Tenfold Earth Fluctuation Slash

Arnold felt somewhat depressed. He had clearly been researching how to increase speed, so how had he suddenly ended up figuring out how to make wind cast shadows? Still, this Shadow Profound Truth undoubtedly belonged to the Wind Law. There was no question about that. If he researched it deeply and fully comprehended the Shadow Profound Truth, Arnold estimated that he could instantly create thousands of shadows. It would probably be quite useful for escaping!

By the time he developed the Shadow Profound Truth, it was already July of Yulan Calendar Year 1. Arnold was still cultivating outside Scarlet Flame City and had hardly returned to Yale's residence within the city. Yale occasionally came to visit Arnold, complaining that Arnold never accompanied him to those banquets.

However, when Arnold told Yale that he had broken through, Yale was utterly shocked. Arnold had taken only around three years to advance from the seventh rank to the eighth, yet breaking through from the eighth to the ninth had taken only two and a half years. Why was the time required for each breakthrough getting shorter and shorter? Yale simply could not figure it out.

In truth, it was all thanks to Arnold comprehending how to merge with wind elemental essence. Merging with wind elemental essence increased spiritual force even faster than merging with Earth Element. As a lightning-element mage, Yale had no use for the Earth Escape Art and Wind Escape Technique Arnold had created.

The two talked for a while longer. Yale also seemed to have found Linley's whereabouts and planned to speak with him after some time.

After Yale left, Arnold continued researching his ultimate technique.

Arnold's Gravity Prison was clearly an excellent idea, but he had been unable to create a spell that fused Gravity Law with the Earthquake Sacred Armor. As a result, the effect and power of Gravity Prison could not be maximized. Could a warrior fuse them instead?

Although magic greatly improved a mage's affinity with the laws, if they wanted to display their own insights in magical form, they still had to create spells to express them. Warriors should be rather different. With battle-qi and strength, they could manifest their understanding of laws more easily than mages. However, warriors first had to thoroughly study Momentum, then ascend another step before comprehending laws, making their progress much slower than that of mages.

By now, Arnold's understanding of Momentum had nearly reached its peak. He could directly use battle-qi to display the laws he had comprehended.

Arnold already knew of five profound truths within the Earth Law: Earth Element, Earth Fluctuation, Gravity Law, Earth Escape Art, and Life Force.

Among them, he had deeply comprehended Gravity Law and the Earth Escape Art. As for Earth Element, Earth Fluctuation, and Life Force, he only understood a little. Arnold believed that once he entered the Saint Domain, directly analyzing most earth-element spells would surely grant him a deeper understanding of Earth Element. Yet he had no idea where to begin with Life Force. Thus, Earth Fluctuation became the direction of his focused research.

All along, Arnold had treated vibration as a primary direction in his study of Earth Fluctuation. After cultivating for so long, he developed a new idea.

Using battle-qi, Arnold could unleash the vibration waves contained in Earth Fluctuation. Yet those vibration waves were actually formed by transforming ordinary attacks through the unique vibrations of Earth Fluctuation. The more times an ordinary attack's transformed vibration waves shook, the higher the conversion efficiency would be.

Arnold had previously managed to incorporate vibrations into the Earth Guardian Sacred Armor to strengthen its defense, but he had never succeeded in effectively incorporating them into his attacks.

If he specifically researched how to increase the number of vibration waves, he could indeed travel farther along the path of the Earth Fluctuation Profound Truth. Yet Arnold vaguely felt that these so-called vibrations could only be one part of Earth Fluctuation. Earth Fluctuation should have other aspects as well, but he had no clue what they were.

However, Arnold usually set aside ideas that gave him no leads for the time being. There was no need to worry; he would surely think of something later, or come up with a better idea.

Thus, Arnold began pursuing the perfect execution of vibration waves while gradually increasing their number.

Earth Rend was actually already a single vibration wave. Arnold felt it was inappropriate to keep calling multiple vibration waves Earth Rend, so he changed the name to Earth Fluctuation Slash. If there was one vibration wave, it would be called First Layer Earth Fluctuation Slash; two waves would be Second Layer Earth Fluctuation Slash...

Thus, Arnold practiced without pause. As for the trees around him, they began suffering terribly, being destroyed by Arnold time and again.

The trees more than ten meters away from Arnold were attacked over and over. They appeared completely unharmed on the surface, but if someone lightly pushed one of them, the entire tree would probably crumble apart.

The trees in Arnold's valley constantly suffered disaster. In the end, every tree in the valley had been struck by Arnold's Earth Fluctuation Slash, leaving him no choice but to move to another valley.

Not long afterward, a down-and-out low-level warrior entered that valley. He accidentally bumped into a tree, and it instantly shattered into fragments. Although the warrior clearly knew he had not done it, it greatly inspired him. He began striving diligently and later achieved something of note.

One vibration wave was not difficult. Two or three were not difficult either. After that, it became much harder. The higher he went, the greater the difficulty and the more time it required. Arnold needed only a little over a week to comprehend two and three vibration waves, but from four and five all the way to ten, it took him a full three months.

In truth, the remaining path had already been paved. He only needed to directly push the number of vibrations to the limit—one hundred vibrations, one thousand vibrations...

The Tenfold Earth Fluctuation Slash had been achieved. From then on, he no longer needed to devote all his time to researching the number of vibrations.

November was already late autumn, and Arnold planned to leave.

Arriving at Yale's residence in Scarlet Flame City, the two shared another bear hug.

"Arnold, you really threw yourself into cultivation. You did not even come to the meeting with Fourth Brother some time ago. Third Brother is now an Eighth-level Magus as well, but he is still nowhere near as monstrous as you. A twenty-year-old Ninth-level Archmage—there has practically never been anyone like that before. Even Linley was startled..." Yale said with a smile.

"Not at all! Linley's actual combat strength is far greater than mine. A Dragonblood Warrior's reputation is well deserved," Arnold said modestly.

"That is true. Once his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline awakened, Linley's overall combat power soared several levels. Still, you are no slouch either, Arnold. You are even much stronger than that Olivia." Yale continued praising him.

"Being ahead for a time means nothing. Only once I reach the Saint Domain will I be qualified to compare myself with others." Arnold shook his head.

"Now that your ultimate technique testing is over, you will stay here with me for a good while, right?" Yale asked.

"I plan to travel afar and seek out experts everywhere to fight. Through that, I will break through the ninth rank and reach the Saint Domain," Arnold stated his goal.

"Mm, that is good. Fourth Brother is constantly seeking trouble with the Radiant Church now. I truly hope he enters the Saint Domain soon. At least then, if he encounters Saint Domain experts while causing trouble for the Radiant Church, he will be able to survive." Yale sighed.

"We all know Linley's character. He will never abandon this hatred. All we can do is hope that he turns danger into safety," Arnold sighed as well.

"You are heading to the Magnolia Empire this time, right?" Yale guessed.

"Yes."

"The Magnolia Empire has so many mages that it can be called a cradle for mages. Once you get there, go find George first. You will definitely gain something." Yale continued.

"Mm."

After the two had a long talk, Arnold began his journey toward the Magnolia Empire.