77: The old monk ran fast

Within the Deep Pool Water Mansion, Gao De coiled upon the jade dais, his mind wandering through the increasingly complex ocean of information in the Heavenly Secret Realm.

The new private chat and group chat features had indeed made information gathering and internal management much more convenient, and Turtle Three Thousand and Crab Eighteen had also begun to learn how to report situations and receive instructions within the Water Mansion's internal circles.

On this day, as he browsed the 【Ancient Ruins Exploration and Risk Warning Section】 and the 【Anonymous Rants/Gossip Gathering Place】 as usual, a seemingly playful yet thought-provoking post caught his attention.

The poster was anonymous, and the title was quite striking: 《【Research Enthusiasts】 On the Correlation Between "Old and Not Dying is a Thief" and Evasion Speed—Starting from Data on Survivors of Ruins Over the Years》.

The content of the post did not contain profound discussions on Cultivation Techniques, but rather used an almost academic tone to list a large amount of data, allegedly compiled from public or semi-public exploration records, Sect mission reports, and the like.

The data clearly showed that in various dangerous missions, there was a significant correlation between the age of Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage and above and their survival rate: the older the Cultivator with equivalent cultivation, the much higher the probability of survival when encountering irresistible dangers compared to young and hot-headed Cultivators of the same rank.

The post analyzed that this was not because old Cultivators had deeper mana or sharper Magic Treasures—often it was the exact opposite—but because they generally possessed one common trait: they could assess the situation, spot an Opportunity to leave extremely quickly, and run without hesitation!

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In the words of the poster, slightly teasing: "Because those who run slowly do not live to see the day they become old Cultivators."

This conclusion seemed simple, yet it sparked unprecedentedly heated discussion in the comment section.

"Hahaha, the truth has been revealed! Last time we explored an ancient Immortal Cave, Senior Brother Wang insisted on forcing his way through the Restriction, and Junior Martial Uncle Li couldn't hold him back. The result... sigh, the grass on his grave is now three zhang high. Junior Martial Uncle Li went into seclusion as soon as he returned, reportedly to bitterly practice an Earth Evasion technique."

"Deeply agree! My master often says: if you can win, fight; if you can't, run. It's not shameful! As long as the green mountains remain, there is no need to worry about firewood. Relying on his 'Clear Wind Shadow Evasion', the old man went in and out of the Ten Thousand Poison Marsh three times and is still lively today."

"In that case, 'seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity' is the primary principle of cultivation? All that talk about 'advancing bravely' is only something that surviving Geniuses are qualified to say!"

"To the person above, you can't put it like that. The Opportunities that should be fought for must still be fought for, but the prerequisite is having the life to enjoy them. I feel this is more like a selection of survival wisdom."

Some busybodies even started a discussion thread in the comment section on the "Ranking of Evasion Divine Abilities and Functionality in the Nine Provinces".

Various nominations and arguments immediately emerged below:

"I cast my vote for the 'Golden Crow Rainbow Transformation Art'! It is said that when practiced to the extreme, one turns into rainbow light and travels ten thousand li in an instant; it is a secret technique not passed down by the Sun Palace!"

"Blood Shadow Evasion disagrees! Burning Essence Blood causes speed to surge; it is essential for escaping desperate situations, although the cost is a bit high..."

"Five Elements Evasion is the true way! Adapting to local conditions, it is omnipresent; although its top speed may not be the best, its applicability is the widest!"

"What about Lightning Evasion? It is said that turning into lightning provides top-tier speed and explosive power, and it even suppresses evil spirits!"

"Does the Sword Cultivator's 'Man-Sword Unity' Sword Control Technique not deserve a mention? It combines offense, defense, and evasion; being cool is a lifelong matter!"

"And the Demon Sect's 'Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique'... uh, that doesn't count, pretend I didn't say it."

Watching these heated and even somewhat humorous discussions, a trace of human-like amusement couldn't help but flash in Gao De's huge Dragon eyes.

The banter of these Cultivators happened to hit upon a cruel and true survival Law of the Immortal Realm—preserving oneself is always the top priority.

This coincided perfectly with his consistent philosophy of "steadiness above all" and "caution sails the ship for ten thousand years".

"It seems that no matter what world you are in, living long is the hard truth," Gao De thought to himself, "These old Cultivators have all verified the truth of 'as long as the green mountains remain' with the corpses of countless peers."

At the same time, he also noticed the mention of Lightning Evasion. As a Purple Lightning Flood Dragon, Lightning Evasion was his innate Bloodline evasion technique, and its speed and explosive power were indeed excellent, especially in short-distance sprints and breaking free from locks.

Seeing that some people recognized Lightning Evasion, he felt a faint sense of pride in his heart.

However, the post also mentioned many other mysterious evasion techniques, making him realize that the world was vast, filled with capable people and extraordinary individuals, and he must never underestimate others.

"Although my Lightning Evasion is strong, it still needs further refinement. The Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art seems to contain records of higher-level applications of Lightning Evasion. When my Realm improves in the future, I may be able to comprehend Divine Abilities like 'Nine Heavens Lightning Travel' which are faster." He pondered inwardly.

This seemingly relaxing "surfing the internet" session instead further strengthened Gao De's Dao Heart of acting steadily, and gave him a clearer understanding of improving his life-saving abilities—especially evasion speed.

He exited the lively post and silently noted down "increase Lightning Evasion proficiency" and "pay attention to other life-saving, escape-type secret techniques or Magic Treasures" in his mental notebook.

The path of cultivation is long; one must not only be able to fight but also be able to run.

This is the valuable experience verified by countless "Senior" predecessors with their lives.

Just as he was preparing to continue browsing other information, his expression suddenly shifted slightly, and he exited the Heavenly Secret Realm.

Outside the Water Mansion, Crab Eighteen, who was responsible for patrolling, sent a message through the internal communication circle: about one hundred li to the southeast of the Water Mansion, traces of unidentified Cultivators were discovered; they seemed to be surveying the waters, and their behavior was somewhat sneaky.

Gao De opened his Dragon eyes slightly, a cold light flashing through them.

Someone had sneaked nearby just after he had finished consolidating his Realm?

He restrained his Qi, his figure melting silently into the water.

"It seems it is time to go 'greet' these uninvited neighbors."