Chapter 347: Chapter 319: Regardless of Background and Race

The inner city of Taichu City.

Warm sunlight streamed in from both sides of the corridor, making the blue flagstone path shine like a mirror.

Two Taichu City disciples walked side-by-side through the eastern cloister, chatting and laughing about the new missions recently posted by the Meeting Hall.

One of them, a tall and thin disciple, glanced ahead casually, then suddenly stopped and nudged his companion with his elbow.

"Look over there."

The other followed his gaze and saw a slender figure passing by at the end of the corridor.

It was a Half-Elf maiden.

She wore a pale cyan robe, its hem gently stirred by the cross-breeze, lightly brushing the edges of the stone tiles.

Her silver-gray hair fell to her waist, the ends swaying with her steps as if coated in a thin layer of moonlight.

Her features were exceptionally beautiful, her eyes and brows so exquisite they seemed to have been painted with the finest brush. She exuded an ethereal, aloof air that made it difficult to look away after just one glance.

The other disciple’s eyes lit up, and he whispered, "Is that Ivy? The one with the Taiyin Body?"

"Who else could it be?" the tall, thin disciple said with a sigh. "I heard she refined her first wisp of Spiritual Qi in just one year and three months. That’s a few months faster than Senior Brother Laine."

"For real?" His companion’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Why would I lie to you?" The tall, thin disciple shook his head, his tone filled with undisguised envy. "A Spirit Body is just that incredible. The Haoyang True Body is rare enough, but they say the Taiyin Body is even rarer. Compared to us, her cultivation speed is naturally on a completely different level."

Hearing this, the other disciple also looked envious. He fell silent for a moment before sighing with a hint of regret. "What a pity. Why couldn’t a Spirit Body like that have appeared among our own people?"

The tall, thin disciple’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly at those words, and he lowered his voice. "Don’t say things like that. The Clan Leader has long said that regardless of origin or race, once you become a disciple of Taichu City, you are a fellow disciple. All this talk of ’our people’ and ’Alien Races’ will only stir up trouble."

"If someone with ill intentions were to overhear and it got back to Lady Eleanor, you’d be in for a scolding."

At his friend’s warning, a sheepish look crossed the other disciple’s face, and he mumbled vaguely, "I was just saying... Don’t take it seriously..."

The two of them glanced once more at the figure disappearing at the end of the corridor. They dropped the subject and quickened their pace toward the Meeting Hall.

* * *

Ivy paid no mind to the gazes, both overt and hidden, from those around her.

Ever since the day her Spirit Body was identified, leading to a personal audience with the Clan Leader who then bestowed upon her a Cultivation Technique, she had become a center of attention wherever she went.

Whether born of curiosity, scrutiny, or secret discussion, she had long grown accustomed to the gazes that followed her.

As long as it didn’t interfere with her cultivation, she couldn’t be bothered to care.

It had been almost two years since she arrived in Taichu City, and she had gradually adapted to everything here.

She refined Spiritual Qi in the mornings, practiced Techniques and martial arts in the afternoons, and read through ancient texts in the evenings.

Her days were filled to the brim.

She had gradually grown to like this rhythm.

She no longer had to live in constant fear, worrying about being discovered by a Slave Hunting Team, being pursued, captured, and sold off to some unknown place.

She finally had a place to live in peace, no longer needing to wander aimlessly and hide as she had before.

At the same time, she also had a new goal.

That goal was to cultivate diligently and ascend to a higher level.

Ivy subconsciously looked toward the center of Taichu City. Her gaze passed over the layers of rooftops and treetops, settling on the towering and majestic Ninefold Celestial Tower.

She hadn’t set this goal to prove anything to anyone, but simply because she didn’t want to fail the person who had pulled her from the abyss amid the firelight of the Slave Hunting Team’s camp.

She hoped that one day in the future, she would be worthy enough to stand by that person’s side, strong enough to repay his kindness.

For this goal, she had never slacked off for even a moment.

Because of this, she gladly endured even the most tedious cultivation.

Her only regret was that since their meeting in the Celestial Essence Hall that day, she had never seen that lord again.

She’d heard he spent most of his time in secluded cultivation within the Ninefold Celestial Tower and rarely went out.

Thus, every time she passed near the high tower, she would instinctively look up, as if she could feel his presence through the layers of stone and restrictive formations.

Just as her thoughts began to wander, a dull ROAR sounded from up ahead, followed by a burst of cheers.

Ivy came back to her senses and realized she had walked to the vicinity of the training grounds.

The training grounds were where the disciples of Taichu City sparred and practiced.

Every day, many disciples could be found here, sparring, testing newly refined Magical Artifacts and Talismans, or occasionally practicing their Techniques.

Usually, the training grounds would be mostly empty by this time, but today it was exceptionally lively.

Ivy slowed her steps and peered through some low shrubs toward the grounds, where she saw a dozen or so disciples gathered around one of the Five Camp Divine Soldiers, excitedly discussing something.

One figure among them was particularly eye-catching.

