Half a year slipped by amid a steady routine of cultivation. Life in the valley was simple to the point of monotony, but for Lin Qin, every day brought tangible progress. His Heaven Rewards Diligence talent ensured that every bit of time and effort he invested was converted into visible growth.
Through day after day of basic training and precise circulation, the Saint Realm Earth Battle Qi within him had long since surpassed the limits of an ordinary early-stage Saint Realm cultivator. His Battle Qi was no longer merely energy flowing through his meridians. It had become like refined steel, dense and heavy, brimming with tremendous potential far beyond that of others at the same level. With every breath, it seemed he could stir a faint resonance with the Earth Element in the air around him.
However, Lin Qin knew that accumulating strength was only the foundation. What he sought was a deeper understanding and command of the very nature of power. The barrier between him and the higher realm remained. Over the past half year, he had devoted most of his energy to exploring the deeper properties of the Earth Element.
During his morning meditation, he no longer settled for simply sensing the earth's "weight" and "stability." He immersed his mind in a profound connection with the soil beneath him for long periods, trying to catch subtler rhythms that were just as fundamental. He "heard" the slow, ceaseless pulse deep within the earth, like the heartbeat of a sleeping giant, containing an indescribable power that poured forth without end. He also tried to understand the earth's quality of "bearing" all things. It was not passive endurance, but an active force that embraced, steadied, and provided a foundation.
These meditations were profoundly abstract, and progress came slowly. Sometimes, after sitting