100: Transformation into a Dragon

Gao De stood in the ruins of the altar on the dried-up lakebed, about to turn and leave, when the dragon pearl fossil in his Dantian trembled gently without warning, emitting a wave slightly hotter than usual.

At the same time, the dark brown dragon scale he had just picked up in his embrace also seemed to be drawn to it, heating up slightly.

"Hmm?" Gao De stopped immediately, a warning sign arising in his heart—no, to be more precise, it was a peculiar sensation.

He refocused his attention on the altar, especially the few broken coiled-dragon stone pillars.

Previously, he had only checked them roughly, but now, under the abnormal reaction of the dragon pearl and the dragon scale, he noticed that within the base of one of the seemingly completely broken and fallen pillars, there appeared to be hidden extremely faint energy veins. These veins were faintly connected to the remaining structure of the entire altar; had it not been for the guidance of the dragon pearl and the homologous dragon scale, it would have been impossible to detect.

He walked to the side of the stone pillar, squatted down, placed his palm over the cold and rough cross-section, and carefully guided a wisp of pure Dragon Qi, mixed with the faint aura emitted by the mysterious dragon scale, into it.

"Buzz..."

An almost inaudible hum rang out.

At the base of the broken pillar, those dim runes seemed to be injected with a trace of vitality, very slowly lighting up with a faint glow. The light circulated, and finally, it outlined a blurry halo portal on the cross-section, large enough for only one person to pass through.

This portal was extremely unstable, its light flickering as if it could collapse at any moment.

"A hidden spatial entrance!" Gao De's heart jumped; he hadn't expected this seemingly completely destroyed altar to hide such a profound mystery.

He did not hesitate, knowing that opportunities were fleeting, and with a flash of his figure, he threw himself into the halo portal.

The scene before his eyes shifted, and he appeared in a small, completely enclosed stone room. The stone room was only about a zhang square and empty, save for a fist-sized, dark gold-colored Jade Slip shaped like a reverse scale floating in the very center.

There was no text on the surface of the Jade Slip, yet it naturally exuded an indescribable sense of majesty, antiquity, and even a hint of... determined, rebellious Concept.

Gao De could feel that the source of the abnormal movement of the dragon pearl fossil and the dragon scale in his hand was this dark gold Reversal Scale Jade Slip.

He took a deep breath and slowly probed the Jade Slip with his Divine Thought.

There was no resistance or attack as he had expected; his Divine Thought easily merged into the Jade Slip.

In an instant, a massive stream of information surged into his Sea of Consciousness!

"Reversal Scale Dragon Transformation Chapter"!

This was not a complete Cultivation Technique, but an extremely special, even rebellious, fragment of a secret art!

Its core essence was not to purify the Bloodline step by step or to comprehend the Laws of Heaven and Earth to achieve dragon transformation, but to take a different path. It advocated stimulating the power of the dragon blood and reverse scale in desperate situations, and through enduring and refining extreme pressure, damage, and even destructive energy, to achieve a leap in Bloodline and an essential transformation between life and death!

In short, this was an extreme method of "turning calamity into power" and "building after breaking" through "suffering calamity" and "bearing injury"!

To Cultivate this method, one had to actively seek dangerous situations, draw the power of the calamity into the body, and temper oneself. The process was extremely dangerous, a life-or-death gamble, but once successful, the rewards would be immense, capable of breaking the shackles of conventional Bloodline evolution, and potentially even giving birth to a unique and powerful Divine Ability.

The Jade Slip also contained a residual fragment of the creator's or the last owner's will, filled with unwillingness, anger, and skepticism toward the traditional path to dragon transformation, firmly believing that only by experiencing extreme suffering could one achieve a true, immortal True Dragon.

Gao De slowly withdrew his Divine Thought, shocked beyond measure.

This "Reversal Scale Dragon Transformation Chapter" and the righteous, step-by-step "Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art" he practiced were almost two extremes.

It was dangerous and crazy, but it provided a possibility for rapid Breakthroughs in desperate situations, especially when facing the oppression of strong enemies and needing to improve strength urgently.

"This is simply a desperate trump card prepared for potential crises..." Gao De's eyes flickered.

He was cautious by nature and did not like to take risks, but the appearance of this secret art undoubtedly gave him another option.

Perhaps at some critical moment, this path of the "reverse scale" could have miraculous effects.

He solemnly put away the dark gold Reversal Scale Jade Slip.

The gains from this exploration far exceeded expectations. Not only did he obtain the mysterious dragon scale and clues to the Dragon Palace's secrets, but he also obtained this "taboo" Dragon Transformation secret art.

Leaving the hidden stone room, the halo portal dissipated quietly behind him, and the broken pillar returned to its original state, as if nothing had ever happened.

Gao De took a deep look at the altar ruins and turned to leave.

He knew that the secrets of the Dragon Palace were far more than this, and the appearance of the "Reversal Scale Dragon Transformation Chapter" seemed to hint that the owner of this ancient Dragon Palace might not have entirely followed the traditional path.

With complex thoughts and important gains, Gao De returned to the Water Mansion quietly.

He needed time to digest what he had gained from this exploration; whether it was researching the origin of the dragon scale or comprehending the mysteries of the "Reversal Scale Dragon Transformation Chapter", both required long-term planning.

And in the outside world, the approach of the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce, the expansion of the Thunder Tiger at the Ancient Thunder Pool, the threat of the Qianjiang Dragon King... everything was pushing him to become stronger faster.

