Chapter 206: Chapter 195: First Cave Abode

Above Taichu City, the sky was as clear as if it had been washed clean.

Anton hovered high in the firmament, his robes flapping loudly in the strong winds of the upper atmosphere.

He gazed down at the colossal, brand-new city below, his eyes calm and focused.

The gloomy, oppressive aura that once shrouded Kresol Dragon City had vanished completely.

The dark red city walls had been entirely replaced with grayish-white granite. Tempered by Spiritual Fire, their surface was as dense as porcelain—smooth, yet unyieldingly hard.

The changes within the city were even more earth-shattering. Its architectural style was unlike that of any other city on the Dawn Continent.

It no longer followed the rigid, boxy, barrack-like layout of Dragon City, nor did it adopt the common treehouse and vine structures of the Elf Race. Instead, it was a brand-new form that integrated order and nature.

The streets were wide and straight, flanked by buildings of varying heights that nevertheless adhered to a subtle rhythm.

The walls were built of cyan-gray stone bricks, and most roofs were a dark teal, with gentle, wave-like curves. The corners of the eaves tilted slightly upward, creating fluid and elegant lines that were dignified without being ostentatious.

In the open spaces between the buildings, Honeybell Trees and Fluorescent Vines transplanted from the Silver Moon Forest had been planted.

The vines climbed up the walls and cascaded down from the eaves. Their pale yellow flowers and emerald green leaves wove together into a vibrant curtain that swayed gently in the breeze, releasing a sweet, fresh fragrance.

The entire city possessed a kind of transcendent, otherworldly charm while still preserving the Elf Race’s aesthetic pursuit of becoming one with nature.

And in the very center of the city, where Dragon City’s inner fortress once stood, it had been completely demolished. In its place was a towering, majestic spire that reached into the clouds.

The Ninefold Celestial Tower.

This was the core of Taichu City and the Array Hub for the entire array cluster.

The tower’s body was octagonal. Each floor had flying eaves with upturned corners, from which hung bronze bells and wind chimes.

Countless array patterns spread upward from the tower’s base, layer upon layer like the rings of an ancient tree, weaving an arcane and intricate tapestry across its surface.

With a flip of his wrist, a golden seal materialized in Anton’s palm.

This was the control hub for Taichu City’s array cluster.

He took a deep breath, and his Divine Sense surged out like a tidal wave, establishing a connection with the Array Seal.

In the next moment, the entire city of Taichu seemed to awaken from a deep slumber.

A low hum emanated from underground, reverberating through the thick layers of earth like the heartbeat of an ancient behemoth.

The array patterns throughout the city lit up one after another, spreading out in all directions from the Ninefold Celestial Tower. They followed the streets, plazas, and city walls until every vein of the city was illuminated.

Five-colored radiance surged from the ground, weaving into a brilliant curtain of light in the sky above Taichu City.

Cyan, red, yellow, white, and black—the colors of the Five Elements—cycled endlessly, flowing across the firmament like an aurora.

The light curtain gradually solidified from a translucent illusion into a glazed dome of flowing, five-colored light, enveloping the entirety of Taichu City.

The array cluster activated.

Instantly, a tide of energy so dense it was almost tangible erupted from underground. Like a bursting dam, it flooded every corner of the city in a flash.

The concentration of elemental energy in the air skyrocketed at a jaw-dropping rate.

If the energy concentration in the Silver Moon Forest was like a babbling brook, then the concentration in Taichu City at this moment was like a bottomless lake.

With every breath, dense Spiritual Qi poured into the body through the nose and mouth, seeping into every limb and bone. Even one’s pores seemed to be greedily gulping it down.

Anton closed his eyes, feeling the majestic energy surging up from beneath his feet, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

’This is a Spirit Vein.’

’This is what a true Cultivator’s grotto-heaven should be.’

Anyone who stepped into this city, no matter where they were, could enjoy an energy concentration that far surpassed the outside world.

