I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

[Linjiang City, deserted riverbank on the outskirts, 02:15 AM]

The river wind howled, carrying the damp chill unique to late autumn, whipping up turbid waves that crashed against the jumbled rocks on the shore.

This is a desolate beach in Linjiang City, usually frequented only by stray dogs and trucks that illegally dump construction waste at night.

Gu Qing stood by the riverbank, his "spoils of war" for the night piled up at his feet: a 20-meter-long, hundreds-of-pounds-weight abandoned ship anchor chain, a large barrel of high-purity industrial alcohol, several bags of sulfur powder and phosphorus powder, and a giant granite pebble that he had carefully selected on the riverbank for half an hour.

He didn't rush to take action, but instead first called up the system panel to perform a final data check.

[Current Host: Gu Qing]

[Life Level: Innate Beings]

Current Faith Points Balance: 128,500

Looking at the number, Gu Qing nodded slightly.

These 120,000 points of faith did not come from nowhere.

Since the "miracle" live stream in Xiangxi ended, although he had exhausted most of the credibility of the instant traffic conversion at that time, the aftershocks left by that event—the so-called "long tail effect"—have begun to show their power in the past few days.

The online discussion about "The Night Watchman" remains heated, Taoist classics such as the Tao Te Ching are sold out offline, and even the longing of countless people for "extraordinary power" in the dead of night turns into a faint glow and flows into his system account.

Although the increase is only a few dozen points per minute, it adds up, and that's the power of "legend".

"120,000 seems like a lot, but if you want to create a real dragon out of thin air in this Dharma-ending Age, you probably can't even afford a dragon scale."

Gu Qing was very clear about the system's pricing logic.

Creating things out of thin air is the authority of the Creator, and it requires an astronomical amount of spiritual power to defy the physical laws of the real world.

However, material modification, also known as "weapon refining," utilizes existing material foundations to elevate their essence by altering molecular arrangement and infusing spiritual energy. This method consumes only one percent, or even one-thousandth, of the resources required for the former.

That's why he had to work like a scavenger, going to the scrap yard in the middle of the night to drag away iron chains and buy chemical raw materials.

A poor home but a rich road – careful budgeting is the true self-cultivation of the mastermind behind the scenes.

"Ready to go into the water."

Gu Qing took a deep breath, without doing any warm-up exercises. He grabbed the anchor chain, which weighed several hundred pounds, with one hand and wrapped it around his left arm, while his right hand carried a waterproof bag full of chemical raw materials, and he tucked the pebble into his pocket.

This set can carry a load of nearly half a ton.

But when he stood on the soft sand, his feet left only shallow marks.

"Enter the water."

Gu Qing leaped into the air.

Logically, a half-ton object crashing into water at this speed would inevitably create a giant wave several meters high and produce a tremendous roar.

Gu Qing was also prepared to face the challenge.

however--

wave.

It was like a feather falling onto the water.

Or rather, it was as if the surface of the water had spontaneously opened a crack, gently accepting him.

There was no splash, no loud noise, and even the ripples that spread out quickly subsided within a three-meter radius.

Gu Qing floated in the water, looking at the strange scenery around him, and raised his eyebrows slightly.

[System notification: The host has been detected to be in a high-density fluid environment and is not in combat.]

To prevent the host's excessively high life level from causing irreversible damage to the real environment (such as sonic booms, tsunamis, and earthquakes), the system has automatically loaded the "Reality Stability Patch v1.2".

Several lines of green data, visible only to Gu Qing, cascaded across his retina like a waterfall.

[Patch Notes:]

1. Fluid static force field:

Principle: Within a one-meter radius around the host, the hydrodynamic parameters are forcibly modified. Water molecules are temporarily "etherealized" by spiritual energy 0.01 seconds before contacting the host, and then rearranged after passing through the host.

Effect: No matter how fast the host moves in the water, there will be no shock wave drag or cavitation noise. You are the water, and the water is you.

2. Revision of the concept of material strength:

Principle: The host's current physical density exceeds that of steel. To prevent the host from breaking chairs or collapsing floors in daily life, the system automatically applies a temporary "hardness buff" to objects the host comes into contact with.

Effect: As long as the host doesn't actively cause damage, even tofu in this world will be harder than bricks in your hands.

"I see."

Gu Qing suddenly realized, "No wonder I felt strange when I crushed the cup at home. It turns out I was 'running naked' before, and now I'm finally wearing a 'protective suit'."

With this patch, his actions in the real world will be more covert and more unrestrained.

