62: Preparations before transforming into a dragon

Deep within the Water Mansion, in a quiet chamber, the Spiritual Qi was so dense it was almost stagnant.

Gao De's massive body was coiled at the core of the Spiritual Vein, his dragon claws steadily holding a cluster of dark golden Essence Blood the size of a pigeon egg.

Inside that Essence Blood, liquid dragon shadows seemed to be swimming slowly. This was the Origin essence he had spent countless efforts to refine from the bodies of many Yao Beasts with dragon blood, condensing the core power of several Dragon Transformation Bloodline variants.

Just by holding it in his claws, Gao De could feel the 99% Dragon Fish Bloodline within him frantically throbbing and boiling, transmitting an almost instinctive, uncontrollable, and greedy desire.

An incredibly clear premonition emerged in his mind: as long as he swallowed this Essence Blood, relying on the majestic Dragon Clan Origin contained within, he had absolute certainty that he could instantly break through that last barrier and push his Bloodline concentration to the Perfection of 100%.

However, Gao De knew deeply that the moment the Bloodline reached Perfection would inevitably be the moment his Heavenly Tribulation for Dragon Transformation descended!

This was by no means a gradual, natural Breakthrough, but rather a forced impact on Perfection relying on external essence. The Heavenly Tribulation triggered in this way would certainly be far more violent and sudden than usual.

The fiery light in his eyes, which had originally ignited due to the boiling Bloodline, gradually cooled down, as if doused by ice water.

The boiling and restless Bloodline was also forcefully suppressed and smoothed out under his powerful willpower.

"It is not yet time." His low, self-muttering voice echoed in the terrifyingly silent secret chamber, carrying a cautious gravity.

Gao De calmed down completely, realizing, "If I were to forcefully trigger the Heavenly Tribulation now, I might have a seventy percent chance of success, but there are too many variables. Any oversight in any link could lead to a disastrous outcome."

What he pursued was to increase the success rate to over ninety percent, or even to a state of near certainty.

He resealed the dark golden Essence Blood that radiated endless temptation, solemnly placed it into a jade box he carried with him, and applied several layers of Seals.

This was not giving up, but rather preparing for a more certain Breakthrough at a critical node in the future.

Next, Gao De set a clear route for the final preparations that must be completed before the Dragon Transformation.

The primary task was to determine and strengthen the location for Undergoing Tribulation.

He needed to carefully survey the surrounding environment of the discovered Dragon Palace Secret Passage entrance to assess its feasibility as a site for Undergoing Tribulation; at the same time, he would spare no resources to further reinforce the defenses of the existing Water Mansion, especially by improving its ability to withstand the lightning and fire of the Heavenly Tribulation and to isolate his aura. He had to be prepared for both possibilities.

The second key preparation was to fully repair that third-tier turtle shell shield.

Gao De planned to use Turtle Three Thousand's channels to find an Artifact Refiner or related secret techniques capable of repairing such a Magical Artifact, regardless of the cost.

He knew very well that if he could successfully refine this turtle shell, which contained the spirituality of a mythical creature, into a Magic Treasure, his chances of passing the Undergoing Tribulation would be greatly improved.

Third, he needed to increase efforts to collect resources for Undergoing Tribulation.

He had to use all available channels, including anonymous transactions via the tianji mirror, Turtle Three Thousand's network of contacts, and even consider risking participation in some underground auctions, striving to obtain at least one portion of "Millennium Water Spirit Milk" and "Clear Heart Glazed Grass" or their effective substitutes in the short term to cope with the massive consumption during the Undergoing Tribulation process.

Fourth, he must meticulously arrange backup plans to deal with the inevitable period of weakness after Undergoing Tribulation.

Gao De needed to study the methods of concealment and illusion Formations in his Legacy memories and set up more powerful maze Formations around the Water Mansion and potential backup sites for Undergoing Tribulation to ensure safety during the critical period.

At the same time, he would order Turtle Three Thousand and the Demon Soldiers under his command to strengthen vigilance and prepare some means to warn or block enemies in case of encountering strong foes.

