Five months later,
In the imperial palace complex, there was a multifunctional training ground for the imperial family, typically used by its members to practice their techniques. On one side of the training ground, there were numerous static targets for archery, where the elves would sharpen their skills. At this moment, some of the targets already had arrows embedded in their centers. Some arrows even overlapped each other, creating a flower-like pattern.
The source of those arrows was a twelve-year-old boy with black hair, who would turn thirteen in a few months. The way he held the bow was steady, his posture perfect, and his eyes focused on the target. When he released the string, the arrow flew with such speed that it was merely a blur, landing precisely on the target, overlapping the already embedded arrow.
Aldrian hadn't wasted a moment during the months he'd been here. He familiarized himself with elven life to grow closer to them. At first, the elves, who were unaware of Aldrian's circumstances, wondered why the imperial family was so accommodating to this human. Most of the elves in the capital felt strange and uncomfortable about his prolonged presence.
Sure, there were times when other races visited the capital, and Evergreen City had a small district where other races could stay. But they didn't linger in other districts, because they knew how the capital's inhabitants didn't appreciate the presence of other races—not like in the cities on the borders.
Aldrian's existence here was an anomaly to them, yet the imperial family seemed to accept him, with the princess even talking and walking with him around the capital. With the imperial family's treatment, plus Aldrian's efforts to adapt to their lifestyle and his helpful nature, in the end, the elves gradually accepted him.
The way of the elf was also archery, which aligned perfectly with Aldrian's intention to learn it so he could use the Earth-Shattering Bow to its full potential. He asked the imperial teacher if there was someone who could teach him archery, and the teacher, delighted, decided to teach Aldrian himself. After learning the basics and trying a few shots, the imperial teacher quickly realized that Aldrian was a natural-born genius in archery. He felt it would be a shame not to maximize Aldrian's potential in this area.
He didn't mind that Aldrian also used a sword because he knew Aldrian was no ordinary human. Perhaps he could train with more than one specialized weapon and this turned out to be true—Aldrian quickly grasped every lesson and even began learning basic techniques like homing arrows just two days after starting archery. Gradually, Aldrian was able to train by himself and even started creating new techniques based on his understanding.
Now, he trained in basic archery without any special techniques, just to hone his senses and instincts as an archer. Eleine and Princess Sylphia watched him from the side, sometimes cheering and clapping for him. But they weren't the only ones there. Two other figures, wearing the golden-green noble attire that only the princes of the Ivory Empire could wear, stood nearby.
"He's truly a prodigy. How can he learn everything so quickly and never seem to hit a bottleneck? I just can't grasp how he does it," said one of them.
"He's always been like that, Your Highness. He's been special since birth," Eleine responded. Her aura had grown stronger over the past months, and her cultivation had increased to High Earl, thanks to the herbs Aldrian brought from the Forest of Despair. Eleine felt grateful for her young master's care, she could even feel her cultivation foundation becoming more solid due to one of the herbs she consumed.
Aldrian ended his training session by demonstrating the homing arrow technique. He shot an arrow without aiming directly at the target, and it flew towards its mark guided by wind energy—one of the basic techniques mastered by elves, but quite draining on concentration and mental energy for those not used to it.
He walked back to the group watching him train and smiled at them.
"You're back, Brother Arion, Brother Aran," Aldrian said.
"The situation is under control and not drastic, so I could return quickly," Vilan replied.
"You never cease to amaze me, Brother Aldrian. You're truly like a veteran in archery," said Arion.
"Thank you for the compliment. I'm still not as good as you," Aldrian answered modestly.
Arion Evergreen and Aran Evergreen were the fourth and fifth sons of Emperor Ladwin. Aldrian had already met the second and third sons but had never met the emperor's first son, who was guarding the southern border near the demon territory. Over time, Aldrian had grown close to the royal brothers, and they addressed each other as brothers.
"Aish, don't be so humble. Let's go, Father wants to meet you," Arion said.
