Chapter Twenty-Five: The Azure Thunder Dragon

In his dreams, he was haunted by scenes of his own death, either clawed to pieces or shattered in a fall. He did not want to die; he could not die; he would not die! With a muffled groan, he awoke on a riverbank downstream. The pain coursing through his body indicated that his limbs and nerves were still relatively intact. He attempted to stand up, but any movement sent jarring pain through him. His body was covered in bruises and numerous small bite marks, and the claw marks on his back were swollen and white from being soaked.

At that moment, system notifications began to pop up incessantly.
Notification: Capture successful, material obtained, female electric eel.
Notification: Capture successful, material obtained, male electric eel.
...
Notification: Capture successful, material obtained, male arapaima.
...
Notification: Capture successful, material obtained, angel fish.
...
Notification: Capture successful, material obtained, guppy.
...

A long string of notifications made him feel both fearful and relieved. His watch was gone, perhaps lying somewhere at the bottom of the river. He had no idea how much time had passed, but it was already dark. With no food or clothing, and severely injured, he was nearly at his end.

He glanced at the alchemical material repository; there were plenty of aquatic creatures, and combined with the previous giant python, he could likely attempt alchemy now. Shakily, he stood up, trying to move to a slightly safer place. However, before he could steady himself, he heard the sound of a large reptile moving.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed, speaking to himself, "It seems fate wants to take me down! At least it’s worth it, though I wonder if Garuru at home will go out of control." In his current state, where he could barely stand, there was no chance of escaping an alligator if it appeared.

But when he turned, he found it wasn't an alligator that approached, but the giant monitor lizard he had tracked in the rain earlier. The lizard, measuring 2.5 meters from head to tail, gracefully crawled onto the riverbank, rummaging for crabs and small fish, paying no heed to him nearby.

After searching for it countless times, he finally spotted that damned lizard at the edge of the riverbank. While the giant monitor lizard was foraging, he had been conserving his strength. Since he had come this far, he had to make a desperate attempt to increase his chances of success.

In this situation, getting close to deceive it was of little use, and he probably couldn't wait for it to fall asleep, nor could he follow it back to its nest. Once he had regained enough strength, he gritted his teeth and approached a large rock.

Using all his might, he lifted it. The rock weighed about 20 pounds, but in his hands, it felt heavier than a mountain. I have to hit, I only have this one chance, he shouted in his mind. He quietly crept closer to the giant monitor lizard, and just as it became alert, he hurled the rock with all his strength.

However, as his finger throbbed with pain, he realized he had missed. But before he could feel regret, the monitor lizard instinctively tried to flee but, unfortunately, ran in the direction of the falling rock. At that moment, the rock was above the monitor lizard's head, in its blind spot.

Thus, he watched helplessly as the rock’s trajectory perfectly met the monitor lizard’s head. “Bang!” The stone struck.

Yet, this blow wouldn't seriously injure the monitor lizard, merely stunning it. Seizing the opportunity, he stumbled forward, bringing his right foot down hard on the lizard's head while his left foot pressed down on its body, his weight of 130 pounds bearing down on it.

Then he pulled out his last tool from his jacket's chest pocket: a Swiss Army knife. The sharp blade plunged viciously into the lizard’s neck, drawing forth a stream of cold blood. He stabbed, withdrew, stabbed again, and again withdrew... Until he saw the monitor lizard, bloodied and mangled, convulsing occasionally, he collapsed onto its body.

Selecting to capture it.

Suddenly, the space beneath him went empty, and the monitor lizard vanished in a flash of light.
Notification: Capture successful, material obtained, male monitor lizard.
...

Exhausted, he sat where he was, blood staining his body and the ground. He knew that this could attract predators, so he swiftly opened the system.
Choosing secondary creature alchemy.
Notification: Alchemical material options: female emerald tree boa, male electric eel, male monitor lizard. Confirm?
Confirm.

As the alchemical blueprint unfolded, his consciousness began to sketch without pause. As the drawing progressed, a splitting headache set in, but he knew he could not afford to faint at this moment. He bit down hard on his tongue, blood filling his mouth.

...

The creature he envisioned had a head wide like an electric eel, yet slightly triangular like a snake, with a large mouth lined with sharp teeth, and long whiskers like floating ribbons. Its dragon-like eyes were devoid of warmth, while its long body was strong and muscular, with four fearsome claws at its front and hind quarters. Spines with fins began to sprout from its back, extending into a vertical tail fin, its entire body covered in shimmering blue scales.

This was a creature that had only existed in myths!
System Evaluation: Physical arrangement rationality 96%, alchemy success rate increased by 9.6%.
Current success rate 50% + 9.6%.
Will of resonance detected, alchemy success rate increased by 10%.

The system suddenly played a clip of him shouting to the heavens as he fell from the waterfall.
Current success rate 50% + 9.2% + 10%.
Shall alchemy proceed?

He was not distracted by the will of resonance and chose to proceed with alchemy.

Three beams of light from the material repository projected onto the alchemical blueprint, and the creature appeared to grow flesh and blood from within. Moments later, as Wu You's anticipation built, the creature on the blueprint began to twist and turn, its dragon-like whiskers swirling.
Notification: Alchemy successful, please name it.

Wu You clasped his head, feeling the mental strain as he gazed at the stunning and beautiful creature now stored in the beast enclosure.
Choosing the name: Thunderous Azure Dragon, Aoguang.
Name confirmed.
Alchemy creature: Thunderous Azure Dragon, named Aoguang.
Talent: Lightning, Water Division, Incredible Strength.
Abilities: Tail Whip, Constriction, Electric Dragon Leap.
Basic Rating: High Bronze (Critical).
System Description: This is a ferocious ancient beast poised to transcend the mortal realm.
Notification: Task completed: Alchemy Advancement.
Received task rewards:
Alchemy energy +20, current total 34.
Alchemy creature storage +2, current total 5.
Task evaluation: Excellent, received additional alchemy energy +30, current total 64.
Shall you leave the Beast Mountain immediately?

In his gradually fading consciousness, Wu You chose to leave.
...

In his home, a battered and broken body lay on the bed. Garuru, busy mixing chicken feed in the courtyard, suddenly let out a furious roar and dashed into the house, sprinting upstairs.
“Roar!” The ferocious lion's roar startled Bai Yanxi, who was grinding herbs in the backyard.

As Bai Yanxi cautiously approached the door, Garuru burst in, cradling Wu You in his arms.
“What! This young man?”
“How could he have gotten like this in just a few minutes?”

As Bai Yanxi expressed his astonishment, he saw Garuru still holding Wu You, and immediately shouted, “Quick! Put him on my bed!”
...

Bai Yanxi temporarily resided in a guest room on the first floor. He looked at Wu You, who lay unconscious on the bed, and then at Garuru, who was staring intently at him, only moving to fetch warm water to wash cloths when commanded.

His mind was a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts.
Wu You, who exactly are you?