Half a year passed quietly with regular practice. Life in the valley was so simple that it was almost monotonous, but for Lin Qin, every day was full of substantial progress. His "Heaven Rewards Diligence" talent ensured that every bit of time and energy invested was transformed into tangible growth.
The Saint Realm-level Earth Battle Qi in his body has already surpassed the initial limits of ordinary Saint Realm due to basic training and precise operation day after day. Battle Qi is no longer just the energy flowing in the meridians, but has become like fine steel that has been tempered thousands of times, solid and thick, and contains majestic potential far beyond the same level. Every breath seems to trigger a slight resonance of the earth element in the air around the body.
However, Lin Qin knows that the accumulation of power is only the foundation. What he pursues is a deeper understanding and control of the nature of power. The thin film between him and the higher realm has always existed. In the past six months, he has devoted most of his energy to exploring the deeper characteristics of "Earth Element".
During the morning's meditation, he was no longer satisfied with just feeling the "thickness" and "stability" of the earth. His mental power was immersed in the deep connection with the earth under his feet for a long time, trying to capture those more subtle but equally essential rhythms. He "heard" the slowness deep in the earth. The never-ending pulsation, like the heartbeat of a sleeping giant, contains indescribable and continuously released power. He also tried to understand the characteristics of the earth that "carries" all things. This is not a passive endurance, but an active force that is inclusive, stable, and provides a foundation.
These enlightenment processes are extremely abstract and progress slowly. Sometimes, even if you sit for a whole day, you can only capture a vague idea. But Lin Qin is extremely patient. He is not in a hurry for success, but treats every insight as an accumulation, believing that quantitative changes will eventually lead to qualitative changes.
The afternoon sparring session with Aileen became a testing ground for him to verify and polish these vague perceptions. He still suppressed his strength to level eight, but his fighting style began to incorporate new ideas.
He began to try to apply the rhythm of "Earth Pulsation" that he felt while sitting quietly to the swing of the broad sword. It was very jerky at first, and he often did it deliberately, which disrupted his original fighting rhythm. On a few occasions, Aileen even caught the flaw and used Water Element magic, which made him a little embarrassed.
"Your movements just now were a bit strange," Aileen asked while wiping his sweat during a sparring break. "Does it feel like your power transmission... is intermittent?"
"Well, I'm trying some new force-generating techniques." Lin Qin didn't explain too much, but just adjusted silently. He concentrated his mental power, not only sensing the magic fluctuations of Aileen, but also fine-tuning his own Battle Qi operating frequency, trying to coordinate the force exerted by the muscles and the surge of Battle Qi with the vague concept of "Pulsation" in his mind.
This process consumes a lot of mental power, far more than pure fighting. However, the effects also begin to appear sporadically. Occasionally, when his broadsword blocks the water shield or chops Ice Wall, it will erupt with an effect different from pure brute force - the defensive magic will be affected by a strange, high-frequency vibration, the structural stability will decrease, and the consumption will increase.
Aileen was keenly aware of this change. "Your attack," she looked at her staff in confusion after the water shield was easily broken, "It seems to interfere with my magic structure? It's not that the power has become stronger, but it feels... more uncomfortable."
"Still exploring." Lin Qin said concisely and to the point. He needs more actual combat data to adjust this technique.
After the sparring, he spent more time alone reflecting. He repeatedly recalled the moments that successfully caused "shocks" in the battle, and corroborated them with the "Pulsation" image he felt while sitting quietly, looking for connections and patterns. At night, in the quiet atmosphere brought by Cold Jade Marrow, these complex experiences were better sorted out.
He realized that simply imitating "vibration" was not enough. The key was to understand its inner "rhythm" and combine this rhythm with his own strength and the characteristics of the attack target itself. This was an extremely subtle control process, far beyond any of his past combat skills training.
Aileen watched Lin Qin devote himself to this seemingly slow-progressing exploration day after day. While admiring him, he also felt a little bit of pressure. The intensity of Lin Qin's training and the strictness of his demands on himself far exceeded her imagination. He seemed to be tireless, always looking for the next point where he could break through.
"With your training method, someone else would have suffered a nervous breakdown or gone wrong in practice." Aileen couldn't help but sigh one day.
"Find the direction, stick to it, and there will always be results." Lin Qin's answer was as plain and firm as ever. His belief came from the positive feedback brought by "Heaven Rewards Diligence", which made him know that every bit of his efforts was not in vain.
After half a year of accumulation, he felt that his understanding of "Earth Element" had reached a threshold. The idea of merging "Pulsation" with "thickness" to form a new attack method became increasingly clear. What he needed was an opportunity to connect all these scattered accumulations.