He was noticeably shorter than the Elves around him. His skin was grayish, and his hands, from fingertips to wrist, were covered in deep cyan patterns that looked like veins branching out along his blood vessels.

Ivy recognized him as a member of the Engraving Race, a sapient species said to be highly skilled in invention and creation.

At the same time, she recalled his identity.

Nordwin, the only disciple of the Engraving Race in Taichu City.

He was said to be extremely talented in Artifact Refining and was highly regarded by Lady Eleanor.

On the training grounds, the disciples surrounding the Five Camp Divine Soldier were chattering excitedly, their voices filled with enthusiasm.

One disciple reached out and tapped the Divine Soldier’s chestplate, producing a crisp metallic ring. He turned to Nordwin and grinned. "The combat power of this Five Camp Divine Soldier is just as strong, if not stronger, than the previous versions made with Magic Cores! The new Spirit Stone core works perfectly. It’s an absolute success!"

"With this Spirit Stone core, the difficulty of refining the Five Camp Divine Soldiers will be greatly reduced. I’ve been eyeing the reward for that mission for ages. Now I can finally give it a try."

"It’s not just the Five Camp Divine Soldiers. The Spirit Stone core can be applied to other Demon Crystal Technology products, replacing the old power cores and significantly improving quality. Anything driven by a power core can benefit."

"Exactly! I think we can start calling Demon Crystal Technology ’Spirit Stone Technology’ from now on. Once Spirit Stone production increases, the entire system will have to be overhauled."

"Nordwin, you’ve made a huge contribution this time. When Lady Eleanor finds out, she’ll definitely reward you with a massive amount of Contribution Points."

The other disciples all chimed in with smiles and agreement.

Nordwin stood beside the Five Camp Divine Soldier, trying his best to control his expression. But the slight upturn of his lips and the irrepressible light in his eyes betrayed his inner joy.

After investing so much time and energy into the Spirit Stone core, after countless failures and starting over from scratch, he had finally achieved a breakthrough. How could he not be ecstatic?

Despite his excitement, he maintained a degree of composure. He mused, "It’s too early to say. The Clan’s Spirit Stone supply is already tight. The new core is effective, yes, but unless we can increase Spirit Stone production, it will be difficult to popularize and implement Spirit Stone Technology. That’s an unavoidable problem."

A disciple beside him laughed at this. "That problem won’t be hard to solve. The Clan is already cultivating Spirit Stone Veins, and more than one at that. From what I know, the Spirit Stone Vein on the Eldron Plain will be fully formed in fifty or sixty years at most."

"By then, the conditions for popularizing Spirit Stone Technology will be ripe."

"In the meantime, you can focus on researching applications for Spirit Stone Technology."

"Exactly! Fifty or sixty years will pass in the blink of an eye," another person picked up. "Besides, even if we can’t roll it out widely for now, just creating the Spirit Stone core is a huge achievement in itself."

Laughter and praise echoed from the crowd, their tones filled with genuine admiration.

The disciples present were all well aware of the immense significance behind the creation of the Spirit Stone core.

Not only could it lower the difficulty of refining High Tier Daoist Soldiers, but it could also boost the combat power of mid- and Low Tier Daoist Soldiers.

It would have a considerable impact on the Clan’s entire Daoist Soldier system.

And that was just one small aspect.

In a broader sense, the emergence of the Spirit Stone core meant that the Clan’s entire industrial and military systems were poised for a major upgrade.

The day the Spirit Stone Veins fully matured and Spirit Stone Technology was widely implemented, the Silver Moon Clan would likely undergo a world-shaking transformation.

Thinking of this, they all felt as though they were witnessing history in the making.

Several of the younger disciples even looked at Nordwin with open adoration in their eyes.

Ivy stood outside the bushes, listening quietly for a while as a thoughtful light flickered in her eyes.

Although she hadn’t been a disciple for long, she had already been exposed to the basics of Daoist Soldier refining and Demon Crystal Technology. She naturally understood the immense importance the appearance of the Spirit Stone core held for both.

She glanced at Nordwin again.

The Engraving Race disciple stood in the center of the crowd, and in the eyes of the disciples surrounding him, there was not the slightest hint of alienation or distance toward an Alien Race—only genuine, tangible admiration.

During her time in Taichu City, Ivy had come to fully appreciate that this place was far more tolerant of Alien Races than anywhere else.

But seeing this scene before her, she couldn’t help but be moved.

Under that lord’s influence, Taichu City had truly managed to judge people only by their strength and contributions, not by their origins or background.

And the reason she, a Half-Elf, could stand here, be called a fellow disciple, and have a place to cultivate in peace, was all due to that lord’s decree and the determination behind it.

"Junior Sister Ivy?"

A voice pulled Ivy from her reverie.

She came back to her senses and realized she had been standing by the bushes for quite some time. A passing disciple was greeting her with a smile.

Ivy pressed her lips together and gave a slight nod in response. Then she withdrew her gaze and turned to continue on her way along the storage area.

’I have to cultivate even harder.’

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