38: Inventory and receipt

Crack—!

A faint but extremely pure spark of blue lightning jumped without warning from the tip of the unicorn horn atop his head, emitting an aura of supreme Yang and unyielding strength that could exorcise evil and break demons!

“This is... the Power of Thunder?” Gao De was both surprised and delighted.

Dragons can Summon Wind and Rain, command clouds and distribute electricity! Controlling lightning is one of the important symbols of a True Dragon!

He hadn't expected that under the dual stimulation of the dragon pearl fossil and the Dragon Pearl Essence, he would actually awaken a trace of lightning-attribute Bloodline talent in advance!

Although this trace of Power of Thunder was still extremely weak and could probably only barely stun a small fish, it represented that the evolution direction of his Bloodline was correct and held immense potential!

In time, if he could strengthen this Power of Thunder and combine it with his future flood dragon body, it would surely become a major killing move!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Gao De turned his attention to his other gains.

He took out the insight imprint of the Basic Water Element Body Tempering Art obtained from the assessment, as well as the damaged Jade Slip recording the joint-attack Water Battle Formation.

He sank his Divine Sense into them, carefully comprehending their contents.

Although the Basic Water Element Body Tempering Art was only a basic technique of the Dragon Palace barracks, its logic was ancient and efficient. Many techniques for utilizing water spiritual Qi were ingenious. By cross-referencing it with his primary Dragon Transformation Merit, he gained a new understanding of the control of Demonic Power and the tempering of his Physical Body.

He immediately began attempting to integrate some of the essence into his daily Cultivation.

As for that damaged Water Battle Formation, although incomplete, the principles of coordination and leveraging momentum it contained were extremely valuable for training the Demon Soldiers under his command.

He planned to combine the characteristics of his own Demon Soldiers to prepare a simplified version of the Formation for later deduction, hoping to enhance their overall combat effectiveness.

Finally, he glanced at the miniature Dragon Qi crystal and the three Low Grade Water Spirit Beads. These were precious resources that needed to be used at critical moments.

After finishing his inventory, Gao De took a deep breath of pure water spiritual Qi.

This trip to the Black Water Stream, although the process was fraught with danger and he was almost trapped to death in the collapsing grotto-heaven, the final harvest far exceeded his expectations!

The truth of the dragon pearl fossil, the early Awakening of the lightning talent, the basic Dragon Palace Body Tempering method, the ideas for the joint-attack Formation... every single one provided substantial assistance to his future path to dragon transformation.

“Steady steps, digest the gains, and improve my strength.”

Gao De steadied his mind, converting all his gains into the motivation to move forward.

He coiled atop the Spiritual Vein, surrounded by misty Demonic Power. A faint blue electric spark occasionally flashed from the unicorn horn on his head. Within the Dantian in his abdomen, the dragon pearl fossil rotated slowly, releasing a gentle glow.

He entered a deep state of Cultivation once again, like a True Dragon hidden beneath a deep pool, silently accumulating strength, waiting for the moment to soar into the sky... Time passed quickly, and there is no sense of time in Cultivation.

With the long-term residence, Cultivation, and activities of Gao De, the “Master of the Deep Pool,” and his team of Demon Soldiers, the influence of the Spiritual Vein around the originally deep underwater Water Mansion seemed to be subtly expanding.

The pool water slowly eroded and expanded toward the surrounding low-lying areas. The water surface area had expanded several times compared to the beginning. Although it could not yet be called a lake, it already had some of the open atmosphere of the Great Marsh streams.

The Formations around the Water Mansion were also adjusted and reinforced accordingly, bringing the newly added water areas into the scope of protection and concealment.

However, in contrast to this, Gao De's Cultivation speed inevitably slowed down.

Inside the quiet room, Gao De slowly woke up from a deep state of Cultivation, an imperceptible trace of helplessness flashing in his cold vertical pupils.

He inspected his internal state; his Demonic Power was still growing steadily, but the feeling of rapid progress from the Early Stage had long since disappeared.

