Chapter 011: The Elder

At the intersection of a massive branch and the main trunk, there was an enormous, unimaginably vast expanse—a truly colossal empty tree surface. The leader of the Ancient Tree Elves stood at the forefront, and all the elves gradually gathered around him, taking him as their leader, namely Sito, Moses’s father.
Tens of thousands of elves gathered at this huge intersection without any sense of crowding.
Although Du Fan and his group started from the back, it didn’t mean they were at the end. On the contrary, as Du Fan and his group moved forward, surrounded by the elves pointing and gazing at them with envy, they slowly made their way to the center of the elf crowd.
“Moses, how much has your strength improved?” Du Fan casually asked.
Through continuous conversations along the way, given Du Fan’s social skills, the two of them now felt like brothers who had known each other for decades.
Showing his white teeth, Moses glanced around and, seeing that the other seven elves weren’t staring at him intently, whispered, “I was originally at the peak of the Saint rank. Now, I feel I’m at the level of a Saint Domain.”
“Oh, so what’s your domain ability? It’s not some useless domain that requires two days of rest after shooting one arrow, is it?” Du Fan spoke openly with Moses, ignoring Nayixiu’s resentful gaze.
“I haven’t had time to explore it, so I still don’t know what my domain is. But it definitely isn’t like Chief Nayixiu’s.” Clearly, as one of the few ninth-level divine archers among the elves, Nayixiu’s domain skill was well-known to them all. As soon as Moses said this, Nayixiu snorted lightly.
“Well, actually, Chief Nayixiu’s domain skill is really powerful. Du Fan, don’t say that. Her domain skill can be considered a fatal attack—those who are hit will surely die,” Moses quickly defended Nayixiu upon seeing her upset.
“Hmm, fatal upon impact—sounds pretty powerful,” Du Fan said, casting a casual glance at Nayixiu. She raised her head and turned to talk to Lan Ling.
“It’s not just powerful—it’s extremely powerful! That arrow… that guy appears right in front of you. How can you possibly dodge it?” Moses praised Nayixiu’s domain skill.

“Ugh, that’s right, I guess.” Noticing Nayixiu’s face turning red, Du Fan smirked to himself. “Then tell me, it’s definitely not the same as Chief Nayixiu’s domain skill. What’s going on with this?” Du Fan changed the subject.
“Chief Nayixiu specializes in archery, while I am an elf magic warrior. So, I definitely can’t have the same kind of domain skill as her,” Moses said seriously.
“A magic warrior? I heard there are very few magic warriors among your elves. How did you think of becoming one? You know, elves have limited physical constitutions and are not naturally suited to be warriors,” Du Fan said, looking at Moses curiously.
“In our elf history, all elf kings have come from magic warriors,” Moses said proudly suddenly.
“Ha, quite ambitious,” Du Fan said with a smile.
Having accidentally revealed his own dream, Moses scratched his head and chuckled.
A magic warrior is actually a very powerful profession among elves. All elf kings in elf history have come from magic warriors—this, Du Fan understood. All elf kings have been baptized by the Spring of Life, and after that, their bodies become extremely strong.
The original flaw of elves was their poor physical condition. Compared to races known for their strength, such as mountain dwarves, demons, and mountain giants, even compared to humans, elves were far inferior in physical fitness. Perhaps the only race even worse than elves in terms of physical strength was the goblins. Goblins? Those races that live underground in perpetual darkness—can they really be classified as intelligent races? Thinking of this, Du Fan’s lips curled into a sacred arc.
After being baptized by the Spring of Life, elves’ physical strength was no longer inferior to that of any other race. Coupled with their innate sensitivity to magic and their ability to perceive nature, elves who had undergone this baptism reached a state of perfect excellence in every aspect!
With such physical strength, cultivating as a magic warrior—such elf magic warriors could only be described using legendary terms! It’s no wonder all elf kings come from magic warriors.
As the elves continued to gather, they gradually reached their destination and stopped one by one.

