novelraw Chapter 235 : The Second One... A Survival Dragon?
Chapter 235 : The Second One... A Survival Dragon?
Chapter 235: The Second One... A Survival Dragon?
Ji Yuan arrived at the 【Fish Pond】 and had just taken out the two vials of Third-Tier Flood Dragon essence blood—he hadn’t even opened them yet.
The Ice Flood Dragon crawled over from behind with a wagging tail, not the least bit imposing as a dragon. Its draconic mouth continuously went “huff-huff,” exhaling bursts of cold air while nudging its snout towards Ji Yuan’s hand.
It was clearly acting like a freeloader.
Ji Yuan pushed its head aside, but it kept coming back.
Push. Return. Push. Return. It wouldn’t give up until it got some of that essence blood.
“You damn mutt—are you a flood dragon or a lapdog!?”
Frustrated, Ji Yuan grabbed it by the neck and stuffed it into the Spiritual Beast Pouch.
Only then did things settle down.
He looked at the two small bottles of essence blood in his hand and estimated he could pour out ten drops.
Ji Yuan’s plan was five drops for “precision irrigation,” and five for “flood irrigation.”
Precision irrigation meant feeding a single carp-type Spiritual Fish with the essence blood to see if it could successfully transform into a flood dragon.
Flood irrigation meant pouring five drops straight into the 【Fish Pond】, allowing all the Spiritual Fish to compete for a shred of this path to the Dao.
Looking at the essence blood in his hand… this was essence blood from a Third-Tier demon beast. Feeding it to a First-Tier Spiritual Fish—would that even work?
It’d probably blow them up.
A Second-Tier Spiritual Fish might barely survive. First-Tier ones? Not even worth trying.
But the problem was, in Ji Yuan’s 【Fish Pond】, all the fish were First-Tier. Any Second-Tier ones had already been killed off. If they weren’t, none of the others could survive.
And it had to be a carp-type Second-Tier Spiritual Fish. That made things tricky.
Ji Yuan figured he’d have to make a trip to Linshui City. Ever since the demonic sects attacked the city, the Water Dragon Sect had increased their defenses and management. Nowadays, it had regained its former prosperity.
Thus, the “Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate” event had resumed.
He hadn’t tried the precision irrigation yet and couldn’t bear to waste the flood method.
If precision worked and birthed an Ice Flood Dragon hatchling, using flood irrigation would be a waste. Looked like he’d better go to Linshui City first.
Fortunately, Ji Yuan was already at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Riding the mid-grade flying Spiritual Artifact Wind Locust, he was extremely fast.
In just three short days, he’d made a round trip.
As for the results… a bit underwhelming. He had searched almost all of Linshui City and only found two living Second-Tier carp-type Spiritual Fish.
At the 【Fish Pond】.
Ji Yuan retrieved one from the Spiritual Beast Pouch—a Second-Tier Spiritual Fish named “Red-Edged Golden-Scaled Carp”… if this one could become a golden dragon, how majestic would that be?
Too bad—even if it transformed, it would only become an Ice Flood Dragon.
Ji Yuan sighed in his heart and summoned the five sword embryos in his Dantian, forming a simple sword formation to trap the fish.
Under the pressure of this lethal threat, the fish didn’t dare move an inch.
Only then did Ji Yuan safely retrieve a drop of Flood Dragon essence blood from his storage pouch and levitate it above the Golden-Scaled Carp.
The moment the Water-Affinity Flood Dragon’s blood appeared, the surrounding Spiritual Qi stirred violently. A strong, bloody aura surged forth, as if a flood dragon were ready to devour someone.
Sensing the aura of the essence blood, the Golden-Scaled Carp began to struggle, seemingly eager to devour it… Ji Yuan obliged.
The essence blood fell into the fish’s belly, and in an instant, a water-blue glow burst from within, intensely bright.
The Golden-Scaled Carp’s body began to swell and enlarge.
Despite its best efforts to refine the blood, it was futile.
“Damn it!”
Ji Yuan had no choice but to use a thought to fling the Golden-Scaled Carp into the 【Fish Pond】 with his flying sword—but the moment it touched the water, it exploded with a bang.
Chunks of flesh flew everywhere, and the essence blood scattered along with it.
