The game starts with escaping from the famine and flipping the table

The dawn over the East China Sea is as hazy as a light veil. The slightly salty wind gently caresses the water like a tender hand, stirring up fine waves that crash against the rocks and turn into jade-like foam, a sight that is truly refreshing.

Where the sea meets the sky in the distance, the colors of the sunrise are changing at a speed visible to the naked eye, gradually changing from pale pink to orange-red, and then dyeing the entire sky, as if the Heavenly Emperor had overturned a glass cup filled with the glow of the sunrise, spilling out a boundless and beautiful painting.

Surrounded by the picturesque sunrise, a red sun finally broke free from the sea's embrace, like a shy maiden draped in a golden wedding gown. She first timidly peeked out half her face, dyeing the surrounding clouds a dazzling golden-red, and then, as if gathering her courage, slowly leaped out.

In an instant, thousands of golden rays pierced through the morning mist and sprinkled on the sea surface, transforming into countless dazzling diamonds that gently leaped with the surging waves. It was as if the entire East China Sea had become a glass plate filled with treasures. Even the spiritual plants sleeping in the deep sea were awakened by this light, swaying their emerald green branches and leaves and breathing in spiritual energy.

Yu Shuheng stood quietly on the mountaintop, his black robe fluttering in the sea breeze. He even unconsciously softened his breathing, and the spiritual energy around him flowed slowly like a gentle stream, gradually merging with the morning light and the waves, as if time itself had stood still at this moment.

Since merging with the rules of Qingyuan Star, he can clearly perceive the pulse of every drop of seawater, the vitality contained in every ray of light, and even faintly hear the subtle sounds made by the thousand-year-old spirit clam opening and closing deep in the sea, the sound of which is also wrapped with the warm spiritual energy condensed from the pearl.

Although Yu Shuheng controlled the progress of the fusion rules, he gradually gained absolute control over the restrictions and array patterns on Qingyuan Star.

After all, the World Tree itself represents the order of the universe, and the restrictions naturally began to comply.

In addition, the Jianmu tree itself possesses extremely strong vitality—vital energy.

Perhaps due to the merits bestowed upon it, the originally pure emerald green life energy turned into a light gold color, possessing not only nourishing and repairing functions, but also a purifying function.

Yu Shuheng was naturally pleased to see it happen.

After all, the stronger he is, the more he can help Su Xiaoya shoulder the burden of Qingyuan Star's resurgence.

Before he knew it, a light pink figure quietly appeared beside him.

Su Xiaoya held a warm jade pendant in her hand. It was a piece of warm jade that she had soaked in three hundred years of spiritual spring water last night. The surface of the jade pendant shimmered with a faint glow, dispelling most of the morning chill.

These past two days she's been working on a miniature, portable spirit-gathering defensive array. The array would automatically absorb spiritual energy to power the defense, without needing to waste any extra spiritual energy.

This is equivalent to having a protective shield to protect yourself anytime, anywhere.

It borrows some principles from solar lights.

Su Xiaoya's own physical body is now estimated to be able to shatter a planet, so her defensive capabilities are naturally terrifyingly strong.

However, there are still many mortals under the jurisdiction of the Su family and the Imperial Preceptor's Hall. If each of them could have a defensive jade pendant like this when disaster strikes, their chances of survival would be much greater.

Su Xiaoya was still a young girl after all. A freshly picked sea lily was tucked behind her ear, its petals still glistening with morning dew, trembling gently with her breath.

At this moment, as if by unspoken agreement, the two stood side by side, silently immersing themselves in the beautiful sunrise over the sea. Their figures were stretched long by the morning light, like a tranquil and beautiful painting.

Su Xiaoya gently stroked the warm jade with her fingertips, but a trace of worry swept through her heart—such beautiful and peaceful days were probably numbered.

Since stepping into the turmoil of the cultivation world, they have long been accustomed to the oppressive atmosphere of impending storms, especially during this trip to the East Sea, where danger has never been far away.

