Golden Scales Are Never Meant for a Pond; Once They Meet the Winds and Clouds, They Transform into Dragons

The Dragon-Transformation Pool was a secret realm born from the Coiling Dragon Spirit Vein. It was located beneath Dragonhead Peak, at the location of the Dragon Pearl.

A major reason White Elm Hall wanted to seize Coiling Dragon Island was the Dragon-Transformation Pool.

The sky was faintly red, and the first light of dawn had appeared. Heng Hua arrived at the great lake beneath Dragonhead Peak, took out his identity token, and lightly pointed it at the water's surface.

Emerald waves rippled. The lake parted down the middle, revealing ninety-nine tiers of white jade stairs.

After bowing from afar in the direction of Dragonhead Peak, Heng Hua quickly entered the passage and arrived at the secret realm hidden beneath the water.

The Dragon-Transformation Pool was not large, merely a jade pool five zhang square. Golden ripples shimmered within it, while broad green lotus leaves floated with the current. The dome reflected the water's surface, dazzling in brilliant, multicolored splendor.

Upon reaching the entrance, Heng Hua felt waves of abundant spiritual energy. Cultivating here for one day was equivalent to ten days in the outside world. Only Fu Family disciples who had rendered great service were permitted to cultivate in the Dragon-Transformation Pool.

Moreover, the Dragon-Transformation Pool held two further opportunities: Tendon Cleansing and Marrow Purification, and Fish Leaping Through the Dragon Gate.

The spiritual liquid in the jade pool was entirely the essence of the Spirit Vein. Soaking in it just once could wash away acquired impurities, reshape one's foundation, and improve one's cultivation aptitude.

Of course, such a method of enhancing one's physique could only be used once in a lifetime.

Members of Cypress Sovereign Hall were personally brought to the Dragon-Transformation Pool by Fu Danwei for a cleansing baptism shortly after birth. Thus, so long as no accidents befell them, even if they had to crawl, Cypress Sovereign Hall's clansmen could reach the Foundation Establishment Realm in this lifetime.

"Dragon transformation, Dragon-Transformation Pool. Yet golden scales are not creatures of the pond—how could such a cramped place raise a True Dragon?"

Heng Hua muttered as he walked forward.

"Hmph—you think this old man's Dragon-Transformation Pool is too small? Then find this old man a few chunks of giant jade marrow. I'll build a Dragon Palace right here."

Fu Danwei's voice came from behind him.

Heng Hua hurriedly turned around and put on a placating smile.

The old man stood behind him with his hands clasped behind his back, staring at him with bright, piercing eyes.

The Dragon-Transformation Pool had been carved from a single enormous piece of jade, an opportunity Fu Danwei had encountered in his youth. He had used that jade to carve the pool, connect it to the Coiling Dragon Spirit Vein, and channel the vein's jade-liquid essence into the jade pool.

It could be said that this Dragon-Transformation Pool occupied more than half of Coiling Dragon Island's spiritual energy.

"Your grandson merely spoke casually. Why are you getting so worked up, old man?"

Heng Hua made light conversation, drawing a faint smile from Fu Danwei. The oppressive emotions he had felt these past days due to his heart demon eased somewhat.

"You brat, did you come for the Dragon Transformation opportunity again?"

The Dragon-Transformation Pool was an important Fu Family site, personally guarded by Fu Danwei. However, Fu Danwei's Body-Splitting Art was currently occupied elsewhere, so he descended in the form of a Divine Sense manifestation.

The old man stepped forward, intending to reach out and pat Heng Hua's head. But recalling something, he hesitated and silently withdrew his hand.

Hold it in, hold it in. This is my grandson, raised by this old man himself.

"Exactly."

Heng Hua felt uneasy and carefully said, "Your grandson wishes to undertake Fish Leaping Through the Dragon Gate."

Don't notice. Don't notice. If the old man finds out I dispersed my cultivation and started over, he'll surely fly into a thunderous rage.