"His Majesty?" Aldrian nodded, and they walked towards the throne hall. Upon arriving, Aldrian saw Emperor Ladwin and a beautiful elf beside him. She had long, golden hair draped over her shoulders and back, an elegant golden-green dress covering her voluptuous figure, and a smiling face that radiated warmth, like a mother smiling at her child. Aldrian bowed his head towards the two elves.
"Greetings, Your Majesties. I heard you called for me, Your Majesty?" Aldrian asked.
"Yes, I have something to discuss with you," Emperor Ladwin said.
Aldrian nodded and looked at the woman beside the emperor. She was the Empress of the Ivory Empire, Elaria Evergreen, and he bowed his head once again.
"It's only been three months since I last saw you, but you're like a new person now," Empress Elaria said with her soft voice.
"I'll take that as a compliment, Your Majesty," Aldrian replied.
"Of course, it's a compliment, child. How has your stay here been?" she asked.
"I'm enjoying it very much, Your Majesty. Everything here is good, and the people have come to accept me after a while," Aldrian replied. Thanks to the Oath of the Heavenly Tree, even the conservative nobles didn't make things difficult for him during his stay.
"I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your stay. Now go, Ladwin wants to talk to you," she said. Aldrian nodded and walked with Emperor Ladwin to another room where the emperor usually read documents, inside his workroom. After they were seated on sofas facing each other, Emperor Ladwin spoke.
"Aldrian, can you show me your golden energy?" Hearing Emperor Ladwin's request, Aldrian was puzzled for a moment, but he complied, revealing his energy through his hand. The golden energy and its aura filled the air, and the sight still amazed Emperor Ladwin, especially its color. It resembled holy energy but lacked the distinct feel of it, and it was even more radiant than holy energy.
Usually, a cultivator's energy color in their dantian corresponds to their compatibility with the elements or attributes for example, basic elements like earth is brown, fire is red, water is blue, and wind is transparent white. There are also more advanced elements like ice, space, time, and many more, each with its own distinct color.
When a cultivator begins their journey, they typically have compatibility with one element. However, in rare cases, a cultivator may start with compatibility with two elements. These individuals are considered geniuses because of their innate talent.
When they reach the Marquess and Emperor stage, they have the chance to add another element to their dantian. If successful, they gain another element as part of their arsenal. Of course, those who already have dual elements have an advantage and can add more.
However, the downside of having multiple elements is that it requires harder training and cultivation to maximize their potential. As the saying goes, "Don't be a jack of all trades but master of none." But that wasn't the case with Aldrian.
"Aldrian, you are the embodiment of 'jack of all trades, but master of all.' Could this golden energy truly encompass all things, even holy energy?" Emperor Ladwin thought as he assessed the golden energy before him.
"But still, I can't sense it fully. I know this energy has a soothing effect, but it's not enough proof. Did they lie to me and try to dig something up? Or is it too pure and can only be felt by holy energy?" When Aldrian noticed the confusion in the emperor's eyes, he asked,
"What's wrong, Your Majesty? Is there something wrong?"
Emperor Ladwin looked into his eyes and sighed.
"To tell you the truth, a month ago, a delegation from the church came to the capital."
"The church?"
"Yes, long story short, it seems they've sniffed out your presence in the capital—the person who defeated the hydra." Aldrian was stunned upon hearing this.
"How did they do that? I'm pretty sure no one saw me except Mayor Livrin when I defeated the hydra, and I always used teleportation afterward to avoid detection."
"They said they could feel your golden energy containing holy energy. They investigated the event and found their way to this city. They came to me and asked to meet you."
Aldrian was even more puzzled by this new development.
"Holy energy? Inside me?" he thought. This was a new discovery for him since he didn't even know there was holy energy within him.
"And I had to take their visit seriously because they came with their archbishop," Emperor Ladwin added.
"Archbishop? Why would a high-ranking church member visit just to find the person who defeated the hydra? Even if I have holy energy, why would the archbishop himself come?" Aldrian asked.
"Sigh. Here's the thing, they said it has to do with their prophecy."
Aldrian almost facepalmed.
"Prophecy again?"