30: Cyber ​​intelligence

In terms of hunting, he became more cautious and efficient. Through several intelligence exchange "domains" accessed via the tianji mirror, he could obtain advance information on the general movements of human Sect exploration teams, abnormal Yao Beast activities in certain areas, and even vague rumors about rare Yao Beast sightings.

This allowed him to always avoid the brunt of danger and accurately find targets suitable for himself with controllable risks.

He was no longer limited to old places like "Craggy Stream." Based on information from the tianji mirror, his range of activity began to expand toward more remote and hidden waters.

Over several years, he successfully hunted three more Second Order Demon Beasts with special Bloodlines: a "Phantom Water Spider" skilled in stealth and Soul impact, a "Golden Stone Giant Crab" with a shell containing Gengjin Qi and amazing defensive power, and an "Ice Crystal Mysterious Snake" capable of controlling ice.

[Writing here, I hope readers remember our domain name. Reading Taiwan novels is always the first choice.]

After every hunt, he would immediately seek a safe place and set up an increasingly proficient blood-quenching Formation to extract the essence from the prey's body to the maximum extent.

As his Cultivation of the Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon deepened, the Essence Blood he extracted became purer, and his absorption efficiency increased.

This high-quality Essence Blood became an important supplement to his Bloodline improvement, besides blood stones.

At the same time, he also began trying to use the tianji mirror for some "online" transactions.

He specifically found a small trading domain with a relatively good reputation that focused on anonymity. Through layers of encryption and paying a small amount of Spirit Stones as a fee to intermediaries, he sold off the Yao Beast Materials useless to him and some low-grade Spiritual Plants in batches, exchanging them for Spirit Stones and practical resources—such as "Qi Recovery Pills" that could quickly restore Demonic Power, "Bone Strengthening Pills" to strengthen the Physical Body, and some Jade Slips containing niche knowledge and regional information.

This process was not entirely smooth sailing. He also encountered scammers trying to rob him or dishonest merchants offering prices far below market value.

But under Gao De's Spiritual Sense perception, which far exceeded his Rank, and his cautious nature, he successfully avoided these pitfalls.

A few successful transactions not only allowed his Spirit Stone reserves to break the five-thousand mark but also let him initially establish a hidden channel for acquiring resources.

Under his command, the aquatic Demon Soldiers also saw significant development over these years.

Benefiting from the nourishment of Yao Beast flesh and blood left over from Gao De's hunting—preliminarily purified by the blood-quenching Formation—and the continuous Cultivation of that basic Dragon Clan Cultivation Technique, the Demon Soldiers' strength improved steadily.

The number of First Order Late Stage Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals had stabilized at around thirty. Among them, the "veterans" who followed him earliest had reached the First Order Peak in aura, only needing an Opportunity to try and Breakthrough to the Second Order!

What pleased Gao De even more was that with the slight growth of their intelligence and day-to-day training, their mastery of the "Mystic Water Entanglement Formation" became increasingly proficient.

Now, with thirty Demon Soldiers working together, they could stably trap a Second Tier Mid-stage Yao Beast for more than ten breaths!

This provided a crucial guarantee for him to hunt more powerful targets.

Gao De even began to try, based on fragments from his Legacy memories combined with his shallow understanding of human Artifact Refining techniques learned from Jade Slips traded on the tianji mirror, to guide those few First Order Peak Crab Generals.

Using their hardest molted shells mixed with some collected metal Ore, he crudely refined a simple "armor plate" that could slightly enhance defense and pincer strike power. This was a small but significant first step toward "Standard-issue Demon Soldier Armor."

One day, Gao De had just finished a short period of secluded Cultivation and was browsing information through the tianji mirror.

Suddenly, an inconspicuous piece of news in an intelligence domain caught his attention.

The message came from an anonymous Divine Thought, and the content was somewhat vague: "...Suspected abnormal leyline fluctuations sensed near 'Black Water Stream' at the southwestern edge of the Yunmeng Great Marsh, accompanied by faint Dragon Qi. It seems a rare treasure may be about to emerge. However, Demon Soldiers under the command of the 'Rot Poison Swamp Dragon' have been frequently active in this area recently. Danger level: High."

"Black Water Stream... abnormal Dragon Qi... Rot Poison Swamp Dragon..." Gao De's heart stirred.

The Rot Poison Swamp Dragon, he remembered, was the Third Order Peak poison Dragon that appeared at the auction, a mortal enemy of the Crimson Feather Thunder Eagle.

And the words "Dragon Qi" deeply touched his Bloodline as a Dragon Fish.

"Is it a trap? Or a real Opportunity?" Gao De did not get excited immediately.

He knew well that the authenticity of information in the Heavenly Secret Realm was hard to distinguish, especially such anonymous news, which could very well be bait set by someone with ulterior motives.

He calmed his mind and began to cross-verify through various channels.

He reviewed all relevant information fragments regarding "Black Water Stream" and the "Rot Poison Swamp Dragon" from the past few months; spent ten Spirit Stones to buy more detailed data from an "information peddler" specializing in the edge of the Yunmeng Great Marsh; and even used a newly developed, minor "informant"—a turtle with nascent intelligence he had won over with Medicinal Pills—to scout the outskirts of Black Water Stream from afar.

A few days later, information from multiple sources was summarized.

The leylines at Black Water Stream were indeed somewhat unstable recently, with occasional abnormal Spiritual Qi leaking out.

The Rot Poison Swamp Dragon's subordinates were indeed stepping up patrols in that area, seemingly searching for something.

But there was no more definitive evidence regarding "Dragon Qi" and "rare treasures."

"Better to believe it exists than not." Gao De finally made a decision.

Even if there was only a one percent chance, it was worth his attention.

After all, things related to "Dragon Qi" were of immense value to him.

But he would never rush there recklessly.

"Wait and see first, let the bullet fly for a while," Gao De planned.

He decided to closely monitor all news about Black Water Stream through the tianji mirror, especially the movements of the Rot Poison Swamp Dragon and its old rival, the Crimson Feather Thunder Eagle; on the other hand, he would also speed up his own Cultivation and the training of the Demon Soldiers.

If something really happened there, strength would be the foundation for fishing in troubled waters.

He glanced at the Demon Soldiers practicing Formations seriously outside the Immortal Cave, then felt the steadily growing Bloodline Power and Demonic Power within his body.

"The time before the storm is the best time to accumulate strength." Gao De closed his eyes and sank into Cultivation again.

His Spiritual Sense, however, was like an invisible net, quietly covering that vortex-like place called "Black Water Stream" through the tianji mirror.