Returning to the core Forbidden Ground of the Deep Pool Water Mansion, Gao De did not rush to deal with external affairs, but first calmed his heart and carefully sorted out the gains from this trip to the Dragon Palace Secret Passage.

He placed the dark brown scale from the unknown Dragon Clan in his palm and sensed it repeatedly.

The residual sorrow and desolation within it had faded significantly after the passage of time, but the heavy, mountain-like texture of the Dragon Qi was completely different from the aura of the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon or even the Qianjiang Dragon King he knew; it leaned more towards the earth or some kind of mutated Dragon species.

He tried to stimulate it with his own Dragon Qi, but apart from the scale heating up slightly, there was no further reaction; it seemed that a specific opportunity or method was needed to trigger the information that might be hidden within.

"Perhaps Turtle Three Thousand, who is well-read, can find clues in some ancient records." Gao De carefully put away the scale, not delving deeper for now.

Subsequently, most of his attention was immersed in the "Reversal Scale Dragon Transformation Chapter".

The more he comprehended it, the more he felt the danger and... allure of this secret art.

It was like a double-edged sword; if not wielded well, it would backfire, but if it could be swung at a critical moment, it might truly cut a path to survival in a desperate situation.

The several methods recorded in it for drawing calamity to temper the body and seeking rebirth in destruction were far beyond his past understanding in terms of their bizarre ideas and ruthless means.

"Do not use it lightly unless absolutely necessary." Gao De suppressed the impulse to try it, firmly defining it as one of his final trump cards for survival.

But he also began to consciously adjust the operation of his Demonic Power, trying to understand the Concept of "going against the trend" and "turning pressure into power", which also had significant benefits for solidifying his Foundation and tempering his will.

After coming out of seclusion, he summoned Turtle Three Thousand.

"This subordinate is here." Turtle Three Thousand bowed respectfully, keenly perceiving that Gao De's aura seemed deeper and more restrained, with a hint of indescribable sharpness.

Gao De handed the mysterious dragon scale to Turtle Three Thousand: "Look at this, do you have any impression? Can you identify its origin? Note, do not try to stimulate it by force."

Turtle Three Thousand took it with both hands, examined it carefully, and then closed his eyes to sense it with a secret method unique to the Turtle tribe for a moment, his brows slightly furrowed: "Master, the aura of this scale is ancient and heavy, with inner sorrow; it is definitely not an ordinary Dragon species. This subordinate vaguely feels that its characteristics are somewhat similar to the 'Bedrock Dragon Turtle' clan recorded in ancient books, which once governed the earth and carried mountains, but it seems to be different, with a bit more determination and fierceness. Its specific origin requires checking more ancient classics to confirm. This subordinate will try his best to search for relevant clues."

"Hmm, just keep an eye on this matter." Gao De nodded, not holding too much expectation for this, after all, there were many branches of the Dragon Clan and a long history.

Then, he changed the subject: "How is the preparation for the Chamber of Commerce auction? Also, are there any unusual movements at the Ancient Thunder Pool and Qian River recently?"

Turtle Three Thousand reported immediately: "Replying to Master, Spirit Stones and materials that can be used for trading are being accumulated according to the plan, and there is already a small reserve. Regarding the Ancient Thunder Pool, the Thunder Tiger Demon King's power is expanding quickly; it has initially integrated the Yao Race that surrendered and delineated a clear sphere of influence. There are occasional small frictions with Human Cultivators, but no major wars for now. As for the Qianjiang Dragon King..." He paused, his voice lowering a bit, "Because it is too far away, there is currently no gain."

A flash of realization passed through Gao De's jiao pupils.

Although the Qianjiang Dragon Palace and Lake both belong to branches of the Yunmeng Great Marsh, the difference between people is just too great, and the distance between the two is not close.

"Continue to pay close attention, especially to Qian River. Report to me immediately if there is any movement." Gao De instructed, "In addition, send more capable personnel to collect information about the 'Bedrock Dragon Turtle' and any Dragon Clan related to 'carrying', 'stone tablets', or 'suppression'."

He vaguely felt that the appearance of the dragon scale and the "Reversal Scale Dragon Transformation Chapter" might be related to the secrets once suppressed by the Dragon Palace.

"This subordinate understands."

After Turtle Three Thousand retreated, Gao De pondered alone.

The tip of the iceberg revealed by the Dragon Palace Secret Passage made him realize that the secrets hidden in the waters beneath his feet were far beyond his imagination.

With strong neighbors surrounding him externally and ancient mysteries internally, improving his strength was urgent.

He decided that while waiting for the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce to arrive and monitoring the external situation, he would explore the Dragon Palace Secret Passage more frequently and deeply.

Next time, he would try to charge into those areas he had previously bypassed because he felt they were dangerous.

Although the "Reversal Scale Dragon Transformation Chapter" was dangerous, it also gave him greater confidence to face unknown risks.

At the same time, he also began to consciously polish his Divine Ability, especially the combination of the newly acquired "Thunder Shadow Shuttle" and the original "Breath Concealment" technique, striving to achieve perfection in stealth, surprise attacks, and self-preservation.

Time passed quietly in cultivation, exploration, and planning. Gao De was like a sponge, greedily absorbing all the nutrients that could strengthen himself, waiting for the moment when the real storm would arrive, or perhaps, actively stirring up that storm.