Jiang Xing merely shifted the focus of his nurturing toward the Golden-Patterned Koi King, but he had not completely abandoned the nurturing of the other Golden-Patterned Koi.
He told all the Golden-Patterned Koi the story of leaping the Dragon Gate, trained their Water Leap move, raised their Power Level, and had them learn Dragon Ritual Dance…
The only difference lay in one resource: Dragon Energy Cubes.
For example, the ten gentle Golden-Patterned Koi that Jiang Xing had initially nurtured had already reached the limit of their Species Tier, and their Water Leap move had been trained to proficiency.
They, too, wanted to leap over the Dragon Gate and become true dragons!
At this moment, hundreds of Golden-Patterned Koi swam through the water, like arrows released from a bow, like flowing ribbons of gold, rushing straight toward the waterfall.
When they reached the base of the waterfall, splashing sounds rang out.
One after another, the Golden-Patterned Koi burst out of the water, using their tails to strike against the crashing flow, relying on the power of Water Leap to continuously climb upward.
When they reached the top of the waterfall, they slapped the water again with their tails and leapt toward the rainbow-colored Dragon Gate suspended in midair!
At that instant, it was as if countless golden-white scaled birds were flying through the sky!
"Look at the waterfall!! So many Golden-Patterned Koi!"
"They're practically flying!"
"This is incredible!!"
The sight of a hundred koi competing—climbing the waterfall and leaping toward the rainbow Dragon Gate—was simply too breathtaking.
It instantly drew all the tourists' attention away from Su Muli.
They watched as the Golden-Patterned Koi danced through the air toward the Dragon Gate, their hearts beginning to race.
The tourists exclaimed in awe, pulling out their phones to record the spectacular scene, feeling the trip had been worth it.
Even though they couldn't get a close look at the cascade… waterfalls could be found anywhere, but the Dragon Gate leap was not something seen every day.
They watched the constantly leaping koi, filled with anticipation.
Maybe… they would witness the birth of a dragon?
However…
As the Golden-Patterned Koi flew through the air, just before reaching the rainbow, gravity took hold, and they fell one after another back into the river.
Like a golden ribbon drifting through the sky—yet still far from the seven-colored Dragon Gate.
Disappointment spread among the tourists.
At that moment—
A Golden-Patterned Koi, several times larger than the others, shot out from the group, moving faster and with greater power, heading straight for the Dragon Gate!
It was the Golden-Patterned Koi King!
It had first used Dragon Ritual Dance, then begun its attempt, which made it a step slower than the others.
Now, empowered by enhanced dragon-type energy, it surged toward the Dragon Gate!
Under countless gazes, it traced a perfect arc through the air—
But just one step away from the seven-colored Dragon Gate, it lost its strength and began to fall.
The tourists' hearts, which had just been lifted, seemed to drop with it, sinking heavily.
"Ah… what a pity."
"It was so close…"
"It's fine, maybe next time it'll succeed."
As if sharing the same thought as the crowd—
The Golden-Patterned Koi began to move again, pushing against the massive waterfall, climbing upstream once more, forming a golden ribbon as they surged toward the Dragon Gate.
However, this attempt ended just like the last.
The golden ribbon fell far short of the Dragon Gate, dropping back into the water.
The Golden-Patterned Koi King was the same—still just one step away.
Yet that single step felt like the distance between heaven and earth.
Third time. Fourth time. Fifth time…
The tourists hoped to see one koi succeed, but were disappointed again and again.
They finally realized—
The rainbow gate, though seemingly close, was actually beyond the limit of the koi's power.
Like an illusion—visible, but unreachable.
Gradually, the tourists lost hope.
The Golden-Patterned Koi felt the same.
They were originally gentle ornamental fish. Though stirred into ambition, repeated failures crushed that illusion.
They stopped leaping, floating in the river, blankly staring at the Dragon Gate in the sky.
Only a few remained.
Again and again, they charged up the waterfall.
Again and again, they leapt high.
Again and again, they fell back into the river.
Until they were completely exhausted, unable to move any further.
In the end, only the strongest—and most persistent—remained:
The Golden-Patterned Koi King.
Like Don Quixote, it charged again and again at an unwinnable challenge.
But as its stamina dropped, it fell farther and farther from the Dragon Gate.
At first, it had been just within reach.
Now, it fell from far below.
Hope seemed completely gone.
Yet it did not stop.
In the river, it continued its solitary Dragon Ritual Dance, then charged again toward the Dragon Gate.
Seeing its unwillingness to give up, even the tourists clenched their fists.
They had never seen such a determined Golden-Patterned Koi.
But still… it was just short.
What a pity… it had worked so hard…
Even Su Muli, watching its stubborn struggle, couldn't help but say: "Is it too far?"
"No."
Leaping the Dragon Gate had never been the true evolution condition.
It was merely a scenario Jiang Xing had hypothesized and designed.
The key to this process was tempering the koi's spirit—condensing its will to prepare for the final transformation.
So…
What truly mattered was crossing the "Dragon Gate" in its heart.
Jiang Xing believed—
If it was this one, it could do it.
The Golden-Patterned Koi King fell into the water once more.
This time, even it felt exhausted, as if it could no longer swim.
But while its body was fatigued, its will remained unaffected.
It stared at the rainbow gate, its eyes filled with determination—
It still remembered Jiang Xing's story.
Even an exhausted carp could leap the Dragon Gate!
It twisted its body again, charging toward the waterfall—
Then suddenly, it noticed something.
Figures appeared beside it.
Those Golden-Patterned Koi that had already given up… had begun moving again.
They followed it, charging toward the waterfall!
"Wait—they're going again?!"
At the same time, the tourists saw it too—
The previously still fish surged forward again, forming a golden ribbon climbing the waterfall, coating it in radiant gold!
They followed behind the Koi King, leaping into the air—
Forming a shining, golden bridge of fish.
At the moment the Koi King was about to lose strength and fall—
They gave it one final support.
In that instant, a flash of realization—and emotion—passed through its eyes.
It had found its own "wave crest."
With a powerful flick of its tail—
It surged upward once more, transforming into a streak of golden light—
And crossed the seven-colored Dragon Gate.
In that instant—
The white light of evolution burst forth from its body!
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---