Grandfather and grandson each harbored their own thoughts. Fu Danwei did not inspect Heng Hua's cultivation closely. He merely heard that Heng Hua wished to use the Dragon Gate, and Fu Danwei was delighted; threads of joy could be felt through his Divine Sense.

"Fine. Go ahead."

Within the Dragon-Transformation Pool, a lotus leaf drifted to the shore.

Feeling uneasy, Heng Hua stretched out his left foot and stepped on it, then swiftly withdrew it.

Sure enough, the instant he stepped on it, the lotus leaf suddenly sank.

"Ah—"

Fu Danwei's disappointed sigh came from behind him.

"Hmph!" Heng Hua crossed his arms. "Old man, I'm not a three-year-old child anymore. Forget these little tricks meant to fool people."

Fu Henghua had helped the Fu Family deduce cultivation methods and accumulated a mountain of merit. He came to the Dragon-Transformation Pool often. And since it was a place watched over by his grandfather, Heng Hua naturally received treatment different from others.

He recalled the first time he had come to the Dragon-Transformation Pool after becoming old enough to remember things. Naive and innocent, he had leaped onto a lotus leaf, only for Fu Danwei to swiftly sink it, sending him tumbling into the water.

The old man had called it educating his grandson: never trust others lightly.

Afterward, whenever Fu Henghua came to the Dragon-Transformation Pool, Fu Danwei always found a chance to toss him into the pool for a soak.

The pool was full of spiritual liquid and would not harm Heng Hua. But ending up drenched from head to toe was something Heng Hua greatly disliked.

Yet whenever Heng Hua protested, Fu Danwei would swat him down with a single slap.

He was the lord of Coiling Dragon Island, a figure second only to the Grand Elder in the Fu Family. If he wanted to teach his grandson, who could say a single word of "no"?

"Old man, enough already. Let me get onto the lotus leaf peacefully today. I plan to challenge the Dragon Transformation opportunity again."

"Fine."

Fu Danwei's tone carried a trace of teasing as the lotus leaf rose again.

"You brat, hurry up and enter meditation."

Heng Hua first tossed over a fan. Seeing that it did not sink, he finally stepped onto the leaf. He was extremely uneasy as he moved, afraid that the old man would discover he had dispersed his cultivation and begun cultivating anew.

He did not fear that the old man harbored ill intentions toward him. Rather, he worried that once the old man learned he had secretly dispersed his cultivation and started over without reporting it beforehand, he would rage furiously and worry himself sick over him.

Behind him, Fu Danwei silently suppressed the wicked thoughts in his heart. He feared that if he lost control for even a moment, he would strike against his own grandson.

Heng Hua stepped onto the lotus leaf. Fu Danwei raised the Dragon Gate, adjusted the difficulty to its highest setting, then swiftly withdrew this strand of Divine Sense.

The leaves around the edge of the lotus leaf gradually rose, forming a sunken seat that rotated in the water. Surging spiritual energy came from every direction, seeping through his skin and into his body.

Creation True Qi circulated madly, automatically completing one Lesser Celestial Circuit after another.

Yet such benefits were no more than a mosquito's leg when it came to Fish Leaping Through the Dragon Gate.

In the Dragon Transformation opportunity, a cultivator's consciousness was projected into the water as a spirit fish. They frolicked in the water in fish form while cultivating a dragon transformation method.

At the same time, the Dragon-Transformation Pool evolved all kinds of dragonfish and dragon beasts to obstruct them. So long as one passed through layer upon layer of obstacles and entered the final Dragon Gate in flood-dragon form, one could obtain a strand of True Dragon Aura from the Dragon-Transformation Pool.

This True Dragon Aura was the essence of the Coiling Dragon Spirit Vein. One strand could add a hundred years of cultivation. For Heng Hua, who wished to restore his cultivation as quickly as possible, the Dragon Gate was the only path.