This was the wonder of a grotto-heaven’s array cluster.

It wasn’t just a set of arrays; it was a complete ecosystem.

A network of thousands of Spirit Gathering Arrays managed the Spirit Vein, distributing energy evenly to every corner of the city, with the ability to make real-time adjustments as needed.

Hundreds of auxiliary arrays also performed their respective functions.

The Constant Temperature Array kept the entire city in a state of perpetual spring, unaffected by the external climate.

The Dust Removal Array kept the air forever fresh, automatically cleaning even the dust in the corners.

The Sound Insulation Array granted every building absolute silence, shutting out the clamor of the outside world.

...And so on and so forth.

This was Taichu City, a creation that Anton had spent years of painstaking effort on, using immense manpower and resources to carve it out, bit by bit.

Over a hundred years after embarking on the path of the Dao, he finally had his very first grotto-heaven.

"A Spirit Vein, as expected."

"The grotto-heaven has only just been completed, yet the spiritual purity and energy concentration have already reached the Xuanlu level."

Anton nodded in satisfaction.

This meant that as long as one was inside Taichu City, no matter the corner, they could enjoy Xuanlu-level energy concentration.

In cultivation spaces like quiet rooms equipped with Spirit Gathering Arrays, the concentration could easily reach the Qifu level.

And as for the Ninefold Celestial Tower, the core of Taichu City that gathered the most energy from the Spirit Vein, its energy concentration was already approaching the Zhen’gong level.

Given time, once the array cluster was further refined and the Spirit Vein’s energy-gathering function was enhanced, it might even be possible to truly reach the Zhen’gong level.

After a good while, Anton returned to his senses from his delight, his gaze sweeping over the functional buildings to the east and west.

Those were the locations of the Alchemy Room, Artifact Refining Room, Spirit Plant Garden, and Beast Garden.

Among Taichu City’s many functional buildings, Anton placed the most importance on the Spirit Plant Garden and the Beast Garden.

He planned to cultivate a large number of rare plants in the Spirit Plant Garden next.

In addition to the plant types currently needed by the Clan for pill refining, he would also set aside a dedicated area for experiments in the selective breeding of Spirit Plants.

The goal was to recreate various Spirit Plants from the cultivation system.

Starting with existing Magic Plants on the Dawn Continent that had similar properties, he would use generational selection and targeted improvements to gradually screen for plants with medicinal properties closest to the target.

Currently, there were still many Pill formulas in the Taoist Jade Scroll that could not be refined due to the lack of corresponding Spirit Plant ingredients.

No substitutes for these Spirit Plants could be found on the Dawn Continent.

’In that case, I’ll just create the substitutes myself.’

The same went for the Beast Garden.

Anton planned to select promising individuals from the existing Magical Creatures and exotic beasts of the Dawn Continent and, through generational selection and targeted crossbreeding, gradually cultivate what the cultivation system defined as "Spirit Beasts."

Whether it was the selective breeding of Spirit Plants or the improvement and cultivation of Spirit Beasts, both were extremely lengthy processes.

They could take as little as several decades, or as long as several centuries, or even millennia.

But Anton had patience enough.

Pulling his thoughts back, Anton’s figure flashed. He was already inside the Ninefold Celestial Tower, appearing in a quiet room.

He sat cross-legged on a cushion and closed his eyes to look inward.

Within his Dantian, the Golden Core still floated quietly, rotating slowly on its own.

The layer of Pill Poison was already thinner than when he had first solidified the pill.

After successfully refining the Evil-Transforming Pill, and with the assistance of the Spirit Vein, Anton’s speed at refining the Pill Poison had increased significantly.

He had now refined ten percent of the Pill Poison.

His Magical Power had also grown considerably.

Now that the array cluster was complete, the Nine Transitions Evil-Refining Array could also be put to use. His speed at refining the Pill Poison would soon rise another level.

