Picking up 'Species of the OverRealm', which is by far one of the most oversized books I've seen, even bigger than 'the Book of Daos'. Opening it to the first page, which is the table of contents, I notice that there are only three different categories; Land species, Water species, and Soul species; after each group, it also says the number of pages each type possesses, with the Water creature section having the most by a longshot.
'Well, I don't plan on reading much of the Water creature species, considering Elves are meant for land, but I will check up on the Water and Soul sections, especially the Fairies.' Thought Elif, flipping to the first page, which Dragons occupied.
~DRAGONS. The very first intelligent species that appeared in the OverRealm. They are known for their astonishing intelligence, power, lifespan, and endurance among all species; however, they are also known to be incredibly arrogant, short-tempered, and hold a grudge until their death.~
'Hmm, does that mean that the Immortal Dragon Clan hates Elves since Progenitor Lordess killed their Dragon King?' Pondered Elif, not knowing that it's a common fact in the OverRealm that Dragons and Elves greatly resent one another.
~PHOENIX. The second Intelligent land species to be born in the OverRealm. They are known for their kindness, courage, peacefulness, intelligence, and regenerative properties. It's rumored that the first flame to ever appear in the OverRealm gave birth to the very first Phoenix; however, the only ones who could know the truth are the Dragons and Phoenixes. Nonetheless, do not mistake a Phoenix for being weak or soft, as a Phoenix's wrath is even more terrifying than a Dragons.~
'Phoenixes sound like a species I would get along with; I hope to meet them one day.' Thought Elif before flipping to the next page.
~GOLEMS. Born from the very elements themselves, Golems come in many different shapes, sizes, and abilities at birth; they also have the most diverse species in the OverRealm. The five most common Golem are Rock, Air, Water, Fire, and Qi Golems, each having a unique connection to their respective element, allowing them to perform incredible feats even without a cultivation base. During the Primordial Epoch, before cultivation was introduced, and without considering the Dragons, the Golems were the most powerful and feared species, thanks to their unique ability. As long as a Golem is surrounded by their respective element, they're essentially immortal as long as they protect their core. They still have said ability today; however, with cultivation and the use of Qi techniques, their immortality isn't anything that can't be easily bypassed.~
'I would be quite angry if I had to fight against an immortal enemy; highly annoying.' Thought Elif as he flipped to another page.
~HUMANS. They're known for their ability to quickly adapt to any situation and somehow change it to their advantage; they are also the only species that can procreate with every other species successfully. Humans are a very impulsive species known for their lustfulness, greediness, jealousy, arrogance, chaoticness, and deceit.~
'Luckily, I'm not a human. Wouldn't want to be related to that terrible species.' Thought Elif as he wiped imaginary sweat while flipping to another page.
~ELVES. They're known to be a very peaceful species with a love for nature and knowledge; It's believed that their species is the most beautiful in all of the OverRealm, with only Succubus and Incubus capable of rivaling their beauty. They are also blessed with a naturally long lifespan, just below that of Dragons; however, because of that, their species is absurdly low in number.~
'Low in number? There are billions of Elves within Yggdrasil alone, and let's not even consider the whole Empire. However, I agree with that description; I've never seen an Elf more beautiful than me.' Thought Elif narcissistically as he looked at his reflection on the silver tray Illumia brought.
"Your highness, if you wish to do that, please do it when you're alone, as it is quite embarrassing watching you act like that." Commented Illumia with her iconic bland voice as she looked at Elif.
"Hmph, you're just jealous of my beauty; however, it is understandable; I'm just that charming, after all." Said Elif as he looked at Illumia while flipping his hair with a narcissistic smile before focusing back on his book.
~GIANTS. As their name suggests, they're enormous, with most standing at least ten meters in height. The largest variant of Giants, Titans, are said never to stop growing, capable of reaching tremendous heights, towering over even mountains, and touching the very heavens; however, Titans are incredibly rare, with no more than one ever being born in an Eon. Contrary to their intimidating stature, Giants are quite peaceful; however, their battle-loving tendencies usually cause them to be misunderstood.~
'That means there probably exists a Giant bigger than the Erdtree!' Thought Elif in fascination, as when his cultivation base reached a high enough level, he could finally fully view the actual size of the Erdtree.
