Chapter 338: Chapter 311: Taiyin Body

Taichu Spirit Realm, Zone C4.

This was one of the many residence areas the Silver Moon Race had established for its Vassal Races, and it had not been built long ago.

The perimeter of the residence area was cordoned off with vines. At the entrance stood a grayish-white stone stele, on which were carved two large characters in the common tongue: "C4".

The young Ape-man bounded lightly past the stele, heading deeper into the residence area along the main road.

He ran quickly, the short golden fur on his back shimmering with a warm glow in the sunlight.

As he ran past a stone house, a figure leaned out from the doorway. It was an old Treant, currently drying animal hides, who waved at him. "Morrek, what’s the rush? Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Grandpa Theodore!" Morrek slowed his pace, turning back to grin at the old man. "The residence area is holding an aptitude test today. I’m going to find Ivy and take her with me!"

The old Treant chuckled upon hearing this. He didn’t ask any more questions, simply waving his hand. "Go on, then. Go on."

Morrek waved back at him before turning and continuing his run.

He ran into a few more familiar faces along the way, and Morrek greeted each of them with a smile.

He had only been in the residence area for a little over a month, but with his naturally outgoing personality, he had quickly gotten to know the residents.

Even though they were all from different races, everyone got along harmoniously.

Morrek was very satisfied with his current life.

Not only was the environment beautiful and the living conditions comfortable, but most importantly, the energy concentration was astonishingly high.

Before coming here, he never imagined that a place with such a high concentration of energy could exist in this world.

Cultivating in the residence area, his Magic Power condensed several times faster than before.

’I heard the energy concentration in Taichu City is much higher than in the residence area. I wonder what that’s like?’

The thought ran through Morrek’s mind.

He already found the energy concentration in the residence area to be staggering; he could hardly imagine what it was like in Taichu City.

Unfortunately, only Taichu City disciples, the Clan’s own Elves, and the Vassal Races that served the former two were allowed to enter Taichu City. Otherwise, he would have loved to go see it for himself.

Lost in thought, Morrek had already reached the end of the main road.

After rounding a corner, the area ahead suddenly opened up.

A relatively wide, open space appeared before him.

The edge of the clearing was surrounded by a circle of neatly trimmed, low-lying shrubs. A few vines with small, light-purple flowers climbed along the bushes, enclosing the entire clearing into a small courtyard.

Within the courtyard stood a two-story building. Its walls were woven from thick vines, with the gaps filled in by a mixture of clay and grass clippings. The surface was coated with a layer of light-green plaster, smoothed flat and clean.

Morrek skidded to a stop before the courtyard gate, took a breath, and poked his head toward the first-floor entrance to shout, "Ivy! Are you there?"

The house was quiet for a moment, then came the sound of soft footsteps.

With a CREAK, the door was pulled open, and Ivy walked out.

Compared to a month ago, the Half-Elf maiden looked much healthier, no longer as listless as she had been in the Slave Hunting Team’s camp.

However, her expression was still cool and indifferent, her features tinged with a detached air.

"Is something wrong?" Ivy’s tone was flat, revealing no obvious emotion.

Morrek was already used to Ivy’s demeanor and didn’t mind it, just grinning. "Didn’t the Clan send people to the residence area to hold an aptitude test today? It should have already started. Want to go together?"

Ivy’s gaze rested on his face for a moment, then she gave a slight nod.

"Alright."

She wasn’t particularly close to Morrek, but she didn’t dislike him either.

The young Ape-man was cheerful, talkative, and approached everything with a fiery enthusiasm—the complete opposite of her. He was the type of person she was least accustomed to dealing with.

It was just that back in the Slave Hunting Team’s camp, Morrek, despite being injured himself, had still thought to offer her a helping hand. Even though it didn’t come to pass, she still remembered the sentiment.

Because of that, she had a little more patience for him.

Leaving the courtyard, the two headed for the residence area’s Central Square.

