Neither Human Nor Fish

Gu Yue slowly spoke. "Chen An, how much intelligence did you gather during your time away?"

The gazes of every ferocious beast in the hall immediately fell in unison upon the child who looked six years old.

They understood that he was a special existence personally chosen by Di Tian, promoted beyond the usual rules, and placed directly under his command.

Chen An swept his gaze across the crowd, then left his position in the corner and stepped into the center.

It would be enough to explain the current situation of humanity in broad terms. Going into too much detail could cause a severe butterfly effect.

After delivering the intelligence, Chen An returned to his place. He glanced at the Roulette and saw that its notification content had changed again.

However, there had been no draw, so he had no way of knowing the exact changes.

After a long silence, Gu Yue finalized the grand plan.

"The infiltration plan will not end. It will only accelerate.

"I will continue approaching the younger generation of humans as a human girl, gaining access to the upper echelons, the Federation, and the core secrets of the Spirit Pagoda.

"Na'er will enter humanity's highest academy and observe and learn from within."

At this point, Gu Yue's gaze fell upon Chen An, who stood nearby in his small body with an indifferent expression. Her voice became solemn as she announced,

"Chen An, your bloodline is unusual, and your temperament is steady. You are suited to moving through the human world, infiltrating, and laying plans.

"I am assigning you a separate responsibility. You have only one core objective—find, locate, and infiltrate the Golden Dragon King's incarnation."

As soon as those words fell, the ferocious beasts in the hall were slightly moved.

The Golden Dragon King!

The other half of the Dragon God after its division, wielding the origin of strength. It stood as the yin to their lord, the Silver Dragon King's yang, and they had originally been one.

Its whereabouts had been unknown for years. It had always been the greatest hidden concern of the Star Dou beasts, as well as the most crucial and uncontrollable variable in their future game of restoring the soul beasts.

Gu Yue's eyes were deep as she continued making arrangements.

"I can now sense her existence. She has already awakened her martial soul.

"You will first lurk by her side, observe her temperament and growth, and record every unusual development. All intelligence is to be secretly delivered to Demon Spirit at regular intervals.

"Demon Spirit excels at concealing himself within the void and transmitting messages without a trace. He will serve as your exclusive contact line. That is the safest arrangement."

Demon Spirit, hidden within the void, stirred slightly in acknowledgment.

Gu Yue continued finalizing the division of responsibilities, completely settling Star Dou's plan to enter the human world.

"Bear Lord, Scarlet King, unless you receive a personal decree from me, you are strictly forbidden from acting on your own."

Though Bear Lord was filled with unwillingness, with his lord's decree before him, he could only lower his voice and obey.

"Ten Thousand Demon King will remain in Star Dou, guard our foundation, stabilize the forest barrier, and ensure our retreat remains secure."

"The rest of you will each infiltrate under suitable disguises."

Gu Yue added the final rule.

"I will first travel through the human world and establish an identity. Once I reach the intermediate academy stage, I will formally enter the game and afterward take root in the upper ranks of the Spirit Pagoda."

With that decision made, there was no further dispute.

Di Tian slowly nodded and said in a deep voice, "I shall obey, my lord."

All the ferocious beasts bowed together. "We obey our lord's command!"

After hearing everything, Chen An accepted the order respectfully on the surface, but a storm was already raging within his heart.

Golden Dragon King... Tang Wulin!

This mission was practically throwing him straight into the eye of the storm! But then again, wasn't this an enormous opportunity?

Gu Yuena's arrangements had, by sheer coincidence, aligned perfectly with his own plans.

If he wanted to rapidly improve his strength, staying with Na'er and relying on resonance between dragon bloodlines was the best route.

But Na'er was going to Shrek's inner court. Although his current soul power progress was impressive, his actual combat strength had yet to reach the level of a "monster."

Gu Yue would never agree to let him remain with Na'er.

Unlike Na'er, Gu Yue had a cold personality. If he dared touch her in his current identity, she would dare bare her teeth at him.

Only when he approached her later as a fellow student could he once again receive nourishment from the Silver Dragon King Origin.

And if he could get close to Tang Wulin, might the Golden Dragon King have similarly miraculous effects of nourishing or even evolving his bloodline?

If he could build a good relationship with her and become her friend, his foundations in the human world would become several times more solid!

