9: intelligence
Gao De knew deep down that as a "Wild Yao" with neither a Legacy nor Magic Treasures, competing with these human Cultivators for that unknown "treasure" was no different from striking a rock with an egg.
The thought that "wealth is found in danger" only flashed through his mind before being suppressed by his more deep-seated caution.
He retreated silently, circling far around those troubled waters, and refocused his entire attention on the nearby Lin Family Island.
However, several consecutive days of spying only made his heart feel heavier. As a Foundation Establishment Family, the Lin Family's Island-Protecting Formation shimmered with flowing light and hidden spiritual radiance, far superior to the crude Formations of the Han and Bai families.
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Formation Masters inspected and reinforced it from time to time, and the Disciples' patrols were orderly; he could find almost no flaws.
As the date for "Water Purification" drew closer day by day, and obtaining the Golden Scale Carp remained a distant prospect, an indescribable anxiety began to spread through Gao De's cold blood.
Just as he was almost unable to restrain himself and was considering whether to take a risky gamble, a turning point fell from the sky.
A magnificent flying boat with elegant lines, engraved with the cloud-pattern sigil of the Green Wave Sect, broke through the clouds and hovered over the Lin Family Island's Formation with unquestionable authority.
From atop the flying boat came a crisp female voice with a hint of familiarity, announcing loudly:
“By order of the Green Wave Sect, the Sect Master’s hundredth birthday is approaching. The Lin Family Old Ancestor is specially invited to attend the banquet and celebrate!”
It was that Junior Sister Li from back then! Gao De's heart jolted as he immediately recognized the voice.
It seemed her status within the Sect was not low.
Immediately after, an old voice filled with pleasant surprise and respect rose from within the Lin Family Island: “I am honored by the Fairy's personal visit to deliver the message! This Lin will certainly attend the banquet on time to celebrate the Sect Master's birthday!”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the flying boat turned into a streak of light and departed.
Gao De, underwater, heard everything clearly, and his heart was instantly filled with immense joy.
For the Green Wave Sect Master's hundredth birthday, the Lin Family Old Ancestor must leave the island to attend the banquet! This was a godsent Opportunity!
He calculated rapidly in his mind: although the Sect Master was a hundred years old, for a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with hopes of Core Formation, life was indeed only half over. According to his previous knowledge, the Lifespan of a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator was about a hundred and eighty years; if they obtained longevity-extending spiritual items, living to two hundred was possible. However, the birthday banquet concerned the Sect's reputation, and the Lin Family Old Ancestor would never dare to be negligent.
This meant that the Lin Family's strongest pillar of support would temporarily leave!
“The Opportunity lies right after the Lin Family Old Ancestor sets off!” Gao De suppressed his excitement and observed the island's movements even more intently, looking for subtle changes in the Formation's operation and personnel deployment, waiting for the optimal moment to sneak in.
During the days of anxious waiting, Lin Xiaofan paid another quiet visit. In addition to the usual spiritual food, this time he also brought an ancient-looking Jade Slip.
“Water Patrol Envoy, this is the information about the surrounding regions you requested. Everything I could gather is in this Jade Slip.”
Back at his lair, Gao De probed the Jade Slip with his Spiritual Sense. In an instant, a vast and slightly fragmented scroll of history, mixed with extensive geographical information, exploded in his consciousness, instantly shattering all his previous perceptions of this world!
The opening of the Jade Slip mentioned a name vanished in the mists of time—the “Great Qin” Immortal Kingdom. Tens of thousands of years ago, there was no tripartite division of the Chu, Wu, and Yue states; this land was unified by that Immortal Kingdom and divided into Nine Provinces.
After a terrifying war described in vague terms but enough to be called “world-shattering,” the Immortal Kingdom collapsed, order was reshaped, and the current landscape gradually formed.
The three countries he was in—Chu, Wu, and Yue—were merely a narrow strip located at the junction of the ancient Qin's Jingzhou Province and Yangzhou Province. To the south were the dangerous Hundred Thousand Mountains that blocked everything; legend had it that beyond the mountains lay the ancient Jiaozhou.
Going west from the State of Chu, across the edge of the Yao Beast-infested and perilous Yunmeng Great Marsh, one could reach the true heartland of ancient Jingzhou Province. It was said that some Military School legacies passed down from the ancient Qin still remained there.
Following the Huai River eastward, where the Eight Hundred Li Dongting Lake and the boundless Yunmeng Marsh met, were the states of Wu and Yue.
These two countries were divided by the river. Although their strength was slightly inferior to the major Sects in the State of Chu that were overseen by Core Formation Ancestors, they were by no means easy to deal with.
