Age of Evolution

After entering the river, the water reached Lin Zhen’s chest.

Before Lin Zhen could even steady himself, a wave driven by the waterfall slapped him.

Lin Zhen didn’t take it too seriously, as this small wave couldn’t topple him, so he held his chest up and braced for the wave’s arrival.

However, he overlooked one detail – the riverbed wasn’t made of mud, but of slippery wood. When the wave struck, Lin Zhen slipped and fell, swallowing a few mouthfuls of water on the spot.

“Cough cough cough!”

Lin Zhen stood up in embarrassment, wiping the water off his face with his hand.

“My lower body still lacks stability. When I was learning spear techniques from Zhang Guanyue, he once told me that practice without improving your waist made you an ultimately poor martial artist. Having a stable lower body is crucial for a Martial Artist. My immovable like a mountain technique has been well-practiced, but that’s on flat ground. On this slippery riverbed, it’s not as effective. ”

“This place not only allows me to feel the power of the river but also lets me practice my lower body stability so that I can be immovable like a mountain in any environment.”

Another wave came rushing, and this time Lin Zhen adjusted his horse stance, holding his chest up to meet it.

“Boom!”

Kicked by the force of the water, Lin Zhen’s feet uncontrollably slipped again, and he fell into the water in embarrassment.

However, this time Lin Zhen was prepared and didn’t swallow any water. Two seconds later, Lin Zhen climbed back up once more, not admitting defeat as he faced the third wave.

The result was the same. Even though he was prepared, he could not control his feet slipping and fell into the river for the third time.

Lin Zhen didn’t stand in the water for a fourth time but crawled ashore and pondered carefully.

“Something’s wrong. Even though I was prepared, adjusted my stance, and was ready for the water and wave, I still couldn’t help but instinctively shift my attention to the water. I’m somewhat afraid of the impact of the wave.”

“As a result, my energy cannot be concentrated, leading to a lapse in my footwork and slipping. If I can’t overcome the fear of water and waves, the outcome will always be the same no matter how many attempts.”

Lin Zhen found the crux of the problem. He sat cross-legged by the river to rest and adjusted his state to be at its best.

About half an hour later, Lin Zhen opened his eyes, feeling better than ever, and re-entered the river.

Another wave attacked, and while Lin Zhen still couldn’t help but slip, this time he staggered backward for a few steps but did not fall.

“No good, the fear still remains. This difficulty is hard to overcome. This is a human instinct, and it doesn’t rely on one’s will.”

Lin Zhen fell again after another attempt.

After several consecutive tries, Lin Zhen simply lay in the water, not coming out when he was knocked down by the wave again.

With his eyes open and the water moving before his eyes, Lin Zhen’s body involuntarily floated, but he put all of this aside, holding his breath and letting his body drift.

“Lin Zhen, Lin Zhen! You claim to have no fear, yet you can’t even dodge a little water flow? This isn’t something to be hurt or killed by, at most it makes you stumble. What are you afraid of?”

“Afraid of choking on water? No, there’s nothing to fear.”

“Afraid of falling? Even less so. You can just get up if you fall.”

“I understand now. Your fear isn’t from your body, but from your mind. You’re still a normal person. You instinctively resist and fight hard against the oncoming water. But can you harden yourself against the water once, or a hundred times?”

“Even a God, standing here eternally, would eventually be toppled by the water. This is because the water flow is endless, and that’s the principle of water wearing down stone.”

“My focus shouldn’t be on the water, but rather on my feet. As long as I believe that I am a mountain and a mountain peak, no matter how turbulent the water, the water can only flow around me, without affecting me.”

“I am a mountain. I don’t need spear techniques or fancy moves because my body is an uncollapsable mountain peak!”

At this thought, Lin Zhen felt almost suffocated, having laid in the water for ten minutes!

Kicking against the riverbed, Lin Zhen leaped up from the water and, in just a few strides, returned to face the waves of the river.

The waterfall roared down, stirring up several feet high waves with the river water and violently crashing down on Lin Zhen.

This kind of power was the force of nature, coupled with the slippery riverbed below, few people could resist it.

Previously, Lin Zhen would instinctively close his eyes in the face of the water, but this time he didn’t even blink, staring wide-eyed as the waves struck. He exerted force through his feet and became immovable like a mountain!

Booming!

The waves rushed down and then receded as white foam, flowing downstream.

After the waves had passed, Lin Zhen’s body still stood tall like a spear, not moving an inch!

“Hahaha! I’ve done it! This is being immovable like a mountain, this is it! This is the second level of ‘Immovable like a Mountain’ that Zhang Guanyue told me about. As long as you stand like a mountain peak, nothing can shake you!”