In terms of Divine Techniques, he had completely mastered the Void One Yuan Life Qi.

His cultivation of the other four Divine Techniques had also seen some progress.

The progress in his Sword Dao was the most gratifying.

Anton had successfully integrated the essence of "swiftness" from the Ultimate Sword into his sword light.

The speed of his sword light was now thirty to forty percent faster than before.

The next step was to continuously refine his sword light, further increasing its quantity, individual power, and speed.

Once his Sword Dao Cultivation Level was profound enough, he could begin cultivating Sword Dao Divine Techniques.

Though both were Divine Techniques, Sword Dao Divine Techniques enhanced a Cultivator’s combat prowess far more than other techniques of the same level.

As he was contemplating this, Anton suddenly felt a stir and opened his eyes, looking outside the tower.

In the distance, a streak of emerald light was flying toward Taichu City.

’It’s Eleanor.’

Anton’s figure flashed, and he appeared on the top-floor terrace of the Ninefold Celestial Tower.

Eleanor had just landed and was walking briskly toward him.

"Clan Leader."

"What brings you here so suddenly?" Anton said with a smile. "Is there something you need?"

Eleanor nodded. "A message came from the team contacting the local Elf communities in the Thundering River Basin. They said they’ve discovered the living stone phenomena and petrified vegetation you mentioned in Wulei Valley."

Anton’s expression turned serious, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

’Wulei Valley...’

He had some impression of that name.

The Thundering River Basin was already one of the regions on the Dawn Continent with the most frequent thunderstorms, and Wulei Valley was the epicenter.

Dark clouds loomed over this place year-round, and thunderstorms struck nearly every single day.

No living creature could survive in such an extreme environment.

Thus, Wulei Valley could be called a dead zone for all life. Almost no one would ever go to such a place.

"How did they find it?" Anton asked.

"It was actually quite a coincidence."

Eleanor began to explain.

"On their way to an Elf settlement, they were passing the outskirts of Wulei Valley when they were caught in a thunderstorm and had to find temporary shelter."

"It was then that they noticed the rock formations on the edge of the valley looked strange. The team leader immediately recalled the phenomena you mentioned before, so he risked getting closer to observe and confirmed that it was indeed the living stone phenomenon."

"However, the thunderstorms in Wulei Valley are too frequent and grow denser the deeper one goes. With their strength, they were completely unable to investigate further. They could only confirm the phenomena on the outskirts before hastily retreating."

Anton nodded in understanding. After a moment of thought, he said, "Have that team pull back from Wulei Valley. They won’t be needed for the rest of the investigation. I’ll make the trip myself."

"Alright, I’ll make the arrangements right away."

Eleanor nodded in agreement and turned to leave, but Anton stopped her.

"One more thing."

Anton took out a thick list and handed it to Eleanor.

"Send people to collect the plants and Magical Creatures on this list. Transplant the plants to the Spirit Plant Garden, and place the Magical Creatures in the Beast Garden."

"Also, the Spirit Plant Garden needs dedicated staff to manage it. This work isn’t suitable for slaves. Select some Elves from the clan who have an aptitude for botany and have them take over. This list includes specific cultivation methods and points of caution."

"The same goes for the Beast Garden. Recruit talented individuals in this field to take on the management and breeding work there."

Eleanor nodded and took the list. She gave it a quick look-over and saw that the plants and Magical Creatures on it were all quite rare and valuable.

However, with the Silver Moon Race’s current power, gathering them all wouldn’t be too difficult.

"I understand."

"Also, Taichu City’s construction is complete. The work of relocation and settlement can now be put on the agenda."

"Good." Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she had already sensed the difference when she entered the airspace above Taichu City, hearing Anton say it himself was the final confirmation.

With Taichu City open for residents, the population pressure in the Silver Moon Forest would surely be greatly alleviated.

Even if only for the sake of improving cultivation efficiency, she figured there would be many Elves willing to move to Taichu City.

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