However, what truly shocked Gao De's soul was the subsequent description in the Jade Slip—continuing east along the great river that ran through ancient Yangzhou Province led to a prosperous land where Sects were as numerous as trees in a forest and the powerful were as common as clouds!
There, Nascent Soul grand Cultivators were not uncommon, the righteous and demonic paths stood side by side, famous Great Yao Kings could rule their own territories, and... there were even rumors of Soul Transformation Ancestors' traces! Following the great river into the sea led to the East Sea Cultivation World, which had a strong commercial atmosphere and frequent interactions with Yangzhou; it was said that methods to travel to other distant ancient provinces were still preserved there!
This Jade Slip was like a door to a vast world forcibly opened before his eyes, throwing him from the tiny space of the Eight Hundred Li Dongting Lake into the picture of a boundless world.
The Green Wave Sect, which he had previously viewed as a colossus, was merely a minor local power in this scroll.
Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation... these Realms that were once out of reach seemed to be the truly top-tier existences in ancient Yangzhou and even the East Sea!
An unprecedented longing, mixed with a tremor at his own insignificance, surged in his heart.
How could the path of Dragon transformation be trapped in this small Lake? His gaze seemed to have already penetrated the deep lake waters, seeing the rushing of that eastward river, the prosperity of Yangzhou, and the vast magnificence of the East Sea!
“Ancient Qin Kingdom... Nine Provinces... Nascent Soul... Soul Transformation...” he whispered hoarsely, but the light in his vertical pupils grew brighter and brighter. The anxiety originally caused by being trapped in his current predicament was replaced at this moment by a grander, more determined ambition.
The vastness of the world did not make him feel discouraged; instead, it ignited a stronger drive for progress deep within his heart.
He carefully committed the information in the Jade Slip to memory. These were the guides for his future path. But for now, he had to keep his feet on the ground.
Slowly suppressing his turbulent emotions, Gao De cast his gaze back toward the heavily guarded Lin Family Island, his eyes becoming deeper, calmer, and more resolute.
He knew that the moment a hunter was most patient was often just before the prey let down its guard.
And his Opportunity was coming soon. The undercurrents of Dongting Lake and the winds and clouds of that wider world seemed to resonate strangely at this moment because of a Dragon Fish that had learned of the world's vastness.
Sects and aristocratic families firmly monopolized the ladder of advancement, and the Loose Cultivators at the bottom could only struggle to survive in the cracks.
This Eight Hundred Li Dongting Lake seemed vast and boundless, but it was actually just a stretch of water where the northern border of the State of Chu met the mysterious Yunmeng Marsh.
And the Green Wave Sect, which dominated the region, was merely one of the six Core Formation powers in the State of Yue, settled in a corner of the southern part of Dongting Lake.
This information, like cold lake water, made Gao De completely sober. He once thought the Green Wave Sect was the pinnacle of this sky, but now he knew there were heavens beyond heavens.
As for himself, let alone a frog at the bottom of a well, he probably couldn't even be counted as a small fish that had just opened its eyes in the mud.
“The foundation establishment pill is monopolized... Core Formation Sects are the heavens...” Deep in the cave, Gao De digested this information, the light in his cold vertical pupils complex.
For him, who possessed a System and was determined to transform into a Dragon, this was both an invisible shackle and a different kind of spur—since the rules of the Human Race were so strict and cruel, then he, this yao fish, would insist on carving out a path to heaven that belonged to him!
The Guiche Immortal City mentioned in passing in the Jade Slip, a city established by Loose Cultivators at the junction of the three countries, caught his attention.
The rules there were relatively loose, and resources circulated frequently. Perhaps... in the future, it could become a channel for him to handle certain “inconvenient to hold” items or exchange for Human Race cultivation resources? Of course, that was still a long way off.
And that Yunmeng Marsh to the north caused an indescribable throb from deep within his Bloodline.
A perilous land where even Core Formation Ancestors could get lost often also meant huge undeveloped opportunities and... the possible existence of an environment more suitable for the survival of the Yao Race. There might become a way out for him in times of crisis.
How could the path of Dragon transformation be confined to this stretch of water? One day, he would leap out of Lake, follow that legendary eastward river, see the wider world, and pursue stronger power and a more ancient Legacy!
And for now, the most practical first step was to firmly grasp the once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity of the Lin Family Old Ancestor attending the banquet to steal the key that could help his Bloodline Breakthrough—the Golden Scale Carp!
He reined in all his scattered thoughts and completely immersed his mind in observing and waiting for the Lin Family Island. The hunter's patience was raised to the extreme at this moment. He was like the most composed ghost, waiting silently under the dark water for the moment the prey revealed a flaw.
The undercurrents of Dongting Lake remained the same, yet they seemed to surge with a hint of something unusual because of this Dragon Fish with a clear goal and deep thoughts.