Growing Ever Stronger

“These claws are even more powerful than I thought.”

Haoyuan was extremely satisfied.

“Plus, being able to grapple means I don't have to stick my head out to probe anymore.”

“The days where I could only rely on my dragon head for a single attack when coiling wasn't an option are gone forever.”

Snap!

With one bite, he ripped open its abdomen.

A thick, bloody stench filled his nostrils.

The delicious flesh stimulated his taste buds.

Its tender yet chewy texture left Haoyuan wanting more.

“So delicious!”

Haoyuan was almost moved to tears.

“And depending on the size and species, crocodile meat tastes different! The flavor profiles are so rich.”

“So good!”

In a great mood, Haoyuan happily enjoyed his meal.

A cool afternoon breeze swept across the swampy mudflats.

Very little crocodile meat remained on the mudflat.

Having finished his meal, Haoyuan dragged his bloated body to a comfortable clump of vegetation, curling up to slowly digest.

The emergence of his Kirin Arms made it much easier for him to crack bone and suck out the marrow.

Eating used to be inconvenient, but now he could clean a carcass to the bone in no time at all.

He could even pick his teeth.

“Ah, that feels amazing.”

Haoyuan was thoroughly satisfied.

He drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

For the days that followed...

Haoyuan focused his efforts on completing Temperature Regulation first so he could handle different, complex environments.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

The crocodiles in this swamp had all grown wise to his tactics.

They either crowded onto sandbars in the middle of the swamp to sunbathe or stayed very close to the water, far from any foliage or cover.

The moment they spotted the white flood dragon, they immediately leaped into the water.

Haoyuan's hunting had once again become increasingly difficult.

Entering the water was out of the question for now.

The swamp was packed with crocodiles.

If he went into the water, he might be swarmed, killed, and devoured to the last scrap.

A crocodile's death roll was still quite formidable.

It was better to play it safe when he needed to.

Since the crocodiles in this area had wised up, it was time to move to another spot.

Since Haoyuan primarily lived near the floodplain, traveling to inland lakes was a bit too far.

So he decided to hunt for crocodiles along the main riverbank.

The crocodiles along the main river channel were even less vigilant.

Vast numbers sprawled across the sandy riverbanks, mouths agape, sunbathing.

Seeing that there was little cover on the sandy shore, Haoyuan could only slither over slowly, trying his best to look harmless.

Still, his massive frame startled a few crocodiles.

However, seeing that Haoyuan paid them no mind, they went back to lounging in the sun.

The other larger crocodiles saw this as well.

Thinking Haoyuan was just passing through, they didn't bother to react either.

Haoyuan was delighted by their indifference.

He finally drew close to a giant, six-meter-plus crocodile.

With the aid of his Kirin Arms, hunting had become significantly easier.

Five-meter ones could no longer satisfy him.

It took a six-meter-plus specimen to fill him up.

It wasn't that he didn't want to eat seven-meter crocodiles.

It was simply that his stomach was only so large; he couldn't swallow them whole no matter what.

So he could only target the absolute limit of what he could handle: six-meter-plus individuals.

Six-meter-plus massive crocodiles were great.

They didn't even run when they saw him.

They all believed they were large enough, heavy enough, and imposing enough.

Little did they know that in Haoyuan's eyes, they were just food served on a platter.

Easy pickings.

The intense sound of thrashing echoed across the shore.

Plumes of yellow sand and dust churned up from the riverbank.

When the dust settled, it revealed a six-meter-plus giant crocodile bound tight like a rice dumpling.

Its upper and lower jaws were pinned shut by a tight embrace, completely unable to open.

Its four limbs were stiff and engorged with blood.

Its belly and torso swelled tightly, looking as though they might burst from the pressure.

The body coiled around it was snow-white, powerful, packed with bulging muscles, and broad across—an intimidating sight to behold.

Seeing this, the nearby big crocs backed away.

None of them had the slightest intention of stepping in to help.

Unconcerned, they opened their massive maws and went back to sunbathing.

Before long, the six-meter-plus giant crocodile beneath his coils went limp.