Finally, he had to understand the mysteries of the Heavenly Tribulation as deeply as possible.

Gao De intended to use the tianji mirror to search for records about the Yao Race's transformation, especially the Heavenly Tribulation of Dragon Transformation. Even if it were just fragments, he would verify them against his own Legacy memories, striving to have a clearer understanding of the form, power, and even Heart Demon interference of the Heavenly Tribulation, so that he could truly be confident and respond calmly.

With the plan set, Gao De did not hesitate any longer and immediately launched a comprehensive action.

He first sent out Turtle Three Thousand, carrying detailed information about the embryo Materials for the turtle shell shield and some Spirit Stones as a deposit, to secretly contact those powerful chambers of commerce or Artifact Refiners again, exploring every possibility of refining a Magic Treasure.

Meanwhile, Gao De himself quietly left the Water Mansion again, with a clear goal this time—to conduct a detailed survey of the surrounding environment of the Dragon Palace Secret Passage entrance.

A few days later, he returned to the Water Mansion with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

The entrance was located deep within a complex underwater stone forest. The environment was relatively enclosed, and the concentration of Spiritual Qi was indeed much higher than in the Water Mansion. Moreover, the ancient Dragon Clan Restriction itself might be able to disperse and weaken the aftermath of the Heavenly Tribulation to a certain extent.

However, the disadvantages were equally obvious: it was not absolutely safe there, as aquatic creatures occasionally passed by, and it was unpredictable whether the Restriction would trigger unknown backlash if the Heavenly Tribulation caused too much commotion. "This place can be used as an alternative, but more powerful concealment and defensive Formations must be set up." Gao De kept this point firmly in mind.

In the following days, the entire Water Mansion entered an unprecedented state of busyness.

Gao De personally took action, combining the recently comprehended Dragon Clan runes and spending a large amount of precious Materials to engrave layers of reinforcement and concealment Formation patterns in the core area and key nodes of the Water Mansion.

He also devoted part of his energy to deducing and perfecting several illusion and water Formations used to confuse and trap enemies, just in case.

News also came from Turtle Three Thousand, saying that he had contacted an old Artifact Refiner who had come with a caravan and was now living in seclusion in a tributary of the Yunmeng Great Marsh. It was said that his ancestors had once forged weapons for the Sword Gate in the Shu region.

The other party showed interest in the turtle shell embryo Materials but asked for a very high price and also requested a third-tier fire-attribute spirit item called "Earth Core Fire Lotus" as one of the core auxiliary Materials for the repair, claiming that otherwise it would be difficult to completely stimulate the inherent spirituality of the mythical creature within the shield.

"Earth Core Fire Lotus..." Gao De frowned upon hearing this. This item grew on the veins of earth fire and was usually seen more in areas controlled by the Human Race or active volcanic regions, making it extremely difficult for the aquatic race to obtain.

"Search for it with all your might. If there is any clue, spare no expense." He still gave such an order, knowing that this was a key link in repairing the shield and must not be easily given up.

In terms of collecting resources for Undergoing Tribulation, there was finally some progress. A small bottle of "Millennium Water Spirit Milk" was successfully auctioned in an anonymous transaction via the tianji mirror. Even though there was still no news of the "Clear Heart Glazed Grass," it became less important.

Time passed quietly in this tense and orderly preparation.

Gao De could vaguely feel that the winds and clouds outside seemed to be brewing something. The Golden Core Ceremony of the Green Wave Sect was approaching day by day, and undercurrents were surging among various forces.

However, he was now single-minded, devoting all his energy to the final sprint of preparation before the Dragon Transformation.

That tightly sealed dark golden Essence Blood was like a silent countdown, always hanging in Gao De's mind.

He tried his best to suppress the restless instinct of his Bloodline, like a very patient hunter, carefully sharpening his arrows and meticulously setting traps, just to shoot that earth-shattering arrow that would decide the outcome at the critical moment that would determine his fate.

The door to Dragon Transformation was already clearly visible, but what he wanted was to step through it steadily and calmly, rather than being pushed and stumbling into it by violent power.