A Small Improvement

"Devour an enemy's Magic Core to obtain their Dou Technique? I can do that?"

Zhu Jin's dragon eyes widened, and he tilted his head. He didn't remember the Ancient Void Dragon Clan having such a racial talent.

"Could it be a talent from my mother's side? Or maybe the Ancient Void Dragon Clan has this ability to begin with, but it's so rare that ordinary young dragons don't have it, and I somehow unlocked an SSR? Or was it just dumb luck, and I accidentally stole the Mountain-moving Ape's Dou Technique?" Zhu Jin frowned deeply and began recalling the contents of Battle Through the Heavens, hoping the creator god, Father Tudou, might offer some hint.

But Zhu Jin quickly shook his head. The original story had very little description of the Beast Domain to begin with, and even less about the cultivation system of Magical Beasts. It could be said that it never explained how Magical Beasts cultivated at all. Only after being reborn as a dragon had he learned, Oh, so this is how Magical Beasts cultivate.

Zhu Jin took a deep breath, abruptly rose to his feet, looked up at the sky, clenched his fists, and said, "It's fine. A great man once said, 'Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth!' Now that I've left North Dragon Island, meat is no longer rationed. If I hunt enough, I'll eventually run into another Magical Beast with something worth taking. Then I'll know whether it was luck or a talent unique to me."

"First, let's see what this Dou Technique can do." With a thought, Zhu Jin activated the newly awakened Dou Technique, Mountain-moving Strength.

"Activate!" Zhu Jin shouted in a low voice. Dragon Dou Qi surged through his body, his dragon blood instantly boiled, and the muscles across his body bulged. With a crack, the cave floor split under the pressure. Then, with a boom, his enlarged massive dragon body slammed headfirst into the ceiling.

"Just as I thought. This Dou Technique is like the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, capable of temporarily increasing combat power. But instead of raising cultivation, it enhances physical strength, making the body stronger and increasing overall power." Zhu Jin lowered his head to inspect his swollen muscles and quickly understood. It was like inflating a balloon. The accelerated circulation of Dou Qi sped up his blood flow and expanded his muscles, temporarily boosting his combat strength.

Zhu Jin licked his lips, a flash of smugness crossing his eyes. "Who would've thought my golden finger needs Magic Cores? North Dragon Island really held me back!"

Having figured it out, Zhu Jin nodded to himself and licked his lips. "Sure enough, Zi Yan brings me luck. Heading straight for Zi Yan must be destiny. Huh? Why is there electricity? Oh, static electricity. Scared the hell out of me."

Zhu Jin deactivated Mountain-moving Strength, shook the dragon claw that had been zapped by static, then clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward the cave entrance. Looking at the sun overhead, he felt more and more that his life as a dragon had hope.

"Dragon King, you've emerged from seclusion?" Seeing that the Dragon King had come out, Deputy Chief Wolf Lai immediately scampered over, prostrated himself on the ground, raised his tail, stuck out his rear, and waited for orders.

"Mm." Zhu Jin gave a low grunt and asked, "By the way, how long was I in seclusion?"

"Reporting to the Dragon King, it has been seven days," Wolf Lai replied.

Zhu Jin couldn't help being startled. In his perception, it had only taken a little while—from refining the Magic Core to absorbing its energy. He hadn't expected it to take seven whole days. No wonder Zi Yan could sleep for years at a time in the novel.

Still, it wasn't strange. After absorbing the Magic Core, Zhu Jin had gained more than just a new Dou Technique; his cultivation had improved as well. Of the spikes covering the Dou Crystal inside his body, two had been worn away, and only half of the third remained. This meant that he was now a Tier Four Magical Beast, with the cultivation of a three-star Dou Ling. He had essentially gone into brief seclusion and gained a small improvement.

The flesh-and-blood energy of three Tier Four Magical Beasts and one Tier Four Magic Core had raised his cultivation by two stars.

