10: Opportunity

The roar of Spells and the furious shouts of the Lin Family Cultivators still seemed to echo in his ears.

Gao De pushed Water Escape and the Water Control Art to their limits. The Demonic Power boiling within him from devouring the Golden Scale Carp burned recklessly, transforming into a streak of black light that almost tore through the water's surface. In a moment of extreme danger, he 'squeezed' out through that weak point in the Formation once more, just before the Lin Family Cultivators could surround him!

The moment he broke free from the Formation's range, he didn't linger for a second. He dove headfirst into the complex undercurrents and reef forests on the shaded side of the island. Exerting his Breath Concealment (Blue) talent to its Peak, he vanished completely like a drop of water merging into the ocean. After a few sharp turns, he left behind nothing but a stretch of murky water filled with the anger and frustration of his pursuers.

Only after escaping far from the Lin Family's sphere of influence and confirming he was absolutely safe did Gao De stop in a hidden underwater cave. He was 'panting' heavily—not from exhaustion, but because the surging energy from the five High Grade Golden Scale Carp, and especially that 'Pseudo-Flood Dragon,' was erupting within him like a volcano!

[Devoured: High Grade Golden Scale Carp (Rank One High Grade Spirit Fish)]

[Bloodline Energy Gained: +0.5%]... [Devoured: Mutated Golden Scale Carp (Pseudo-Flood Dragon Species)]

[Bloodline Energy Gained: +1.2%!]

[Dragon Fish Bloodline significantly purified!]

[Bloodline Power slightly increased!]

[Current Dragon Fish Bloodline: 26.8%... 27.5%... 29.1%...]

The warm current was no longer a stream but had turned into a surging river, frantically washing over his Bloodline, demonic body, and Soul!

His body writhed violently within the black light. His scales opened and closed, making faint sounds like clashing metal. Those two thin golden lines suddenly flared up, spreading more and more complex golden patterns across his body, as if some ancient totem were Awakening.

When the last trace of energy was fully absorbed, a sense of fullness and power unlike anything he had felt before filled his entire being.

He could clearly 'see' that his Bloodline concentration had finally settled at a brand-new height!

[Dragon Fish Bloodline Breakthrough: 30%!]

[Realm Stabilized: Rank One Peak]

[New Talent Awakened: Size As Desired (White)]

[Talent Description: Allows the user to freely change their body size within a certain range. Current effect: Minimum size can shrink to one foot, maximum size can expand to thirty feet. Transformation does not affect original strength or total Demonic Power, but size affects physical attack range, defensive strength, and flexibility.]

[Bloodline concentration further enhanced!]

"I've finally broken through!" An uncontrollable wild joy surged in Gao De's heart.

With a thought, his massive body rapidly shrank amidst flickering black light. In the blink of an eye, he turned into a 'small fish' only a foot long, pitch-black with golden patterns. If one didn't look closely at that ferocious head and cold vertical pupils, he was almost indistinguishable from an ordinary lake fish.

With another thought, his form suddenly expanded, turning into a thirty-foot-long behemoth. His scales were grim, and as his tail flicked, it created surging undercurrents. He was full of majesty!

Although Size As Desired was currently only of White quality with a limited range of transformation and no effect on his core strength, it was still a divine skill whether used for concealment, infiltration, or a sudden burst of size for a surprise attack or intimidation! This trip to the Lin Family, though fraught with danger, had yielded rewards far exceeding his expectations!

Just as he was immersed in the joy of his skyrocketing strength, that familiar and terrifying sound of breaking through the air came again from the high, distant sky!

Gao De instantly restrained all his aura, shrank to one foot in size, and pressed himself against the shadows of the cave wall, looking up.

He saw two streaks of light—one black and one red—brimming with Evil Qi. They had returned and were slowly circling and searching the nearby sky along their previous pursuit route. Their speed was not fast, and their Divine Sense swept over the mountains and lakes below like a comb, clearly searching for something.

"Big brother, that woman from the Hundred Beasts Sect must have hidden the item near here! Her Soul was destroyed before she died, and her Storage Pouch was full of junk. She must have thrown the real treasure away beforehand!" An anxious voice came from the red light.

The black light gave a cold snort, its voice somber: "Search carefully! That secret treasure concerns the final Legacy of the Hundred Beasts Sect. It's said there's even a chance for Core Formation! She fled here with all her might before we caught up. The item is definitely in this area. Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find it for me!"

Their words were like ice water, dousing the joy that had just risen in Gao De.

It seemed that the descendant of the Hundred Beasts Sect who had thrown the item away hadn't escaped their cruel hands after all.

And these two malevolent stars indeed suspected the item was hidden and had now returned to search thoroughly!

Gao De's heart sank. His previous decision to give up on picking it up had been wise.

But now, these two Qi Refining Peak Cultivators were circling overhead like maggots on a corpse. His plan to discard the 'hot potato' might fall through.

If the item was found, that would be the end of it; but if it remained unfound, would these two stay for a long time, perhaps even attracting more trouble?

Shrinking in his tiny cave, he felt those two Divine Senses sweeping over him like physical objects. The joy of his recent Breakthrough was diluted by a massive sense of crisis.

His increase in strength didn't seem to have pulled him out of his predicament; instead, it had dragged him into an even deeper whirlpool.

