Elven cultivators

The year was 9514 in the Dawn Calendar.

The inner city of Taichu City, courtyard number three of the inner city, Jiawu.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the honey bell tree in the yard swaying its leaf tips gently in the breeze.

Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on the bluestone pavement, which slowly shift and move with the passage of time.

Evan sat cross-legged on a futon in the center of the quiet room, his breathing long and even.

The spiritual energy flowed slowly through his body along his meridians, like a stream overflowing a river, neither hurried nor restless, yet never ceasing.

He could clearly feel that the true essence in his dantian solidified slightly after each breath.

The benefits are so subtle that they are hard to describe in words, yet they are tangible and make people feel grounded and satisfied.

After a moment, he slowly finished his exercise, opened his eyes, and exhaled a breath of stale air.

After completing his daily breathing exercises, Evan stood up and stretched his shoulders and neck.

Just then, there was a knock on the wooden door, and Ryan's familiar voice called out from outside.

"Evan."

With a slight thought, Evan gently probed the jade pendant at his waist with his divine sense. As the surface of the jade pendant flashed with a faint light, the defensive barrier of the courtyard silently disappeared.

As he walked out of the quiet room and across the courtyard, Ryan pushed open the door and came in, his face showing a hint of urgency.

"It's so late, why aren't you out yet?"

Evan smiled slightly: "I just finished my training."

Ryan looked him up and down a few times, then clicked his tongue twice: "You're still cultivating in this kind of weather, not relaxing at all. No wonder your cultivation level has improved so much faster than mine."

Evan shook his head and said, "I only have a single spiritual root, and my aptitude is not as good as others. I can only make up for it with hard work."

Ryan nodded in deep agreement: "That's true. There are too many geniuses in Taichu City. Not to mention those with dual or triple spiritual roots, there are also monsters born with spiritual bodies... That's truly unreasonable."

Evan knew who he was talking about, and couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head: "Alright, we can't envy that kind of talent. Just do your own thing."

Ryan sighed, no longer dwelling on it, and grabbed Evan's arm, pulling him outside: "Let's go, let's go, the competition is about to start! I heard the rewards are incredibly generous, the first place winner gets a Guardian General!"

When the guardian deities were mentioned, a look of longing unconsciously appeared on Ryan's face.

The guardian deities are powerful Dao soldiers comparable to those at the third level of the Golden Core stage.

Because of its extremely limited quantity, it had not previously appeared on Chengshitang's exchange list.

It wasn't until a few years ago, when the city lord developed a new core that replaced the original Ancient Golem core, that the production of Guardian Generals gradually increased, and they were finally included in the exchange list.

Even so, the contribution points required for the exchange are frighteningly high, and even Golden Core cultivators are few and far between.

If any disciple can obtain a guardian deity, they can basically walk sideways when they go out to train, as long as they don't have the bad luck to run into a saint-level being.

But soon, Ryan sighed again: "But Ivy will definitely be first; there's no point in counting on the others."

Evan pursed his lips, his expression somewhat complicated.

As the name suggests, the Inner Sect Grand Competition is only open to Inner Sect disciples.

Since Senior Sister Flora and Senior Sister Mia broke through to the Golden Core stage and became True Disciples last year, the title of the number one inner disciple has undoubtedly fallen on Ivy's head.

Even those senior brothers and sisters who had also reached the Foundation Establishment stage were no match for Ivy.

Almost everyone agrees that Ivy will definitely be the winner of this inner sect competition.

"However, all the top 100 will receive rewards. At the very least, they'll get a mystical weapon, as well as various cultivation techniques, pills, and spirit beasts." Ryan shook his head. "Unfortunately, my cultivation level is too low, so my chances of making it into the top 100 are slim."

"But you," he said, looking at Evan, "it's a sure thing that you'll be in the top 64, and the top 36 is also very likely."

Evan smiled and said, "Then I'll take your kind words."

The two walked through the alleys of the inner city and headed towards the outer city along the main road.

The disciples passing by were in twos and threes, and their pace was a little faster than usual.

Because outer disciples are not allowed to enter the inner city, this inner sect competition was specially held in the outer city.

This will give outer disciples the opportunity to admire the heroic figures of their senior brothers and sisters, and encourage them to cultivate even harder in the future.

When Evan arrived at the training ground, he found it was already packed with people, a sea of ​​heads as far as the eye could see.

Ryan clicked his tongue: "With this kind of entourage, it seems like all the disciples of Taichu City have come?"

Evan nodded: "That's normal. After all, it's the first time this kind of competition has been held. I heard that the city lord, elders, and several senior disciples will be coming to watch. Who wouldn't want to see it for themselves?"

The two squeezed through the gaps at the edge of the crowd and walked along the pre-marked passage toward the east side of the venue.

A low vine fence had been erected to create an area specifically for the inner disciples participating in the competition.

Compared to the noisy and crowded area around the outer disciples' quarters, this area was much more spacious.

The Taichu City currently has about 700 officially registered inner disciples. After deducting a few who were unable to return due to missions outside and those who voluntarily withdrew due to their perceived lack of strength, there are at least 600 people present to participate in the competition.

The intensity of the competition is self-evident.

The crowd was filled with a mix of faces, mostly elves, but also quite a few disciples of vassal races.

Some people were talking in hushed tones, while others were resting with their eyes closed.

Evan's gaze swept across the area before his eyes were fixed on a figure.

