Directly asking the Elf King about the function of his Miracle item was a bit rude, since a Miracle item was surely his trump card.
It was like asking someone directly, "What's your ace in the hole?"
But facing the Elf King, Feng Qi didn't feel much pressure.
The point of a sacrificial path was to seek out information and truth. Since the Elf King had given him the chance to ask, he had to seize it.
The Elf King was clearly a bit surprised.
Holding the teapot mid-air, his gaze locked onto Feng Qi's eyes.
"Is this appropriate?"
"Not really, but this is exactly what I want to know. You told me to ask."
Hearing this, the Elf King's frown eased, and he shook his head with a smile.
"You're interesting. You know this is my domain, yet you still dare to speak to me like this. It's like you're not afraid of me at all. I'm curious—what exactly are you relying on?"
"Nothing. Just not afraid."
Feng Qi smiled and took the freshly filled teacup from the Elf King, downing it in one gulp, savoring the fragrance spreading through his mouth and nose.
The Elf King didn't answer his question directly but instead asked curiously:
"How much do you know about Miracle items?"
"I've come across a few Miracle items and understand some of them quite well."
"Can you tell me which ones you've seen?"
Looking at the curious expression on the Elf King's face, Feng Qi stayed silent for a moment before he started listing the Miracle items he had encountered.
Bloodstone, Sacred Spirit Consciousness Vault, Prophecy Fragment, Eye of Truth, Five Elemental Gems, Time Reversal, Training Space, Heart Refinement Platform... Each Miracle had incredible power.
As Feng Qi spoke, the Elf King's expression gradually became unsettled.
He clearly hadn't expected Feng Qi to have come into contact with so many Miracle items.
When Feng Qi explained the functions of some of these items, the Elf King couldn't help but ask:
"In your opinion, compared to the races behind those who possess these Miracle items, how do I measure up?"
Feng Qi didn't hide anything and replied bluntly:
"Stronger than some, but no match for a few of the more powerful races."
"Which races?"
"For example, the Psionic Race. Their growth model is far superior to your independent strength model. Any member of their race who learns a skill or knowledge can instantly share it with the others. Their growth potential is unimaginable. They're one of the most promising races I've ever seen."
"Or the Blood Soul Clan. They possess a banner that can summon billions of fierce spirits. There was once an extremely powerful individual who led a well-equipped, mighty army. As their clan leader, his strength might not have been weaker than yours, but a Blood Soul Clan member simply waved that banner and nearly wiped his entire clan from existence. They had no power to resist."
"And then there's the most mysterious of them all—the Blue-Skin Clan. You only have one Miracle item, but as far as I know, the Blue-Skin Clan has many. They've never started a large-scale war, but their foundation is terrifying, and they're probably not weaker than the two races I just mentioned."
At this point, the Elf King's expression didn't change.
After a brief silence, he asked curiously:
"You just told me all this important information?"
Feng Qi smiled calmly.
"This is my sincerity. I hope you'll show me the same."
"Alright." The Elf King's eyes showed approval, and he nodded. Then he began to explain:
"The Miracle item within me has been with me since I was born. I call it the Life Furnace. Its function is to use collected life information to piece together entirely new life forms..."
As the Elf King spoke, Feng Qi gradually gained a clear understanding of the Miracle item he possessed.
According to the Elf King, from the moment he gained consciousness, his roots were connected to the Life Furnace buried in the soil, and he even suspected that his awareness itself might be thanks to the Life Furnace.
And the function of the Life Furnace was very close to what Feng Qi had guessed.
He had once suspected that the Elf King's ability to create different elf seeds might be tied to a Miracle item.
And it was just as he thought.
The Life Furnace was like a life editor, able to merge various life information into one.
From the Elf King's description, he absorbed rune crystals and flesh energy from other races, extracting their life information. All of it would be recorded within the Life Furnace.
Using this life information, he created many elf seed life forms.
It was thanks to the Life Furnace that he built a diverse Elf Race.
The Life Furnace's function reminded Feng Qi of his own talent—Plunder.
But in comparison, the two had obvious differences.
His Plunder talent allowed him to seize the innate traits of a species directly from their bloodline after killing them.
But the Life Furnace could only extract fragments of life information, then use these fragments to piece together new life.
This process definitely involved a crucial factor—nurturing new life.
The Elf King couldn't use the Life Furnace to grant himself any of the innate traits formed from those fragments. These abilities had to be passed on in the form of offspring.
In this process, the Elf King was like a life creator.
By operating the Life Furnace, he constantly nurtured elf plants with all kinds of mystical abilities, creating the elf kingdom beneath his feet.
After listening to the Elf King's explanation, Feng Qi finally understood why elf seeds had so many diverse abilities.
These traits came from life information the Elf King had gathered from other races. After piecing them together and nurturing them, they became brand-new elf lives.
According to the Elf King, piecing together new life wasn't guaranteed to succeed. He had faced many failures.
Those failed elf seeds couldn't even be brought to life.
After hearing all this, Feng Qi gained a clearer understanding of the Life Furnace.
This Miracle item was more of a support type.
By combining life information, it allowed future generations to possess the abilities of other races, giving them greater growth potential.
But it also had drawbacks.
Nurturing wasn't guaranteed, and failures were the majority.
This Miracle item could be said to be incredibly strong—a shortcut to becoming a powerful race. It allowed otherwise ordinary offspring to start at the same level as the children of strong races.
But from a human perspective, the Life Furnace was rather impractical.
Its nature made nurturing offspring the key, yet it couldn't grant abilities to oneself.
Humans had low birth rates, usually one child per birth, twins were rare.
This rate of reproduction didn't match the Life Furnace at all.