Zhu Jin thought, By my calculations, it's still early. There are still three years before Brother Xiao Yan's Three-Year Agreement. At the very least, I need to reach the Dou Wang level. During Xiao Yan's third assault on the Misty Cloud Sect, he recruited Dou Wangs from the Black-Corner Region to form a temporary alliance. That'll be a perfect chance to latch onto a powerful thigh. This is the merit of following a dragon. And at that time, Zi Yan will also be at the Dou Wang level, still in that clueless stage where she doesn't even know who she is. I can make use of our shared Ancient Void Dragon identity and give her some pills to get close to her. Then everything will fall into place. Heh heh... Damn it, why is there static electricity again?

"For now, my top priority is still reaching the Dou Wang level, gathering medicinal ingredients and resources, finding an alchemist to refine some Grade Five pills, and then figuring out how to leave the Beast Domain for Jia Nan Academy. As long as I can accomplish all that within three to five years, it'll be fine. Right now, intelligence is the most important thing. I need to establish a force of my own. That'll make gathering information and expanding much easier." Zhu Jin set aside his grand plan for his dragon life, turned his gaze to Deputy Chief Wolf Lai, and asked, "Tell me the specific situation in the Wild Mountain Range. In detail."

Upon hearing Zhu Jin's order, Wolf Lai began recounting all the intelligence he knew.

It turned out that three hundred years ago, the dominant clan of the Wild Mountain Range, the Wild Mountain Macaque Dragon Clan, had been in decline. After the strongest Tier Seven Macaque Dragon Beast King in the clan died, no more Tier Seven Magical Beasts appeared within the Wild Mountain Macaque Dragon Clan, causing the entire Wild Mountain Range to fall into a state of competing warlords.

The place where Zhu Jin and the others currently were had once been the territory of the Wild Mountain Macaque Dragon Clan. But the clan had now completely vanished without a trace, leaving only a barren wasteland where spiritual energy had withered. Only a few Tier Four Magical Beast tribes still lived here.

The Flame Wolf Unicorn Clan, Steel-winged Vulture Clan, and Mountain-moving Ape Clan were among them.

After silently listening, Zhu Jin more or less understood. The Ancient Void Dragon Clan's civil war had indeed had a tremendous impact. Without the support of Dragon Island, their former vassal clans had ultimately vanished. But it made sense. For a clan like the Ancient Dragon Bear Clan to produce someone like Xiong Zhan, who cultivated to the Dou Venerate level, that was practically a clan-restoring patriarch. No wonder East Dragon Island later agreed to let Xiong Zhan return to his rightful place.

A Dou Venerate was already top-tier combat power even on Dragon Island. In the Soul Hall, such a person would be a Soul Hall Venerable, an existence capable of stirring up storms. After all, the Four Pavilions and Three Valleys each only had one Dou Venerate.

Most of the vassal clans had likely followed the Ancient Void Dragon Clan out of the Beast Domain, only to be wiped out in the end.

Zhu Jin asked, "By the way, you said there are other Tier Four Magical Beast tribes here. Do you know where they are?"

Wolf Lai froze at the question, then nodded. "Yes. The remaining Heavenly Fox Spider Tribe, Green-horned Tiger Tribe, Divine Eagle Deer Tribe, and Purple Cloud Scorpion Snake Tribe are on the other side of the basin. Those four tribes are stronger and occupy larger territories."

"And..." Wolf Lai seemed about to say something, but fell silent.

Zhu Jin glanced at him and asked, "And what?"

Wolf Lai's wolf tail drooped as he said quietly, "The Purple Cloud Scorpion Serpents are a vassal clan of the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan. They have the Nine Netherworld Pythons behind them. I heard they already know about the deaths of the three chiefs and are preparing to come hunt us."

"The Nine Netherworld Pythons?" Zhu Jin raised a dragon brow, recalling the description of the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan from the book. The corner of his mouth curled as he smiled. "They're just a vassal clan of the Nine Netherworld Pythons. They want to hunt me? Lead the way."

Hearing that he was expected to lead the way, Wolf Lai looked utterly confused. "Where to?"

"To hunt them."