Rock Sword Saint

Returning to Red Flame City, Lin Qin could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the city was different from before. The number of soldiers patrolling the streets had increased, and their strength was not weak. Discussions about Saint Realm experts in the taverns were more frequent, and some even mentioned vague rumors like "recent unusual movements at War God Mountain" or "something big might happen."

Lin Qin did not pay too much attention to this. After handing in his mission and dealing with his spoils, he returned to the inn to continue his cultivation. After reaching the Saint Realm, every step of progress required a deeper understanding of the laws, which was more difficult than simple energy accumulation, but also more important. He immersed himself in the profound mysteries of the Earth Element, constantly deducing and experimenting, trying to integrate his new understanding into his own combat techniques and magic.

A few days later, Lin Qin decided to visit the largest public training ground in Red Flame City. It was a place for the empire's warriors to communicate and spar, and experts often fought there, which might provide him with some inspiration.

The training ground covered a vast area, paved with hard Blue Steel Rock, and was surrounded by powerful defensive magic arrays. At this moment, two people were engaged in a fierce battle on the largest arena in the center. One was an eighth-rank warrior wielding a giant axe, with a fierce offensive; the other was a seventh-rank warrior using twin daggers, with agile footwork. The surrounding area was crowded with watching warriors, and the sounds of cheering and discussion were endless.

Lin Qin stood on the periphery of the crowd, watching calmly. This level of combat posed no threat to him, but he could still see some flashes of power-exertion techniques and combat ideas from it. His "Heaven Rewards Diligence" made him accustomed to drawing nourishment from everywhere.

Just then, a terrifying aura, heavy as a mountain and condensed as steel, spread from the entrance of the training ground without warning. This aura was not ostentatious, but it carried an absolute sense of oppression, causing the entire noisy training ground to fall silent instantly. All the warriors, including the two fighting on the arena, could not help but stop their movements, their eyes looking toward the entrance in shock.

A figure walked in slowly.

He was not particularly tall, wearing ordinary gray cloth clothes, with an ordinary face, looking like a laborer who could be seen everywhere. But every step he took seemed to resonate with the entire earth, giving people a feeling of being unshakable. On his back, he carried a giant, sheathless sword that looked very simple, even a bit old.

"It's... it's the Rock Sword Saint! Lord Hedereson!" Someone recognized the visitor and whispered in a trembling voice.

Suddenly, a sound of gasping echoed throughout the training ground. Everyone's eyes were filled with awe and fanaticism. The Rock Sword Saint Hedereson, a long-established Saint Realm expert of the O'Brien Empire, was known for his unparalleled defense and mountain-like steady sword momentum, and was an idol worshipped by countless warriors!

Hedereson seemed to be just looking around casually. His gaze swept over the warriors in the arena indifferently, and finally, it fell on Lin Qin, who was on the periphery of the crowd.

The eyes of the two met in the air.

Lin Qin could clearly feel the profound, abyss-like fluctuations of the earth laws on the other party, which were far deeper and more condensed than his own. This was definitely an old-school Saint Realm expert who had gone very far in the profound mysteries of the "Earth Element"!

A trace of surprise also flashed in Hedereson's eyes. He also felt the pure and solid Saint Realm aura of the earth element on Lin Qin. Although it was slightly "immature," the foundation was so solid that even he was a little impressed. Moreover, Lin Qin's youth exceeded his expectations.

"A stranger in the Saint Realm." Hedereson spoke, his voice low and powerful like grinding rocks, "The earth aura on you is very pure."

The entire training ground was silent, and everyone held their breath, watching the conversation between these two Saint Realm experts. They didn't expect that this seemingly ordinary young man was actually a Saint Realm expert!

"Lin Qin." Lin Qin stated his name, remaining calm in the face of this long-established expert. He could feel that the other party had no hostility, but rather a kind of scrutiny between experts.

"Hedereson." The Rock Sword Saint also stated his name. He walked toward the central arena, and the crowd automatically parted a path. "I see your foundation is solid, and your understanding of the power of the earth is not shallow. Are you interested in exchanging a few moves?"

What he meant by "exchanging a few moves" was naturally a spar.

The training ground was in an uproar! The Rock Sword Saint had actually taken the initiative to invite a stranger in the Saint Realm to spar! This was a rare event!

