Renovating the Home

[Ding! The Host has actively accepted clan members, established a leadership position, and laid the initial foundation for the clan. Please continue to work hard to guide the clan members in developing intelligence and building a clan civilization.]

As Lin Yan announced the establishment of the Earth Dragon Clan, the system's notification sound rang out right on cue.

Lin Yan waited for a while, but discovered that no reward was issued. He couldn't help but gain a deeper appreciation for just how stingy the system was.

"Little ones, the first major task for our Earth Dragon Clan after its founding is to transform this canyon into a livable community."

Helpless, Lin Yan had no choice but to issue his first directive to the group of newly recruited followers. However, returning to his old profession actually made him feel a strange sense of excitement.

Although the followers had no idea what a "livable community" was, they all emitted soft "rustling" sounds to show their support for their boss's call.

Lin Yan first reactivated the [Mini Ecology Simulator] to perform an all-encompassing "scan" of the entire canyon.

The canyon they were currently in was not very large; according to the simulator's proportional estimation, it was no more than a thousand miles in radius. This scale might have been considered large in later ages, but compared to the vast and boundless Primordial World, it was truly not worth mentioning.

The canyon was surrounded by steep, towering mountain ranges, the mountain bodies barren and mostly made of rock.

The terrain inside the canyon was undulating, featuring hills, depressions, and a small water vein winding through it. Most of the ground had poor soil and was permeated with baleful energy, with only sporadic patches of green showing faint signs of life. The overall environment could be described as harsh, but fortunately, it was relatively enclosed and easy to defend and difficult to attack... For the currently very weak Earth Dragon Clan, it could be considered a rare safe haven.

The simulator presented the canyon's terrain, soil composition, baleful energy distribution, spiritual qi flow, water vein paths, and even tiny signs of life in a data-driven format. Lin Yan felt as if he had obtained the most precise geological survey and ecological assessment report.

"Easy first, difficult later; start from a point and expand to the whole." Lin Yan quickly decided on his transformation strategy. He would start the transformation from an area near the water vein.

"Little ones, follow me. Time to eat." Lin Yan used his intent to convey a simple command, then took the lead by opening his mouth, which was lined with fine, sharp blades, and began to gnaw on the soil on the ground.

The Earth Dragon Clan was born with the ability to improve soil quality. He swallowed the baleful energy and impurities in the soil along with the soil itself into his belly. After being decomposed and transformed by the Innate Earth Element Origin within his body, a portion turned into pure Earth Element Spiritual Qi to nourish himself, while the other portion was excreted—this excreted soil was also rich in life force, especially suitable for the growth of spiritual herbs and roots.

Although the nine little Earth Dragons were ignorant, imitation was an instinct. Seeing their patriarch do this, they followed suit, mimicking Lin Yan and beginning to gnaw on the soil in front of them.

As for Lin Yan, besides eating dirt, he would occasionally observe the changes in various values within the soil through the simulator, constantly adjusting the route and depth of his "gnawing" to ensure the maximum efficiency of the improvement.

Time flew like a shuttle, the sun and moon cycled, and the days passed one by one in this monotonous yet fulfilling "dirt-eating" routine. Lin Yan didn't know how much time had passed; perhaps it was decades, or perhaps it was centuries.

The reason for such a large margin of error was mainly because in this damned Primordial sky, the rising and setting of the sun and moon had no pattern at all. It seemed that the rising and falling of the sun and moon depended entirely on their moods; if they were in a good mood, they would stay in the sky for a few more days, and if they were in a bad mood, they wouldn't show their faces for a long time.

Regarding this, Lin Yan expressed that he was already used to it. In any case, the difference between day and night didn't mean much to him.

Lin Yan led the nine little Earth Dragons, using the first transformation point as the center, and like the most diligent gardeners, they expanded their "Pure Land" step by step toward the surroundings.

Under their efforts, large swathes of land began to brim with life—the originally barren soil became dark and fertile, not only did the baleful energy dissipate without a trace, but the concentration of spiritual qi also steadily increased.