However, the Dragon Transformation opportunity was limited in duration. The Dragon Gate remained open for only three days. If one could not cross it within three days, one could not obtain True Dragon Aura.

Furthermore, the flood dragons and dragon beasts blocking the path were exceptionally vicious. Many people could not even endure until reaching the Dragon Gate, instead being slain by dragon beasts halfway through and returning in crushing defeat.

"The Dragon Gate opens. The time limit is three days."

Listening to the words echoing at his ears, Heng Hua's consciousness sank into the Dragon-Transformation Pool and transformed beneath the lotus leaf into a tiny fish fry the size of a thumb.

It continuously spat bubbles, absorbing the Dragon Aura in the water.

Rumble—

A magnificent, sacred gateway appeared in the fish fry's field of vision. A Coiling Dragon pillar stood on either side of the Dragon Gate, each releasing draconic roars throughout the entire pool.

Golden runes flowed within the Dragon Gate, manifesting a Dragon Transformation Secret Method, the Grand Mystery Jade Dragon Formula. It was a fragmentary Black Grade cultivation method that Fu Danwei had obtained by chance in his youth.

As time passed, the radiance at the base of the Coiling Dragon pillars would gradually dim. Once three days had passed, the two great pillars would lose all luster, and the Dragon Gate would close.

Heng Hua was a frequent challenger of the Dragon Transformation opportunity. Once the trial began, the little fish fry decisively flicked its tail, shot out from beneath the lotus leaf, and rammed into another fish fry nearby.

Meanwhile, the Grand Mystery Jade Dragon Formula inherent to the Dragon-Transformation Pool circulated within the fish fry's body. When the two little fish collided, Heng Hua quickly opened his mouth and swallowed the other fish, refining the Dragon Aura within it.

The fish fry grew a little stronger, and Heng Hua charged toward his next target.

He calculated inwardly, On the first day of the Dragon Gate, every dragon lineage begins growing from its earliest stage. I must be the first to evolve into a dragonfish before I can fight those dragon shrimp and dragon turtles.

All aquatic creatures could transform into dragons; it was not limited to fish and snakes.

Crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs, mollusks such as river clams, amphibians such as frogs and toads, reptiles such as turtles and snakes, drifting creatures such as jellyfish—even lotus leaves and aquatic weeds in the water, once tainted with Dragon Aura, could transform from plants into Azure Dragons.

Once, Heng Hua had been only half a step away from the Dragon Gate. He had already transformed into a flood dragon and needed only one leap through the gate. But a strand of waterweed floated beside the Dragon Gate, and he had paid it no mind.

When he reached the Dragon Gate, that waterweed instantly turned into an azure flood dragon and bit the flood dragon he had become to death on the spot.

After that, Heng Hua cursed that "azure green bitch" for three days and three nights. The composure he had cultivated in Langhuan Hall utterly collapsed. For three days, Xiaoyu was forbidden from appearing before him, and Hengshou was forbidden from wearing azure green clothing around him.

The fish fry darted rapidly through the water, but when it spotted a juvenile turtle swimming in the distance, it decisively turned and left.

"In my current form, I can't beat a turtle."

Among the seven dragon transformation paths in the water, challengers could only choose the fish category; the other six were all enemies. Among those enemies, turtles and snakes were particularly unusual. When they appeared in the Dragon-Transformation Pool, they were already hatchlings, far stronger than fish, shrimp, and waterweed.

Heng Hua swam through the water, occasionally eating fish eggs and toad eggs that had not yet hatched.

Suddenly, he came to an abrupt stop, circled around a water snake devouring small shrimp nearby, and fled in another direction.

"Steady, steady. I absolutely can't be careless at the start."

Heng Hua carefully developed himself. Amid an environment filled with turtles and snakes, he finally transformed into a juvenile fish.

