Elven cultivators

The City of the Beginning, the Inner City.

In the spacious courtyard, Una sat cross-legged on a stone stool, with a low iron grill in front of her.

Several pieces of cut meat, marinated with spices and salt beforehand, were sizzling on the iron skewer and were now being roasted over charcoal.

Oil dripped into the red-hot coals, stirring up wisps of white smoke carrying a smoky aroma. The smoke was then blown away by the wind and spread throughout the courtyard.

The dog-woman stared at the skewers of grilled meat that were still curling up and turning fleshy, and her throat involuntarily bobbed.

Since she began cultivating the Eight Desolations Suppressing Prison Scripture, her appetite has increased day by day.

Ordinary food is not enough to fill one's stomach; only the meat of a spirit beast, rich in vital energy, can slightly alleviate the hunger that surges from the marrow.

Una blinked hard, forcing herself to look away, afraid that if she looked any longer, she would drool uncontrollably.

She turned her head to look at the other side of the stone pier.

Roman was half-reclining on a wicker lounge chair, his long legs casually crossed, his back leaning lazily against the chair back, his eyes slightly closed, his posture as relaxed as a cat that had basked in the sun.

The afternoon sun shone through the gaps in the leaves onto her face, creating dappled light spots in her silvery-white hair.

Seeing the teacher's relaxed demeanor, Una felt a sense of peace and reassurance welling up inside her.

This period of her life was like a dreamlike adventure for her.

After arriving in the Primordial Spirit Realm, her people were settled in the outer settlements, where they lived a peaceful and worry-free life, no longer having to live in fear of being attacked by other forces.

She even made a special trip to see where her people lived a while ago.

It was a whole forest that had been transformed by array formations, specifically used to settle newly arrived vassal races, with each family receiving an independent courtyard.

Although it couldn't compare to the exquisite and spacious courtyards where the elves lived, it was far better than the caves where they had been holed up in the Frostridge Plateau for over a decade.

My younger brother smiles much more often now than before.

As for Una herself, because of her status as Roman's apprentice, she was granted the right to live in the inner city.

During her time living in the City of Primordial Beginning, everything she saw and heard constantly challenged her understanding.

She had seen the Flying Star Tower parked in the parking plaza; its towering size made her mistake it for a palace at first glance.

She had also seen the majestic Tree of Eternity, its canopy spreading out like a dome, its aerial roots hanging down like curtains, and when you looked up from below, you could hardly see the sky.

There are also all sorts of strange and wonderful spirit beasts, all kinds of spiritual plants, and the Yellow Turban Warriors marching in formation in the streets... Almost every day you can see new and unimaginable things.

This made her realize even more deeply that the Silvermoon Clan was far more powerful and unfathomable than the rumors outside the world had.

"Una".

Roman's voice suddenly reached her ears, languid with a hint of laughter, startling Una from her reverie.

"The barbecue is almost burnt."

The dog-woman girl snapped back to her senses and looked down. Sure enough, she saw that the edges of the animal meat on the iron shovel were slightly curled and blackened.

She hurriedly reached out to turn the iron skewer, and in her haste, she almost threw the whole skewer of meat into the coal pile.

Roman laughed heartily.

The laughter was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard, startling a songbird perched on the eaves.

Una pursed her lips helplessly. Her teacher was good in every way, except that she was not steady or dignified at all. Every time she saw her make a fool of herself, she would laugh out loud without any restraint.

After laughing enough, Roman got up, walked a few steps to the grill, squatted down, took the spatula, and skillfully began to flip the food.

Her grilling skills are far superior to Una's.

The hand holds the iron spatula steady and flips it, occasionally pinching up a pinch of spices and sprinkling them evenly, the movements are smooth and neat.

Before long, the pork skin was roasted until it was slightly charred and crispy, and the fat condensed into a thin film on the surface, emitting a rich, charred aroma.

"Here." Roman handed one of the skewers to Una, then picked up another one and took a big bite before it even cooled down.

Una took the roasted meat and carefully took a bite.

The pork skin is slightly charred by the charcoal fire. The moment you bite into it, the scalding hot meat juices and oils explode on your tongue, coated with spices and savory flavors, warming you from your throat all the way to your stomach.

The dog-woman couldn't help but squint her eyes, her ears drooping comfortably like two leaves softened by the sun.

The long-standing hunger within him was being slowly suppressed by the pieces of fresh, juicy meat, as comforting as being wrapped in a thick fleece blanket on a winter's day.

"Teacher, your cooking is really good." Una couldn't help but exclaim.

"That's right, I used to grill meat with Anton all the time."

A nostalgic expression appeared on Roman's face.

Back when the clan still lived in the Silvermoon Forest, she and Anton often roasted meat together.

However, as the clan grew stronger and more powerful, she and Anton spent less and less time together.

Thinking back, I feel a little nostalgic for the old days.

Composing himself, Roman changed the subject, casually asking, "What were you thinking about just now, so engrossed in your thoughts?"

Una swallowed the meat in her mouth and answered truthfully, "I'm wondering when I'll be able to advance to the first level of strength."

