with no combat experience and who hasn't yet developed his own combat system into that kind of place is no different from sending him to his death.

Eleanor wrote down all these requirements and was already planning the implementation details in her mind.

The two continued their conversation all the way until they entered the central hall of Nine Nether City, where it came to an end.

Anton did not linger. After entrusting the affairs of Nine Nether City to Eleanor, he returned to Primordial City alone.

……

When they returned to the City of Primordial Beginning, it was still early.

Anton went straight to the weapon-refining room.

His next plan is to begin crafting the second Enlightenment Stele.

Over the course of three years, his cultivation of supernatural powers progressed quite smoothly.

The Xuanhuang Dragon-Capturing Hand and the Yuanyi True Qi have been completely refined.

The Great Luo Heavenly Sleeve and the Six Ding Divine Fire are still lacking in refinement and require more time to hone.

However, judging from the current progress, it will take at most another year or two for them to fully master these two supernatural abilities.

Currently, he can imprint the laws into the Enlightenment Stele, which include three types: Water, Earth, and Metal.

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

Currently, among the entire clan, only Cedric doesn't need the first wooden enlightenment stele.

The Zhenyue he possesses belongs to the Earth element in the Five Elements theory, and is only suitable for studying the Earth Element Enlightenment Stele.

This is the perfect time to refine it.

In addition, in terms of swordsmanship, the individual power and speed of sword light are steadily improving.

The only slow progress was in terms of quantity; they had not yet fully mastered the technique of converting one into two hundred and fifty-six.

The further you progress in the spectral separation method, the more difficult it becomes.

Each step forward requires a significant amount of time and effort to practice and refine repeatedly.

That level is no longer something that can be broken through simply through hard work; it also requires opportunity and a deeper understanding of the way of the sword.

However, once he breaks through, his swordsmanship will enter a completely new realm.

The refining of the pill was going more smoothly than expected.

With the triple blessing of the Nine Revolutions Refining Array, the Evil-Transforming Pill, and the spiritual vein, the refining speed of the pill's evil energy has remained at a considerable level.

At this rate, in at most another fifteen or sixteen years, he will be able to completely refine the remaining Dan Sha, break through the shell barrier, and enter the second level of the Golden Core stage.