36: award

"First trial passed. Evaluation: Superior. Rewards: Branding of the Basic Water Element Body Tempering Art, one Dragon Qi Crystal (Micro)."

A faint light merged into Gao De's brow, and a method on how to efficiently temper the Physical Body using Water Spiritual Qi was imprinted into his mind. Though it was only basic, the concepts were ancient and exquisite, providing great inspiration for him to perfect his own cultivation system.

At the same time, a golden crystal about the size of a fingernail, emitting a pure Dragon Clan aura, fell into his claws.

Gao De was delighted and quickly put away the Dragon Qi Crystal. This thing was a treasure; whether absorbed directly or traded in the future, it was of great value.

"Elite Trial, Second Task: 'Courage of Breaking Waves'. In the 'Ten Thousand Streams Returning to the Abyss Formation', travel against the current to reach the finish line. Time limit: one stick of incense."

The scene changed again, and Gao De appeared at the entrance of a violent energy channel composed of countless turbulent whirlpools.

The water flow within the channel was incredibly rapid, hiding strangling forces, with various water blades, ice spikes, and turbulent impacts generated out of thin air, as if he were truly in the eye of the Returning Abyss Sea.

Gao De took a deep breath, and his Water Control Art operated at full power. A faint light shimmered on his scales as he pushed against the immense pressure like a true flood dragon, charging boldly into the torrent... Relying on his solid strength, cautious judgment, and the slight improvement in water control from the newly acquired Basic Water Element Body Tempering Art, Gao De emerged from the Ten Thousand Streams Returning to the Abyss Formation within the time limit without any major incidents, though a few shallow white marks were left on his body.

"Second trial passed. Evaluation: Average. Reward: Three Low Grade Water Spirit Pearls."

Three egg-sized pearls containing pure Water Spiritual Qi fell. These could be used to quickly recover Demonic Power and were quite practical.

"Elite Trial, Final Task: 'Wisdom of Water Control'. Break through the 'Mystic Water Miasma' and find the core Formation eye."

This time, Gao De fell into a boundless thick fog.

This mist could not only block Divine Sense detection but also contained the power to confuse the mind, causing one to lose all sense of direction as if in a labyrinth.

Gao De calmed down and did not rush blindly.

He recalled the patterns of the soldier city's architectural layout he had observed earlier, combined with his perception of water vapor flow from the Water Control Art, and... the unicorn horn atop his head glowed slightly. Although the Unicorn Law-Breaking talent was mainly aimed at energy structures, it also seemed to have a certain sensing and weakening effect on this type of miasma Formation.

Like a seasoned hunter, he moved cautiously through the mist, avoiding areas with chaotic auras that were clearly traps. Relying on his comprehensive abilities, he drew closer step by step to the source of that faint, rhythmic energy fluctuation in the mist... Finally, deep within the fog, he touched a floating blue light sphere composed of countless runes.

The moment he touched it, the mist completely dissipated.

"Final trial passed. Evaluation: Superior. Comprehensive Rating: Excellent."

"Awarded the military rank branding of a probationary 'Water Patrol Officer'. With this branding, you may go to the 'Legacy Hall of Cultivation Techniques' to select one technique corresponding to your clearance."

A complex light-blue runic mark, containing a faint but pure Dragon Qi, merged beneath the scales on Gao De's forehead. It flashed slightly and then vanished.

He immediately felt that his connection with this Grotto-heaven seemed to have tightened slightly, and his affinity for Water Spiritual Qi also had a minor increase.

The military rank branding itself was a reward!

"Trial concluded. Teleporting to the outskirts of the Legacy Hall of Cultivation Techniques."

In a flash of light, Gao De found himself in a square in front of a relatively intact and grand palace.

The middle-aged Cultivator, the Green-Shelled Demonic Crab, and the Lan Clan member who had entered earlier also appeared here.

They all looked somewhat disheveled, their auras fluctuating, clearly having undergone their own trials, but their eyes held excitement, indicating they each had gains.

However, before they had a chance to communicate, or even look at the ancient-aura-emitting Legacy Hall of Cultivation Techniques right before them, a dull, thunderous dragon roar, mixed with the violent explosion of energy, suddenly echoed from the central area of the Grotto-heaven world!

That sound contained terrifying pressure and rage, far beyond what the Poison Flood Dragon could compare to, as if some fearsome existence had been awakened in the core of the Grotto-heaven and a world-shaking battle was breaking out!