First, moss spread, followed by low-growing spiritual herbs breaking through the soil: Condensing Dew Grass, Clover, Purple Ganoderma Bud... One by one, patch by patch, the canyon floor was being covered by various types of vegetation at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Seeing this, Lin Yan used the Mini Ecology Simulator to deduce a water vein diversion plan.

He connected the small water vein to the hidden Spirit Veins deep underground, allowing the water flow to absorb the energy of the Spirit Veins and turn into a spiritual spring. He then split the spiritual spring into several tributaries, covering the entire canyon like a spiderweb. Wherever the spiritual water flowed, spiritual qi became dense, the soil regained its vitality, and more spiritual herbs sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. The originally mottled and bare ground gradually became lush and green.

As the ecological environment within the canyon improved, the concentration of spiritual qi within the canyon grew higher and higher, and the Earth Dragon Clan also ushered in a transformation.

After continuously consuming soil to absorb spiritual qi, the nine small Earth Dragons underwent some changes in their physique. Their bodies, which were originally the thickness of a thumb, had now grown to the thickness of an arm. Tiny scales had sprouted on their bodies, and even the smallest Earth Dragon among them had reached a length of over ten zhang.

Beyond the increase in size, their intelligence seemed to have improved significantly, evolving from the "simpleton" level of relying purely on instinct to the level of "naive children." At the very least, Lin Yan's commands—"go eat over there," "don't crowd together," "poop... er, please go to the designated area to excrete"—were now understood by them. Although execution was occasionally hit-or-miss, it saved Lin Yan a great deal of worry.

Lin Yan's own changes were even more remarkable; he could now be described as a colossal behemoth.

His body length had reached over a hundred zhang, more than a hundred times larger than when he first transmigrated. His body, once the thickness of an arm, was now over a zhang thick.

Across his massive frame, eighty-one segments were densely covered in dark gold scales, their edges marked with faint earth-element patterns. The aura on his body had condensed into a tangible form, as if he were draped in a suit of earth-yellow armor that shimmered with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

His head had become more robust, and the blade-like teeth within his massive mouthparts were sharper than ever. Never mind Innate Earth Essence, even the hard Nine Heavens Mysterious Iron could be easily gnawed into powder by him.

Above his head, a faint earth-yellow vortex was vaguely taking shape. This was a sign that the Earth Element Origin was beginning to coalesce, representing a deeper level of mastery over the Earth Element Laws.

When Lin Yan sank his consciousness into the system panel, the cultivation progress displayed there left him feeling exhilarated:

Cultivation: Shaping Stage (95%)

Finally, I am close to the Shaping Stage. Feeling the surging Earth Element Spiritual Qi within his body and the power of transformation ready to burst forth like a butterfly from a cocoon, Lin Yan felt that all his hard work over these years had not been in vain. With just one more step forward, he would be able to shed his soft-bodied Earth Dragon form, take on a human shape, and truly stand in the Primordial World with the posture of an Innate Dao Body.

Just as Lin Yan was feeling pleased with himself, a massive figure came charging rapidly toward the entrance of the canyon camp.

An Innate Fierce Beast! Lin Yan's heart sank abruptly; the warning from his bloodline inheritance triggered an instantaneous reaction.

The beast was incredibly fast, charging into the canyon from the entrance in the blink of an eye. Wherever it passed, life force was extinguished and malevolent energy surged; the once-verdant land became blackened and foul-smelling after being tainted by the beast's aura.

This fierce beast was shaped like a lion but possessed three scarlet eyes. A scorpion-like tail was held high, flickering with a ghostly blue toxic light. Its entire body was covered in dark red scales, and black Destruction Sha Qi constantly leaked from the gaps between them.

Lin Yan opened the Primordial Basic Knowledge Atlas and discovered it was a fierce beast known as a Scorpion-tailed Demon Lion. Although it appeared to still be in its juvenile stage and was far from the sky-obscuring size of an adult, the malicious aura and destructive power it emitted had already reached the level of an Earth Immortal.

Watching as this home, into which he had poured countless efforts, was trampled by the beast, Lin Yan felt an intense surge of anger. This was someone bullying him right at his doorstep; it was simply going too far.