Chapter 013: Gifts

The elves sensed this peaceful and serene energy and gradually opened their eyes. As their eyes opened, the frequency of this peaceful energy increased. After the final wave, ripples spread across the lake’s surface.

Small elves, about three inches tall, with translucent wings fluttering behind them, slowly took to the air. Some flew above the elves on the grassland, continuously scattering tiny green particles from their hands.

These particles drifted downward, and about ten meters above the elves’ heads, they transformed into flower petals that floated down gently in the breeze. The clean air was soon filled with a sweet floral fragrance!

The elves on the ground spread their arms to welcome the falling petals, dancing and spinning as they cheered loudly. The sacred ground had become a paradise of flowers and a sea of joy.

Du Fan, standing among the elves, suddenly realized that compared to humans, the elves were much happier. Here, they lived close to nature, had abundant resources, and could sustain themselves without hard work. The unity, trust, and mutual assistance among the elves were things lacking in the human world.

“Elder Du Fan, let’s cheer together!” Joyful Moses, seeing Du Fan lost in thought, pulled him along and joined the dancing elves.

“I know how to dance too,” Du Fan said with a smile. He performed a few dance steps from his past memories, instantly drawing gasps of wonder from the elves.

These primitive elves had never seen the intricate dance moves of modern humans on Earth!

The elves by the lake flew around the statue of the Nature Goddess. As the little elves continued to sing, the statue began to change. Green light shimmered across it, changing colors!

“Goddess! Are You manifesting?” Saito knelt down at once upon seeing this and called out loudly.

As the leader of the Elven Ancient Tree clan knelt, tens of thousands of elves followed suit. What had been a sea of cheers suddenly became silent.

The only one still standing was Du Fan.

Before he could react, the ground was covered with kneeling elves. The green light on the statue of the Nature Goddess finally converged, forming a large green gem.

“A Life Gem!” Du Fan’s eyes twitched. A fist-sized Life Gem appeared out of thin air. If such a Life Gem were broken down into pieces as large as his own chest, how many could be obtained! Du Fan narrowed his eyes, becoming highly alert inwardly.

Two of the little elves, who were still fluttering around, immediately flew away. The two elves carried the Life Gem toward Saito. Saito quickly stretched out his hands, and as soon as the gem landed, it fell right into his palms. Before leaving, one of the little elves suddenly said a few strange words to Saito, who nodded devoutly repeatedly.

Once Saito finished nodding, the remaining fluttering elves vanished instantly, turning into specks of green light and disappearing into the air of the sacrificial ground.

As soon as the elves disappeared, Saito held the Life Gem and walked toward the group of elves, his face filled with devotion. Under the gaze of thousands, he approached Du Fan.

“Honorable guest, I am delivering this gift to you as per the orders of the Goddess,” Saito said respectfully.

The elves immediately erupted in excitement, speculating about Du Fan’s background—what kind of person he was to deserve the Goddess herself to deliver a gift!

Naixiu also looked at Du Fan in amazement. “Could this human really not be an ordinary one? Could there truly be good people among humans, just as he said? A human to whom the Goddess herself gives a gift… Goddess, could it be that my previous views on humans were wrong?”

A trace of greed, imperceptible to ordinary people, flashed by—after all, this Life Gem was exactly what Du Fan had been longing for. The swindler immediately became extremely solemn, his aura of holiness overwhelming once again.

“Thank you, Goddess! I will never forget Your grace!” Du Fan praised, his movements impeccable as he carefully and respectfully accepted the Life Gem.

“The Goddess also hopes that the friendship between the elf race and you will last forever,” Saito said respectfully again. Facing such a noble guest of the Nature Goddess, as the leader of the ancient elf race, Saito dared not neglect proper etiquette.

“Of course. My friendship with the elf race will endure through generations, under your witness,” Du Fan said, a holy smile forming on his lips. He bowed deeply and spoke in a profoundly sacred tone.

“That concludes today’s ceremony. Please rest well; there are even more exciting events waiting for you tomorrow,” Saito said with a smile.

