17: breakthrough

Beneath the deep pool, the Spiritual Vein spring eye seemed to be ignited, as pure Spiritual Qi gathered toward the core area where Gao De was perched at an unprecedented speed, forming a massive underwater vortex.

The dragon blood grass shone brightly, its three dragon-scale-like leaves nearly burning as they released surging Dragon Qi. That ancient beast fragmented bone hummed and vibrated even more, emitting an ancient and vast aura.

Inside Gao De's body, his Bloodline was like boiling lava, and his Demonic Power surged and roared, frantically battering against that final barrier!

"Crack!"

Like a crisp sound from the beginning of time, it exploded from the depths of Gao De's Soul! That invisible barrier obstructing his life's leap shattered at the sound!

[Dragon Fish Bloodline Breakthrough: 50%!]

[Realm Breakthrough: Second Order Wisdom Attainment Realm!]

[Intelligence greatly increased, thinking speed and comprehension ability doubled!]

[Demonic Power qualitative change, total amount and purity far exceed the First Order!]

[Talent "Size As Desired (White)" promoted to "Size As Desired (Green)", expansion range and flexibility improved!]

[Talent "Water Escape (Green)" effect enhanced, short-distance escape speed surged!]

[Awakening Natal Divine Ability: Summon Wind and Rain (Incomplete) — can induce wind and rain on a small scale, accompanied by weak lightning!]

At the moment of the Realm Breakthrough, Gao De's body underwent earth-shaking changes!

His originally streamlined body elongated again, becoming more slender and full of power, his body length actually broke through five zhang!

A faint metallic cold light appeared on the edges of his pitch-black scales, as if he were covered in black iron armor, and the golden patterns upon them became more complex and dazzling, flowing slowly as if they had come to life.

The most significant changes were in the head and abdomen!

The small bump on his head suddenly burst, and a unicorn horn about half a foot long, pitch-black in color, with a sharp cold light flashing at its tip, pierced out boldly! Fine spiral markings were naturally engraved upon the unicorn horn, with faint electric light entwined around it! This was exactly the prototype of a Flood Dragon Horn!

At the same time, the two pairs of fins under his chest and abdomen, which were originally used mainly for balance, changed dramatically!

Bones extended and fin membranes proliferated, turning into two pairs of thicker webbed feet covered with fine scales and tough webbing between the toes!

Although not yet fully transformed into true dragon claws, they already possessed the ability to crawl short distances on land and provide powerful propulsive force underwater!

This was a key step toward the body of a Flood Dragon!

"Roar—!"

A strange, long cry—a mix of a Dragon's roar and a fish's whistle—involuntarily escaped from Gao De's mouth, carrying a newborn Flood Dragon pressure that far exceeded before, spreading in all directions like a shockwave! The pool water vibrated, and the gravel at the bottom of the pool skipped slightly!

The commotion of the Breakthrough was too great!

This pressure and energy fluctuation containing pure Dragon Qi was like a bright beacon fire ignited in the quiet of the night, instantly attracting the attention of all sensitive existences within dozens of li!

First, the birds and beasts in the mountain forests near the deep pool fled in panic, staying away from this suddenly terrifying body of water.

Immediately after, several auras of Second Order Demon Beasts of varying strengths rapidly approached from different directions!

They were attracted by this sudden Dragon Qi and Breakthrough fluctuations, either out of curiosity or greed—for a Yao Beast, devouring a peer who had just broken through and had an unstable Realm, especially one possessing dragon blood, was a supreme supplement!

Gao De had just broken through and was immersed in the mysterious feeling of his life level leaping, his Spiritual Sense perception range soared, and he immediately detected these rapidly approaching hostile intents!

"Not good!" He was startled and instantly snapped out of the joy of the Breakthrough. Although he had successfully broken through, his Demonic Power was not yet fully stabilized, and his body was experiencing some discomfort due to the drastic changes; he was at his weakest moment!

Without hesitation, he immediately restrained the pressure and aura that had uncontrollably leaked out during his Breakthrough, operating his [Breath Concealment (Blue)] talent to its limit.

At the same time, with a thought, his massive body rapidly shrank in the black light, returning to a length of one foot to minimize his own profile.

Fortunately, he reacted in time and moved swiftly.

Just as he finished hiding and dove into the densest aquatic plants at the bottom of the pool, several massive shadows appeared in the waters outside the pool entrance.

A strange insect covered in bone armor, shaped like an earthworm but with a mouth full of sharp teeth; a millstone-sized spider covered in spikes; and a colorful Poisonous Water Python with a flickering tongue... they were all local overlords, their strength around the Early Stage of the Second Order.

They loitered at the pool entrance, their crimson or murky eyes staring intently at the deep pool water, sensing the pure Dragon Qi and Breakthrough aftershocks that had not yet fully dissipated, their eyes filled with greed and wariness.

The Dragon Qi was extremely tempting to them, but they had not explored this deep pool before; they only knew that a group of troublesome Crab Spirits was entrenched inside, and the pressure emanating from the depths of the pool at this moment made them instinctively feel a hint of danger.

Coupled with the mutual wariness between the Yao Beasts, none of them dared to be the first to charge into this deep pool that seemed calm but hidden killing intent.

They paced and roared at the pool entrance for a while, confronting each other warily; eventually, perhaps feeling the risk outweighed the reward, or perhaps due to mutual restraint, they slowly retreated with unwillingness.

Inside the deep pool, Gao De felt the enemies retreat and finally breathed a sigh of relief, a wave of lingering fear washing over him.

"That was close... If I hadn't hidden in time and used the geographical advantage of the deep pool along with the ferocious reputation of the crab swarm to make them wary, I might have faced a life-and-death battle right after my Breakthrough." He knew well that in the Yao Race world where the strong prey on the weak, a Cultivator who had just broken through was often the most dangerous prey.

He didn't dare be careless and continued to maintain his concealment, slowly swimming back to the Spiritual Vein spring eye to begin fully stabilizing his Realm and adapting to his new body and soaring power.

The unicorn horn on his head sent waves of coolness and power, and his new webbed feet provided stronger thrust when swimming.

He felt his thinking was clearer and more agile than ever before, and many obscure points regarding his cultivation and Legacy suddenly became clear.

"Second Order Wisdom Attainment... it truly is a world of difference," Gao De thought with emotion.

From now on, he finally had a bit of capital to establish himself in this Eight Hundred Li Dongting Lake, taking a key step in his Dragon Transformation.

However, he also understood that the commotion of the Breakthrough just now had certainly attracted the attention of even more existences.

The road ahead would not become smoother because of the Breakthrough; instead, it might attract even more powerful coveters because he possessed purer dragon blood.

He had to stabilize his cultivation as soon as possible, and then... it was time to consider leaving this relatively remote area to explore broader waters and find the Opportunity for his Bloodline to continue evolving.

On the path to dragon transformation, only after entering Wisdom Attainment does one realize the vastness of the world and the magnitude of the risks.