Lin Qin's heart stirred. Fighting with experts was exactly what he wanted. Especially someone like Hedereson, a Saint Realm expert who also specialized in the earth laws, would provide him with even greater inspiration.

"I would be honored." Lin Qin did not hesitate and stepped toward the arena.

The two warriors who were originally fighting on the arena had already respectfully stepped down, leaving the field to the two Saint Realm experts.

Lin Qin and Hedereson stood dozens of meters apart. There was no referee and no rules. At their level, they knew how to handle a spar.

"Be careful." Hedereson reminded him without drawing the giant sword on his back. He just slowly raised his right hand, pointing his fingers like a sword, and pointed at Lin Qin from a distance.

It was a seemingly casual gesture, but Lin Qin instantly felt the surrounding air become incomparably heavy and viscous, as if the entire space had turned into a solid, trying to imprison him in place! A force of the earth laws, condensed to the extreme, pressed down on his head like an invisible mountain!

This was a highly sophisticated application of the "heavy" and "oppressive" characteristics of the "Earth Element" profound mysteries!

Lin Qin's eyes narrowed, and he dared not be negligent. He circulated the Saint Realm power within his body, also drawing on the power of the surrounding earth. He did not choose to resist the oppression head-on, but moved his feet slightly. His figure seemed to become a part of the earth's veins, swaying gently with the rhythm of that pressure, and "slipped" out of this invisible imprisonment like a slippery fish. At the same time, he clenched his right fist and blasted it forward!

This punch had no frills; it was the purest power, containing the "condensation" and "explosion" of the "Earth Element" profound mysteries! Where the fist wind passed, the space emitted a low roar, and a condensed earthy-yellow fist imprint blasted toward Hedereson like a cannonball out of a chamber.

A trace of approval flashed in Hedereson's eyes. The opponent did not choose the clumsiest way of resisting head-on, but used skill to break the force, and the counterattack was so swift and sharp; his control over power was indeed extraordinary.

He still did not move, but the finger he pointed slightly bent, and then he flicked it forward.

"Ding!"

A crisp sound like metal striking stone! Lin Qin's fist imprint, which was enough to shatter a small mountain, seemed to hit an invisible, intangible, yet indestructible wall a few meters away from Hedereson's body, instantly exploding and dissipating into pure earth elements. And Hedereson did not even shake the corner of his clothes.

"Your 'condensation' and 'movement' have reached a certain level. But your 'defense' and 'counter' are still lacking." Hedereson commented lightly, as if guiding a junior. He raised his hand again, this time with his five fingers spread, pressing into the void toward Lin Qin.

"Hum!"

Lin Qin immediately felt the arena under his feet seem to come alive. A majestic and vast power of the earth surged from below. It was no longer a simple oppression, but as if the entire earth had become his enemy, trying to reject him and flip him over! At the same time, the surrounding space solidified again, limiting his evasion.

The pressure this time was several times stronger than before! And it contained an artistic conception of "rejection" and "rebound," making Lin Qin feel that his own power was not flowing smoothly, as if he were about to be injured by his own force.

Lin Qin took a deep breath, knowing this was the key. He sank his mind completely into the understanding of the "Earth Element" profound mysteries, recalling the original characteristics of the earth: "bearing all things" and "embracing everything." He no longer tried to resist or evade, but let go of his own defense, connecting his Saint Realm power more deeply with the earth beneath his feet.

He seemed to have become a stone thrown into a lake, no longer a foreign object, but merged into a part of the earth. The surging repulsive force and oppression, when touching his body, seemed to lose their target, sliding past his sides, or being quietly absorbed and shared by the deeper earth beneath him.

He stood firmly in place, his figure swaying slightly, but he was ultimately not shaken! Only his face was slightly pale; it was clear that resolving this blow was not easy.

"Oh?" Hedereson was really surprised this time. He didn't expect Lin Qin to be able to resolve his "Earth Vein Rejection" in this way. This required extremely delicate sensing and control of the earth's power, as well as an understanding that was almost at the level of the "Dao."

"Very good!" Hedereson nodded, a hint of fighting spirit rising in his eyes. "Take another move from me!"

He finally moved! He leaned his body slightly forward, the simple giant sword on his back not even drawn. He just put his palms together like a knife and slashed at Lin Qin from dozens of meters away!