Haoyuan hadn't even fully enjoyed the struggle before the thing lost all its strength.

Boring.

Opening his mouth, he let out a yawn.

Haoyuan lazily began to eat.

Killing a six-meter-plus giant croc didn't even give him a sense of accomplishment anymore.

When he was halfway through devouring the crocodile, an uninvited guest arrived.

Haoyuan's dragon whiskers twitched slightly as he turned his head to look behind him.

A medium-sized carnivorous dinosaur, over six meters long, was stepping toward him.

Seeing that Haoyuan had noticed it, the creature let out a territorial roar: “Get out! This is my territory!”

The noise annoyed the nearby giant crocs, but they merely glanced over before ignoring it.

Haoyuan sized it up from head to tail, assessing their relative combat strength.

“Roughly a 40-60 split. Four for me, six for it.”

A six-meter-plus carnivorous dinosaur possessed a massive skull that provided terrifying bite force, along with thick, powerful long legs and a height of over two meters, giving it a natural advantage.

Against reptiles crawling along the ground, it was practically a dimensional collapse.

Stomping, tearing—a single clean bite with its piercing teeth could inflict devastating damage.

It was a born killing machine.

Currently, his movement was sluggish, and he wasn't sure if his scales could withstand the dinosaur's penetrating bite. Facing a disadvantage, he couldn't afford to gamble.

Then again, who didn't have a temper?

He took a deep breath and unleashed an angry roar at the carnivorous dinosaur: “Get out! This is my hunting ground!”

The majestic force whipped up waves of sand and dust that swept over the dinosaur again and again.

Yellow sand slammed into its face, blasting into its nostrils and mouth.

The dinosaur froze entirely. That strange, deafening ang roar seemed to ring in its ears.

It scrutinized the big white dragon's body up and down, over and over again, in meticulous detail.

“Roar!” The carnivorous dinosaur roared again tentatively, its momentum noticeably weaker.

Haoyuan wasn't about to back down and roared back, “Ang, ang, ang!”

Waves of yellow sand blasted across with the sound waves.

This time, the carnivorous dinosaur heard it loud and clear.

It looked at the big white dragon's intimidating teeth, thick Kirin Arms, sharp sickle-like talons, and the broad body squeezing a six-meter-plus giant croc to the point of bursting.

It shuddered, its mind instantly clearing up.

Close one! I almost ended up dead, the carnivorous dinosaur cursed internally.

Earlier, it had thought the big white dragon was merely scavenging a six-meter-plus giant croc that had died of old age on the beach.

That was why it had come over to steal the kill.

Now it realized that the dragon had taken down the massive beast completely unscathed!

Such power was simply beyond comprehension, unfathomable and unimaginable!

Even for itself, whenever it encountered a giant crocodile over five meters long, it avoided them at all costs!

Their thick, hard scaly armor was impossible to bite through!

Their gaping maws could crush bone with ease!

Their sheer weight alone filled dinosaurs with dread!

And yet, the big white dragon had slain such a terrifying behemoth effortlessly?!

The carnivorous dinosaur felt its skin crawl.

With that, the six-meter-plus carnivorous dinosaur turned and left, walking away swiftly and decisively, as if striding toward a vast and uncertain future.

Haoyuan was quite surprised that the carnivorous dinosaur just left like that.

Still, it was for the best; he didn't want to pick a fight either.

“Lucky you.”

Joking softly to himself, he lowered his head to continue eating the crocodile meat.

After developing his Kirin Arms, his digestive system could undergo further evolution.

Now, digesting a six-meter-plus giant croc took only a single day.

It was significantly faster than before.

Devouring it like a whirlwind, he quickly finished the entire six-meter-plus beach crocodile.

Haoyuan let out a satisfied burp.

He made his way to his familiar underground karst cave to sleep peacefully.

Days passed, and the temperature began to rise.

Three weeks later, at dawn, Haoyuan finally woke up.

Shaking his somewhat groggy head, he checked his status panel.

Evolution Path: Temperature Regulation (Completed)

Energy: 0.8

Having completed another evolution, his lifespan had increased significantly, giving him more time to evolve Nimble Slithering.