“Applying this state of mind to combat, as long as the opponent isn’t much stronger than me, just by relying on this state of mind, their confidence will involuntarily collapse, feeling like they won’t be able to defeat me, without even needing a long spear in hand to achieve it.”

“Haha, success…uh!”

Another wave came and slapped Lin Zhen, who couldn’t help but get emotionally swept away, and fell embarrassingly into the river.

However, this time Lin Zhen quickly stood up, deliberately choosing to stand on the slippery riverbed, allowing the waves to churn but unable to do anything to him.

After dozens of consecutive attempts, Lin Zhen finally fully comprehended the state of being immovable like a mountain.

The biggest benefit of this state of mind for Lin Zhen was that it eliminated his fear. No matter what difficulties and dangers he faced in the future, he would be able to remain calm and composed like a mountain peak.

After resting on the shore for a while, Lin Zhen looked up and saw the sky had brightened a bit.

The harvest of this night was immense; although it was very hard, it greatly improved Lin Zhen’s strength.

Lin Zhen didn’t continue to enter the water to try cultivating in the Long River. He understood the principle of taking things one step at a time, and how to eat a meal one bite at a time. He knew the importance of progressing steadily.

After a difficult meal of Beef Jerky in the morning, Lin Zhen’s desire for food increased with each passing day.

After eating and resting for a while, Lin Zhen decided to explore the surrounding area.

This place was rarely visited by humans, so who Imows, there might be a hidden Star Crystal somewhere. The fewer people there are, the more likely it is for a Star Crystal to be found, and the quality might be even higher.

Putting on his clothes and picking up his shining silver spear, Lin Zhen began exploring the surroundings.

He was in the northern part of the Crown District of the Star Fruit Tree. Lin Zhen headed north first, walking for about four hours before finding himself gradually approaching the edge of the Crown District.

Upon reaching this point, Lin Zhen didn’t proceed further. If he continued forward, he would encounter the corrosive leaves found at the outskirts, and he didn’t want to rot away in there.

He retraced his steps, then continued westward. After more than an hour with no discoveries, Lin Zhen retraced his steps again and headed east.

This time, Lin Zhen’s efforts were finally rewarded.

He discovered that a mere 500 meters away from his little nest, on a tall hidden branch, there were actually flowers blooming!

And it wasn’t just one, there were three flowers!

“It’s like finding something without even looking for it. To think that a Star Crystal was right near my little nest, and I wasted so much time wandering around. ”

Lin Zhen excitedly climbed up the branch and saw the three blossoming flowers.

Upon seeing them, Lin Zhen was immediately attracted.

On the left flower, the Star Crystal had a long tail trailing behind it, floating up and down. It was actually a Meteor Stage Star Crystal!

The one on the right was also a Meteor Stage Crystal, but it seemed even bigger than the one on the left, as if it was about to break through to the Comet Stage.

However, the most exciting and delightful discovery was the flower in the middle. On this flower, the Meteor had already changed, becoming bigger and brighter, casting a silvery light on the surrounding bushes. The tail was also noticeably brighter.

This was actually a Comet Stage Star Crystal!

Martial Artists used Star Crystals, and Star Core Stage and Meteor Stage crystals were best suited for low-level War Generals. If a low-level War General consumed a Comet Stage crystal, their Dantian might not be able to bear it. Even if they were strong enough to withstand it, the effects would be greatly reduced.

Intermediate War Generals were best suited to consume Comet Stage and Satellite Stage Star Crystals. If they took Meteor Stage and Star Core Stage crystals, the effect would not be very significant and would also be discounted, as those two stages of Star Cores are no longer enough to supply the needs of Intermediate War Generals’ Dantian.

Lin Zhen, currently at the early stage of a Four-level War General, was at just the right time to consume a Comet Stage crystal.

Although the Meteor Stage crystals were still slightly useful to Lin Zhen, their usefulness was greatly diminished.

“Hmm, among these three Star Crystals, I should consume the Comet Stage one right away. As for the two Meteor Stage crystals, they are still useful, but it feels a bit wasteful.”

Lin Zhen looked left and right, sensing that it was unlikely for anyone to quickly come upon this location. He finally made a difficult decision.

He carefully picked the Comet Stage Star Crystal, and decided to leave the two Meteor Stage crystals for the time being and pick them when they entered the Comet Stage.

The one on the right seemed to be only a few days away from breaking through to the Comet Stage, and Lin Zhen felt it would be too wasteful to absorb it now.

After readjusting the surrounding leaves to cover the remaining two Star Crystals, Lin Zhen returned quickly, carrying the Comet Stage Star Crystal.

His strength was about to advance once again!