His Bloodline concentration had increased to 86%. This was a value sufficient to make the vast majority of aquatic Yao Beasts envious. It meant his flood dragon posture was becoming increasingly evident: the unicorn horn on his head was more prominent, the webbed feet beneath his belly had completely transformed into clear dragon claw prototypes, and the edges of the fine dragon scales covering his body faintly shimmered with a golden luster.

But it was precisely this high 86% Bloodline concentration that brought new problems.

The Bloodline dividend period was passing.

In the beginning, with every point of Bloodline increase, there was a visible leap in strength.

But now, the higher the Bloodline concentration, the accumulation required for every one percent increase grew exponentially.

The dragon pearl fossil placed in his Dantian for nurturing continued to release a steady stream of gentle Dragon Clan Origin, but compared to the massive energy he now required, this supply was more like a trickle of nourishment rather than a flood to push through a Realm Breakthrough.

More importantly, the efficiency of “dietary supplementation” had greatly decreased.

The Devouring Evolution System was still an important way for him to improve his Bloodline, but now, devouring ordinary First Order or even most Second Order Demon Beasts provided negligible Bloodline energy, almost to the point of being ignorable.

Only by devouring Yao Beasts that also possessed Dragon Clan Bloodline and had reached the second order or higher could there be a relatively significant improvement.

However, such targets were extremely hard to find in the Eight Hundred Li Dongting Lake!

True Dragons had long since become legends. Beings with flood dragon bloodlines were all local overlords, hidden deep within the Yunmeng Great Marsh or in various dangerous and secluded waters.

In this relatively peripheral Lake area, the vast majority of Yao Beasts with thick dragon blood pointed to one name—Demon King Fushui!

That Third Order great demon who had occupied the core waters of Dongting Lake for hundreds of years and was said to possess a trace of Ancient Dragon-Turtle Bloodline! Its descendants and followers more or less inherited a thin trace of dragon blood, making them the most ideal “supplements” for Gao De at present.

But to move against Demon King Fushui's subordinates? That would be no different from pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth—seeking one's own death.

Gao De had no doubt that if he dared to take a bite of any Yao Beast marked with the seal of “Demon King Fushui,” before long, that old dragon-turtle's wrath would crush him along with his Water Mansion like the waves of Dongting Lake.

“Alas, the higher the cultivation, the more difficult the road ahead,” Gao De sighed inwardly.

He opened the tianji mirror and anonymously posted a long-term purchase request for “dragon blood Yao Beasts” or related clues on the Heavenly Secret Realm's trading board, offering a high price.

But there were few respondents. Occasionally there were clues, but either the locations were extremely dangerous, or they had inextricable links with Demon King Fushui, making him hesitant to act.

He had also tried to venture deeper into the more dangerous areas of the Yunmeng Great Marsh to find Opportunities, but several tentative explorations resulted in encounters with powerful Third Order Yao Beasts. If not for his excellent Breath Concealment Divine Ability and the speed of his Heaven Roaming Evasion, he almost wouldn't have made it back.

The improvement of his strength seemed to have hit a Bottleneck.

“It seems that conventional hunting and bitter cultivation won't yield a major Breakthrough in the short term.” Gao De examined himself. “I must find another way.”

His gaze once again turned toward the dragon pearl fossil rotating slowly in his Dantian, as well as the several Cultivation Techniques from the Dragon Palace barracks in his consciousness.

Cultivation of the Dragon Transformation Merit cannot be slackened; it is the Foundation.

The Basic Water Element Body Tempering Art had been integrated into his daily routine, constantly solidifying his Physical Body Foundation.

The incomplete Water Battle Formation had also begun preliminary drills among the Demon Soldiers, forming a certain level of combat power.

And the newly awakened lightning talent, though weak, was a direction with great potential.

Dragons can manipulate thunder and control electricity. If he could strengthen it, it would undoubtedly greatly enhance his killing power.

“Perhaps... I should put more energy into developing Divine Abilities and studying auxiliary means like Formations and Spells.” Gao De thought.