Chapter 107: The Transformation of the Fish and Dragon

Inside the spiritual grotto, nature’s own craftsmanship had carved out a lotus pond. The water was crystal clear, with schools of carp frolicking within, while holy lotus flowers bloomed in full, creating a scene of vibrant vitality.

Deep within the pond, a jade lotus the size of a millstone stood in full bloom. Its three tiers of petals were lifelike, radiating a cyan spiritual glow that illuminated the entire grotto with a dreamlike, ethereal light. A cyan carp circled the lotus, guarding it as if waiting for something.

"Spiritual energy manifesting as water, spiritual essence manifesting as fish—this is indeed a remarkable place. But..."

Standing within the grotto and gazing at the pond, Jiang Chen felt a surge of joy, followed by a sudden realization.

At that very moment, the final trace of spiritual essence dissipated. The pond water dried up, the jade lotus flowers withered one by one, and the cyan carp dissolved into nothingness. The magnificent scene collapsed in an instant, leaving only the largest jade lotus barely holding its form.

Even it had lost its original luster, no longer possessing its former miraculous aura. In that moment, the entire grotto plunged into darkness.

"A spiritual grotto is the remnant of a collapsed ley line. It is secluded and enclosed, and it did indeed nurture a treasure. However, it was precisely because of this treasure that the spiritual energy within the grotto was almost entirely exhausted. What I just witnessed was the final echo. As for the treasure itself..."

With a shift in thought, Jiang Chen stepped across the dried-up pond and arrived before the solitary jade lotus.

"Lotus flowers forming a pond, cyan carp gathering the lotus—the previous speculation of Daoist White Crane was correct. This Woodfish Island did indeed nurture a treasure, and in all likelihood, it was the Fish-Dragon Pearl, which is highly suitable for building a foundation for the Minor Formless Sutra."

Pushing his perception to its limit, Jiang Chen carefully sensed the aura of the jade lotus and recalled the scene he had just witnessed. He was now certain of the treasure’s identity.

In folklore, there has always been the legend of a carp transforming into a dragon. The Fish-Dragon Pearl is a treasure that can facilitate such a transformation for living beings. Even a carp without any dragon lineage, upon refining the Fish-Dragon Pearl, could sprout dragon blood and become a dragon-kin; if a dragon-kin were to obtain it, they could transform even further.

The core of the Minor Formless Sutra is the concept of "change." The miraculous nature of the Fish-Dragon Pearl perfectly aligns with the true essence of that change, which is why it can serve as a foundation for cultivators practicing the Minor Formless Sutra.

"It is a pity that I arrived too late. Twelve seeds were born from the lotus; eleven were false, and only one was true..."

Scanning the jade lotus pedestal, Jiang Chen saw eleven seeds that had lost their luster and turned into common stones. He knew the true Fish-Dragon Pearl had already been taken. As for who had done it, he had already found a clue.

The grotto was well-hidden, its aura suppressed, and it followed the flow of the earth’s veins. Ordinary cultivators would have been hard-pressed to discover it, let alone find it. Yet, who could have imagined that besides the Fish-Dragon Pearl, there was also an egg inside?

With a thought, Jiang Chen used his true energy like a thread to gather several fragments of eggshell from a corner of the grotto.

Under his manipulation, the fragments were continuously reassembled until they formed an "egg" the size of a human head, perfectly white and covered in wispy, flocculent patterns, radiating an ethereal aura.

"A Phantom Mist Spirit Snake—a common type of demon beast. It excels at manipulating mist and can conjure simple illusions, but it lacks powerful offensive means."

After a brief identification, Jiang Chen confirmed the creature's origin.

"This snake egg must have been here for a long time, though it hasn't hatched for long—roughly thirty to forty years."

Observing the egg and the traces in the surroundings, Jiang Chen had a theory about how events had unfolded.

When the grotto was first formed, this snake egg had been accidentally swept inside. In such an environment, an ordinary beast egg would struggle to survive; though the spiritual energy was dense, the grotto was self-contained and lacked the material substance needed to sustain life.

Most importantly, such concentrated spiritual energy is a burden for the hatchlings of ordinary demon beasts, potentially crushing them. Everything has its limits, and too much can be as harmful as too little. Yet, this egg had not only survived but hatched after lying dormant for a period.

Later, acting on instinct, it had swallowed the Fish-Dragon Pearl and left the grotto. While entering the grotto from the outside was difficult, leaving it presented no such obstacles.

"Come to think of it, the changes in Soul-Bewitching Bay began thirty or forty years ago. Before that, although the bay had some mist, it wasn't as thick as it is today. Perhaps that was when the Phantom Mist Spirit Snake left the grotto, swallowed the Fish-Dragon Pearl, and, having transformed into a dragon-kin, gained the power to stir the changes in the bay."

"The only mystery is where that Phantom Mist Spirit Snake has gone now. There hasn't been a single report of it all these years."

As thoughts surfaced, Jiang Chen considered various possibilities. Unfortunately, he lacked sufficient information to track the snake’s whereabouts.

"A spirit snake entering the river is like a trapped dragon ascending to the heavens. Given its potential, if it avoids calamity, it has a fair chance of becoming a great demon in the future."

"Time and fate; the Fish-Dragon Pearl was simply not meant for me."

With a sigh, Jiang Chen shook his head.

Missing out on such a treasure was naturally regrettable, but there was nothing to be done. Even Daoist White Crane had likely been too late when he discovered the treasure’s existence.

The grotto was deeply concealed. That Daoist White Crane could sense something amiss was likely due to his profound heritage and accumulation of knowledge, combined with the fact that the spirit snake’s departure had triggered changes and left traces. It could only be said that this treasure was never fated for their lineage.

"The source of the Minor Formless Sutra is the Impermanence Sect. The treasure best suited for building a foundation with this technique is actually the Impermanence Flower. According to the records within the sutra, the Impermanence Flower can change according to one’s will and adapt to the person, embodying the ultimate essence of change. It is the most compatible with the Minor Formless Sutra. If one builds a foundation with this treasure, there is a certain probability of achieving a superior foundation."

"It is a pity that the Impermanence Flower is a treasure unique to the Impermanence Sect and cannot be found in the outside world."

Thoughts swirled. Through the lens of the Fish-Dragon Pearl, Jiang Chen couldn't help but think of the Impermanence Flower. Since he practiced the Minor Formless Sutra, the Impermanence Flower would be an excellent choice for his future foundation.

"Building a foundation is still a bit far off for me. However, this grotto itself is special. Although its original spiritual energy is nearly exhausted, if it were slightly modified, it could become a very good place for cultivation, perhaps even suitable for nurturing certain rare spiritual items."

Bringing his thoughts back to reality, Jiang Chen focused his attention on the grotto once more.

The grotto itself had the function of trapping and settling spiritual energy. Over time, the energy here could become purer and milder than that found in spiritual sand or stones, making it easily absorbed by cultivators. Daoist White Crane’s notes mentioned that the Impermanence Sect used such grottos as cultivation sites for their disciples' seclusion.

Whenever he mentioned this, Daoist White Crane’s writing was filled with envy. Yet, these were things he had only heard from his own master and had never seen himself; he had never once stepped foot within the gates of the Impermanence Sect.

Of course, Jiang Chen did not possess the methods of the Impermanence Sect to modify the grotto. The reason this idea occurred to him was primarily due to the ability of the peach wood. After the final surge of energy had dissipated, the grotto was meant to collapse; the only reason it remained stable now was due to the power of the peach wood, which opened up the possibility for Jiang Chen to build his own place of seclusion.