Ji Yuan sprang up, one hand pressing down on the lake surface.
Suppress!
The five sword embryos pinned down the pond.
In an instant, all the flesh and the Flood Dragon essence blood were driven into the 【Fish Pond】.
The Spiritual Fish within, briefly startled, quickly swam to the surface and began feasting on the Second-Tier fish banquet.
Ji Yuan’s Divine Sense enveloped the entire 【Fish Pond】.
After the Golden-Scaled Carp’s remains scattered, nothing unusual occurred. Everything went as expected—the First-Tier fish scrambled to devour the remains.
However, the Third-Tier Flood Dragon essence blood, after several breaths, also dispersed and merged with the lake water.
Even so, under Ji Yuan’s Divine Sense, he could clearly detect an area of blood-tinted water.
A clueless First-Tier Spiritual Fish happened to swim into that blood-tainted patch. Its body began silently absorbing the essence blood.
Slowly, but surely, its scales opened and closed, and its body visibly grew.
But no true mutation occurred.
Ji Yuan looked at the remaining four drops of essence blood in his hand.
Even ordinary Second-Tier Spiritual Fish couldn’t handle it. If he were to feed it again, it might only be usable on the Ice Flood Dragon.
If he wanted to use the essence blood on the Spiritual Fish, it seemed flood irrigation was the only method left.
Since that was the case, Ji Yuan didn’t hesitate. After all, he had bought this essence blood for this very purpose!
With that thought, he took out the remaining four drops of Flood Dragon essence blood and scattered them in the air above the 【Fish Pond】 with a palm strike, evenly distributing them across the surface.
Then… they fell into the lake.
Instantly, the entire 【Fish Pond】 turned blood-red. The fish that had been feasting on the Golden-Scaled Carp suddenly began thrashing wildly, as if struck by some madness.
Splashes erupted everywhere.
Ji Yuan used his magic power to shield himself from the flying water, his Divine Sense never leaving the lake’s surface.
‘That mid-First-Tier Spiritual Fish broke through to late First-Tier.’
‘And that one… it successfully evolved into Second-Tier.’
Even with the birth of a Second-Tier Spiritual Fish, Ji Yuan wasn’t too concerned—it wasn’t his true goal.
‘Hmm?’
From a corner of the 【Fish Pond】, a burst of cold air suddenly surged. Ji Yuan thought an Ice Flood Dragon had been born—but it was just a water-attribute fish mutating into an ice-attribute one.
Not particularly useful. He continued to wait.
But even after the pond settled and three Second-Tier fish had emerged, not a single Ice Flood Dragon appeared.
‘I’ll be damned if I give up now.’
He had already used up five drops of Flood Dragon essence blood. What was a little more?
Ji Yuan retrieved the remaining bottle of essence blood—still five drops left.
Just as he was about to use all five at once, he hesitated for a moment.
Maybe… just four drops. If all else failed, he could still feed the last one to the Ice Flood Dragon—it’d definitely be effective. No way he’d burn 800 mid-grade Spirit Stones with no results at all.
Another four drops of essence blood scattered. The fish, still reeling from the previous feast, stirred again.
This time, though, fewer surfaced.
Many couldn’t take the intense energy and fled below, playing turtle.
Those early-First-Tier fish that hadn’t fed earlier took the opportunity to sneak to the surface from the corners and nibble on the Golden-Scaled Carp—and with it, absorbed the nourishing essence blood.
Ji Yuan kept waiting. For a whole half-hour.
Just when it seemed the four drops of essence blood were about to be completely consumed, still no Ice Flood Dragon.
“Son of a bitch, don’t tell me I really need to find some Dragon Energy. You think a Foundation Establishment cultivator like me can handle that!?”
Furious, Ji Yuan cursed. But just as he turned to leave, he noticed a small carp near the surface of the 【Fish Pond】 twist its body. Its form began to elongate, and its originally red scales shifted into a light blue...
Success?
Success!
The second Ice Flood Dragon hatchling that Ji Yuan had been waiting for so long finally appeared!
“Whew—”
Ji Yuan let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed using Flood Dragon essence blood to nurture Ice Flood Dragons was truly a viable path.
At that moment, a new line of text popped up on Ji Yuan’s panel.