Roman smiled and said, "You've only been cultivating for a short time and you already want to advance to the next level? Wait another two years, that's more like it."

Upon hearing this, Una's face fell, and her ears drooped as well: "It's going to take that long?"

She was also thinking about becoming stronger quickly so she could serve the clan.

"This is already fast." Roman picked up another skewer of grilled meat. "The cultivation environment is much better now than before, and resources are plentiful. In earlier years, it would have taken at least three or four years to even begin to learn. This is only because you have dual spiritual roots and your aptitude is better than many disciples; otherwise, it would have taken even longer."

Una hesitated for a moment: "But I heard that Senior Brother Ryan refined his first breath of spiritual energy in less than two years..."

"That's because he possesses the Haoyang True Body." Roman took another bite of meat as he spoke, mumbling, "A spiritual body that's one in ten thousand. He's the only one among nearly a thousand disciples in the entire Taichu City. Comparing yourself to him is just asking for trouble."

This was the first time Una had heard of "spirits," and she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Teacher, what are spirits? Are they very powerful?"

Roman patiently explained, "A spirit body, simply put, is a special constitution formed on the basis of a spiritual root due to bloodline, opportunity, or mutation."

"People with spirit bodies absorb spiritual energy quickly and progress rapidly in cultivating certain techniques. Some spirit bodies can also enhance the power of specific attribute spells."

"It can be said that spirits are all born geniuses in cultivation."

Una's eyes lit up as she listened, and she couldn't help but feel a little envious.

I wish she were a spirit.

Roman glanced at her, as if he could read her mind, and patted her head: "You have good potential, just take it one step at a time, there's no need to think about getting fat in one bite."

Una nodded obediently, then suddenly realized what she had done and exclaimed, "Teacher, your hands are covered in oil!"

"Hahaha……"

The master and apprentice joked around for a while, then continued eating meat around the grill.

A moment later, Roman's expression suddenly changed, and he turned his head to look in the direction of the courtyard gate.

A paper crane flew in from outside, its paper wings fluttering slightly. It circled once in the air before landing steadily in her outstretched palm.

The paper crane unfolded automatically, transforming into a flat sheet of letter paper.

Roman glanced down at the meat, stuffed the rest into his mouth, casually brushed the charcoal ash off the hem of his robe, and stood up.

"Eleanor needs to talk to me. You keep eating, and then go cultivate. Don't be lazy."

Una nodded quickly.

Roman strode out of the courtyard, his figure quickly disappearing into the shadows of the trees outside the gate.

……

Upon arriving at the Tianyuan Palace, Roman found that only Eleanor was inside.

Upon seeing Roman's arrival, Eleanor didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

"We just received news from the Nine Nether City Domain that the thirteen city-states of the Crimson Blood Fertile Land have formed an alliance and launched an attack on the Nine Nether City Domain. Several of our mining areas have been attacked by them."

"Currently, the Nine Nether City Domain only has the Second Elder in charge, as well as Elena and Darion, both at the peak of the Gold rank. There are still too few high-level combatants. I plan to send you and Cedric to provide support. Cedric has already set off."

"no problem."

Upon hearing that there was a war to fight, Roman's eyes lit up, and he agreed without hesitation.

Eleanor glanced at her and reminded her, "The reason I'm sending you over here isn't to start a full-scale war with Crimson Fertile Land. For now, we're focusing on defense."

Roman was immediately disappointed: "Is it because of the ghost soldiers?"

“That’s right.” Eleanor nodded. “Before the Ghost Army is established, it’s not advisable to wage a large-scale war against the Crimson Blood Fertile Land, lest the casualties be too great.”

"In addition, the clan has been focusing its efforts on supporting the half-elves lately, and has diverted a large number of people to hunt down slave-hunting teams outside. At this time, fighting on two fronts is too risky, so it is better to be more cautious."

Roman naturally knew the gravity of the situation and nodded upon hearing this, but quickly frowned again.

"How dare those slave-hunting caravans? Knowing full well that those half-elves were coming to join us, they still dared to ambush and kill them on the road?"

Eleanor lowered her eyes and said in a calm tone, "The Silvermoon Clan has indeed gained some fame, but its reputation is largely tied to the clan leader. The clan's own power is not yet enough to deter the forces behind those slave-hunting teams from intervening."

"Among these forces, there may even be a first-rate force that may be wary of us, but their fear is quite limited."

Roman was eager to try: "How about I lead the army to wipe out those slave-hunting teams?"

Eleanor rejected the idea without hesitation: "You, a legendary combatant, are going to deal with a mere slave-hunting team? That's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The Nine Nether City Domain needs you to oversee things more."

She paused, then added calmly, "Once we've dealt with the Crimson Blood Fertile Land, we can deal with the forces behind those slave-hunting teams. At that time, we just need to eliminate a few ringleaders to make an example of them, and the rest will naturally behave themselves."

"Alright."

Roman knew Eleanor was right, so he stopped pursuing the topic and instead asked:

"By the way, where's Anton? I haven't seen him in a while."

"The clan leader is cultivating in the Tide Sound Plain. Judging by the time, he should be back soon."