~DEMONS. A species with a diverse population that includes Vampires, Succubi and Incubi, Asuras, horned Demons, Winged Demons, and more. They're known for their brutality, cruelty, deceit, savageness, destructive tendencies, and a few other things that cause them to be the most unliked species in all of the OverRealm. Though they are the most unliked species in the OverRealm, only the Immortal Heavenly Empire truly detests them.~
'I already don't like them, and I haven't even interacted with one yet; and how could they claim that a demon could rival the beauty of an Elf? Preposterous if you ask me.'
~ANGELS. A species that is the embodiment of good; however, these qualities ultimately resulted in their downfall, with the Immortal Demon sect having been a large part of the reason why. Now they're considered a rare sight to see in the OverRealm, and most don't live long as the Immortal Demon sect and the Immortal Heavenly Empire constantly hunts them down.~
'Well, I'm also glad I wasn't born as an Angel, probably wouldn't have lived long anyways.'
~BEASTS. As you'd imagine, Beasts are nothing but unintelligent creatures; however, Qi can just as quickly change that. Contrary to nearly every intelligent species, every Beast is born with the ability to absorb Qi from the atmosphere subconsciously: however, without using a cultivation manual, it takes them many years to advance in cultivation, most dying before they can ever fully reap the benefits. Still, the rare few Beasts that manage to survive until their cultivation base reached a level equivalent to a Nascent Soul will fully awaken their consciousness and will no longer be bounded to their primal instincts.~
'Hmm, that is quite interesting.'
Having read about several species inhabiting the land, I flipped to the water species section and began reading again.
~ATLANTEANS. A species with similar proportions to humans, the only difference being their gills, blue skin, occasional scales, and webbed hands and feet. They're known for being quite mysterious and introverted; however, once you get to know one, they're quite adventurous. Also one of the very few species that can survive in water and land without the need for cultivation.~
'They sound quite fun to interact with as well; I'd always be up for a good adventure.'
~MERMAIDS. A species comprising mostly of women with an upper body of a human and a lower body of a fish. They're known to have an incredible voice and are capable of bewitching living beings with it as well. While most Mermaids have a lower body of a fish, they can have a lower body of different types of sea life, such as tentacles from an octopus or squid.~
'Hmm, if their voice is that great, maybe I should listen to a few of them sing in the future.'
~LEVIATHAN. A species that represents the largest and strongest sea life; some are even rumored to rival a Titan's stature. Little is known about them as most of them are either reclusive or spend most of their time within the depths of the sea; however, one of the few known Leviathans is the current Sect Master of the Realm Sect, Chaurli.~
'Weird name, but whatever. Alright, let's go to the Soul section; it would take forever if I tried to read every Water species.' Thought Elif as he flipped to the last couple of pages as there aren't many soul species.
~FAIRIES. Like Elves, Fairies are a peaceful species that love nature very much. Born as souls, the strength of their soul is at a level that no species could ever hope to reach at birth; not even Dragons could compete with them regarding soul power. However, because of that, they were considered a rare resource during the Flourishing Epoch, and their dwindling numbers forced them into hiding with the help of illusions that they were naturally gifted in; otherwise, it's believed they would've gone extinct.~
'Since we're allies, we will probably meet sometime in the near future.'
~WISPS. A species made entirely out of pure Qi and are the only species in all of existence with an immortal lifespan. However, because they are made out of pure Qi, they're a great way to quickly improve one's cultivation, with minor drawbacks; sadly, because of greed, it's believed they're practically extinct, with none having ever appeared within the OverRealm after the Chaotic Epoch.~
'That's shocking, an entire species said to be extinct because of our greed; it's a little saddening.' Thought Elif, feeling a bit downcast at the information.
After reading about Wisps, I decided to close the book and leave it for another day; I mean, with how big that book was, there was no way I would read that in a day; it'll take multiple weeks. Setting the book down, I reached for 'The Knowledge of Cultivation' as I knew for a fact they were going to list all of the known Cultivation bases, and I needed to see how much progress I'd made in the grand scheme of things.
'I just hope I'm not disappointed.' Thought Elif, opening the book as he jinxed himself.
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Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, [https://discord.gg/TGc9yymDJP]
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Elven Legacy (Chapter 182: Good or Bad? Who Knows?) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 63: What's Under That Tarp!?) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 102: Eerie Forest) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]