Chapter 302: Chapter 275: Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, Henceforth You Are One of Us

The True Seal embryo was formed. The next step was to integrate the Law.

However, Anton didn’t continue. He emerged from his meditation, let out a long breath, and opened his eyes.

The light from the Light Source Stone in the meditation chamber remained soft, but the sky outside had already darkened.

This seclusion had lasted for over three months, taking him from late autumn straight into the dead of winter.

Anton stood up and stretched his stiff limbs.

The long seclusion had taken a considerable mental toll. He planned to rest for a few days and get back into peak condition before continuing.

Of course, Anton’s idea of rest wasn’t sleeping or lazing about.

He left the meditation chamber and headed to his workshop.

He pushed open the door. Light from the Light Source Stones on the domed ceiling spilled down, illuminating a massive figure on the stone platform in the center of the workshop.

It was a tall figure, similar in appearance to the Jia Shen Divine General.

It was not yet complete. The seals covering the surface of its body had all been inscribed, but it still lacked the final step of tuning and fusion.

Even so, an aura so sharp it could make one’s heart pound already emanated from it, so tangible that it made the very air feel heavy.

Anton gazed at the nearly-completed Divine General, his eyes glinting with satisfaction.

The Jia Zi Divine General.

This was the second Guardian Divine General he had crafted in the past two years.

Crafting the Jia Shen Divine General had taken him nearly ten full years.

This one, however, had taken far less time.

It was nearly complete after just over two years.

While his accumulated experience was certainly a factor, his Cultivation Level had also been steadily advancing over the years. His understanding of the Law had deepened, making the crafting process feel much more natural and effortless.

Anton walked up to the stone platform and placed a hand on the Divine General’s chest.

His Divine Sense surged out like a tide, probing into the Divine General’s body. It traveled slowly along the tens of thousands of channels in the network of seals, then began the final tuning and fusion.

The moment all the seals merged into one and lit up in unison, a deafening thunderclap ripped through the workshop.

Silver-blue lightning erupted from the Divine General’s body like a flash flood, rampaging through the workshop and causing the warding runes on the walls to flicker wildly.

Anton remained unfazed, his fingers a blur of motion.

One after another, seals of light shot from his fingertips like meteors and sank into the Divine General’s body.

HUMMM!

A low hum emanated from within the Divine General, and in that same instant, all the lightning converged, as if compressed and condensed by an invisible force.

The workshop fell suddenly silent.

The Jia Zi Divine General sat up on the stone platform and landed silently on the floor.

Its figure was tall and slender, its posture like that of a drawn sword. The aura it exuded was so sharp that the very air seemed to tremble.

It was wreathed in flowing, silver-blue light. Its hair and the hem of its robes drifted as if in a nonexistent wind, every strand entwined with tiny arcs of lightning.

It was clad in a battle robe adorned with flowing lightning patterns. As the corners of the robe fluttered, miniature lightning bolts crackled, making it seem like the very incarnation of thunder’s divine might.

Anton’s gaze fell upon the object held in its right hand.

It was a dark purple, jade-like Token, about a foot and two inches long. Silver-blue lightning patterns swirled across its surface, and tiny arcs of electricity danced along its edges.

The front of the Token was inscribed with the ancient seal script characters for "Thunder Command," while the back bore complex cloud-and-thunder runes.

A faint smile touched Anton’s lips, his eyes glinting with satisfaction.

The Jia Zi Divine General. It commanded thunder and specialized in offense.

Unlike the Jia Shen Divine General, which excelled at close-quarters combat, this one was skilled at long-range Thunder Skills. It could even call down Celestial Thunder, unleashing astonishing lethality at critical moments.

With the Jia Zi Divine General on the battlefield, the area for tens of miles around would become its Thunder Domain.

Enemies would have to endure a baptism of lightning before they could even get close.

It complemented the Jia Shen Divine General perfectly—one for ranged combat, the other for close quarters.

’The second Guardian Divine General is complete. Next up is the Jia Xu Divine General. With the experience from crafting the first two, my efficiency should only increase from here on out.’

Anton waved his sleeve, storing the Jia Zi Divine General away. Just as he was about to begin work on the Jia Xu Divine General, his expression flickered.

An aura abruptly emanated from the upper floors of the Ninefold Celestial Tower. It was like a spring, dormant for years, suddenly gushing forth, carrying with it an ineffable quality.

At first, the aura was extremely faint, like a wisp of smoke, nearly impossible to perceive without intense focus.

But in the span of a single breath, it swelled dramatically, transforming into a powerful, irresistible torrent that poured down from the tower’s upper levels.

The entire Ninefold Celestial Tower began to tremble. The runes on its walls flickered wildly, alternating between light and dark as if resonating with the aura.

Anton wasn’t alarmed; in fact, he was pleased. A faint smile graced his lips.

Without hesitation, he vanished in a flash.

He reappeared in front of the door to a meditation chamber.

It was the very chamber where Eleanor was in seclusion.

The door was tightly shut.

Yet, through the crack under the door, he could glimpse an emerald-green glow swirling on the other side.

The light had a gentle, liquid quality, as if life itself were breathing and pulsing within. With each swirl, a visible, transparent ripple spread out from beneath the door, expanding outward like a wave on water.

Wherever the ripples passed, the air grew fresh and humid, as if one were standing in a forest just after a rainstorm. Even breathing felt easier.

This was the strange phenomenon triggered by fluctuations in the Heaven and Earth Law, a sign that someone had formed a Golden Core using a Wood Attribute Cultivation Technique.

