The first rays of morning sunlight had just crossed the coastline, scattering flecks of gold across the sea.
Ning Rongrong stood on the beach and took a deep breath.
She had already been standing there for a full hour.
The sea churned before her. Waves washed against her ankles again and again, only to be driven back by the Soul Power surging from her body.
"No... I'm still just short."
Ning Rongrong bit her lip and looked down at the flickering blue glow in her palm.
The high priestess gave her a task every day: resonate with the sea through Sea God Affinity alone, without relying on Soul Skills.
It sounded simple. It wasn't.
Ning Rongrong had tried for two whole days, but the most she could do was raise faint ripples in the water within fifty meters. Beyond that, nothing.
"No. I can't give up!"
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes again, and sank all her focus into the Sea God Divine Power within her.
She could feel that power like a warm spring lying dormant deep in her lower abdomen, rising and falling gently with her breath.
She tried to guide it outward and forge a connection with the vast sea before her.
At first, it went smoothly enough.
She could sense the water's temperature and salinity, even the flick of a small fish's tail a few meters away.
But whenever she tried to extend her senses beyond fifty meters, something seemed to block the power. She could not push it another inch.
"Phew..."
Ning Rongrong opened her eyes and let out a frustrated breath.
She felt like a water pipe.
The tap was turned all the way on, but someone had blocked half the outlet. No matter what she did, the water wouldn't flow properly.