She was a tall and sturdy cat-woman.

His short, grayish-brown hair was neatly trimmed to his ears, revealing his slightly turned pointed ears and the well-defined muscle contours of his neck.

Her cat tail hung down from her waist, the tip swaying slowly.

Night Eyes.

The first disciple of a vassal race in Taichu City, and also the one with the highest cultivation among those born into vassal races.

It is said that her cultivation has reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, making her a strong contender for the top thirty-six in this competition.

Evan looked away and glanced in the other direction.

There stood a girl in a blue robe, with an empty space within three steps around her.

It was Evie.

The only disciple in Taichu City with a top-tier spiritual body, he is also the undisputed favorite to win this competition.

He has only been cultivating for a little over a hundred years, yet he has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage and is only one step away from condensing his core.

This is the only case among all the disciples of Taichu City.

Although they were all inner disciples, everyone assumed that Ivy was on a different level from the other disciples.

Many people present were secretly watching this half-elf girl.

At that moment, almost all the inner disciples changed their expressions slightly at the same time and looked up in the direction of the Nine Heavens Tower.

More than a dozen streaks of light burst forth from the top of the tower, crossed the inner city walls, and in the blink of an eye, reached the sky above the training ground.

The light faded, revealing more than a dozen figures.

The leader was none other than Anton.

Behind him were Eleanor, Roman, and several other elders.

Ryan and Lucius, the four true disciples, lagged behind at the very back, their expressions solemn.

Anton did not deliberately release any aura; he simply hovered quietly high in the sky. Yet, the entire training ground seemed to be gently pressed down by an invisible hand, and the noise suddenly subsided.

All the disciples bowed in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Anton glanced down at the ground but didn't say anything more.

He raised his hand, gently clenched it in the air, and gently grasped at the distance.

In an instant, five-colored light emerged from the void, surging eastward like a tide, transforming into a giant hand that blotted out the sky and the sun, snatching a hill from thousands of kilometers away.

To everyone's astonishment, the hill silently disintegrated, reformed, and compressed, transforming into seven perfectly flat, square stone platforms suspended high in the sky.

Each stone platform has a smooth, mirror-like surface and neat, ruler-like edges, gleaming with the unique warm luster of stone under the sunlight.

A suppressed commotion suddenly arose in the training ground.

Ryan stood beside Evan, craning his neck to look at the seven stone platforms, his mouth agape as if he could fit an egg in it.

"Is this the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator...?"

Evan's face was also full of amazement and respect.

The ease and nonchalance with which he could harness the power of heaven and earth stirred a burning longing deep within his chest.

Anton led the group to sit on one of the stone platforms and then slowly began to speak.

"Let's begin."

Ryan took a step forward, now holding a roster in his hand.

He unrolled the paper, spoke in a deep voice, and his voice carried on the gentle breeze above the training ground:

"The Inner Sect Competition is now beginning."

"The disciple whose name is called shall immediately step onto the corresponding arena."

"Kyle Silvermoon, Ellison Holmgreen, Ring Number One."

"Vera Silvermoon, Dahl Silvermoon, Ring Two."

"Nora Silvermoon..."

The training ground suddenly became noisy.

The disciples who were called upon leaped towards their respective stone platforms.

At the same time, six huge water curtains lit up around the training ground.

The water curtain was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the scenes of the six arenas one by one, revealing every detail.

The disciples all looked up at the water curtains, their eyes filled with eager anticipation.

As six pairs of disciples stepped onto the arena, the first round of battles quickly began.

Evan's gaze fell on the nearest water curtain.

On the third arena, the two disciples had already started fighting, and the battle was evenly matched.

They were all at the third or fourth level of Foundation Establishment.

One of the disciples practiced the "Qianyang Zhengfa".

This technique is extremely powerful and fierce. The "Dry Yang True Fire" cultivated is extremely strong and yang, which is specifically designed to counter yin and evil. When it is used, the golden-red light between the palms is as bright as flames, and each strike carries a terrifyingly strong and yang intent.

The other disciple cultivated the "Great Sun Burning Heaven Technique".

This technique is said to be a simplified version of the "Great Sun True Explanation," and can be practiced without a spiritual body like the Haoyang True Body.

During cultivation, visualize a blazing sun circulating within your body, drawing your qi and blood to flow like magma.

When one has achieved a certain level of mastery, one's Qi and blood are abundant, and ordinary evil spirits and ghosts cannot approach one.

When one reaches mastery, yang energy bursts forth with every gesture. With a single palm strike, low-level wandering souls scatter as if scorched by fire.

The two disciples fought back and forth for dozens of rounds. The golden-red and crimson-orange light on the arena clashed and exploded, and the shockwaves caused the air at the edge of the stone platform to distort slightly.

In the end, the disciple who cultivated the "Qianyang Zhengfa" was superior, forcing his opponent off the edge of the arena with a golden-red palm strike.

Evan then turned his gaze to the other water curtains and discovered that at least half of the eight disciples practiced this type of masculine martial arts.

He wasn't surprised.

Although the news of the impending opening of the Underworld was kept strictly confidential from the outside world, it was no secret within the Primordial City.

The city lord and elders issued a special order that disciples should give priority to those of the Yang type when choosing cultivation techniques and magic weapons.

As a result, the cultivation atmosphere in Taichu City has been quietly shifting in recent years, with the proportion of disciples cultivating Yang-type techniques increasing.