After being baptized by the Spring of Life, the elves went straight to the sacrificial site without any rest for over ten days. From now until noon tomorrow, it was time for the elves to arrange their own activities freely.
“Elder Du Fan, our Ancient Tree elves have our own guest rooms. If you’re willing, you can rest with us,” Moses said eagerly after the prayer ended.
“Elder Moses, see, I come from Chief Nai Xiu’s tribe. If I suddenly move to live with you, it might affect my friendship with Chief Nai Xiu,” Du Fan said, putting on a troubled expression.
“I understand why you think that, truly,” Moses replied repeatedly, glancing secretly at Nai Xiu and Lan Ling. “No wonder there are two beautiful elves here. But does that mean the beauties of our Ancient Tree elves are inferior?” Thinking this, Moses shook his head and walked away.
“Great Sage Lan Ling, I don’t know the way. Could you please show me where your tribe lives?” Du Fan said with a smile at Lan Ling.
“Then follow me,” Lan Ling replied softly.
In fact, Lan Ling’s guidance wasn’t necessary. After the prayer, the various elf tribes naturally gathered together and returned to their respective homes.
The space on the Ancient Tree was very spacious, and the temperature there was pleasant. Each tribe simply chose a large branch where everyone could rest.
The massive trunk of the Ancient Tree meant that even a single branch provided vast space. The elves lay on the huge branches to rest. Finding an open area, Du Fan began to sense the changes in his body after being baptized by the Spring of Life.
First was his physical resistance. After being transformed by Chen Chen, his physical strength had already been astonishingly high. After being baptized by the Spring of Life again, it became even more incredible!
What concerned Du Fan more was his domain ability. After trying several times, he finally gave up—his domain ability remained the same; the only difference was that the duration had increased. What used to last only a few minutes now lasted two or three hours!
To reach the peak of domain mastery, Du Fan was just one step away from that legendary realm, but he had no idea where to take that step. His cultivation, enhanced by external forces, was still far inferior to those who had reached the peak through gradual effort.
After a night’s rest, the elves were even more energetic.

On an open area beneath the ancient elf tree, the elves began a new activity as part of their once-in-a-thousand-years Millennium Festival. This time it was also held on a grassy field, but the elves sat on the ground. Clearly, this activity was not as sacred as the prayer from last time. Du Fan sat casually beside Lan Ling and Nai Xiu. After yesterday’s events, Du Fan had become a famous figure among the elves. As an outsider elder of the elves, they all bowed respectfully to him when they saw him. The elves from Nai Xiu’s tribe also recognized Du Fan’s status among them, even though he had used some unscrupulous methods when he first joined their tribe.

“Distinguished clan members, what follows is our once-in-a-thousand-years Millennium Love Festival! Brave elves, go and pick the Flower of Millennium Love! Give it to the woman you love, and you will gain the love you’ve long desired!” said Saito in a highly persuasive tone. At these words, the young male elves became excited and eager, while the female elves showed signs of shyness.

“Millennium Love… What exactly is that?” Du Fan asked Lan Ling in confusion. Lan Ling happened to be sitting next to him—of course, it was Du Fan who deliberately sat between her and Nai Xiu. Nai Xiu didn’t seem too bothered by Du Fan sitting between them. Turning to ask Lan Ling, he suddenly saw their two pairs of chests aligned right in front of him. He swallowed secretly; obviously, Lan Ling’s rare and stunning figure attracted his attention even more.

“Umm, Elder Du Fan…” It was unclear whether Lan Ling noticed him staring at her and Nai Xiu’s chests. She naturally lifted the edge of her clothes slightly, and this gesture made Du Fan drool even more.

“Our once-in-a-thousand-years Millennium Love Festival is actually an activity where a male elf proposes to a female elf. Of course, both parties must be unmarried. We’re not like humans, who can marry many women,” said Lan Ling, then suddenly smiling at Du Fan. With those enormous figures paired with their stunning elven beauty, Lan Ling’s sudden smile left Du Fan stunned.

“This girl… could she be interested in me? Not bad. Aside from those two elfish beauties with big breasts, she’s also a rare expert. After going through the baptism at the Spring of Elves, she must at least possess the strength of a Saint-level fighter, right?” As Lan Ling smiled at him, Du Fan suddenly remembered the sensation of her body amidst those turbulent waves.