Hillman mustered his last shred of strength and barely escaped the battlefield of the two Saint-level magical beasts. He was drenched in blood, his broken ribs sending stabbing pains through his internal organs. Every breath burned with pain, and his back, grazed by the shock wave moments earlier, was a bloody ruin, with wounds deep enough to expose bone. He staggered through the forest, his Battle Qi nearly exhausted. He barely had the strength to sustain his Earth Affinity Talent and could only stumble away from the battlefield on the instinct to survive.
[Ding! Host's vital signs continue to decline! Six broken ribs, severe internal trauma, Battle Qi reserves remaining: 3%!] [Warning! The shock waves from the battle between the Purple-Striped Black Bear and the Crimson Flame Demon Python are still spreading. Estimated time until they reach the current area: fifteen minutes!] [Recommendation: immediately find a concealed area containing Earth Elemental Energy to heal, or your life will be in danger!]
The system's alarms rang out urgently. Hillman's vision kept darkening, and he nearly collapsed. Fighting the dizziness in his head, he frantically scanned his surroundings. Just then, he noticed a cave entrance beneath the cliff to his left, concealed by vines and weeds. A faint fluctuation of Earth Elemental Energy seeped from its mouth.
"That's the place!"
Hillman gritted his teeth and moved over with all his remaining strength. He pushed aside the tangled vines, bent down, and entered the cave. It was pitch-black inside. The smell of damp earth washed over him, mingled with a faint metallic tang of ore. He felt his way forward a few steps, the soft, decaying leaves beneath his feet gradually giving way to hard rock. The farther he went, the denser the Earth Elemental Energy in the air became. Even his disordered Battle Qi began to show faint signs of settling.
[Ding! Natural limestone cavern detected. Earth Elemental Energy concentration is ten times that of the outside world!] [Underground passage detected. Extremely powerful Earth Element origin fluctuations exist at the end of the passage! Host is advised to explore deeper!]
Joy stirred in Hillman's heart. Following the system's guidance, he stumbled deeper into the passage. It twisted and turned, narrowing and widening by turns. After about an hour, a faint glow suddenly appeared ahead. A vast, steady energy fluctuation slowly reached him through the rock, like a sleeping dragon, making every pore in his body involuntarily relax.
He quickened his pace and emerged from the passage. The sight before him stopped him short.
At the end of the passage lay a vast underground cavern with no end in sight. Countless oddly shaped stalactites hung from its ceiling, emitting a faint, lustrous white light that illuminated the entire cavern like a dreamlike fairyland. Crisscrossing fissures covered the ground, and streams of ocher energy occasionally spilled from them, flowing into a spring at the cavern's center. Water burbled within the spring. Amid the swirling mist, the Earth Element origin power was so dense it was almost tangible; a single breath left all his meridians feeling wonderfully at ease.
[Ding! Underground Origin Spring detected! Earth Elemental Energy concentration is fifty times that of the outside world!] [Source of Earth Pulsation detected! This is a sacred site for Earth Element cultivation and can help the host recover from injuries and break through to the Saint level!]
Earth Pulsation!
Hillman's heart jolted. The Dragonblood Secret Manual had recorded that Earth Pulsation was the core source of Earth Elemental Energy, a concrete manifestation of the Laws of the Earth. Half-Step Saint-level powerhouses could only borrow the energy of heaven and earth. Only by touching Earth Pulsation could they truly open the door to the Saint level and reach the threshold of the laws.
Unable to contain his excitement any longer, he staggered to the spring and sat cross-legged. Hillman took the only supreme-grade healing pill left in his Storage Space and swallowed it. As it entered his stomach, a warm current instantly swept through his body, nourishing his damaged internal organs and meridians. Then he put the Healing Method from the Dragonblood Secret Manual into practice, guiding the Earth Element origin power at the spring to slowly mend his wounds.
The cavern's Earth Elemental Energy poured steadily into him like the gentlest stream. Nourished by the energy, his broken ribs healed at a visible rate; his damaged meridians were gradually restored, like withered trees returning to life in spring; his depleted Battle Qi also began to recover slowly, growing ever more condensed.
After an unknown length of time, Hillman's wounds had healed, and his Battle Qi had returned to its former state, becoming even more abundant than before. He could clearly sense that the Half-Step Saint-level bottleneck that had obstructed him for so long was beginning to loosen. All it needed was an opportunity to shatter.
Hillman took a deep breath, cast aside every distracting thought, and sank all his spiritual power into his dantian before slowly extending it underground.
His spiritual power stretched slowly downward like gossamer threads, following the spring's channels. Soon, he sensed a vast, steady force. It was like a dragon's heart, each beat making all the Earth Elemental Energy in the cavern tremble.
That was Earth Pulsation!
Thump-thump-thump-
The steady sound of pulsation echoed in his mind, carrying the weight and all-embracing nature unique to the earth. Hillman dared not show the slightest impatience and simply sensed the rhythm of that force in silence. At times it was gentle, at times rapid; at times it resembled towering waves, at others a trickling stream. His spiritual power slowly rose and fell with the rhythm of Earth Pulsation, becoming one with the Earth Elemental Energy in the cavern and with the earth beneath his feet.
He recalled his five months in Mist Canyon and his repeated sparring sessions with the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon. He remembered the weight behind each of the Iron-Armored Dragon's claw strikes, the steadiness of every sweep of its tail, and the aura of that great dragon as it became one with the canyon. So the power I had been seeking all along was within the earth beneath my feet.
Drawn by Earth Pulsation, the Battle Qi within him began surging wildly, hammering against that invisible bottleneck again and again. Hillman clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as sweat soaked his clothes. He could clearly sense the cracks in the bottleneck multiplying and deepening.
As though summoned, the Earth Element origin power within the cavern streamed endlessly into his body. The stalactites shone ever more brilliantly. Within the fissures in the ground, streams of energy merged into rivers, enveloping Hillman's body.
Finally, with a crisp crack, the bottleneck that had obstructed him for so long shattered!
Vast Saint-level Battle Qi surged through every part of his body like floodwaters bursting through a dam. The origin power tempered Hillman's flesh, making it ever tougher. His aura grew increasingly weighty, merging perfectly with the earth of the cavern.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on breaking through to the Saint level! Physical strength increased by 50%! Battle Qi foundation increased by 100%!] [Deep resonance between the host and Earth Pulsation detected. Initial comprehension of the Laws of the Earth achieved!]
Hillman slowly opened his eyes, an ocher gleam flashing through them. He gently raised a hand and pressed down through the air toward a millstone-sized rock nearby.
Hum!
An invisible power of law instantly enveloped the rock, and the surrounding Earth Elemental Energy surged wildly. The hard rock shrank and condensed at a visible rate, finally becoming a hard, fist-sized ocher crystal.
Hillman slowly lowered his hand. Sensing the surging Saint-level Battle Qi within him and the profound Law Fragments in his mind, he gave a gratified smile.
From struggling at every step in Mist Canyon to narrowly escaping death in the Magical Beast Forest, his efforts had finally borne fruit today!
He stood and gazed at the glow overhead, his eyes shining with anticipation for the future. He knew that comprehending the laws was only a beginning. His true path to becoming strong had only just begun.
The Iron-Armored Dragon in Mist Canyon was still waiting for him, and countless opportunities and challenges awaited him in the depths of the Magical Beast Forest.
Hillman took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the Fine Iron Longsword in his hand. He had undergone a complete transformation. He was no longer a Half-Step Saint-level who could only flee in panic, but a true Saint-level powerhouse!
He turned and headed out of the cavern, his steps steady, carrying a weighty aura that was one with the earth.
A new journey had begun.
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