Elven cultivators

Chapter 74 The Three Paths of the Dao (5th update, please subscribe)

After the war, the clans' demand for rune-inscribed equipment and various potions plummeted.

Anton was finally freed from the heavy logistical work and was able to devote his energy to his own spiritual practice and research.

Spring of the year 9304 in the Dawn Calendar.

Silvermoon Forest, Treehouse.

Inside the weapon-refining room, the Five Elements True Fire burned fiercely in the furnace.

Five-colored flames shone through the openwork patterns of the furnace lid, casting ever-changing light and shadow on the walls, dividing the entire room into a strange scene of interplay between light and shadow.

Anton sat cross-legged in front of the refining furnace, his expression focused. His divine sense, like an invisible tendril, probed deep into the furnace chamber and became closely connected with the ball of crimson liquid suspended in the core of the flames.

This ball of crimson gold liquid is made primarily of the Sun Emblem, supplemented with over twenty auxiliary materials such as fire crystal sand, red copper essence, and molten heart grass juice. It is then repeatedly quenched, purified, and fused using the Five Elements True Fire.

The Sun Emblem was originally a supernatural magical item, containing extremely rich fire attribute energy.

After being burned by the Five Elements True Fire, the rune structures that originally belonged to the magic system were completely broken up and melted away, leaving only the purest fire essence, like an uncarved piece of jade, waiting to be given a new form and spirit.

What imbued it with spirituality was the eighty-one restrictions that Anton inscribed within it, using his divine sense as a brush and his true essence as ink.

Each restriction is a miniature array, layered and interlocked, like building a precise pavilion. If one restriction is missing, the foundation will be unstable; if one restriction is added, the structure will collapse.

After more than ten days of hard work, all eighty-one restrictions have now been completed.

Next comes the final step, 'combining prohibitions'.

The so-called "unified prohibition" means to integrate these eighty-one independent prohibitions into one, so that they are interconnected and mutually reinforcing, forming a complete whole.

This step seems simple, but it is actually the most difficult.

The eighty-one restrictions are like eighty-one unruly dragons, each with its own temperament. If one is not careful, they will collide with each other. At best, the restrictions will collapse and all previous efforts will be wasted; at worst, the spiritual fire will backfire and injure oneself.

Anton took a deep breath, his consciousness focusing into a single line, like an invisible thread, passing through layers of restrictions and connecting them one by one.

The first barrier lit up.

The second one followed closely behind.

The third, the fourth, the fifth...

One restriction after another was lit up, and crimson-gold light flowed within the liquid mass like a river of stars.

The moment the eighty-first restriction lit up, all the light suddenly receded, as if compressed, condensed, and settled by an invisible force.

The liquid mass began to tremble violently, with bubble-like protrusions rising on its surface, which then quickly subsided, as if something was struggling inside.

Anton remained calm, continuing to stabilize the restriction with his divine sense and nourish the liquid mass with his true essence.

After an unknown amount of time, the tremors of the liquid mass finally subsided.

Inside the furnace, the Five Elements True Fire still burned fiercely, its five-colored flames rotating endlessly.

The ball of crimson-gold liquid had transformed into an inverted bell-shaped object, which hovered quietly in the core of the flames.

The bell is entirely made of pure gold, with a smooth, mirror-like surface and subtle, flowing ripples, like solidified magma.

The bell has a rounded rim that flares out slightly, with a ring of fine flame patterns forming at the edge. Each pattern is in harmony with the principles of heaven and earth, as if it were not carved by human hands, but rather formed naturally by the great Dao.

The top of the clock is arched and raised, with a red gold crystal the size of a fingernail set in the very center.

That was the core of the artifact, formed by Anton fusing his own true essence with the fire-attribute magic polymer after the decomposition of the Sun Emblem.

Looking through the crystal, one can vaguely see the light of eighty-one restrictions flowing within, like twinkling stars or wandering dragons and snakes.

Fire shield, complete!

Anton slowly opened his eyes, a flash of five-colored light appearing and disappearing in his pupils.

He didn't rush to take out the magic weapon, but instead raised his hand and beckoned.

The furnace lid flew off on its own, and the Five Elements True Fire receded like a tide, shrinking back into his body.

The crimson-gold bell-shaped cover rose slowly from the furnace and hovered in mid-air, radiating a warm and gentle light.

Anton reached out, and the bell slowly floated down, hovering an inch above his palm, and slowly rotating.

Upon closer inspection, the patterns on the clock face become even clearer, deeply embedded in the metal, like veins that grow naturally as the metal solidifies and takes shape, perfectly formed without any trace of artificial intervention.

Anton could sense a mysterious connection between himself and the Fire Shield, as if they were connected by blood and spirit.

"go."

With a slight thought, the Fire Cover suddenly flew up, rapidly expanding in mid-air to transform into a giant crimson-gold bell over ten feet tall, which then inverted him inside.