……

[Underwater at a depth of 45 meters, the site of the Lock Dragon Well]

With the support of the [Fluid Silence Field], Gu Qing, like a black ghost torpedo, plunged into the riverbed at an astonishing speed.

Here lies silent darkness.

The thick layer of silt exuded a rotten, fishy smell, and the murky river water blocked out all light.

But in Gu Qing's eyes, which were activated by [Spiritual Vision], the place was as clear as daytime.

The dry well is just ahead.

The wellhead had already collapsed halfway and was partially buried in the mud and sand. Scattered around it were countless pieces of modern industrial waste—plastic bags, and even a shared bicycle that had sunk sometime during the night.

This is simply the biggest mockery of the word "myth".

"The environment is terrible."

Gu Qing frowned. "No one would believe this place is a dragon palace; it's more like a garbage dump."

He swam to the well and put down all the materials he had brought.

"Clean up the scene."

With a thought, Gu Qing released a slight trace of the innate aura within his body.

boom!

It wasn't an explosion, but rather an invisible force.

Centered on the dry well, the silt, garbage, and weeds within a radius of twenty meters were all swept away by an invisible hand, revealing a clean and hard rocky riverbed that was uneven but pockmarked.

The stage has been cleaned up.

Next, we'll make the props.

Gu Qing sat cross-legged in the water, his hands forming a mudra.

In his view, the core functional module of the system—[Tiangongfang]—was officially launched.

In an instant, the previously dim underwater world was replaced by countless blue holographic grids. All objects were broken down into microscopic data structures in Gu Qing's eyes.

First piece: Dragon-Suppressing Lock.

Gu Qing reached out and beckoned, and the rusty, abandoned anchor chain slowly floated up, suspended on the virtual alchemy platform.

[Target: Low-carbon steel marine anchor chains (severely rusted).]

[Renovation Plan: Nine Nether Cold Iron - Dragon Suppressing Lock]

[Renovation time: Immediate.]

[Estimated consumption: 15,000 Faith Points.]

"Fifteen thousand..." Gu Qing calculated in his mind, "If I were to conjure a magic weapon of this level out of thin air, it would cost at least five hundred thousand. Now I only need to pay the 'processing fee' and 'enchanting fee,' which is a good deal."

"Renovation confirmed!"

As the creditworthiness was deducted, a miraculous scene unfolded.

The massive iron chain was enveloped in a bluish, ghostly light.

At the microscopic level, iron atoms are vibrating violently. The loose rust is instantly shaken off, decomposed, and then expelled as impurities. The originally loose carbon steel structure, under the forceful compression of the force, begins to transform into a more compact and rigid crystalline structure.

This is not a chemical reaction, this is alchemy.

Just ten seconds.

When the blue light faded, the once tattered anchor chain had completely changed its appearance.

Its entire body is a deep, dark black, as if it could devour all light. On each link of the chain, naturally formed cloud and thunder patterns appear, which are the loops left by spiritual power flowing through the metal.

Gu Qing reached out and grasped the chain.

The chill was bone-deep, so heavy it felt as if I were holding a mountain.

This stuff is now three times denser than gold and as hard as diamond. It's more powerful than anything you'd find on an ordinary sand dredger, and even the arresting cables of an aircraft carrier can't compare.

"Next, the core."

Gu Qing's gaze turned serious.

The chains were merely a facade; what truly solved his body temperature problem and sustained the legend of the "Locking Dragon Well" was the "heat source."

He took out the granite pebble and the large barrel of chemical raw materials.

"System, develop a plan."

"I need a fake inner core that can continuously emit high temperatures and has the characteristics of a 'living biomagnetic field'."

"It doesn't need to actually hatch a dragon, but it must give the impression that it is alive."

[Calculating the solution...]

[Proposal generated: Essence of Departing Fire (Fusion Reactor - Immortal Cultivation Version)]

[Core Principle: Utilizing a mixture of high-purity ethanol and phosphorus-sulfur as the initial ignition medium, a miniature 'psychic energy confinement field' is constructed through systemic power, triggering a continuous low-energy fusion reaction (or high-energy psychic energy fission) within the stone.]

[Appearance mimicry: Crimson dragon's inner core.]

[Estimated consumption: 45,000 Faith Points.]

"Forty-five thousand!"

Gu Qing's eyelids twitched. This would wipe out one-third of his total assets.

"This money has to be spent."

"Refine it for me!"

Gu Qing smashed the bucket of chemical raw materials, and countless liquids and powders instantly coated the pebble.