This was far more reliable than merely using [Luck] to pick up money.

He would not need to deliberately flatter her, nor would he need to carefully disguise himself while infiltrating.

As a friend, as someone her own age, he could remain openly at Tang Wulin's side.

A fortunate coincidence, perfectly natural!

He could complete his lord's infiltration and surveillance mission while crazily cultivating and leveling up at close range by benefiting from the Golden Dragon King Origin.

The best of both worlds—his gains might even far exceed the mission itself.

At that thought, the lingering frustration Chen An felt over being "escorted" back vanished completely, replaced by a faint excitement.

Once he had finished his calculations, the meeting also came to an end.

The ferocious beasts gradually dispersed, each returning to their duties and preparing their own infiltration and disguise plans.

Chen An turned to leave.

A cool female voice suddenly rang out, stopping him in his tracks.

"Chen An, stay behind."

Gu Yue's voice was calm and without ripples, yet it carried an authority that could not be refused.

Chen An paused, his heart tightening slightly. He immediately stopped obediently, turned around, and lowered his head respectfully.

"My lord."

Upon the white jade throne, the black-haired, violet-eyed girl slowly rose to her feet.

Her figure was slender and seemingly delicate, yet the depths and sharpness in her eyes were enough to see through every disguise in the world.

Gu Yue slowly descended from the throne and approached the childlike Chen An step by step, her gaze as precise as a sharp blade as she carefully examined him.

The instant she drew near, a faint, transparent Dragon Scale pattern beneath the skin of Chen An's chest quietly emerged beyond his control.

This was the instinctive manifestation of his bloodline after it had devoured the scale and evolved, reacting to the proximity of the Silver Dragon King.

Gu Yue's eyes suddenly narrowed. Moving with extreme speed, she raised a hand, seized Chen An by the collar, and gave it a light tug.

His childish collar was pulled open, fully exposing the unusual Dragon Scale pattern on his chest, which glimmered with a faint radiance, before her eyes.

The posture was a little too intimate, though.

The air instantly fell silent.

Gu Yue stared sharply at the chest where that Dragon Scale lay and asked softly, her tone carrying scrutiny.

"What is this? Why has one of my Dragon Scales grown on your body?"

Chen An's heart suddenly clenched, and his mind tensed at once.

Yet he showed no change in expression. His mind raced, and he delivered the explanation he had already prepared in a steady, sincere voice.

"My lord, this subordinate is slow-witted. While traveling earlier, I accidentally swallowed the... your Dragon Scale that Lord Di Tian gave me.

"After swallowing it, my bloodline quietly mutated, producing this scale pattern. I cannot control it myself either..."

Gu Yue leaned down slightly, her exquisite face drawing near his. Her violet eyes locked tightly onto Chen An's as she carefully scrutinized every fluctuation in his expression, probing his heartbeat and aura.

Only a few seconds passed, yet they felt as long as centuries.

Chen An steadied his mind and forcibly suppressed every trace of tension and panic. His expression remained open and calm, without the slightest flaw.

After a long while.

Only after Gu Yue confirmed that she could find no trace of deceit in his expression did she slowly release him.

She stared thoughtfully at the faintly glowing Dragon Scale and slowly spoke.

"Does it still work? Try using it to sense the surroundings. See whether you can detect the Golden Dragon King's location."

Chen An's heart stirred, and he immediately did as instructed.

He focused inward and activated the faint power of the scale pattern on his chest.

In an instant, a vague, violent, incomparably heavy golden dragon aura crossed a vast distance and faintly entered his perception.

It worked!

He really could use this scale pattern to locate the Golden Dragon King's position!

Chen An immediately raised his head and answered truthfully. "My lord, I can sense it. I can detect a vague direction."

Gu Yue nodded slightly. A trace of satisfaction flashed through her eyes, and the doubts in her heart were finally put to rest.

"Very good. The mutation on your body is beneficial to the mission."

She solemnly instructed him once more, each word clear.

"Set out immediately. Follow the aura and locate the Golden Dragon King's incarnation.

"Lurk at close range, observe carefully, and record every aspect of her growth, temperament, and changes in fortune. Report to me regularly through Demon Spirit.

"Remember, concealment comes first. Do not expose yourself."

Chen An had only just returned and already had to leave again. He felt less like a fish and more like a workhorse.

"Understood."