Above the Everfree Forest.
A figure, like a silent arrow, flew through the Everfree Forest, which was shrouded in eternal night.
Ye Ziji paid no heed to the bizarre creatures stirring in the shadows, nor did he care about the twisted, terrifying plants warped by the lack of sunlight.
His goal was clear.
Relying on his perception of elemental currents, he quickly found a perfect spot for recovery—
—a towering, solitary peak.
At the summit, jagged rocks jutted out, and wild winds howled.
This was the point in the entire forest closest to that cold, dreary moon, and it was also the node where various elements were most active and violent.
For ordinary ponies, this was a perilous place capable of tearing their minds apart.
But to Ye Ziji, it was the perfect energy replenishment station.
He found a relatively flat boulder, sat down calmly cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
The howling winds and biting cold outside were instantly shut out of his perception.
His mind sank entirely into his own mental world, composed of the seven elements.
He did not call out loudly, but rather, like a stone cast into a lake, he let his peaceful magic fluctuations slowly ripple outward, sending an invitation to the elements of this ancient forest.
The first to respond were still the wind elements, which were the most active and closest to him.
A wisp of breeze, like a playful child, cautiously brushed against his mane.
Upon confirming his identity, the breeze immediately rejoiced, spinning rapidly around Ye Ziji as if celebrating the return of a beloved playmate.
Next, thousands of wind elements gathered from all directions of the forest, forming a cheerful, visible cyan vortex around him.
Through mental communication, these wind elements quickly understood Ye Ziji’s needs.
They no longer merely played around, but actively took on the role of “assistants.”
The leading wind element transformed into countless tiny tendrils and began to forcefully “persuade” their sluggish, lazy companions.
They roughly dragged out the heavy, earthy-yellow earth elements hidden in the crevices of the rocks.
They swept up the damp, blue water elements lingering in the air.
They brushed lightly against the hardy trees growing on the peak, “borrowing” spots of vibrant green wood elements.
They pushed those shy or lazy companions directly in front of their friend to get acquainted.
The entire mountaintop turned into a massive elemental mixing bowl.
Guided by the wind, these specks converged into a brilliant, multicolored elemental stream.
This stream, composed of pure energy, swirled and roared, finally finding its sole destination.
It slowly poured into the top of Ye Ziji’s head, flowing along his magical pathways, and finally merged into the exquisite Seven-pointed star Cutie Mark on his flank.
*Hum—*
One of the points of the Seven-pointed star—the one representing the wind element—was the first to light up with a brilliant cyan glow.
Immediately after, the points representing earth, water, and wood lit up one by one.
Streams of pure energy, like sweet spring water, nourished his magic core.
His power, which had only recovered by half, was rising slowly but steadily at a speed that would shock any pony.
Fifty-five percent…
sixty percent…
sixty-five percent…
Ye Ziji’s breathing became deep and long as he fully immersed himself in the comforting sensation of his returning power.
He could feel his body, mind, and even soul being tempered anew in this elemental baptism, becoming tougher and purer.
Time lost its meaning in meditation.
After an unknown amount of time, when the fifth point of the Seven-pointed star Cutie Mark on Ye Ziji’s flank—the sharp white light representing the metal element—was lit, he felt a hum of saturation from his magic core.
The torrent of power reached a temporary peak, unable to accommodate any more.
Colloquially speaking—he was stuffed.
He slowly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing across his deep black pupils.
He could clearly feel that the power within him had recovered to eighty-five percent.
This was already the limit of what he could currently achieve; the remaining portion would require deeper conditioning—to be slowly digested.
With a thought, the brilliant elemental vortex on the mountaintop gradually subsided.
Having completed their task, the various “invited” elements returned to their original habitats.
Only the wind elements, which were closest to him, still lingered as a gentle cyan current, wrapping affectionately around him, unwilling to leave, waiting for their next task.
Ye Ziji extended a forehoof, gently caressing the flowing wind.
He sent a clear thought to it: “Go, my scout. Find the master of that moon and tell me everything about her. Remember, do not alert her. Keep your distance.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
As if understanding the order, the cyan current nuzzled Ye Ziji’s hoof playfully before instantly dispersing, transforming into thousands of invisible breezes that silently permeated in all directions of the forest.
Having done all this, Ye Ziji stood up from the boulder.
He stretched his limbs and cast his gaze deep into the forest—toward the ruined castle where he had first clashed with Nightmare Moon.
“My strength has recovered, but it’s not enough,” he analyzed calmly in his mind.
“That lady’s dark magic is endless. A pure war of attrition would be extremely disadvantageous to me. I need a bit of… home turf advantage.”
Lingering no longer, his figure flashed and vanished from the mountaintop.
He did not go directly to the castle; instead, he began to meticulously set up a layout in the vast area surrounding it.
He first came to a stream that shimmered silver under the moonlight.
This was one of the most active nodes for the water element.
He did not drink or touch the stream water.
Instead, he gently placed his forehoof on the damp soil of the bank.
A wisp of pure, blue magic bearing his unique imprint seeped silently into the ground through his hoof, connecting with the water veins of this area.
It was like soldering an obscured, personal switch onto a complex circuit board.
Next, he came to a pile of jagged, scattered rocks.
Finding an area where the earth element was most dense and active, he pressed his hoof against it, leaving an earthy-yellow magical imprint in the same manner.
Afterward, Ye Ziji traveled through the woods and found a thousand-year-old tree that was growing hardily, exuding a rich life force; he left a wood element beacon at its roots.
On a cliff face with deep-seated metal veins, he carved a metal element rune.
At the entrance of an ice cave that remained frozen year-round, he injected an ice element seed.
His movements were extremely cautious; he used only a tiny amount of magic for each connection, ensuring he wouldn’t trigger any large-scale energy fluctuations.
Point by point, line by line, like a patient weaver, he quietly linked the elemental nodes together with the abandoned castle as the center, weaving a massive elemental web that only he could see, feel, and control.
When he finished connecting the last node, he could clearly feel that the elemental flow in this area had established a subtle resonance with him.
With just a single thought, he could instantly mobilize the power of all matching elements in this region for his own use.
“With this, if I fight in this area, my strength will increase by at least another five percent!”
Standing on the ruined walls of the castle and looking down at the inescapable net he had laid, he finally felt a sense of confidence in his heart.
Now, the stage was set.
He only had to wait for the female lead to make her entrance.