Chapter 54: The Third-Tier Estuarine Crocodile

After a brief hesitation, Lu Chen ultimately decided to dive to the bottom of the lake to investigate. After all, great risks often come with great rewards...

Of course, if he really encountered an insurmountable danger, he wouldn’t stubbornly persist—he’d choose to surface immediately.

As expected, beneath the roots of the banyan tree lay a massive underground cavern.

Dark and profound!

Warm spring water flowed ceaselessly from its depths.

He swished his crocodile tail again and swam deeper into the cavern, all the while carefully sensing the subtle currents in the water.

Ten meters, twenty meters… The depth and length of this cavern far exceeded Lu Chen’s expectations.

At the same time, the water temperature was rising steadily.

At thirty meters deep, Lu Chen stopped once more.

The temperature here had reached forty degrees—already beyond what he could endure.

After only two minutes, Lu Chen felt his body weakening, his mind growing hazy.

Was it an illusion, or did he sense a faint glimmer deeper within the cavern?

If he went any further, he might be boiled alive.

This underground cavern wasn’t going anywhere—it would always be here. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future. Lu Chen didn’t force himself and turned back at once.

Surfacing again, he rested for a full half hour before feeling his strength return.

A clear cry echoed overhead.

The golden eagle had returned!

It circled thousands of meters high, its sharp eyes fixed on the valley below, a complex light flickering within them. Warm sunlight spilled across its back, gilding each hard feather with gold.

A few months ago, this golden eagle was no different from countless others of its kind. Each day passed in a daze, driven only by instinct to hunt, without a single coherent thought.

Until one day, by chance, it discovered that this valley teemed with prey.

Overjoyed, the eagle folded its wings and dove, catching a large snake weighing about seven or eight pounds. After tasting it, it found the meat exceptionally delicious—a flavor unmatched by anything it had ever eaten.

Instinctively, it made the valley its hunting ground.

As an adult golden eagle, it measured a meter long with a wingspan of two and a half meters—nearly the maximum its kind could reach.

Yet in recent months, its fully-grown body began to grow again, wingspan stretching to an astonishing three meters. Its talons thickened and sharpened, each feather becoming denser and glinting gold.

What’s more, the eagle discovered that long-buried memories were awakening in its mind.

These memories told it, as long as it had enough food, it could grow even stronger...

But today, as its gaze swept over the valley, it noticed changes: the number of snakes in the forest below had diminished significantly.

Something else was present as well—something unsettling, as though it was being watched.

It clearly remembered a giant reptile living in the forest below. Once, when it swooped into the valley to hunt, it was nearly ensnared by this creature. But it hadn’t seen it for quite some time now...

So this time, the golden eagle didn’t rush to dive and hunt. Instead, it circled the sky again and again, its eyes ever watchful.

Aside from the reduced number of snakes, there were no other large predators in the woods…

The lake appeared normal; it could even make out a piece of driftwood on the shore.

In the end, unable to resist the lure of food and having confirmed the safety below, the golden eagle folded its wings and landed.

When it took flight again, another large snake dangled from its talons.

Damn… I’ll let you have your fun a few more days.

Watching the golden eagle disappear into the sky, Lu Chen paddled his limbs and swam back toward the cave.

The newly-dug den was beneath the roots of a great tree, structurally similar to the previous two. The entrance was narrow and long, but the interior was spacious, with three separate passages.

One passage was at the bottom of the lake, its exit blocked by a stone. If faced with an irresistible danger, the stone could be pushed aside, offering a way to escape underwater.

Whether it was the effect of the anti-inflammatory medicine or the special environment of the valley, the three saltwater crocodiles were healing much faster than expected. The most severely injured, the little sister croc, was now almost completely recovered, save for two scars on her belly.

The only one still a bit frustrated was the eldest, whose broken tail had only begun to regrow. Full recovery would take time.

After greeting the youngsters with a hiss, Lu Chen resumed his daily training routine.

Short sprints, climbing trees, dashing… He only stopped when utterly exhausted, then swam into the warm little lake.

Soaking in the hot springs after training, eating fruit—life hardly gets better.

Even immortals might envy such days.

If it were possible, Lu Chen would naturally wish to live like this forever.

But he knew it was a mere fantasy.

As the various snakes were gradually cleared from the valley, the predators outside would inevitably return.

When that happened, territorial battles would be unavoidable.

So before conflict broke out, he needed to strengthen himself as much as possible.

***

“Host has accumulated 10,000 energy points. Evolution criteria are 100% complete. Would you like to begin evolution?”

“Begin evolution,” Lu Chen immediately commanded.

Soon, his body underwent another astonishing transformation.

Having experienced this before, Lu Chen felt no anxiety. He simply closed his eyes and focused on the changes…

Half an hour later, the evolution was complete.

He instantly opened his system panel to check his latest stats.

Host: Lu Chen

Possessed Species: Special Saltwater Crocodile

Weight: 45.6 kg

Length: 1.93 meters

Age: 1 year

Optimal Temperature: 15–40°C

Energy Points: 55.2 (Earned by hunting prey; can be used for daily consumption or self-modification. Total accumulated: 15.2 points)

Claw Strength: 60.9 kg

Bite Force: 75.8 kg

Speed: 8.6 meters/second

Scale Armor Defense: 60

Heart Enhancement: 20

Other Attributes: None

Mutant Abilities: None

Evolution Level: 3 (Accumulate 100,000 energy points to unlock the next evolution. Current completion: 0.)

This evolution had unlocked a new attribute: “Heart Enhancement.”

After reviewing his stats, Lu Chen felt a hint of disappointment... He had hoped for mutant abilities, but none appeared.

Judging by the name alone, “Heart Enhancement” likely meant he could further strengthen his heart by investing energy points.

However, saltwater crocodiles already possessed powerful hearts, with a unique four-chamber structure that completely separated arterial and venous blood. In low-oxygen environments, their heart rate could drop from over twenty beats per minute to just one, reducing oxygen consumption and prioritizing oxygen supply to the brain.

To Lu Chen, this skill seemed rather useless.

Still, after some thought, he decided to invest energy points into “Heart Enhancement,” raising it to 30.

Then, he lumbered out of the den.

After cleaning himself in the hot spring, Lu Chen sprinted through the mountains at full speed.

Wait—perhaps it wasn’t so useless after all!

Contrary to his expectations, he clearly felt the benefits of “Heart Enhancement” while running.

His heart thudded powerfully, swiftly pumping oxygen-rich blood throughout his body. Every muscle was ablaze, brimming with explosive strength.

He dashed hundreds of meters before finally stopping, panting lightly.

Before, such intense activity would’ve left him exhausted, needing at least half an hour to recover.

Now, he felt only mild fatigue—he even had energy to spare.