Just then, a dazzling light suddenly flashed from the direction of the cave not far away. The light was initially a pale gold, as gentle as the rising sun, and then it quickly rose, transforming into a pillar of light that shot into the sky, dyeing the entire sky a dazzling golden-red.

Within the pillar of light, a gigantic figure could be vaguely seen churning and thrashing. The rustling sound of its scales rubbing together could be clearly heard from miles away. The sound was also imbued with the unique spiritual energy fluctuations of a demonic beast as it advanced, a violent yet struggling sound.

"Is Long Yunmang breaking through to the Yinglong realm?!" Su Xiaoya suddenly turned around and looked at the cave built by the sea not far away, her eyes full of shock, and asked Yu Shuheng uncertainly.

She had seen records of Yinglong in ancient books—it was an extremely noble being among the dragons, possessing the ability to summon wind and rain, its scales could block heavenly lightning, and its breath could transform into raging torrents. Ordinary demonic beasts did not even have the right to look up to it.

It's truly astonishing that Long Yunmang has such an opportunity.

"Yes!" A hint of surprise flashed in Yu Shuheng's eyes, which then turned into understanding. "He has obtained the inheritance of Yinglong's Reverse Scale."

He made a hand seal with his fingertips, and a wisp of spiritual energy probed towards the pillar of light, instantly sensing the familiar aura of the Yinglong within it.

"The reverse scale of the Yinglong is the core of the Yinglong's power, containing the purest dragon essence and inherited memories. If an ordinary demon beast could obtain a reverse scale, it would be able to be reborn. Not to mention that the Dragon Cloud Python could obtain the complete reverse scale inheritance. This is simply an opportunity against the heavens."

"Xiao Ya, let me use my space to help him!" Jinlong's voice suddenly rang urgently in Su Xiao Ya's ear.

Jinlong had previously taken a trip to the East Sea and unexpectedly obtained a Dragon Essence Fruit. After returning, he went into his personal space to digest it in seclusion.

As soon as he emerged from the pass, he sensed that familiar Yinglong aura, but the aura was very weak, clearly indicating that he had encountered a bottleneck.

Fortunately, Su Xiaoya had already granted visual access to her companions in the portable space, so even while inside the space, the golden dragon could observe the outside world anytime, anywhere.

Upon seeing the shape of the pillar of light and sensing the dragon energy fluctuations within it, he instantly understood—there was actually another of his kind evolving into an Yinglong!

He is now a member of the Dragon Clan, and he had previously obtained a secret realm opportunity with the Dragon Cloud Python. If it weren't for that Dragon Essence Fruit, he wouldn't have been able to break through the shackles of his soul body so quickly.

Now that Long Yunmang is in trouble, we naturally cannot sit idly by.

Now, he has a deeper understanding of the rules of cause and effect in the cultivation world.

As the golden dragon circled in the space, it clearly understood that the Dragon Cloud Python had obviously transformed by 90%, and its scales were almost turning into the five-clawed golden scales unique to Yinglong. However, without external assistance, it would probably never be able to cross that final 10% in its lifetime.

That's a formidable barrier between a python and an Yinglong. It's not just about spiritual power; it's also about the leap in bloodline. Without an extraordinary stroke of luck, it's extremely difficult to succeed.

Even though the Dragon Cloud Python has evolved all the way, its foundation is still a bit lacking.

“Perfect timing, I have something that can help him.” The golden dragon licked its paws, a hint of certainty flashing in its eyes.

Although he transmigrated into a wisp of golden dragon soul, this wisp of dragon soul had received millions of years of incense offerings and prayers in the God Realm. Even though he is now only a remnant soul, his magical power should not be underestimated.

Not to mention that he has already traveled through 100,000 years. During these 100,000 years, he has never stopped cultivating. His soul body has already taken shape and is only missing some rare and precious materials to transform into his true form.

Although those rare and precious materials are scarce, they can be gradually collected by following Su Xiaoya on her travels. Even if one or two items are still missing, based on the friendship of being "transmigration tools" together, it shouldn't be a problem to ask Su Xiaoya for help in exchanging them.