On the inner wall of the bell, eighty-one restrictions lit up simultaneously, and crimson-gold light flowed like mercury, illuminating the space inside the bell.

Looking at the clock face, which had a semi-transparent and ethereal texture, Anton finally showed a genuine smile of joy.

The crafting of the magical artifacts was more complicated and difficult than he had anticipated.

It took him more than a year from researching alternative materials to finally successfully refining the Fire Shield.

Fortunately, the result was encouraging.

With this protective artifact, his survivability in actual combat will undoubtedly be greatly enhanced in the future.

If I had had the Fire Shield protecting me when I fought Zhuogu, the battle would have been much easier.

"More specific functions can only be tested in actual combat."

Anton pondered to himself.

The process of forging the Fire Shield is also a process of in-depth learning and mastery of formations.

Whether it was inscribing the formations and restrictions or the final process of combining them, he gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of formations.

With this experience, mastering the Golden Light Locking Prison Formation should be much easier.

It is worth mentioning that during the time Anton was researching the Fire Shield, the Rockhorn Dragon attacked the mining area several times, but fortunately, it was repelled by the combined efforts of the First Elder, the Third Elder, and Thorvin.

To prevent attacks from Rockhorn Dragons, the Elder even went to the mining area to oversee the operation.

Anton then deployed a hundred Yellow Turban Warriors to the mining area to strengthen its defenses, which prevented the mining operations from being significantly affected.

However, everyone's patience with the Rockhorn Dragon was nearing its limit, and resolving this problem was now urgent.

"Once the formation is ready, it's time to make our move against the Rockhorn Dragon."

With a thought, the crimson-gold light barrier receded like a tide, reforming into a palm-sized crimson-gold bell, which hovered in his palm.

He flipped his hand and put the Fire Shield into his dimensional bag, then stood up and stretched his limbs, his bones making a faint crackling sound.

Stepping out of the treehouse, Anton headed towards the warehouse to collect new materials.

As they passed Roman's house, they heard a series of muffled thumping sounds coming from behind the treehouse.

The sound was very rhythmic, like a heavy object hitting a hard object, and could be heard clearly even across a whole row of treehouses.

Anton paused slightly, extending his divine sense forward, beyond the treehouse's canopy to the courtyard behind, where he saw Roman engaged in a fierce battle with a Yellow Turban warrior.

She was barefoot, her long silver-white hair was casually tied up with a vine, and her light gray hunting outfit was soaked with sweat and clung to her body.

The Frost-Patterned Battle Axe flew through her hands like lightning, each strike accompanied by a muffled thunderclap. The axe blade struck the armor of the Yellow Turban Warrior, sparking dazzling sparks.

Not far away, Eleanor sat cross-legged on a stone stool in the corner of the courtyard, a thick book spread out on her lap, her eyes following the figure of the Yellow Turban Warrior, nodding slightly from time to time, as if she were observing something.

Anton's lips curled up slightly as he withdrew his divine sense, turned a corner, and circled around to the entrance of the courtyard behind the treehouse.

The courtyard gate was ajar, and he pushed it open and went inside.

"Bang!"

A particularly dull thud exploded, and a shockwave carrying fine stone fragments rushed towards us.

With a casual wave of his hand, Anton created an invisible protective shield of true essence that kept the flying debris at bay.

The fighting in the courtyard came to an abrupt end.

Roman put away his axe and turned around. When he saw the person who had come, his amber eyes lit up and a big smile spread across his face.

"Anton!"

She rushed over, her body steaming, sweat dripping down her fair neck, leaving a dark, damp patch at her collar.

"Why are you here?"

"Just passing by." Anton's gaze swept over the battle axe in her hand, then glanced at the Yellow Turban warriors standing quietly not far away. "Training their combat skills?"

"Yeah, right." Roman raised his axe and waved it, his tone tinged with pride. "The Yellow Turban Warrior you gave me is so useful. He's tough and thick-skinned, he won't break no matter how much you hit him. It's much more fun than sparring with people."

She pointed at the Yellow Turban Warriors and grinned, "Look, these are all the ones I chopped down today."

Following the direction she pointed, Anton saw that the Yellow Turban Warrior's dark gold armor was indeed covered with marks of varying depths, with the deepest ones almost piercing through the entire breastplate.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The fact that Roman could leave such a deep mark on the Yellow Turban Warrior shows that his strength has improved considerably.

It looks like he's about to break through.

Keep in mind that Roman is still more than ten years away from adulthood.

At this rate, she might be able to break through to the Silver rank before she reaches adulthood.

Eleanor then stood up from the stone stool, closed her book, and walked toward Anton, giving him a slight nod in greeting.

She wore a light blue robe, and her emerald green hair was tied into a low ponytail with silver threads, with a few strands falling beside her ears, making her skin appear as white as jade.

Anton smiled and nodded at her, his gaze falling on the book in her hand, the gold-embossed title on the spine of which was very eye-catching—"Runic Structure and Magic Conduction".

