The Heart was formed of stone and soil and pulsed slowly, each beat resonating with a deep, steady rhythm that seemed to echo through the very space around them.

Lin Mu recognized it instantly.

His breath caught.

"That..." he whispered.

The realization struck him fully.

The True Earth Heart Dao Embryo.

Without thinking, he spoke aloud.

"You have the True Earth Heart Dao Embryo too?"

The words caused every elder to pause.

They turned toward him in unison, their expressions shifting from focus to curiosity.

"What do you mean?" one of them asked.

Lin Mu did not answer immediately.

Instead, he raised his own hand.

Dao Traces gathered around him, forming a shell.

His Dao Shell appeared.

Unlike the others, his shell took the form of a shield and within it, his Dao Embryo manifested. It was the same, a heart of stone and soil, pulsing with steady force.

The only difference was clear to all present.

The elder’s Dao Embryo carried deeper refinement, enriched with Dao Insights accumulated over time.

Lin Mu’s, while powerful, was still in a stage of growth.

The two Dao Embryos hovered in the air.

Identical in nature and connected in essence.

For a few moments, the entire realm fell silent.

The elders stared.

Then...

They laughed with full, booming voices that echoed across the realm.

"Excellent!" one of them declared.

"Excellent!" another repeated.

"Excellent!" came the third.

Lin Mu blinked, momentarily taken aback.

He had not expected this reaction.

He lowered his hand slightly, though his Dao Embryo remained visible.

"Why are you praising me?" he asked.

The Mountain Dwarf Elder stepped forward, his expression filled with satisfaction.

"Because you have just given us what we were missing," he said.

Lin Mu frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?"

The elder gestured toward the husk.

"This material resists transformation because its internal structure is too stable," he explained. "It adapts to external forces. It reinforces itself."

He then gestured toward his own Dao Embryo.

"The True Earth Heart represents stability, foundation, endurance." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Then he pointed toward Lin Mu.

"And now there are two of them."

Understanding dawned slowly in Lin Mu’s mind.

"You want to use both," he said.

The elder nodded.

"Not just use them," he replied. "Synchronize them."

Another elder spoke.

"The husk strengthens its defenses against external pressure," he said. "So we will not break it through force alone."

"We will change the conditions within it," another added.

"With two True Earth Heart Dao Embryos," the Rune Dwarf Elder said, "we can create a stabilizing field strong enough to suppress its adaptive response. Its Dao Skill will help too."

Lin Mu’s eyes sharpened.

He could see the logic.

Instead of overwhelming the husk, they would anchor and stabilize it. Prevent it from reacting. And only then refine it.

The Fireforge Elder crossed his arms, a faint grin forming on his face.

"Now," he said, "this becomes interesting."

Lin Mu looked at his Dao Embryo, then at the elders.

For the first time since the process had begun, he felt a sense of alignment. He was no longer just an observer. He had become a necessary part of the process. And whatever came next would depend on him as much as it did on the dwarven masters.

The realization that Lin Mu could actively contribute to the forging process changed the atmosphere within the Dao Forge entirely. What had begun as a daunting and uncertain task now carried a new sense of direction.

The elders no longer treated him as an outsider seeking their aid. In their eyes, he had become a necessary component of the process itself, someone whose presence could determine success or failure.

Lin Mu did not hesitate. When the Mountain Dwarf Transcendent gestured for him to step forward, he complied without a word. He steadied his breathing, centered his mind, and allowed his Dao Embryo to rise once more.

The moment his True Earth Heart Dao Embryo manifested, the Dao Forge reacted.

Subtle ripples spread across the space, as if acknowledging his presence. The Mountain Dwarf Elder mirrored his actions, summoning his own Dao Embryo, and for a brief moment, the two pulsing stone hearts hovered side by side, beating in quiet synchrony.

"Let it resonate," the elder instructed.

Lin Mu nodded and guided his Dao Embryo forward.

The connection formed almost instantly.

The two Dao Embryos did not merely align, they merged!

Lin Mu felt it clearly. It was not a physical merging, nor was it a simple overlap of energy. It was deeper, more profound. Their Dao Traces intertwined, their rhythms synchronized, and for a fleeting moment, Lin Mu felt as if his own comprehension of the Earth Dao had expanded beyond his current limits.

At the same time, another connection formed.

The Dao Forge.

The merged Dao Embryo resonated with it, creating a triad of linkage between Lin Mu, the Mountain Dwarf Elder, and the forge itself. Lin Mu could feel the elder’s presence through that connection. Not his thoughts, but his intent, his experience, and his understanding of the Earth Dao.

The elder turned to look at him, a faint smile forming beneath his thick beard.

"Have you learned the Dao Skills of the Embryo?" he asked.

Lin Mu met his gaze and answered without hesitation.

"I know both," he said. "The Earthen Armament Aspect and the Aspect of Heaviness."

The elder blinked.

Then he laughed.

A deep, booming sound that echoed through the Dao Forge realm.

"This will be easier than I thought," he said with clear satisfaction. "I assumed you had only grasped one."

Lin Mu frowned slightly.

"Do most people only learn one?" he asked.

The elder nodded.

"That is the norm," he replied. "Most cultivators take a long time to comprehend the second aspect. Many only manage it at the fifth or sixth tribulation stage."

Another Mountain Dwarf Elder stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Lin Mu with renewed interest.

"How long did it take you?" he asked.

Lin Mu answered honestly.

"I learned both while I was still in the Dao Treading realm."