Chapter 376 - 254: Lake Bottom Discovery

That’s what you get for picking up bad habits from Su Zhi.

「Hundred Rivers, Fuguang Lake」

"ACHOO!"

"Arf?"

"It’s nothing. Someone must be thinking about me... Yu Bao, how are things on your end?"

"Arf arf!"

Su Zhi and Yu Bao were communicating through the Beast Taming Space.

By now, Yu Bao had already reached the lakebed, nearly a hundred meters deep.

Just like the sight from the Storm Dragon Palace, the deeper Yu Bao went, the better the visibility and the brighter it became.

However, the Storm Dragon Palace had been adorned with luminous ore, while the bottom of Fuguang Lake was filled with a genuine, top-tier Tier Six resource!

The entire lakebed was a brilliant gold. At first, Yu Bao looked around for the Golden Sand Flower, only to realize that the whole bottom of the lake was part of it.

’It’s so huge...’

’If I absorbed it all, wouldn’t I be filled to bursting?’

Yu Bao looked around, shocked and amazed, while not forgetting to feel and circulate the Gold Element Energy within his body.

During his evolution, he had partially and incompletely awakened a portion of his Gold Attribute, gaining the ability to control solid metals. Later, in the process of helping treat Shan Bao, Yu Bao had also gained a certain degree of control over Gold Element Energy.

But for awakening a new Attribute, both of these were necessary but insufficient conditions.

And Yu Bao had never solved the most crucial step: converting Energy into a tangible, physical entity of the corresponding Attribute. Nearly all Skill releases depended on this step.

But now, he was extremely close to this giant Golden Sand Flower. The concentration of Gold and Earth Element Energy nearby was incredibly high, causing the Gold Element Energy in his body to become unprecedentedly active. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was restless with nowhere to vent.

’So, will it work now?’

’Let’s try one more time!’

No sooner said than done, Yu Bao dove a few more meters down, sat on the surface of the Golden Sand Flower, and closed his eyes to meditate.

Theoretically, an Earth Element Pet Beast was not suited for releasing and controlling Energy in an aquatic environment, to say nothing of the fact that Yu Bao also had a Fire Attribute that clashed with the Water Element.

However, Yu Bao was an exception. Even being at the bottom of the lake, nearly a hundred meters deep, felt no different to him than being on land.

With his focus sharpened, the Earth Element and Gold Element Energy in his body began to circulate rapidly. Yu Bao felt the familiar sensation of Energy flowing through the meridians of his body—it was the same feeling he had when using his Earth or Fire Element Skills.

But this time, it was Gold Element Energy that was flowing!

’Could it be? Am I, the Wise One, about to succeed?’

Yu Bao was overjoyed and quickly tried to use a Skill.

Although he hadn’t awakened his Gold Attribute yet, a Wise One always prepares for a rainy day. He had researched a few Gold Element Skills in advance, and with his intelligence, releasing one directly shouldn’t be a big problem.

’Let’s try Golden Feather Flying Blade first! This Skill is pretty basic, so it should be easier to cast. Yep.’

’Shan Bao, lend me your strength!’

Yu Bao focused his Spirit, controlled his Energy, and struck the "Bright Moon" pose.

...

No reaction.

A few small fish passing by shot him a puzzled glance, then sped away as if afraid of catching his stupidity.

Su Zhi was momentarily speechless. "It’s not working? Is our approach wrong?"

"Arf arf."

Yu Bao tried a few more Gold Element Skills, but none of them worked. He cupped his chin and fell into deep thought.

’Looks like it’s not that simple. Just because the Gold Attribute Energy here is dense doesn’t mean I can comprehend it directly. It’s not a matter of quantity. Thinking back to the beginning of my evolution, it took me a great deal of effort to fully master the Fire Attribute...’

’Hey, wait a minute?’

Yu Bao’s eyes lit up.

’That’s right! Back then, I couldn’t use any Pure Fire Element Skills either, but I could use Earth and Fire Dual Element Skills. So, every time I cast one, I’d use a little more Fire and a little less Earth, until I finally succeeded in mastering the Pure Fire Element.’

’So, could I start with the Earth and Gold Dual Element now, too?’

Yu Bao immediately adjusted his thinking and gathered his Energy once more.

Under his control, the Earth Element and Gold Element Energy in his body circulated rapidly. Yu Bao could feel that this time, the Gold Element Energy was even more active than when he had tried to control only Pure Gold Element Energy.

The reason was actually quite simple: the Golden Sand Flower was itself a High Tier Earth and Gold Dual Element resource. Its amplification of the combination of the two Attribute Energies was naturally greater than for a single Attribute!

...

[Assignable Attribute Points (Yu Bao): 0.10]

"Yu Bao? How is it this time?"

"Arf!" Yu Bao nodded, a little excited.

After being "grafted" onto the Earth Attribute, the Gold Attribute, which had been difficult to release on its own, now flowed smoothly through his body.

Yu Bao tentatively cast Yellow Earth Wall, simultaneously infusing the Gold Element into it according to his own understanding.

A miraculous scene occurred:

A ring of silver markings appeared around the pale yellow Light Array of the Yellow Earth Wall, and the surface of the wall that emerged from the Light Array also shimmered with a metallic luster.

Deep beneath the lake, the Yellow Earth Wall glowed dimly under the light of the Golden Sand Flower, feeling a degree heavier and more solid than before.

’I really did it!’

This was the first time Yu Bao had ever cast a Skill containing the Gold Attribute, and he had truly converted Energy into a tangible, physical entity!

Yu Bao was so happy he started chasing his tail on the spot. Seeing this, the surrounding schools of fish quickly swam even farther away.

"Congratulations, Yu Bao! You’ve gotten stronger again!" Su Zhi’s overjoyed voice came from the Beast Taming Space.

"Should you come out now? You’ve already been in the lake for an hour."

Yu Bao froze for a moment, only then realizing he had actually been down there for so long.

"Arf arf!" Yu Bao responded, preparing to return to the surface, but he glanced back at the Golden Sand Flower that occupied nearly the entire lakebed, feeling that he wasn’t quite done yet.

Yu Bao scratched his head.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he kept getting a strange sense of familiarity from this Golden Sand Flower, just like... just like the Earth and Gold Dual Element version of Yellow Earth Wall he had just cast.