While Ao Qing was allocating his Evolution Points and preparing to evolve into the Eight-Clawed Hunyuan Dragon of the Five Elements Calamity Suppression, a powerful transformation was quietly unfolding across the shores of the Four Seas...
"Do you know what cultivation really is?"
A calm yet commanding voice rang out across a training ground on the Eastern Shore.
"Cultivation is simple," said a Dragon Clan elder, standing tall in human form before a gathered crowd. "It's about surpassing the limits of your flesh. Unlocking your true potential. Gaining the power to defend our homeland… and conquer the Three Realms."
As he spoke, the elder raised one hand, forming a seal. In the blink of an eye, surging spiritual energy gathered at his palm, and with a shout, he launched an enormous sphere of water toward the far horizon.
"See that? I cultivate water. I draw on the elemental essence of the sea, condense it, and wield it in battle.
That's the foundation of all our training. As aquatic beings, our path lies in sensing the Water Element and pushing beyond our natural limits to grow stronger!"
The elder's voice rang with power and clarity. As he lowered his hand, he swept his cold gaze over the training ground below.
There, countless shrimp soldiers, crab generals, and fish spirits sat motionless—eyes wide, expressions reverent, not daring to miss a single word.
Seeing this, the Dragon Clan elder nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good. That concludes today's Water Element cultivation class. If you have any questions, come ask me directly."
With that, the elder moved to sit and rest on a side bench.
But below, none of the trainees wasted a second—one by one, they sat cross-legged, palms together, and immediately began their own meditations.
From their bodies, waves of spiritual energy began to radiate outward, strong and unrestrained, stirring the air around them with newfound might.
Watching this, the elder nodded again—visibly pleased.
Ever since Dragon King Ao Qing unified the shores of the Four Seas, these elders had been anything but idle. Ao Qing had personally ordered them to spread out and establish training grounds, where all creatures with even a sliver of potential—be they shrimp soldiers or fish monsters—were sent to learn cultivation.
At first, many Dragon Clan elders had doubted the initiative. After all, how could the inherited techniques of the noble Dragon Clan possibly be passed to these lesser beings?
Would they even be able to understand them?
But to their astonishment, once those same shrimp soldiers and fish monsters began cultivating the dragon techniques, their progress was nothing short of miraculous.
Some leapt several realms in mere days. Their combat strength skyrocketed.
In the past, such a thing would have concerned the elders greatly.
But now, seeing the rising strength of the Four Seas, the elder couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and excitement.
If the overall combat power of the Four Seas continued to rise at this pace... perhaps one day, they really could go toe-to-toe with the various powers of the Three Realms!
Inspired by this thought, the elder became even more passionate in his teachings.
He couldn't help but silently praise Ao Qing for his vision and courage.
Just then, a shrimp soldier came sprinting over, pointing urgently at a shimmering golden figure at the center of the training field.
"Elder! Look! That gifted carp spirit—he's beginning to transform! He's evolving into a dragon!"
The elder's eyes flew wide open as he shot to his feet.
Sure enough, in the middle of the gathered trainees, a carp spirit sat cross-legged, his body glowing with golden light.
His fish-like features were already beginning to warp—turning into the shape of a dragon.
"The Carp Leaps the Dragon Gate!" the elder cried.
"This… This is the third one this week, isn't it? Quick! Report this to Prime Minister Turtle immediately!"
In the mythic world, certain gifted aquatic creatures had a small chance of evolving into dragons during cultivation. But such miracles were incredibly rare, occurring only once every tens of thousands of years.
And yet, in just the past seven days, three separate fish monsters had successfully evolved into dragons.
Unbelievable!
These weren't ordinary transformations, either. Once a spirit beast evolved into a dragon, their power often surpassed that of even pure-blooded Dragon Clan members.
It was a massive leap—not just for the individual, but for the entire race.
"Dragon King Ao Qing… truly is a man of destiny," the elder murmured.
"Even the frequency of carp transformations has multiplied under his reign!"
As he sighed in awe, the surrounding shrimp and crab soldiers had already rushed off to deliver the news to Prime Minister Turtle.
The other trainees—especially those who had witnessed the transformation—were now burning with excitement.
A moment ago, they were simply inspired.
Now, they were fired up.
To transform into a dragon… that wasn't just a power boost. That was transcendence.
All of them had been blessed by Ao Qing in recent days. And now, each one was determined to repay him—by becoming as strong as possible.
They threw themselves into their cultivation with even greater fervor, hoping they might one day follow in the carp's footsteps.
Of course… most of them lacked the carp's rare talent.
Still, some shrimp soldiers did evolve—into Dragon Shrimp Battle Soldiers.
And had Ao Qing been here to witness it all, he would have been stunned to see what had become of his domain.
Ever since the Eastern Sea evolved into Super Hunyuan Seawater, and he'd issued several key edicts, the shores of the Four Seas had undergone a complete transformation.
More and more shrimp were evolving into powerful Dragon Shrimp.
Turtle spirits were transforming into Dragon Turtle Warriors.
Fish monsters were ascending into full-fledged dragons, becoming Ao Qing's most loyal lieutenants.
And what was even more terrifying—
They hadn't stopped evolving.
Each one was still cultivating, still growing, still building their power and preparing for war.
If an immortal were to descend upon the Eastern Shore right now, they would be stunned by the colossal tide of Dragon Clan fate energy surging across the realm.
It was a scene that hadn't been witnessed since the days of the Ancestral Dragon—back in the Primordial Chaos Era.
And then, just as the Dragon Clan surged with vitality and evolution...
BOOM!
A divine wave of dragon might exploded from the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, sweeping outward in every direction.
It shook the sea.
It pierced the heavens.
A dragon had awakened.