Besides the koi Heng Hua commonly used, the Fish Dragon evolution path included fish species such as salmon, perch, eels, and loaches, all of which possessed dragon transformation potential. However, their innate abilities at the spirit-fish stage differed from one another.

Carp were the most suited to dragon transformation, while their koi branch could sense fortune and avoid calamity. Eels could command lightning, loaches could hide in mud...

As always, Heng Hua's consciousness transformed into a koi. Its red tail drifted through the water like a cloud of fire. When it encountered juvenile water snakes or turtles, it swallowed them outright. When it encountered adult shrimp spirits and crab monsters it could not defeat, it immediately turned and fled.

Three hours later, the great red koi had grown to a meter in length. Amid a clap of thunder, its body gradually lengthened, and a golden dragon scale grew upon its forehead.

A dragonfish was still a type of fish. Beyond that came the Fish Dragon, a dragon evolved from fish.

As Heng Hua transformed into a dragonfish, the turtles in the Dragon-Transformation Pool successively evolved into dragon turtles. One of them even began to take on the form of a young Baxia. Those river clams lying dormant on the pool floor also began to emit Dragon Aura, transforming toward Jiaotu.

The water snakes began transforming into Dragon Serpents as well, and young Wood Dragons appeared among the waterweed...

"This is bad—"

The koi's instincts issued a warning, and Heng Hua decisively turned to evade. Yet a Dragon Eel wreathed in purple lightning lunged at him with ferocious speed and immediately bit his dragonfish to death.

Heng Hua's vision went black. When his consciousness returned, he had once again become a tiny fish fry beneath the lotus leaf.

"Calm down, calm down. It's the same old situation."

Heng Hua gave himself a mental pep talk and calmly began again.

After reaching the dragonfish stage, the enemies he hated most were electric eels.

Jiaotu and Baxia moved slowly enough that he could avoid them.

Only Dragon Eels were the fastest, wrapped in purple lightning. A single touch would paralyze him.

The fish fry started again from nothing. Yet the other aquatic creatures in the Dragon-Transformation Pool had already grown stronger. Juvenile creatures were scarce, so Heng Hua had to carefully avoid the battles among dragon beasts such as Jiaotu and Baxia.

"It's fine. As long as I seize the chance to pick up the scraps and rush over to eat their juvenile forms after those dragon beasts die, I can grow again."

Another five hours passed. Amid a ring of dragon beasts, Heng Hua finally grew into a dragonfish. Then, by a fortunate stroke of chance, Heng Hua ambushed an injured Dragon Loach and successfully evolved into a Fish Dragon.

A Fish Dragon had the body of a dragon, covered all over in fish scales, with a protrusion on its forehead that would become horns.

One step further, when its fins transformed into four legs, it would become a flood dragon.

But by then, several flood dragons had already appeared in the Dragon-Transformation Pool.

Those flood dragons had snake-shaped heads and had all transformed from water snakes.

"Snakes really do have a talent for dragon transformation."

Watching the ten-meter-long flood dragons swimming through the water, the Fish Dragon Heng Hua had become hid carefully. Yet the Fish Dragon was also two meters long; no matter how it tried to conceal itself, it could not remain hidden.

Before long, it was beaten back to its original form by the flood dragons and had to begin striving anew as a tiny fish fry.

As Fu Danwei watched his grandson strive within the Dragon-Transformation Pool, his mood improved somewhat, and a smile appeared on his aged face.

But soon, Youying began stirring his heart demon again.

The smile faded. Fu Danwei once more cast a spell to suppress the distracting thoughts in his heart.

Possess his grandson?

Was the grandson he had worked so hard to raise going to be destroyed by his own hand?

As his thoughts churned, another idea suddenly flashed through Fu Danwei's mind.

"If possession won't work, then what about forbidden arts?"

He had once seen a forbidden art in Langhuan Hall.

Through blood sacrifice at an evil altar, living people could be refined into living pills, extending one's lifespan.

