Early morning, just as dawn was breaking.
In the Springwater Garden of the Palace First Magician's estate.
An earthy yellow glow blanketed the lawn of the Springwater Garden—it was the Earth System magic known as "Gravity Technique." At this moment, Lin Lei was training on the lawn wearing only trousers, his upper body bare.
The muscles on his bare torso were naturally defined like flowing water, without an ounce of excess. The gravitational pull of nearly four times normal meant that not only Lin Lei's surface but also the meridians and blood vessels within his body had to bear four times the force.
Fortunately, having undergone the dragon blood transformation, Lin Lei's physical condition had already reached an entirely new height.
Lin Lei's legs were in a lunge stance, both arms extended to the sides, each gripping a massive stone lock. These two stone locks each weighed a hundred jin. Under four times gravity, the combined weight of both stone locks came to nearly a thousand jin.
His legs were taut as steel cables, Lin Lei's torso perfectly upright, eyes fixed forward, completely motionless.
Static training was an extremely effective method.
Beads of sweat seeped from Lin Lei's skin one drop at a time, and sweat quickly dripped from his temples. Yet Lin Lei persisted…
Even after being awarded the title of so-called "Palace First Magician," Lin Lei spent nearly every day in constant training.
Outside the Springwater Garden, guards stood solemnly at attention, and two maidservants were also standing by at all times, ready to answer Lin Lei's summons. But the gate to the Springwater Garden was closed.
When Lin Lei trained, the greatest taboo was anyone entering.
There had once been an occasion when His Majesty King Clyde of the Fenlei Kingdom arrived, and a palace attendant, disregarding the guards' attempts to stop him, barged into the Springwater Garden to summon Lin Lei before the King. Lin Lei had ordered the attendant to receive twenty military rods on the spot. The frail palace attendant had actually been beaten to death.
Yet afterward, His Majesty Clyde did not blame Lin Lei in the slightest. Instead, he reprimanded his subordinates that they must follow Lin Lei's rules within the Springwater Garden.
"Lord Lin Lei trains so hard. For the entire day, it's either warrior training or magical meditation training. I'm afraid only the time he spends on stone carving can count as a brief rest," one maidservant said softly.
The other maidservant nodded as well. "I've never seen a nobleman train this hard. Back in my hometown, our warrior instructor only trained four hours a day."
The knights of the Church of Light standing guard nearby also felt deep admiration for Lin Lei in their hearts. Generally, once a genius was cloaked in glory, they might decline. The Church of Light produced talented individuals every year, but those people weren't nearly as dazzling as Lin Lei, and once their status rose, they were completely drawn in by worldly pleasures and fell to ruin.
"If Lord Lin Lei continues like this, he'll probably become the youngest ninth-level powerhouse in history, the youngest Saint Realm powerhouse," one of the guarding knights whispered.
The other knights all nodded.
They all deeply admired Lin Lei's diligence in training.
However…
"Lord Lin Lei is just too strict," one maidservant said with a hint of dissatisfaction in a low voice. In their eyes, Lin Lei was handsome, young, demanding of himself, powerful, and had a bright future!
Such a person was practically perfect—only he was far too strict with others. He didn't know how to be gentle or kind, even toward them, the maidservants.
The maidservants and guards assumed that Lin Lei had the stone carving time each day to rest, but unfortunately, they didn't know… that while "carving stone sculptures" was precisely when Lin Lei's mental power grew the fastest. Lin Lei's strength was improving at every moment!
Inside the Springwater Garden.
"Hoo."
After one hour of warrior training, Lin Lei circulated the Dragon Blood Warrior battle qi within his body. Fatigue was rapidly dissipating. Lin Lei picked up a Flat Knife from the nearby table, and at the far end of the lawn, rows of massive boulders had been set up. These were all for Lin Lei to carve.
Looking at the boulder before him, studying its natural grain and texture lines, Lin Lei's mind naturally sketched out a design. In moments, it took the shape of a valiant warrior.
A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Lin Lei's mouth, and the Flat Knife in his hand swept into motion.
The blade danced rhythmically, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, as stone shavings flew continuously. Lin Lei was fully confident, each cut executed with absolute certainty, each stroke delivering precisely the right amount of force.
A wondrous feeling!
Lin Lei's soul merged with the fluctuations of earth elements, sensing the internal grain of the boulder. His soul also fused with wind elements, so that each cut achieved peak precision.
Natural!
Lin Lei's soul was immersed in nature, and nature, like a mother, nurtured Lin Lei's soul, making it grow stronger and stronger.
"Hoo."
With a breath, Lin Lei put down the Flat Knife.
After spending two hours, the entire boulder had now taken the rough shape of a sculpture. As for the detailed carving, Lin Lei planned to continue tomorrow—Lin Lei's time for stone carving each day was limited.
He had to optimally balance his various training methods to maximize the efficiency of his strength improvement!
He had begun training at five in the morning, and now it was eight. It was time for Lin Lei's breakfast.
Setting down the Flat Knife, Lin Lei stripped off his trousers and jumped into the hot spring. Lying in the hot spring, feeling the warm water wash over every muscle of his body, Lin Lei narrowed his eyes in comfort—this rare moment to rest, even if only briefly.
"Come in," Lin Lei called out suddenly.
The two maidservants who had been quietly waiting outside the garden gate immediately entered carrying trays. On the trays were various delicacies, as well as fruits and the like.
"Lord Lin Lei." The two maidservants placed the trays on the nearby table and stood respectfully, awaiting Lin Lei's instructions.
Even respectfully standing nearby, the two maidservants couldn't help stealing glances at Lin Lei from time to time. His bare, powerful male body held great attraction for them.
"You may withdraw."
Lin Lei said calmly.
"Yes, Lord Lin Lei." The two maidservants immediately bowed and left.
From start to finish, Lin Lei hadn't so much as glanced at the two maidservants.
Then, Lin Lei stepped out of the hot spring pool. After changing into a set of dry undergarments and outer clothes, he sat down in a chair and began eating his breakfast.