The trouble with the Lin Family hadn't fully subsided, and now two even stronger malevolent stars were blocking his doorstep.

The path to becoming a Dragon was indeed filled with thorns at every step.

He had to be more careful, more patient, and find a sliver of life in the cracks of these double or even multiple crises.

His gaze involuntarily turned once more toward the dark lake bottom where that falling object might be, his thoughts racing.

This time, perhaps he could no longer simply hide?

The black and red streaks of light were like Soul-reaping ghosts, repeatedly circling and searching the nearby sky. Their powerful Divine Senses swept over the lake surface again and again, even penetrating dozens of feet underwater, terrifying the fish and shrimp and unsettling the aquatic tribes.

Gao De shrank in his small cave, operating his Breath Concealment talent to its extreme. Even his heartbeat nearly stopped, as if he had truly become a piece of cold rock.

His heart was tense, fearing those two Divine Senses would discover the unusual 'foreign object' at the bottom of the lake or notice the subtle abnormality of his own hiding place.

Time passed slowly in the oppressive silence.

Finally, after searching several times and practically 'plowing' through this stretch of water, the two in the black and red lights seemed to have exhausted their patience.

"Big brother, could it have been washed away by the current? Or sunk to a deeper place?" the Cultivator in the red light asked, his tone filled with unwillingess.

The black light remained silent for a moment before a somber voice came: "It's possible. But the situation at the bottom of this lake is complex with many undercurrents. Neither of us is skilled in underwater combat, so the risk of a deep search is not small. Forget it, perhaps it is the will of heaven. Let's leave this place for now and plan further. The Restriction on that thing is special; no one can open it for a while. As long as it's still in the lake, there will be a way!"

With that, the two streaks of light no longer lingered. Carrying their full measure of disappointment and unspent greed, they turned into flowing light and quickly disappeared into the horizon. Perhaps, this time, they had truly left.

After a long while, only after confirming those two auras had completely vanished did Gao De slowly breathe a sigh of relief and return to his normal size.

But he didn't feel at ease; instead, he was even more worried. Their conversation showed they hadn't given up, only retreated temporarily.

That "Hundred Beasts Sect Secret Treasure" was like a deep-water bomb that could be detonated at any time.

"I absolutely cannot let it stay near me, nor can it be left in an obvious place." Gao De's eyes flickered as he made up his mind.

He couldn't rely on luck; he had to take the initiative to eliminate the hidden danger.

He quietly left the cave once more, swimming like a ghost toward the general area where he remembered the object falling.

Relying on his stronger Spiritual Sense after his promotion and his perception of the water currents, he soon located an abnormal fluctuation point on a lakebed mixed with silt and water grass. It was extremely weak and almost undetectable unless one was specifically searching for it.

He carefully manipulated the water currents like the most dexterous fingers, gently brushing aside the top layer of silt and water grass fragments.

An old Storage Pouch, about the size of a palm, made of a material that was neither metal nor wood, with a dull color and complex beast patterns engraved on its surface, lay there quietly.

It seemed to possess its own concealment Restriction. Unless one was extremely close and knew the exact location, it would be very difficult to find.

Gao De didn't touch it with any part of his body. He simply continued to use the Water Control Art to manipulate a gentle and steady stream of water, which acted like an invisible hand to lightly lift the Storage Pouch.

He didn't dare take it back to his cave; that would be no different from inviting disaster upon himself.

He looked around and selected a spot on the lakebed where the shadows of two massive reefs met, with a soft layer of sediment beneath.

He manipulated the water currents and began to 'dig' into that part of the lakebed.

Under his fine control, the water current acted like an invisible drill, silently penetrating downward and digging a vertical pit several fathoms deep.

The entire process was extremely careful, not stirring up too much silt to avoid leaving obvious traces.

Finally, he manipulated the water current holding the Storage Pouch, slowly lowering it to the bottom of the pit. Then, he carefully guided the surrounding silt to fill it back in, completely burying and packing the pit until it looked no different from the surrounding lakebed. He even simulated the traces of water flowing over it perfectly.

After doing all this, Gao De checked it carefully several more times. Once he confirmed there were no flaws, he finally felt completely at ease.

"This way, even if those two return with some detection Magical Artifact, finding this object buried several fathoms deep in such a vast lakebed will be no easy task," Gao De thought to himself. "Even if something happens in the future and this thing is discovered, it won't be traced back to me."

Having dealt with this greatest hidden danger, Gao De felt a wave of relief.

He looked at the burial site once more, as if to firmly commit the location to memory.

Perhaps one day in the future, when he possessed enough strength to not fear the threat of those two in black and red, he would return to claim this 'Opportunity'.

But for now, it was just a 'danger' that needed to be buried deep.

He flicked his tail fin and turned to swim back toward the cave.

The priority now was to continue digesting the gains from devouring the Golden Scale Carp, stabilize his Rank One Peak Realm, and familiarize himself with his newly awakened Size As Desired talent.

The trouble with the Lin Family might not have fully subsided, and the Green Wave Sect's 'Water Purification' period was also like a hanging sword. He had to seize every moment to make himself stronger.

The lake bottom returned to silence, with only the undercurrents still flowing soundlessly, guarding that unknown secret.

And Gao De's path to becoming a Dragon, after experiencing a series of dangers and choices, continued to move forward steadily amidst caution and the pursuit of power.