[Note: insufficient ti energy. Any further usage of ti will harm the elven goddess.]
Just as Kranos continued watching the man, a panel flashed in his mind. Kranos was shocked: Had he been using energy from the world tree to observe the ti ability? Without hesitation, he reluctantly severed his connection to it.
The vision fragnted and slowly faded. Kranos opened his eyes and studied his surroundings for a mont; everything was still the sa, but he had stepped into the Ti Palace Realm. Kranos felt a number of changes to his body.
He also felt he had comprehended a new ability from the vision he had experienced. Kranos didn’t want to dwell on this for now; he didn’t know how long he had before they had to leave the heart of the World Tree. Since the Elven Tree contained all sorts of energy, he decided he should cultivate the Stellar Core Technique.
With this thought, Kranos imdiately took out the Stellar Core Cultivation Technique along with the Sovereign Star Sword Technique. His mind shifted, and he quickly entered a state of comprehension with rapid thought active.
Soon, a silver glow surfaced on his body. Motes of white light floated out of the heart of the World Tree and entered Kranos’s body. Since he didn’t have a dantian, the Sovereign Star Sword was being condensed in his ntal space, alongside his stellar core.
Kathryn, who was just a few feet ahead of him, felt sothing but rely wrinkled her brows and didn’t open her eyes. Kranos didn’t feel the passage of ti as the energy from the stars continuously condensed in his ntal space.
He could feel a strange energy in his body. That energy was subtly altering Kranos’s body structure, and he could faintly sense the... stars?
A pure silver sword in his ntal space was also absorbing the starlight energy and slowly solidifying. However, even though the process had just begun, Kranos felt that the sword already possessed the strength of a Golden Core. Kranos was shocked; he couldn’t believe that the Star Sword was so powerful.
Kranos quickly hastened his absorption of the starlight energy.
...
What Kranos didn’t know, what no one could have foreseen, was that as he broke through to the Dao Palace Realm, a trace of his ti aura slipped into the world.
Far away, nestled within a vast, ancient rainforest teeming with mana, sothing stirred.
The forest was alive in every sense: giant erald canopies stretched toward the heavens, their leaves glistening with dew and refracting multicolored light. Vines spiraled lazily down from twisted branches, while various creatures chirped, howled, and slithered through the underbrush.
In this prival jungle, untouched by ti, three figures sat in silent ditation atop a smooth obsidian boulder half-swallowed by moss.
The stillness shattered as all three won simultaneously turned their gazes eastward. A ripple had passed through the very fabric of the world; they sensed a ripple of ti!
The youngest among them, a mischievous girl no older than fifteen, was the first to speak. Her eyes sparkled with excitent as she tugged at her master’s sleeve.
"Master! Was that... is it another ti cultivator?" she asked, barely suppressing her grin.
Before the older woman could answer, the third, an elegant lady in her early thirties with sharp eyes and a reserved air, reached forward and flicked the girl’s forehead.
"Don’t get ahead of yourself, Angel. Ti cultivators are dangerous, especially for reckless little things like you."
Angel winced, then stuck her tongue out. "Hehe... But we can kill them, right? Or at least rough them up a little?" she giggled, clearly unfazed.
Their master said nothing at first. Her appearance was ageless: smooth skin, long ink-black hair that fell like a waterfall down her back, and golden pupils that shimred with tranquil authority. She lifted a slender hand, and without a word, a wave of invisible energy surged forward.
Across the clearing, a trio of shadow beasts stalking a defenseless mana hare blinked out of existence, erased as though they had never been.
Still watching the trees sway in the distance, the master finally spoke, her voice soft, smooth, and impossibly calm.
"Angel... do you want to hunt a ti cultivator?"
Angel’s eyes widened. "Wait... you’re serious?" she gasped, clutching her fists in excitent.
Even the older woman’s composure cracked as her brow furrowed. She turned sharply toward her master, disbelief etched across her face.
"Master, with all due respect... isn’t that far too dangerous? You always told us that even a wounded ti cultivator should never be underestimated."
The master smiled faintly, her eyes half-lidded with thought.
"This one is newly awakened. His energy is still faint. He’s likely just reached the Dao Palace Realm. Angel is ready for this. Let her stretch her wings."
Angel bead, bouncing on her heels like an excited fox.
"I won’t let you down! I’ll hunt him down, defeat him... or maybe... hmm, bring him back alive instead?" Her grin turned sly. "He might be cute."
Angel was truly daring; after all, she was a proud mber of the Black Rain Pavilion.
...
So hours slipped by in a flash.
While Kranos and Kathryn were still imrsed in cultivation, a sudden ripple of energy swept through the chamber. It was warm, ancient, and brimming with... life energy?
Their eyes snapped open in unison, instinctively alert. They felt that a powerful presence had entered.
A middle-aged elf now stood in front of the green portal. Draped in regal golden robes embroidered with ancient runes, he radiated an air of authority. His long silver hair, partially tied behind his back, shimred like moonlight, and his erald eyes held the depth of centuries.
His features were sharp and symtrical, bearing the tiless beauty of his race, which had also been tempered by the weight of wisdom gained over the years.
Kranos was shocked by his bearing. Kathryn was also slightly stunned before she knelt, bowed, and greeted, "Greetings, Father."
Father? The Elven King? Kranos was shocked. What was the Elven King doing here? He glanced at the king from the corner of his eyes and tried to sense how strong he was; however, he couldn’t sense a trace of mana from the king!
Had he already reached such a stage? Kranos recalled the Talisman Master from before. He had a guess that the king was an ancient expert on the sa level! Kranos bowed slightly towards the king; he didn’t want to seem rude.
The king just nodded at him, then glanced sharply at Kathryn: "The World Tree is dying."
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