On the way, seeing Ivy remain silent, Morrek had to be the one to start a conversation.

"Ivy, what are your plans for the future?"

Ivy’s eyes flickered, but her tone was calm. "I want to become a disciple of Taichu City."

Morrek understood. It wasn’t very surprising.

He had heard more than one person say the same thing.

In the residence area, almost all the young members of the Vassal Races considered becoming a disciple of Taichu City their ultimate goal.

After all, it meant ascending to the heavens in a single step.

Ye Tong of the Catman Race, Nordwin of the Engraving Race, Grove the Treant... these Taichu City disciples from the Vassal Races were the goals and role models for countless young members of the Vassal Races.

Morrek, naturally, was no exception.

"My goal is to become a Taichu City disciple too," Morrek said excitedly, but he immediately grew a little anxious. "But that’s just a thought for now. It still depends on whether I have a Spirit Root."

Even without a Spirit Root, Elves of the Clan could switch to cultivating physical strength. As long as they showed enough talent, they could still be promoted to a Taichu City disciple.

But for Vassal Races like them, they had to have a Spirit Root, in addition to accumulating enough merit.

Both were indispensable.

Without a Spirit Root, one was fated to almost never have the chance to become a disciple of Taichu City.

After the incident at the Slave Hunting Team’s camp, Morrek was more desperate than anyone to become stronger, to possess the power to protect himself and others.

He never wanted to experience that feeling of powerlessness and despair again, of having his life and death in someone else’s hands.

And becoming a disciple of Taichu City was undoubtedly the best shortcut.

Once he’d broken the ice, Morrek chattered on and on.

Ivy mostly just listened, only speaking a word or two occasionally.

Even so, Morrek was perfectly content.

Before long, the two arrived at the square.

A large crowd had already gathered there, forming a long line.

At the far end of the square was a row of long tables. Behind them sat several Taichu City disciples clad in green robes, their posture upright and their expressions serene.

In front of each of them rested a palm-sized jade disc, its edge inlaid with five Crystal Stones of different colors that gave off a soft, gentle glow in the daylight.

Although the line was long, the atmosphere was surprisingly quiet.

Even the most unruly members of the Vassal Races didn’t dare to speak loudly in front of the Taichu City disciples.

When people occasionally exchanged a few whispered words, they were quickly silenced by the surrounding gazes.

Just as Morrek and Ivy were about to walk to the end of the line, they suddenly heard a slight commotion from the other side of the square.

They turned to look and saw two Taichu City disciples striding over and stopping in front of the crowd.

One of them, an Elf Maiden, scanned the crowd and announced in a clear voice, "Which one of you is Ivy?"

The square instantly fell silent.

Then, countless gazes swiveled in unison to fall upon Ivy.

Because of her stunning looks and her status as a Half-Elf, Ivy was very well-known in the C4 Residence Area, and many people recognized her.

Following the crowd’s line of sight, the two Taichu City disciples quickly noticed Ivy.

The Elf Maiden walked forward, a proper smile on her face, her tone polite and gentle. "Excuse me, are you Miss Ivy?"

Ivy was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

"The Clan Leader wants to see you." The Elf Maiden turned to the side and made a "please" gesture. "Please come with us."

As her words fell, the surroundings were quiet for a brief moment before a commotion erupted from all directions, like the surface of water disturbed by a thrown stone.

Even with the Taichu City disciples present, the murmuring could not be suppressed.

Everyone was craning their necks to look, their gazes fixed on Ivy, filled with undisguised astonishment and envy.

It was the Clan Leader, after all!

The being at the very top of the Silver Moon Race’s pyramid!

Why would such a figure specifically ask to see a Half-Elf who had only been here for about a month?

Morrek was just as shocked.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at Ivy and saw that her face, usually so calm and emotionless, was now flushed with a layer of excited red.

"Alright." Ivy nodded emphatically.

Her voice was half a pitch lower than usual, yet it carried a tremor that she was barely suppressing.