Along with the appearance of that line, the Spiritual Fish, which had only been at the early First Tier, completely transformed into an early First-Tier Ice Flood Dragon.
Exactly like when the first Ice Flood Dragon was born.
Slender and long, like a chopstick.
After the Ice Flood Dragon was born, it froze in place for a moment, seemingly not fully aware of what had just happened. Then, after a few breaths, it suddenly lifted its head and surfaced.
Looking left and right, once it sensed Ji Yuan’s presence, it shrank back in fear and dove once again into the 【Fish Pond】, swishing its tail as it swam off.
But no matter how it swam, it still remained within the bounds of the 【Fish Pond】.
Ji Yuan locked onto it with his Divine Sense, recalling the scene when the first Ice Flood Dragon was born.
He remembered it had also transformed from an early First-Tier Spiritual Fish. So perhaps the odds of transformation were higher for early First-Tier fish?
Once they matured, the chance of transformation became much lower.
If that were true, then in the future, he only needed to gather more early First-Tier Spiritual Fish.
The Second-Tier fish already in the pond? Most likely hopeless cases.
Ji Yuan stared at this Ice Flood Dragon for a while, but it showed none of the ferocity typical of its kind. The one in his hand, when it had just transformed, immediately began hunting other fish.
But this one?
It might be early First Tier, but still—it was a flood dragon! And yet when a mid-First-Tier Spiritual Fish stared at it for a while, it cowered down into the water, hiding in a patch of aquatic grass.
Seriously?
A damn flood dragon?
Ji Yuan could only shake his head and helplessly released the Ice Flood Dragon from his Spiritual Beast Pouch, intending to let the two meet and learn from each other.
With a thought, the mid-Second-Tier Ice Flood Dragon emerged from the pouch at Ji Yuan’s waist.
But the moment it came out, it slithered up to Ji Yuan’s chest, then climbed onto his arm, rubbing itself against him in an utterly flattering manner.
“You really are a damn dog.”
How could Ji Yuan not know what this creature was up to?
It just wanted to see if there was any more Flood Dragon essence blood left to score a sip.
Ji Yuan retrieved the last drop of essence blood from his storage pouch—bottle and all—and shoved it into the Ice Flood Dragon’s mouth.
The dragon swallowed it whole, but immediately afterward, a pressure unique to the Flood Dragon race surged from within it.
Apparently unable to bear the power of the essence blood, the creature—no longer than an arm—leapt off Ji Yuan and landed on the ground, where its body began to grow.
Or rather, return to its original size.
Within a few breaths, a Flood Dragon several zhang long appeared at the edge of the 【Fish Pond】. It first let out a roar, a dragon’s cry that echoed to the heavens.
“Aarrrgh—!”
Then its scales began to open and close as if breathing. With every motion, its body grew larger. The change was extremely slow, but under Ji Yuan’s Divine Sense, it was crystal clear.
‘This damn creature… can it break through to late Second Tier?’
Ji Yuan couldn’t help but wonder. If it could… then those two bottles of Flood Dragon essence blood were an incredible bargain.
At that moment, as the Ice Flood Dragon’s aura burst forth, the entire 【Fish Pond】 went silent.
Even the Second-Tier Spiritual Fish that had been fighting over territory were now quietly frozen in place, not daring to move. Only the newly born Ice Flood Dragon...
After sensing the presence of its kin, it turned sneaky.
It even tried several times to climb ashore for a look.
Ji Yuan considered pulling it up—but just then… perhaps sensing the Ice Flood Dragon’s aura, the long-slumbering Great Toad finally awakened.
“Croak—!”
It cried out suddenly.
Ji Yuan no longer paid attention to the Ice Flood Dragon and instead summoned the Wind Locust flying boat, circling the island until he reached the 【Pigsty】.
The Great Toad was now fully awake. Thanks to the Qi‑Blood Pills and Detox Pills Ji Yuan had previously given it, other than some lingering surface wounds, it was fine.
When it saw Ji Yuan, the Great Toad immediately hopped over and began croaking miserably.
“Croak croak—!”
“Croak—!”
“Croak croak croak—!”
It croaked nonstop, raising its front limbs and pointing toward the shore as if to recount the hardships it had faced.
