Chapter 410 — The Umbrella of Time Wreaks Havoc

And now, Qi was fighting the War Giant Tree—a veteran top-tier Monarch of Tingxiang—on equal footing, locked in a great battle.

"I understand it even less!!" Master Rook, the administrator who had been watching the situation inside the secret realm all along—a top-tier master capable of contending with Overlords, a man with legendary dwarf friends and legendary machinist friends—simply could not comprehend this weapon and equipment in Qi's hands.

That it could transform was one thing.

That it could involve multiple attributes was one thing.

That it contained an item spirit with consciousness was one thing.

That it let an Awakened-level little girl command it with ease and suppress a top-tier Monarch was one thing.

How could it possibly be "one thing"!

The old master's eyes went wide as he saw Qi, finding she could not take down the War Giant Tree, begin trying to command multiple weapons at once.

She even brought out mines that could burrow through the earth.

More than ten minutes later.

The royal prodigies gathered outside the Royal Trial Ruins stood in dead silence, staring at the name that had climbed to the very top, at the words showing her clear record had turned to full stars.

The royal family members who had been summoned over because the matter was too outrageous found that what their eyes beheld was even more outrageous than what they had heard.

Qi.

Who didn't know her? She was that Awakened-level little girl without any transcendent power—still just a child now. How could she possibly have cleared the twelfth trial!!

After all, in recent years, the elves who had cleared the twelfth trial were Anise, now captain of the Royal Archer Corps, and Lier, the Royal Library's librarian—both at Overlord-level strength, the strongest prodigies among the royal elves.

And Qi... how could it be.

At this moment, in other places far away, the royal prodigies Anise, Lier, Loi, Silia, and the others were waiting outside the Nature Ruins together with the Elf Empress and President Oran.

The Nature Ruins were also in the capital of Tingxiang; Lu Heng had entered quite a while ago.

At last, light flashed, and Lu Heng and Lian emerged from the Nature Ruins.

Both wore excited expressions.

"How did it go?" The Elf Empress Sylphra smiled as she looked at Lu Heng and Lian.

She had not expected that Shi Jin would bring along such an extraordinary girl—one who had actually contracted the daughter of the ancient guardian deity Wendy.

Theoretically speaking, they should be able to harvest quite a few resources from the Nature Ruins.

After all, in recent years, the resources within the Nature Ruins had grown faster than they were taken out.

"Just as hoped—two legendary resources, six Tier-8 resources, nineteen Tier-7 resources, and a fair number of lower-tier ones."

"So many!" Annis, Lier, and the others exclaimed in astonishment.

So vast a haul—perhaps hard to say it could pile up a totem, but piling up a few overlords would be no difficulty at all.

"Two legendary resources!" Guild Master Oran was equally startled; this was a great harvest.

"Not bad." The Elf Empress Sylphra's expression seemed pleased enough, yet inwardly she sighed. So she had waited for nothing, it seemed—no mythic resource.

She commanded so many special abilities that Lu Heng could not lie in her presence.

"Your Majesty, do we divide it half and half, as agreed at the start?" Lu Heng asked.

This haul, even split fifty-fifty, would be a fortune to her—after all, it included a legendary resource.

Sylphra smiled and nodded with little concern. Knowing that Lu Heng and Shi Jin were close, she said:

"Just take what you need first."

"Very well. Thank you very much," Lu Heng said with a nod.

In truth, what mattered most were the legendary resources.

There were two in all.

One was a Tier-9 Wind God Flower, the other a Tier-9 Fruit of Nature.

The Wind God Flower was a wind-attribute legendary resource, usable to strengthen wind-attribute pets—a strengthening-type resource.

The Fruit of Nature was likewise a strengthening-type resource, able to enhance a transcendent life form's command of natural energy—though its conditions for use were stricter than the Wind God Flower's.

The Wind God Flower required only that the pet be of the wind attribute and possess wind-attribute skills; any such pet could use it for strengthening.

The Fruit of Nature, however, worked only on the elven race.

In the end, Lu Heng chose the Wind God Flower and passed over the Fruit of Nature.

First, Lian had already used a legendary resource to reach overlord tier, and after discussing it with her, he wanted to give the new legendary resource to another pet,

adding a second overlord to the team.

Second, Lian was no longer a complete elf. Though she remained attuned to natural energy, the Fruit of Nature would surely work less effectively on her than on an elf of flesh and blood; the cost-benefit was poor.

And so, after some deliberation, Lu Heng gave the Fruit of Nature to the Tingxiang side.

Guild Master Oran was still rejoicing over receiving it.

The Elf Empress Sylphra, by contrast, thought little of a single legendary resource. At her level, few legendary resources still had any effect on her; her cultivation of the power of nature had reached a bottleneck, and no mere Fruit of Nature could help her now.

"The Fruit of Nature—if that little wretch Shi Jin contracts a Tingxiang elf, let this be a gift for them. A favor like this ought to count as no small one," Sylphra thought.

A contracted elf plus a Fruit of Nature ought to bind Shi Jin—a super genius destined for legend—firmly to Tingxiang's chariot.

Only...

Inwardly, the old lady regarded the elven prodigies Annis, Lier, Luoyi, and the rest with their envious expressions, and was speechless.

Why had this pack of rascals lost track of Shi Jin and instead come running to pay her a visit?

Was this really all right...?

At that moment, Lu Heng and Guild Master Oran and the others were dividing the spoils on the spot—but just then, Oran received an important communication.

"Guild Master Oran! The Royal Trial—over at the Royal Trial, another elf has cleared the twelfth stage!"

On the other end, Oran's elven secretary cried out in shock.

"What?!" Oran was startled too; she could not recall anyone else with that potential.

Luoyi might manage it in the future, but she was right here with her now.

"It's Qi. Qi—the one without any transcendent power."

"Impossible," Oran blurted out.

She felt the secretary was merely toying with an old woman.

"Oran, what is it?" Sylphra looked at Oran.

Oran said, "Your Majesty, my secretary says that Qi—that little elf girl with no transcendent power—has cleared all twelve stages of the Royal Trial."

"Hm?" The Elf Empress was taken aback, feeling the name somewhat familiar.

No transcendent power... Back then, an elf had indeed brought a special elven infant without any transcendent power to her for examination.

She had found nothing wrong with the child, and simply assumed it was an unusual case of mixed blood.

"Qi?! She ought to be quite young, surely."

What Chairman Oran said not only startled the Elf Queen slightly, but Anise, Lier, Luoyi, and the others were even more astonished.

Qi? The same Qi who had just been practicing archery on the training ground? How could that be?

"Strange." The Elf Queen pondered. It was impossible for Qi to awaken transcendent power—she had confirmed that herself. Even with her own help optimizing the girl's race, it was extremely difficult. In such a case, unless one used suitable legendary resources to defy fate and change her destiny, there might be a sliver of hope for awakening transcendent power.

But Tingxiang would never use legendary resources—strategic-level resources that had a chance to strengthen someone into a totem—on a little girl.

Moreover, suitable resources were not so easy to find.