At that moment, a voice came from ahead. “Dear elves! It is a great honor for me to stand here and preside over the once-in-a-thousand-years Millennium Festival for all of you. I am Mu Saito, the leader of the Ancient Tree Elves. Today, an event that will be forever etched in our elf history has taken place! For the first time, eight of our people have entered the Spring of Life! Eight! An unprecedented achievement! I, Mu Saito, am deeply honored to witness this historic moment with all of you!”
Mu Saito’s voice, transmitted through the elves’ magic of sound, echoed throughout the Ancient Tree Elves. His excited tone inspired tens of thousands of elves to cheer in unison!
As the guardians of the Ancient Tree and the sacred lands of the elves, during times when there was no Elf King, the leader of the Ancient Tree Elves would generally serve as the de facto leader of all elf tribes. The once-a-thousand-years Millennium Festival was always presided over by the Elf King or the leader of the Ancient Tree Elves.
“We thank the Goddess of Nature for her blessings upon our elf race! Of course, today we also owe our gratitude to our esteemed guest, Lord Du Fan! It is thanks to his help that we have been able to produce eight elite elves who have been baptized by the Spring of Life!”
Another wave of loud cheers erupted, as tens of thousands of elves turned their attention to Du Fan.
Du Fan, the most devout charlatan in history, immediately wore a profoundly holy expression. He kept bowing to the elves around him, with a perfect noble smile on his lips!
Suddenly, screams from the elf girls could be heard. As the most devout followers of the Goddess of Nature, these elves naturally had a fondness for those who were equally devout, and Du Fan was displaying such perfection at this moment! Among the elves, there were no unnecessary etiquettes like those in human society. Young female elves without partners naturally had the right to express their admiration through screams toward those they liked.
Seeing so many elf women screaming at Du Fan, Naixiu, who hated humans deeply and wished to kill them all, naturally snorted coldly. When Du Fan heard this snort, he turned his head and saw Naixiu staring at him coldly.
He gave her a slight nod and flashed a very noble smile. Under Du Fan’s profoundly holy radiance, Naixiu snorted again and turned away.
“Next, let us invite our eight heroic compatriots, along with our esteemed guest, to come forward and receive their honors!” Mu Saito said loudly once more.

“Conferred a title? What exactly is it?” Du Fan asked Lan Ling. Bending his head, he accidentally saw those rare turbulent waves among the elves again, and Du Fan swallowed hard in secret.
“Lord Du Fan, you’ll know once you go up. Don’t be impatient.” Whether Lan Ling heard Du Fan’s swallowing sound or not, she said something even more captivating.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands of elves, the group of nine ascended onto the wooden platform where Mu Saito stood.
“Bless you, my child. May the Goddess of Nature always be with us!” Mu Saito congratulated them one by one from left to right, placing a pendant around each person’s neck as he spoke.
Du Fan happened to stand at the very right, meaning he was the last to receive his reward. He took a close look at the pendant: a white metal chain with a green gem hanging from it.
That green gem emitted a strong sense of vitality. Even without looking at it, just sensing that energy was enough to tell how extraordinary it was.
“Thank you, noble guest. To express our gratitude for your contributions to our elf race, we decide to confer upon you the title of an elder of our people—a symbol of your status as an elder!” Finally, Mu Saito came up to Du Fan and put the pendant around his neck.
As soon as the pendant was placed on Du Fan’s neck, a strong surge of vitality flowed into his body, bringing an overwhelming sense of coolness. That vibrant energy seemed to fill every cell in his body, making each cell more agile.
“Respected chief, I would like to ask—as an elder of the elf race, what should I do for our people?” Du Fan asked, wearing a holy smile as he looked at Mu Saito. In truth, he wanted to ask, “What benefits do I get as an elder?” Of course, in such an occasion, he wouldn’t ask such a direct question.
“As expected of a guest of the Goddess. With such a holy expression, not even the most loyal believers in our race have such devotion as Lord Du Fan!” Mu Saito thought, observing Du Fan’s expression.
“Noble guest, as an elder of our elf race, you may freely enter and leave our territory. As long as it isn’t against the will of the Goddess of Nature or involves betraying our people, I believe all of us elves will be willing to follow your guidance,” Mu Saito said with a smile.

All the elves at my disposal are willing to follow my orders! Killing those humans you consider filthy surely doesn’t go against the will of the Goddess of Nature, right? Killing those humans you deem filthy certainly doesn’t betray the elves either, right?
If I bring thousands of elf archers, with their range and accuracy on the battlefield, what an awe-inspiring elite force that would be!
“As you wish, esteemed chief. I will do my best to contribute to the noble elves,” said Du Fan, bowing deeply to Mu Saito, his face once again adorned with a holy smile.