The next moment, Gu Qing mobilized the precious "Primordial Qi" within his body as a seed of fire and pressed it down hard.

Sizzle sizzle—!

This time the commotion was much greater than before.

Even with the suppression of the [Fluid Silence Field], the surrounding river water still boiled instantly. A blinding red light shone from the riverbed, like a small sun rising.

Gu Qing stared intently at the ball of light, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead (though they were instantly washed away by the river). He was using his mental energy to guide the system's power, meticulously sculpting this "heart."

There should be a heartbeat.

It needs to have warmth.

It needs to have that violent frequency unique to ancient creatures.

Five minutes later.

The light suddenly receded, and all the energy collapsed into the central point.

A bead the size of a fist, blood-red in color and covered with dark gold cracks, floated silently in front of Gu Qing.

It is no longer a stone.

It's like a real inner core that was just dug out of the body of a mythical beast.

Through the translucent red shell, you can even see what looks like magma slowly flowing inside. Each flow is accompanied by an extremely faint but soul-piercing "thump-thump-".

That's a heartbeat.

[Successfully refined.]

[Item Obtained: Crimson Fire Dragon - Pseudo Inner Core (Magic Weapon Grade)]

[Special Effects: Eternal Flame (continuously emits core heat at 800 degrees Celsius, with a constant outer temperature of 60 degrees Celsius), Dragon's Might (has absolute suppressive power over lower aquatic creatures).]

Gu Qing reached out her hand, trembling, and grasped the bead.

boom!

A massive, warm, even scalding heat surged from his palm into his limbs and bones.

It's like someone who's about to freeze to death suddenly jumping into a warm hot spring.

Gu Qing was so comfortable that she almost cried out underwater.

Every cell in his body, which had been in a state of "hunger," greedily devoured the external heat, and his originally pale skin instantly became rosy and healthy.

"Finally... I'm alive again."

Gu Qing breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his body temperature begin to balance, and the feeling of low temperature finally disappeared.

"Alright, now that we've accepted the benefits, the stage needs to be set up properly."

Gu Qing did not keep the bead for herself and take it home.

Because this thing emits too much radiation, bringing it home would turn the Gu family's old house into a microwave oven.

The best way is to keep it here as a "landmark" so that it can "recharge" itself at any time.

He threw the "Dragon Ball" into the deepest part of the dry well.

Then, he grabbed the newly forged "Dragon Suppressing Lock".

He arrived at the wellhead, and skillfully drove one end of the chain deep into the bedrock beneath the riverbed, like threading a needle, and then welded it in place using a simple "solidification technique."

At the other end, he wrapped the knot around the well opening nine times, finally tying a knot that looked utterly hopeless, sealing the well opening shut.

After doing all this, Gu Qing stepped back a few meters and activated his spiritual vision to examine his masterpiece.

At the bottom of the dark river.

An ancient, dry well was firmly suppressed by a huge black chain.

And from time to time, a strange red light peeked out from the gaps in the chains, accompanied by the rising water temperature and a faint, almost imperceptible heartbeat.

thump... thump...

That sense of oppression, that feeling of "some terrifying thing locked up below," was instantly overwhelming.

"Just one last touch is needed."

Gu Qing swam to the nearby weedy area and casually grabbed a large water snake that was frantically trying to escape (it was frightened by Long Wei), and then grabbed a black fish that was at least half a meter long.

He didn't mutate them (that would be too expensive).

He simply dipped his finger into the fiery aura emanating from the "Dragon Balls," drew a tiny [Illusion Symbol] on their scales, and left a mark so that he could modify them at any time.

The function of this rune is simple: when startled, it will visually magnify their figures tenfold and create a grotesque phantom.

"Go ahead and guard the gate."

With a wave of his hand, Gu Qing sent two "forcibly conscripted" security guards into the gaps around the Dragon Locking Well, where they trembled and became "guardian beasts."

Everything is ready.

Gu Qing looked up at the sky.

Three o'clock in the morning.

According to the pattern in Linjiang City, those sand dredging vessels that operate illegally usually appear around 4 a.m. in order to avoid daytime patrols.

This is the place they must pass through, and it is also the backwater bay where the river sand is most fertile.

"The bait is already in place."

"We're just waiting for the fish to take the bait."

A director's expectant smile curled at the corner of Gu Qing's lips. With a swift movement, he used the water's flow as cover and silently disappeared into the darkness.

Only that deep, ancient well remains, at the bottom of the silent river, awaiting the moment that will shock the world.