If not for the suppressive Arrays of the Ninefold Celestial Tower, the phenomenon would have been even more pronounced.

Anton stood outside the door with his hands clasped behind his back, a faint smile on his face.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the emerald glow behind the door abruptly vanished.

A moment later, the door swung open without a sound.

A slender figure emerged from behind the door.

He hadn’t seen her in three years. Eleanor’s skin was more lustrous than before, with a faint, gentle sheen that seemed both reserved and profound.

Her emerald hair cascaded down like a waterfall. The very tips seemed to shimmer with an incredibly faint cyan glow, like the subtle glint of sunlight passing through dewdrops on new spring leaves.

But the most striking change was in her overall demeanor.

If the Eleanor of the past was like a stalk of green bamboo by a quiet stream—serene and elegant, but lacking a certain edge—then the woman before him now was like an ancient pine tree, rooted firmly in the face of a cliff.

She was still serene and composed, but now possessed a deep-seated resilience that seemed to emanate from her very bones.

It was the kind of transformation that only occurred after a fundamental leap in one’s being, a change brought about by assimilating the Heaven and Earth Law for one’s own use.

Anton smiled. "Congratulations, fellow Daoist. You are now one of us on this Path."

Eleanor paused for a second, then her lips curved upward. A bright, pure smile spread across her face, lighting up her eyes.

She gave a slight, playful bow. "My thanks, Senior Daoist."

They looked at each other and smiled.

...

The news that Eleanor had advanced to the Golden Core Realm caused a considerable stir in Taichu City.

After all, she was only the second Golden Core Cultivator in the city, after Anton himself.

「The Celestial Essence Hall, Ninefold Celestial Tower.」

In the brightly lit hall, the leaders of the Clan were gathered, their faces beaming with joy.

Even Elena and Darian had rushed back from Nine Nether City via the Teleportation Array.

All eyes were gathered on the slender figure seated to the right of the long table’s head.

After three years of seclusion, Eleanor had hardly been seen by anyone.

Seeing her now, everyone could sense the stark difference in her demeanor.

"This gives our Clan another warrior with Legendary Combat Power," the Third Elder boomed with laughter.

The other Elves also beamed with delight.

A Golden Core Cultivator was no ordinary expert of the Legendary Tier.

When Anton had just broken through, he had been able to easily slay a Legendary Giant Dragon without even fully mastering his Divine Techniques.

While Eleanor couldn’t compare to Anton, her power certainly surpassed that of a newly ascended Legend.

Once she mastered her Divine Techniques, she would likely reach the level of a pillar-class Legend.

The Great Elder’s gaze fell on his granddaughter, his eyes filled with pride and nostalgia.

He remembered many years ago, when Eleanor was just a little girl in a ponytail, chasing fireflies under the Eternal Tree as she followed her father.

But after her father fell in battle, Eleanor had changed.

She was no longer playful or spoiled; instead, she buried herself in cultivation and ancient texts, desperately trying to increase her power.

The Great Elder had once worried that his granddaughter was pushing herself too hard, putting too much pressure on herself.

Fortunately, Anton had appeared.

He had changed the Clan in unimaginable ways, and he had changed Eleanor, too.

She no longer shouldered all the pressure herself. She had found her place and a new purpose.

Now, she had even surpassed the Great Elder himself.

Seeing the composed, confident smile on his granddaughter’s face, the Great Elder’s heart swelled with gratification.

"Incredible, Eleanor," Romance said with a laugh, pulling her friend into a tight hug.

"Once you’ve mastered your Divine Techniques, we’ll have to spar."

Eleanor shot her a playful glare and refused without a second thought. "Forget it. I’d rather not fight you. If you want a match, go find the Clan Leader."

"...The power gap between me and Anton is too wide. He always holds back, so it’s not fun to spar with him," Romance said, scratching her cheek.

Apparently, she had already tried.

Anton, sitting at the head of the table, watched everyone chat and laugh with a smile for a while before turning to Eleanor. "Now that you’ve formed your Golden Core, you can start cultivating Divine Techniques. Which ones do you plan to learn?"

Eleanor had clearly already given this some thought, for she answered without hesitation, "Beiming True Water and Void One Yuan Life Qi."

During the late stage of her Foundation Establishment, she had cultivated Dark Heavy Water.

Now that she was moving on to Divine Techniques, choosing Beiming True Water—a direct progression—was the natural choice. Cultivating it would be far more efficient.

Besides having a Water Spirit Root, she also possessed a Wood Spirit Root.

This meant she could cultivate a Wood-attribute Divine Technique at the same time.

Void One Yuan Life Qi was an excellent choice for that.

After all, given her current status, she would rarely need to fight on the front lines, so there was no need to master too many offensive Divine Techniques.

On the rare occasions she did go to the front lines, her priority would be self-preservation.

A restorative Divine Technique like Void One Yuan Life Qi was undoubtedly more suitable for that purpose.

Seeing that Eleanor had already made up her mind, Anton simply nodded and let his gaze sweep over the others.

"I’ve gathered everyone here today not only to congratulate Eleanor on advancing to the Golden Core Realm, but also to discuss another matter."

Hearing the Clan Leader turn to serious matters, the Elves present composed themselves and looked toward him with solemn expressions.

"As of now, thirteen of the spatial nodes within the Holy Dragon Mountain Range’s Subspace have been destroyed. Only five remain."

"In seven or eight years at most, the allied forces will break through the Subspace and reach Holy Dragon City."

"And that siege won’t last long either."

"The Dragon Slaying War should be over within ten years."

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