Therefore, Jinlong is more concerned about the rules of cause and effect.

Unlike the lazy, soul-body Old Bai, he desperately wanted a real physical body, instead of remaining a semi-transparent soul-body forever.

As for not mentioning the need for rare and precious materials at the beginning, Jinlong had his own considerations. He had carefully checked and found that he had collected about thirty kinds of materials, but he still needed more than fifty kinds to condense his true body. If he had told his fellow villager about all these things at the beginning, it would have been too much of a rip-off.

Fortunately, during this time he followed Su Xiaoya, he found a lot of rare materials, and now he has collected almost all of them, so he no longer needs to hide them.

Su Xiaoya's heart stirred, and she instantly connected her thoughts to her personal space, releasing the golden dragon.

A golden light flashed, and a small, golden dragon phantom appeared before her. Though its body was only the length of an arm, it exuded an awe-inspiring dragon's might. Its scales shimmered brilliantly in the morning light, as if adorned with scattered gold. Its golden eyes were fixed on the towering pillar of light, filled with excitement and eagerness.

"Weren't you in seclusion? Why did you suddenly come out?" Su Xiaoya asked, somewhat puzzled, looking at Jinlong's anxious appearance. She remembered that Jinlong had just gone into seclusion yesterday and specifically said that he needed to properly digest the power of the Dragon Essence Fruit. How could he have come out of seclusion so quickly?

The golden dragon flicked its tail, the golden tip sweeping across the deck and leaving a faint spiritual light. Its voice was still urgent: "I went out for a while and got a Dragon Essence Fruit. After I came back, I thought I would go into seclusion to digest it. I didn't expect to sense the aura of Yinglong as soon as I came out of seclusion."

As he spoke, his gaze was fixed on the pillar of light, his tone full of emotion, "Unfortunately, this aura is still a bit weak. It seems that he encountered a bottleneck during his breakthrough, and his bloodline leap is stuck at the last step."

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoya understood. She could also sense that the spiritual energy fluctuations within the pillar of light were becoming increasingly chaotic, clearly indicating that the Dragon Cloud Python's condition was not optimistic.

The golden dragon circled Su Xiaoya once, its golden wings flapping and creating gentle breezes carrying dragon energy. Its eyes were full of certainty: "I knew what was going on as soon as I saw the aura in that pillar of light—this Dragon Cloud Python is actually evolving into an Yinglong!"

As he spoke, a hint of pride lingered in his voice, "I am now a member of the Dragon Clan, and I also received some good fortune from following Long Yunmang and the others. If it weren't for that Dragon Essence Fruit, I wouldn't have been able to break through the bottleneck so quickly. Now that he is in trouble, it's only natural that I should lend him a hand."

Looking at the golden dragon's excited appearance, Yu Shuheng nodded slightly, a trace of solemnity flashing in his dark eyes: "Although Long Yunmang's breakthrough this time is an opportunity, it is also extremely dangerous. Although the Yinglong inheritance is strong, it also requires sufficient power to support it. If a mistake is made in the middle, at best his cultivation will be completely ruined, and at worst he will die and his cultivation will be destroyed."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the pillar of light, his tone full of worry, "Are you confident you can help him break through? If you forcefully intervene, you might end up getting burned."

The golden dragon confidently flicked its tail, its golden scales gleaming in the morning light. Its dragon might subsided somewhat, and it became more composed.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. This Dragon Cloud Python has clearly transformed 90% of its form, and it only needs one more 10% to succeed. But without external help, it simply cannot cross that last 10% on its own—this is the insurmountable barrier between a python and an Yinglong. The leap in bloodline requires the guidance of pure dragon essence, and without an extraordinary stroke of luck, it is extremely difficult to succeed."

As he spoke, he spat out a golden bead, about the size of a fist, with a rich dragon aura flowing across its surface. Faint patterns could be seen inside the bead, which was the essence of the Dragon Essence Fruit that he had refined during his seclusion yesterday.