Evil thoughts surged forth, and Fu Danwei's Divine Sense descended upon Langhuan Hall.

After finishing his practice, Fu Xiangfeng came to Jade Fragrance Pavilion to pay his respects to his mother.

Aside from Zhang Qiulan, several young women of the Fu Family were also present.

The women sat around Zhang Qiulan, selecting golden thread.

Fu Xiangfeng asked curiously, "Mother, what are you and my sisters planning to do?"

"A new batch of gold thread and cloud brocade has arrived. We intend to make new clothes for everyone in the family."

Zhang Qiulan's expression was indifferent. Pointing at the golden thread, she said to the young women, "Choose first. Once you are finished, your brothers can make their selections. You may leave now."

Fu Liuhui wanted to say something more, but when she saw the look in her second aunt's eyes, she left with Si Tong, Xian Tong, and Yun Tong.

Fu Xiangfeng seemed to understand. "Eighth Sister still intends to take revenge?"

Fu Liuhui was the daughter of Fu Xiangfeng's fourth aunt. Since both her parents had died, she had been raised by the Fu Family and ranked and named alongside the rest of the family.

"She wants to leave the island, but I won't allow it. Let her make treasure garments with her younger sisters first and temper her nature."

"But in a few days, aren't these little grandaunts going to the Yin Family?"

"When the time comes, send more people to keep watch. We can't truly let her leave alone to seek revenge."

Thinking of the trifling affairs on Coiling Dragon Island, Zhang Qiulan felt waves of irritation in her heart.

In earlier years, Fu Henghua could still help her somewhat. But in recent years, he had hidden away in the library and ignored even household affairs, leaving her alone to care for this entire large family.

"Oh, right, Mother. I heard that Nineteenth Uncle came to Coiling Dragon Island?"

"He came. But it seems his cultivation broke through yesterday, and he sealed off his own courtyard to enter seclusion."

Because of Fu Heyi's purpose in coming, Zhang Qiulan held no favorable opinion of him. Her expression was exceptionally cold. "Since he has entered seclusion, do not go over there, lest you anger your grandfather."

Why would visiting Nineteenth Uncle anger Grandfather?

Fu Xiangfeng wore a baffled expression, but Zhang Qiulan had no desire to explain.

"Enough. Go see your grandfather. Stay with the old man more these days."

After escorting her three younger sisters back to their rooms, Fu Liuhui went alone to Langhuan Hall.

Seeing that strand of Divine Sense drifting amid the flowers outside the hall, she approached in surprise.

"Grandfather, why are you here?"

Then she noticed that Langhuan Hall was closed.

"Is Sixth Brother practicing? Why is the hall closed today?"

"He is cultivating in seclusion at the Dragon-Transformation Pool."

Fu Danwei's Divine Sense flickered unstably as good and evil battled endlessly in his heart.

"Did Grandfather come to borrow books?"

"No need."

Seeing eyes so similar to Fu Henghua's, Fu Danwei seemed to awaken from a shock and once again suppressed the evil thoughts in his heart.

Langhuan Hall secretly preserved many forbidden arts. When Fu Henghua had wanted to cultivate them in his youth, Fu Danwei had beaten him with a jade ruler until he could not get out of bed for three days and three nights.

Fu Danwei thought to himself, Back then, this old man stopped my grandson from cultivating evil arts. Yet now, to save my own life, I must come seeking to prolong it with evil arts. If I truly do this, how will I ever face these children and grandchildren again?

He stopped lingering before the library, and Fu Danwei's Divine Sense returned to his body.

Seeing her grandfather leave, Fu Liuhui looked up at the upper floors of the library and stood quietly for a while before turning and leaving as well.

Supplementary entry:

Xiang Long said:

"There is a Dragon Gate in this world. All things that leap through it may transform into dragons. Yet such dragons are Wild Dragons, not of the True Dragon kind. They are often bullied by True Dragons."