“Alright, alright, I’ve already taken care of it. It’s fine now.”
Words didn’t help much—until Ji Yuan tossed out two Spiritual Pigs.
The Great Toad was satisfied. No more complaints. Instead, it kept signaling that it was still fit for battle.
After a short while, the Ice Flood Dragon, having seemingly absorbed the essence blood, wriggled through the air and flew over.
Only now did Ji Yuan start to see a hint of dragonliness from it.
A pity, though—it still didn’t break through.
Mid-Second Tier, that’s all. If it could reach Third Tier and gain true flight… then he’d truly become a dragon-riding warrior—now that would be cool.
The Ice Flood Dragon arrived and looked at the awakened Great Toad.
Their eyes met like bitter enemies reunited—rage boiled instantly.
“Aarrrgh—!”
The Ice Flood Dragon turned its head toward the Yunyu Marshlands.
“Croak—!”
The Great Toad wasn’t backing down.
And so the dragon and the toad plunged into Yunyu Marshlands for a good old-fashioned one-on-one, body-on-body brawl.
Ji Yuan didn’t care to get involved and returned to the 【Fish Pond】.
There, the Ice Flood Dragon finally showed some activity. At the very least, it wasn’t hiding in the aquatic grass anymore—it was wandering in a corner of the pond, nibbling on scraps of leftover Spiritual Fish...
Really now—are you a Flood Dragon or not?
Not only did it refuse to fight, but it also ate carrion while hiding?
Keep this up and you’ll be grazing grass next…
Ji Yuan was helpless. He summoned his flying sword, killed a mid-First-Tier Spiritual Fish, and offered it as food.
Even so, the Ice Flood Dragon still dragged the corpse into a corner to eat it in secret.
And after a few bites, it would nervously look around—unaware that its dragon aura already scared away every other First-Tier fish.
Say what you will—this Ice Flood Dragon… it was bound to live a long life.
That thought suddenly popped into Ji Yuan’s mind.
Why? Because this Ice Flood Dragon was just too good at surviving.
With this temperament, even if it reached Third Tier, it’d probably never leave its nest. No wait… the more he looked at it, the more it reminded him of himself.
Damn!
With that thought, Ji Yuan—who had been hesitating on whether to sell the Ice Flood Dragon at auction for some Spirit Stones—suddenly knew what to do.
This cowardly Ice Flood Dragon? Better to keep it. Keep it close.
So Ji Yuan waited quietly, and once it finished eating, he forcibly pulled it out of the water.
The next step… naturally, was to make a contract. With Ji Yuan’s current Divine Soul strength, even after contracting one Ice Flood Dragon and a swarm of Spirit-Devouring Bees, adding another dragon was no issue.
Besides, once the 【Fish Pond】 reached level four and the Ice Flood Dragon evolved into a Chi Dragon… that one would definitely be the one to contract. The others? He could just release them.
To be honest, Ji Yuan was hoping this Ice Flood Dragon would be the one to evolve.
Why?
Because it was steady.
The Ice Flood Dragon he was currently raising—once it reached Second Tier, it went straight for a late-Second-Tier Great Toad. Brave, sure—but reckless. It’d die early.
But thinking more deeply, that might not be true.
This one had absorbed Dragon Fortune to evolve. Who knows? Maybe it would become incredibly powerful later.
And anyway, if he could contract two Ice Flood Dragons, then contracting two True Dragons someday wouldn’t be a stretch!
Finished fantasizing, Ji Yuan threw the Ice Flood Dragon back into the 【Fish Pond】.
He felt at ease with it there—not worried it’d cause trouble. Given its personality, it’d be lucky not to get bullied by the other fish.
With this matter settled, Ji Yuan strolled around Misty Island a few more times. Confirming there were no loose ends, he finally departed with a stash of Spiritual Wine.
Before heading to Fox Moon Island, Ji Yuan had to visit Forgotten Worry Island. Only after delivering the wine to Hua Yaoyue could he finally settle down and cultivate with Dong Qian.
A day later, having completed the delivery, Ji Yuan headed straight for Fox Moon Island.
And this time, he didn’t even send Dong Qian a message in advance—because he wanted to give her… a surprise.