“Perfect timing. I have this Dragon Essence Pearl, which can lend him a hand. The Dragon Essence within this pearl is pure enough to guide his bloodline to complete the final leap.”

Su Xiaoya looked at the Dragon Essence Pearl in the golden dragon's hand with surprise in her eyes, and her voice rose a few decibels: "This Dragon Essence Pearl is the key to your breakthrough. If you give it to the Dragon Cloud Python, won't your own cultivation level regress?"

She knew how precious the Dragon Essence Fruit was—it was rare to find even one in the entire cultivation world every few hundred years. It was said that consuming it could directly elevate a dragon beast to a higher realm. For a golden dragon to obtain one was already an incredible stroke of luck. Now, however, she was going to give the refined Dragon Essence Pearl to the Dragon Cloud Python, which was simply a losing proposition.

Jinlong shook his head and said nonchalantly, "It's alright. Although I have transmigrated into a wisp of golden dragon soul, this wisp of dragon soul has received incense offerings and prayers for a full million years. Don't underestimate my magical power just because I am only a remnant soul now."

As he spoke, a powerful aura emanated from his body, surging like a giant wave in the deep sea. Although it only lasted for a moment, it was enough for Yu Shuheng and Su Xiaoya to feel the power contained within it.

"Besides, I've already traveled through 100,000 years. During these 100,000 years, I haven't been idle. I've been consciously cultivating. Now my soul body is almost condensing into a true form. It only needs some rare and precious materials. This Dragon Essence Pearl is just icing on the cake for me, but it's a lifesaver for the Dragon Cloud Python."

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoya's heart stirred slightly, and her tone became somewhat serious: "What kind of rare and precious materials do you need? If we happen to encounter them on this trip, we will definitely help you find them."

She, Jinlong, Yu Shuheng, and Lai Baike are all "transmigration tools". They came from another world to this cultivation world and have long regarded each other as family. Now that they hear that he only needs ten rare and precious materials to form his true body, they naturally want to help him.

Jinlong's eyes dimmed slightly, a hint of helplessness flashing in his golden pupils, but they quickly brightened again: "The rare and precious materials I need are extremely rare, such as the Nine-Leaf Lotus, Deep-Sea Ice Crystal, and Phoenix Feather. Each of them is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"The Nine-Leaf Lotus must grow in the center of an eternally cold pool and absorb the power of moonlight to mature."

"Deep-sea ice crystals only exist in the ice fields of the ocean at depths of ten thousand meters, a place even Nascent Soul stage cultivators dare not easily venture into."

"Phoenix feathers are even more difficult to find. Phoenixes are ancient mythical beasts that have long since disappeared. Finding a single feather is harder than climbing to heaven."

As he spoke, there was no hint of discouragement in his tone, but rather a hint of expectation, "But there is always hope, isn't there? As long as I follow you around to gain experience, I will be able to collect them gradually. I have already collected almost everything, so a few more won't make a difference."

There's one more thing I haven't said: now that the Dragon Clan has emerged, the Phoenix Clan and the Qilin Clan are probably getting restless soon.

"Tell me the ten rare and precious herbs you still need, and I'll figure something out for you," Su Xiaoya promised magnanimously, her eyes filled with determination.

Her personal space contains many rare and precious materials, and moreover, she has an all-powerful system that might be able to exchange for these rare materials.

Even if that doesn't work, she can try her luck in various secret realms.

Seeing Su Xiaoya's earnest expression, Jinlong felt a warmth in his heart and smiled, wagging his tail. "Thank you. I'll ask you for help exchanging the last one or two items. It's too early to talk about that now. Let's help Longyun Python break through first."

He knew Su Xiaoya's personality; if he told her now, she would definitely search everywhere immediately. But right now, Long Yunmang's breakthrough was the most important thing, and he couldn't be distracted.

Having said that, the golden dragon flew towards the towering pillar of light. As it approached, it opened its mouth and spat out the Dragon Essence Pearl, which transformed into a golden light and disappeared into the pillar of light.