The Elf King could birth hundreds of thousands of elf seeds at a time. He could afford to lose most of them during the chaotic process of merging life information, but humans clearly couldn't.
This wasn't like the Sacred Spirit Consciousness Vault, a Miracle item that could be used by anyone. No human mother could achieve what the Elf King could through sheer numbers.
The strength of the Life Furnace was beyond question, but humans simply weren't suited for it.
It proved the saying: a Miracle item's power varies vastly depending on who wields it.
The Elf King was without a doubt a perfect match for the Life Furnace.
After understanding this, Feng Qi looked curious.
"If you refine life information to create new life, can you create an entirely new species… I mean, a brand-new species, not just elf seeds with traits from other races?" Feng Qi added.
The Elf King shook his head immediately.
"I've explained this clearly. The Life Furnace is about nurturing new life. Nurturing is the key. I can't create other life forms, only elf seeds that carry abilities from other races."
Feng Qi nodded and then asked another question.
"Elf King, what do you think your relationship with the Life Furnace is?"
He still suspected that the Elf King might be like Sanwei, a consciousness derived from a Miracle item—something the Elf King himself hadn't realized.
"I'm not sure. It's always been there since I was born. I only gradually figured out how to use it as I grew… Why are you asking this?"
"I know of a Miracle item where a new consciousness was born inside it."
Hearing this, the Elf King clearly understood what Feng Qi was implying, but he shook his head.
"I'm not an energy form. I'm purely physical. I can tell the difference. I think I just happened to take root in the Life Furnace, and it changed my life form over time, merging with me as I grew."
As the Elf King explained, Feng Qi filled in the blanks in his mind.
Maybe this Miracle item was left behind by a peak race, buried in the soil for ages, unknown to all.
Until one day, a seed took root in that soil.
And so, this Miracle item, which should have remained buried, found its chance to emerge.
Of course, all of this was just his speculation. He had no way of knowing the real truth.
As Feng Qi stood there, lost in thought, the Elf King spoke.
"Have you ever seen a Miracle item that can change a life form?"
Feng Qi looked up at the Elf King, puzzled.
"No, I haven't. Why are you asking me this?"
"I want to change my life form, to have a body of flesh and blood."
"Why?" Feng Qi was stunned.
"A tree body is naturally weaker compared to a flesh-and-blood body. Our potential isn't measured by bloodline strength but by plant species. And the most important factor is years. My growth speed can't compare to a flesh body—it takes ages to accumulate strength. The only advantage is lifespan."
"Your growth speed is already fast. Among all the races and forces I've seen, you're among the top."
"I only gained rapid growth by converting energy through the Life Furnace. I've compared various races' flesh bodies. If I had their body, my growth would far surpass now, and my future would hold far more possibilities."
"You already understand the Life Furnace's meaning to me is about creating a race, but for myself, it barely offers anything. It only helps me digest energy faster, but it can't give me any extraordinary powers."
Hearing this, Feng Qi immediately shook his head.
"Elf King, have you thought about how powerful your fusion with the Life Furnace is? You basically have an army with limitless potential. You don't need to be powerful yourself. The descendants you create will become your sharpest weapons. You're the perfect model of the lone growth path in my mind. You don't need to grow strong personally—just command your army from the shadows, and your future will be limitless."
The Elf King's eyes showed a trace of helplessness.
"But have you ever thought of this… How can I make sure my descendants will always be loyal? That none will betray me?"
"What do you mean?"
"My descendants are growing stronger. They're gaining wisdom. I've studied your human social structures, and I constantly fear one thing—that one of my offspring will rebel, take control of the Life Furnace, and build a new order."
After a pause, the Elf King continued.
"Your idea is good, but I don't have that Miracle task contract you described. The Life Furnace lets me create potential-filled descendants, but it can't ensure loyalty. And to be honest, my worst fear is already starting to show signs."
"What happened?" Feng Qi frowned.
"I created my most perfect descendant using the Life Furnace. Its name is Anmu. To make it, I used all the best life information I had. I weakened myself for twenty years and failed millions of times before finally creating it."
"Thirty years ago, I sent it to help build a new human city, Anmu City. It was supposed to be the core of that city. I thought it was always under my control, but ten years ago, I realized it had been hiding things from me and was growing rapidly."
Hearing this, Feng Qi immediately understood.
"You're afraid of Anmu?"
"Even though the Life Furnace is with me, Anmu is perfect. Its growth is much faster than mine. Plus, it's being supported by frontline warriors in Anmu City. Its growth potential is way beyond mine, and surpassing me in strength is just a matter of time… It might replace me in the future."
After the Elf King's explanation, Feng Qi suddenly understood what the Elf King wanted.
"So you're looking for a way to break through your life's limits, to gain growth potential beyond Anmu?"
"Exactly. In my limited knowledge, a flesh-and-blood body is the best path forward for me. But I can't change my life form, and I've never heard of a Miracle item that can."
"Why are you telling me this?"
After a brief silence, Feng Qi couldn't help but ask.
"There's a quiet split happening between Elf City and Anmu City. I want you to help me."
"I'm sorry, but I'm powerless. There's nothing I can really do."
"I heard you've mastered a cultivation method that allows humans with flesh bodies to absorb spiritual energy from the world, strengthening their bodies. If possible, I hope you can teach this to the people of Elf City. Let them train their bodies to become stronger. This would help them better merge with elf seeds and avoid dying young because their bodies couldn't handle the power."
Hearing the Elf King's candid words, Feng Qi was shocked.
He had been struggling with how to spread cultivation techniques in Elf City, to give its people a new future path—not just total dependence on the Elf King.
He hadn't expected the Elf King to suggest this himself.