The entire Grotto-heaven world trembled slightly in this booming sound!

The expressions of Gao De and the others changed simultaneously.

Opportunity was right before them, but a greater storm seemed to be brewing at the Grotto-heaven's core! Should they go to the Legacy Hall to obtain techniques, or head to the central area to investigate? Or... find a way to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible?

A new choice lay before Gao De... Facing the terrifying dragon roar and the thunder of battle from the center of the Grotto-heaven, Gao De made a decision almost without hesitation.

The conflict in the central area was at too high a level; it was definitely not something he could get involved in right now.

The pressure contained in that dragon roar caused the dragon blood in his body to stagnate; it was absolutely a fourth-rank existence! Going there blindly would be no different from seeking death.

His goal was clear and definite: use the slight clearance provided by the 'Water Patrol Officer' branding to search for any remaining opportunities in the relatively safe outskirts while closely monitoring the changes in the Grotto-heaven to find an exit!

The Legacy Hall of Cultivation Techniques was right in front of him, a massive temptation, but with the outbreak in the central area, there was no guarantee it wouldn't be affected.

Gao De suppressed the urge to enter the Legacy Hall immediately. His body flickered, turning into an inconspicuous shadow in the water as he sneaked along the edge of the square, heading in the opposite direction of the central area toward those relatively low, damaged side halls and barracks ruins.

With Breath Concealment fully active, his Divine Sense acted like the finest comb, cautiously scanning every ruined wall and broken tile he passed along the way.

During this time, he also noticed that the middle-aged Cultivator and the Lan Clan member, after a brief hesitation, gritted their teeth and rushed toward the Legacy Hall of Cultivation Techniques, while the Green-Shelled Demonic Crab, like him, chose a more conservative search of the outskirts.

The booming sounds from the center of the Grotto-heaven became more frequent, occasionally mixed with angry dragon roars and a sharp, Soul-tearing screech.

The battle had clearly reached a fever pitch. Terrifying energy fluctuations swept across the entire Grotto-heaven like tides, causing space to distort slightly, and even the architectural remains in the outskirts began to shed stone dust.

"This Grotto-heaven... seems to be becoming unstable." Alarm bells rang in Gao De's mind.

He could feel that the power of the Law constituting this world was becoming chaotic, and a fragile palpitation came from the 'borders' of space.

He accelerated his search speed.

In a corner of what seemed to be a warehouse side hall, relying on the faint sensing of Unicorn Law-Breaking, he found a small pile of metal fragments buried under rubble. Although their spirituality was mostly lost, the material was still extraordinary; they seemed to be the remains of some standard-issue weapon and might yield something good if refined.

In another barracks ruin, he found a damaged Jade Slip recording a certain combined water battle Formation from the hidden compartment of a decayed jade box. Although incomplete, it was of great reference value for training his Demon Soldiers.

The gains were small, but better than nothing.

Gao De's mindset was steady; safety came first, and any gain was a profit.

However, the great battle in the central area seemed to have completely triggered some hidden danger.

Rumble—!!!

An unprecedented roar, as if heaven and earth were splitting apart, came from the core!

Immediately afterward, the entire Grotto-heaven world shook and swayed violently!

It was no longer the slight tremor from before, but a world-turning upheaval like an earthquake!

Gao De looked up in horror, only to see cobweb-like cracks appearing on the hazy sky above!

Countless tiny spatial fragments peeled off and dissipated like ice and snow.

The bluestone slabs beneath his feet cracked in large patches, and the distant palaces collapsed in swaths, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Not good! This Grotto-heaven is about to collapse!" From afar came the panicked mental fluctuations of the Green-Shelled Demonic Crab.

The cold, ancient voice also rang out again, but it was full of static and intermittent: "Warning... Core sustained... attack... energy imbalance... Grotto-heaven structure... unsustainable... descent procedure... forced activation..."

The long period without maintenance, combined with the full-force battle of fourth-rank existences at this moment, had finally brought this already fragile Grotto-heaven to its end!

Its range began to shrink rapidly at a visible speed, and the border areas were quickly annihilated into nothingness as if gnawed by an invisible giant beast. The sense of spatial pressure increased sharply!

Gao De made a prompt decision, stopping his search and increasing his speed to the limit, charging toward the archway he had entered through—that might be the exit, or at least a relatively weak spatial node!

Just as he was flying away, the collapse of the Grotto-heaven reached its peak.