Remembering how Eleanor had been staring intently at the Yellow Turban Warriors, Anton immediately understood.

Noticing Anton's gaze, Eleanor slightly twitched her hand holding the book, as if trying to hide it, but quickly realized what she was doing and stopped. Her ears turned slightly red, and she felt guilty that her secret had been discovered.

After all, it was because of Anton's provocation that she had the idea of ​​studying alchemical golems.

Anton noticed the girl's little actions, a smile flashing in his eyes, but he didn't say anything.

Roman, oblivious to everything, continued, "Anton, what have you been up to lately? I hardly ever see you."

"I'm crafting new magical equipment," Anton explained casually. "Don't worry about me, you continue training."

"Okay, then I'll practice a little longer." Roman didn't stand on ceremony and nodded with a grin. "But don't run away, we haven't eaten together in a long time. We'll have a barbecue together later."

Anton smiled and agreed.

Roman then picked up his battle axe again and walked towards the Yellow Turban Warrior.

Anton watched Roman refocus on training, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

Ever since he conceived the idea of ​​establishing a sect, he had been thinking about what other methods, besides starting from scratch to popularize the cultivation system, could allow others to enjoy the "benefits" of the cultivation system, thereby enhancing the clan's strength.

After all, establishing a sect is a huge plan, and the conditions are not yet ripe for implementation.

The most direct problem is the scarcity of resources.

He cultivates immortality alone, yet he manages to find ways to acquire resources and barely make ends meet.

However, establishing a sect would require an enormous amount of resources.

At present, there is simply no sufficiently large and stable channel for acquiring resources.

It would be more appropriate to wait until his cultivation level improves further and the Silver Moon Clan becomes stronger before attempting this.

With this in mind, Anton occasionally consulted relevant documents in the Great Dao Jade Slip over the past two years, and as a result, he actually found a path.

In fact, it also involves the path of the cultivation system.

The cultivation system is divided into three major paths.

Qi Dao, Fa Dao, and Li Dao.

Those who practice the Qi path breathe in the essence of Qi, focusing their efforts on achieving the Dao and attaining harmony between humanity and nature.

In layman's terms, it means taking the path of refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Anton is now following the Qi path.

This is also the path chosen by the vast majority of cultivators.

Those who follow the Way understand the workings of the universe and the principles of virtue, whose merits rival those of creation, and who thoroughly investigate the mysteries of heaven and earth.

To put it simply, it means not practicing cultivation techniques or tempering the physical body, but focusing on comprehending the profound principles and ultimate truths of the universe, thereby gaining a clear understanding of all things and achieving the Great Dao.

However, there are no fixed rules on how to comprehend the profound principles and ultimate truths. It is impossible to figure out, and it all depends on one's own opportunities and understanding. The uncertainty is too great.

More likely, he will die of old age before he has achieved enlightenment.

Therefore, the vast majority of cultivators only cultivate the Dharma as a secondary practice.

Those with great strength use external medicine to nourish their bodies and internal alchemy to cultivate an indestructible golden body.

Simply put, it is a cultivation path that focuses on tempering and refining the physical body.

Unlike Qi cultivators who focus on breathing in essence and refining the energy of heaven and earth, strength cultivators use all their essence to nourish themselves. They do not rely on spiritual energy or true essence, but instead pursue the ultimate state of physical sainthood and overcoming skill with strength.

The advantage of the Path of Strength is that it can be cultivated without the need for superior techniques, and it has very low requirements for individual aptitude.

The downside is that it is extremely dependent on external things, requiring a large amount of external medicine (including pills, demon beast blood essence, rare and precious materials, etc.) to nourish the physical body and promote its transformation.

Therefore, in the world of cultivation, only demon cultivators who lack the inheritance of cultivation techniques but are born with strong physical bodies will choose the path of strength.

However, on the Dawn Continent, the path of strength is the most suitable for warriors like Roman, and it can even be said to be tailor-made for them.

There's no need to start from scratch to cultivate spiritual energy. Just choose a power-based cultivation method and temper your body step by step to rapidly increase your strength and eventually achieve an indestructible body.

In terms of upper limits alone, the path of strength is not much inferior to the path of qi.

"Li Dao's fighting style is simple and direct, emphasizing the crushing of all techniques and variations with absolute power, which aligns well with Roman's fighting style."

Anton nodded secretly, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the force was very suitable for Roman.

As for resource consumption, the solution is simple.

All you need to do is gain the support of the elders.

The Silvermoon Clan, which controls half of the Frostpatter Silver Mine, has more than enough power to support Roman's cultivation.

Anton had a plan in mind.

Once we've dealt with the Rockhorn Dragon and forged the sword pellet, we'll find a suitable power cultivation technique for Roman.

On the other side, Eleanor sat back on the stone stool, opened the book on her lap, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Anton.

Seeing that he was staring intently at Roman, she couldn't help but purse her lips, thinking to herself that Anton really cared about Roman.