There was no gorgeous sword light, nor any earth-shattering momentum. But Lin Qin's hair stood on end instantly, and he felt extreme danger! He felt a "momentum" that was condensed to the extreme, heavy to the extreme, and seemed to contain the weight of an entire mountain range, locking onto him, ignoring the distance in space, and descending with a boom!

This "slash" had surpassed a simple physical attack and was a crushing force at the level of laws!

There was nowhere to hide!

Lin Qin's pupils contracted, and his entire Saint Realm power circulated frantically at an unprecedented speed. All his understanding of the "Earth Element" profound mysteries condensed at this moment. He held his hands in front of him in the void, and the power within his body resonated and compressed frantically with the external earth power!

"Thick Earth Seal!"

A palm-sized earthy-yellow square seal, which seemed to be condensed from the veins of countless mountains and lands, instantly took shape in front of his chest! On the square seal, light flowed, emitting an indestructible and eternal artistic conception!

This was the prototype of a Saint Realm combat technique he had created himself, born from integrating all his insights into the Earth Laws with the battle qi techniques and magic control he had practiced in the past!

At the very moment this small seal took shape, Hedereson's invisible Momentum Slash had already descended!

"BOOM--!!!"

A silent, thunderous roar exploded in the space between the two men! The protective magic array of the entire training ground erupted with blinding light, fluctuating violently as if it might shatter at any moment! Even separated by the magic array, the warriors watching from the sidelines were sent stumbling and reeling by the invisible shockwave, their faces turning deathly pale!

The Thick Earth Seal in front of Lin Qin trembled violently, cracks appearing across its surface, yet it did not shatter immediately! He was pushed backward by the immense force for over ten meters, his feet carving two deep furrows into the hard Blue Steel Rock arena floor before he could barely steady himself. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

But he had blocked it!

Hedereson's strike, which contained a deeper level of insight into the laws, had been forcibly withstood by Lin Qin, thanks to his self-created combat technique prototype and his profound foundation.

Around the arena, there was a deathly silence. Everyone was too stunned by this clash, which transcended their scope of understanding, to speak.

Hedereson slowly withdrew his palm, watching the Thick Earth Seal in front of Lin Qin as it slowly dissipated after successfully blocking his strike. His eyes were filled with undisguised admiration.

"Remarkable," he said sincerely. "To have just entered the Saint Realm and already be able to withstand a strike at thirty percent of my power, while also creating your own combat technique prototype—your potential far exceeds my expectations."

Lin Qin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, calming his roiling blood and qi. Although he had sustained a minor injury, his eyes shone with excitement. This battle had allowed him to see the scenery from a higher vantage point and had tested his current limits. Hedereson's application of the Earth Element mysteries, especially the combination of "control," "rebound," and "momentum," had provided him with immense inspiration.

"Many thanks for your guidance, Senior," Lin Qin said, cupping his hands in a genuine gesture of respect. The value of this battle far exceeded months of solitary cultivation.

Hedereson waved his hand. "No need for formalities. We both cultivate the path of the earth; it was merely a mutual exchange of insights." He paused, looking at Lin Qin with a meaningful expression. "The empire may not be very peaceful in the near future; it seems a storm is brewing. Your strength is impressive, so take care of yourself."

Having said this, he did not wait for Lin Qin's response. With his greatsword on his back, he turned and walked away, quickly disappearing at the entrance of the training ground.

Lin Qin stood where he was, ruminating on the battle that had just occurred and chewing over Hedereson's final words.

A storm is brewing?

He looked toward the War God Mountain, which towered into the clouds in the center of Red Flame City, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

It seemed he had come to the O'Brien Empire at the right time. Regardless of what was coming, it was an opportunity for him to hone himself.

He needed to increase his strength faster. The initial stage of the Saint Realm was far from enough.

After leaving the training ground, Lin Qin returned to the inn and began a new round of seclusion. He intended to thoroughly digest and absorb the gains from today's battle with Hedereson, further refine his Thick Earth Seal, and attempt to break through to a deeper level of the Earth Element mysteries.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, news of the "mysterious young Saint Realm expert sparring with the Rock Sword Saint to a draw" had begun to quietly circulate among the upper echelons of Red Flame City. For the first time, the name Lin Qin had officially entered the view of the top powerhouses of the O'Brien Empire.