The two Taichu City disciples didn’t delay, nodding before turning and walking back the way they came.

Ivy followed without hesitation, her pace a bit faster than usual, as if she were afraid they would change their minds if she was half a step too slow.

Morrek stood frozen in place, watching the three figures pass through the crowd, turn the corner at the end of the tree-lined corridor, and quickly disappear among the shadows of trees and vines.

He opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t call out, a sudden, indescribable feeling of emptiness welling up inside him.

...

Most people who set foot in Taichu City for the first time would be rendered speechless by the sight before them.

The towering city walls, the wide and smooth bluestone streets, the multi-layered towers with their flying eaves, the sky-blotting Eternal Tree in the distance...

Any one of these sights was enough to leave a Half-Elf who had been wandering for a long time stunned for ages.

However, Ivy had no mind to admire her surroundings at this moment, completely immersed in excitement and anticipation.

Ever since she escaped from the Slave Hunting Team’s camp that night, she had often found herself repeatedly recalling the streak of Profound Gold Sword Light that had torn through the night sky, and the figure that had emerged from within it.

At the most desperate and darkest moment of her life, it was Lord Anton who had descended from the heavens and saved her from the darkness.

From that day on, she had been hoping to see him again.

But she didn’t dare speak of this wish to anyone.

After all, she was just a lowly Half-Elf. What right did she have to approach the esteemed Clan Leader?

So she could only suppress that wish deep in her heart.

And now, that hope was about to be realized.

This gave Ivy a dazed, dreamlike feeling.

The joy and excitement in her chest were nearly overflowing, and her steps even felt a little unsteady.

It wasn’t until a Taichu City disciple stopped and said, "The Celestial Essence Hall is just ahead," that Ivy abruptly snapped back to her senses.

Her mind had been so preoccupied with what she should do and what to pay attention to in a moment that she had no memory of how long they had been walking or what places they had passed.

When she came to, a large, closed door was already in front of her.

The thought that the person she had been longing to see was just behind the door made Ivy’s heart pound violently.

She glanced down at the corner of her robe.

’Good, no mud stains.’

She reached up to touch her collar, feeling it was a bit crooked. She quickly tugged it straight, then immediately felt the action was superfluous and silently lowered her hand.

Taking a deep breath, Ivy swallowed the heat rising in her throat, then raised a hand, pushed the door open, and walked in.

The Celestial Essence Hall was larger than she had imagined.

The dome was high, making the entire space feel vast.

The pillars on both sides were neatly arranged, and beams of light slanted down from high between them, casting wide patches of light on the floor.

Ivy didn’t look around. She simply walked to the center of the hall with her eyes lowered and stopped.

Directly ahead, a young Elf with a serene face sat behind a wide desk, looking at her.

Suppressing her excitement, Ivy bowed low. "Lord Anton."

As she straightened up, she couldn’t stop her gaze from flitting across his face before she lowered her head again, terrified that he would notice her small movements.

Anton saw this but said nothing, merely giving her a gentle smile before nodding at Eleanor.

Eleanor understood. She stood up, walked over to Ivy, took a palm-sized jade disc from her sleeve, and held it out in her palm before Ivy. "Just place your hand on it," she said softly.

Ivy glanced at the disc, then shot a quick look at Anton. Seeing him watching her with a calm expression, she no longer hesitated and placed her palm on it.

It was cool to the touch, the jade smooth and fine, with a clear, translucent feel.

She subconsciously closed her eyes. The sounds around her seemed to be cut off, or perhaps drawn far away, leaving only the sound of her own breathing.

A moment later, the disc trembled slightly.

A gentle, silver-gray light slowly bloomed from the center of the disc, coalescing into a cool, clear, hazy halo that seemed to capture a small piece of the quiet night within the afternoon-lit room.

Seeing this, Eleanor’s gaze froze, and an expression of unconcealable shock appeared on her face.

"This is... the Taiyin Body!"

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