I vaguely remember reading a few martial arts novels.

The kind of cores or elixirs I’m looking for would usually be considered a "lucky encounter."

Take, for example, the Myriad-Year Fire Carp, a mystical creature brimming with yang energy, whose core is filled with an intense yin energy that contradicts it.

Then there’s the Golden Spirit Tree that grows only on untouched mountain peaks or cliffs, and its fruit, the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit.

Not to mention the Great Return Pill, one of the two great sacred medicines of the Shaolin, said to even bring the dead back to life.

There are countless others: Azure Dragon Oil, Myriad-Year Polygonum, Myriad-Year Golden Tortoise, and Golden Toad, all of which are elixirs that mere mortals couldn’t even dream of obtaining.

Getting your hands on one of these is like plucking a star from the sky.

You’d have to either defeat a powerful mystical beast or climb a legendary mountain to find a single fruit, if it’s even there.

Unless mystical creatures with cores start rolling around at my feet, I have to give up on finding these elixirs through normal means.

Does that mean I’ve given up on evolving?

Not at all.

I’ll admit that, in a lizard’s body, acquiring a core or an elixir is no easy task.

But the key condition for evolution is that my body must absorb mystical energy.

In other words, even without a core, as long as I gather enough of that energy, I could still have a chance to evolve.

If fish and toads can create cores, why can’t I?

Surely, I’m a mystical lizard by now.

I reached out and gently stroked my soft, white belly.

It was quite pleasing to the touch, if only I could forget that this was my body.

Somewhere in this belly, there must be a dantian.

The energy from the cores the spider gave me should be stored there.

If I have a dantian, then cultivating internal energy should be possible.

Of course, I don’t know any of the techniques from martial arts novels—no mental cultivation methods, no secret skills, no divine powers.

The only thing I know is a footwork technique called Soaring Dragon Sky Step.

I have a feeling that if I could figure out how to use this skill properly, it might unlock some hidden internal energy method, but I don’t know how yet.

That’s no reason to be discouraged. Even in the world of martial arts, there are basic methods that even third-rate martial artists can use to cultivate internal energy.

Breath control.

If you’re involved in martial arts, it’s something you must practice.

Even if you’re just a third-rate martial artist, you can still circulate your energy to cultivate some internal power, even if it doesn’t reach the heights of techniques like Three Flowers Gather at the Peak or Five Qi Towards the Source.

If a third-rate martial artist can do it, there’s no reason why a lizard with a foot in the door of martial arts can’t.

I coiled my tail and tried to sit cross-legged.

It wasn’t easy to sit in a cross-legged position with a lizard’s body, but fortunately, I was flexible enough to manage it by tucking my legs in.

Though I knew what breath control was, I had no idea how to actually do it.

Of course, I didn’t—after all, I was just an ordinary human once.

The only knowledge I had came from reading a few martial arts novels.

But I could meditate.

I tore off a lotus leaf and placed it over my eyes.

I imagined a vast lake.

An endlessly spreading lake.

A single drop of water falls into the lake.

It’s just one drop of water, but the ripples spread all the way to the far edges of the lake.

At the farthest edge of the lake, I could see a large crest.

The creature with that crest let out a loud roar.

Right, it was a Spinosaurus.

Spinosaurus was a fish-eating dinosaur, more like an overgrown pelican, and everyone knows it’s no match for a Tyrannosaurus.

Hah...

My calm shattered.

That vile Spino! How dare it ruin my focus and break my concentration.

It was a failure.

I couldn’t even meditate properly, let alone practice breath control.

I gently removed the lotus leaf and stared into the void.

“Geggek.”

Though I failed, at least I tried.

Maybe my efforts would move the system to reward me with a skill called Breath Control.

……

Come on! I’ve been reincarnated as a gecko lizard for crying out loud, at least throw me a bone!

I mean, when am I supposed to reach some grand enlightenment?

Just give me something as a reincarnation bonus, will you?

...But no, the status window remained indifferent.

I knew, deep down, that even if Breath Control existed as a skill, I’d probably have to succeed at it at least once to unlock it.

Fine.

If it doesn’t work, I’ll just keep trying until it does.

Clear my mind.

Focus on the single drop of water falling into the lake.

The ripples from that one drop of water raced toward the far edges of the lake.

At the far edge, the ripples disappeared without a trace.

Another drop of water falls.

That drop of water...

“Squueeeeeak!”

Deep breath, hold it in.

Yes, I felt even clearer after holding it in.

Water...

“Squueeeeeeeeeak!”

That’s it, you’re dead.

Let me just see your face.

Beelzebufo LV12

I quickly retracted my head.

I’m so sorry.

Please, continue what you were doing.

Why does that toad have a name like Beelzebufo?

It sounds like one of the Seven Deadly Demons.

I can almost picture a title like The Gluttonous attached to it.

I slapped myself a couple of times to refocus.

On second thought, my name’s no joke either.

After all, I’m a basilisk.

Sure, it’s got a silly Green prefix, but still.

Maybe that toad’s in a situation similar to mine.

Didn’t I get mistaken for the legendary basilisk at first?

Maybe it’s just an ordinary toad, after all.

I cautiously peeked out again.

Beelzebufo

A massive toad over 40cm in size, also known as the "Toad of Hell." It primarily hunts by ambushing prey using its strong hind legs. The venom it secretes is potent enough to deter even predators.

Wait, what?

Why does it get such an impressive description?

Toad of Hell? Seriously?

I want to be called something like the Lizard of Legends.

And how is it only 40cm? It looks big enough to swallow me whole.

The golden sheen on its body was ominous. When I first saw it, I thought it was just an ordinary toad, but after seeing its name and description, I started to feel differently.

“Squueeeeeak!”

I pulled my head back again.

Fine.

True training often thrives in extreme situations.

I’ll remember the lessons of Beelzebufo, the toad of greed.

“Squueeak!”

I waited for the toad to quiet down.

When practicing breath control, you often have a guardian to protect you from disturbances.

If you get interrupted, you can suffer internal injuries.

Of course, that only applies if I actually manage to succeed in practicing breath control.

I heard the toad hopping away.

“Squueeeeeak...”

The sound grew more distant.

Now’s the time.

It’s time to attempt breath control again.

Though, at this point, it felt more like "lunch" control than "morning" control.

I mean, the breath part of breath control—never mind.

“Geggek.”

I closed my mouth and resumed my cross-legged position.

I closed my eyes and emptied my mind.

A single drop of water falls.

The energy in my dantian began circulating through my body.

Like the ripple from a single drop of water, the energy traveled to every corner of my body.

“Grooooaaar!”

The ripple broke.

“Gek!”

At the same time, I coughed up a mouthful of blood.

...Did I just cough up blood?

That must mean I was close to succeeding in breath control.

But it wasn’t time to celebrate.

The toad had finally quieted down, and I had almost succeeded after intense concentration, only to be ruined by that hideous roar. I had no idea how long it would take to regain the thread I had lost.

On top of that, I had even coughed up blood.

My anger toward the source of that roar surged.

It had to be that thing I saw earlier.

The Demon Toad could probably beat me senseless, but you? I could easily take you down.

I began sharpening my claws against a small stone.

“Tortoise, tortoise, if you don’t stick out your head, I’ll cook you and eat you.”

Let me just see your face.

Astrochelys Radiata LV16

I raised my tail to block my view.

There must be something wrong with my eyes.

Why is its level 16 and why does it have such a fancy name?

I hesitantly lowered my tail again, but the sight in front of me remained unchanged.

...This time, I had to trust my detailed view.

Astrochelys Radiata

A land tortoise that grows up to 50cm in size. It has a star-shaped pattern on its shell, hence the name "Star Tortoise." Also known as the Radiated Tortoise, it is a rare species with few individuals left in the world.

Star Tortoise?

Something feels off.

We’ve got the Toad of Hell and the Star Tortoise.

Shouldn’t the lizard in between them be something like the Lizard of Heaven?

Why does my name sound more like Long-Tail Water Lizard?

“Grrrooo!”

I had just grasped the thread again, but that tortoise’s noise made it impossible to focus on breath control.

No, it’ll quiet down soon.

Tortoises are supposed to be peaceful creatures.

I’ve seen plenty of them.

You know, like in those old Korean folktales.

“Greeeeee!”

Wait, those were softshell turtles.

This thing is a land tortoise.

“Greeeeeeek!”

Why are you wandering around here?

There’s barely any food around.

Even I had to venture over to the piranhas’ area to hunt.

Patience.

There’s a saying that patience is part of training.

Maybe if I keep enduring this, my breath control will improve.

“Squueeeak!”

“Grooooar!”

Sigh.

Now they’re making noise together.

At least the good news is that they’re daytime creatures.

I don’t know if the basilisk lizard is nocturnal or diurnal, but I used to be a night owl. I can adapt whether it’s day or night.

It’s a relief their activity periods overlap.

Once night falls, it’ll be peaceful.

I killed time by splashing around—no, practicing my footwork.

“Squueeeak!”

“Greeeeeek!”

“Squueeeak!”

“Greeeegek!”

...Is this a dream?

Why does it sound like it’s getting louder?

It feels like the frequency has increased too.

I cautiously poked my head out.

Astrochelys Radiata LV16

Astrochelys Radiata LV11

Astrochelys Radiata LV6

Beelzebufo LV12

Beelzebufo LV11

Beelzebufo LV6

I pulled my head back in.

I had made a huge miscalculation.

Even if these creatures are diurnal, it doesn’t mean they’re quiet at night.

In fact, they seem to gather together at night for some family reunion.

They’re all here now, loudly competing with each other.

This place is hell.

Breath control is the least of my worries.

I’m not even sure I’ll be able to survive here anymore.

How am I supposed to sleep?

Even if I manage to catch prey in the hunting grounds, I have a feeling these guys will just steal it from me.

Why are my neighbors like this?

...

Spider, how are you doing?

I miss you today.

Too much has happened to me.