The **Lizard** remained silent.
Golden eyes reflecting faintly within the dim cave.
The system's explanation lingered in his mind.
Five hundred thousand evolution points.
Close.
Very close.
Yet still incomplete.
A moment passed before he spoke inwardly again.
"…The next realm."
Silence.
Then—
"…What are the requirements for advancement?"
The system responded immediately.
**[Requirements for advancement:]**
**[Host must reach peak Perfect Golden Core Realm.]**
**[Host must possess 500,000 evolution points.]**
The lizard stared forward in quiet thought.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Five hundred thousand?"
A brief flicker of confusion surfaced.
Because he remembered clearly.
That was the same amount originally required for his Golden Core breakthrough.
Yet he had never used those points.
He had broken through on his own.
Through tribulation.
Through refinement.
Through survival itself.
"…That doesn't make sense."
His tail shifted subtly behind him.
"…Shouldn't the next realm require far more?"
The system answered calmly.
**[Under normal circumstances, each higher realm requires approximately twice the evolutionary cost of the previous realm.]**
A pause followed.
**[However—]**
**[Host bypassed evolution-point-assisted breakthrough.]**
The cave remained silent as the explanation continued.
**[Because the host achieved the Golden Core Realm through natural tribulation, the previously allocated advancement cost was not consumed.]**
**[As a result, the required evolution points remain preserved for future advancement.]**
The lizard processed the meaning slowly.
Because of his natural breakthrough, the system had not deducted the cost.
So instead of resetting upward, the requirement remained unchanged.
A stored cost.
Unused.
Preserved.
His golden eyes flickered faintly.
"…So as long as I meet the cultivation requirement…"
The system responded without delay.
**[And possess sufficient evolution points.]**
**[Host may advance.]**
Silence settled again.
The logic was unusual.
But undeniably advantageous.
Because if the requirement truly remained fixed, then natural breakthroughs would continuously preserve resources for future realms.
The lizard thought quietly for a moment longer.
Then another question surfaced.
"…If I break through the next realm naturally as well, without using evolution points…"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"…Will the requirement for the realm after that still remain five hundred thousand?"
The cave fell into complete stillness.
Then the system responded.
**[Correct.]**
No hesitation.
No ambiguity.
**[As long as the host continues to advance through natural breakthrough without consuming evolution points for assistance—]**
**[Unused evolutionary costs will continue to carry forward into future realms.]**
The implications settled heavily.
Meaning the true value of surviving tribulation and advancing naturally was not only strength.
It was efficiency.
Accumulation.
Preservation.
The lizard remained still.
Because suddenly, the path ahead no longer looked the same.
Not easier.
Never easier.
But far more rewarding.
And somewhere deep within his instincts, something stirred.
Not greed.
Not excitement.
Ambition.
The **Lizard** remained quiet after the explanation.
His thoughts moved steadily.
Peak Golden Core.
Five hundred thousand evolution points.
He already possessed nearly all of it.
Only fifty thousand remained.
Compared to before, that number no longer felt distant.
Not after tribulation.
Not after everything he had endured.
His golden eyes shifted slowly.
Toward the **Fox**.
Still cultivating.
Still wrapped within dense layers of refined energy.
Then his gaze moved again.
Toward the **Crimson Veinblood Tree**.
The blood fruits still hung there, tightly wrapped in preserved silk.
Untouched.
The lizard stared for a moment.
"…It's been a while."
His tail moved faintly behind him.
"…They should be fully ripened by now."
The next instant, he vanished.
A flicker of motion.
Then he reappeared beside the tree.
One claw extended effortlessly, grasping a hanging fruit.
The silk sealing it unraveled instantly under his grip.
Layer after layer peeled away, revealing the fruit within.
Dark crimson.
Dense.
Its surface pulsing faintly with stored essence.
The lizard examined it briefly.
Then, without hesitation, he bit down.
The skin split instantly.
Warm essence flooded his mouth.
Rich.
Heavy.
Concentrated blood energy refined over years.
He chewed slowly.
"…Not bad."
A simple observation.
Nothing more.
But as he continued eating, he felt it immediately.
Warmth spread through his body.
Not violent.
Not unstable.
Smooth.
The energy flowed naturally through his system, integrating more easily now that his Golden Core had fully stabilized.
His white scales shimmered faintly.
Golden lines beneath them pulsed softly as the fruit's essence merged with his body.
He continued eating calmly.
Bite after bite.
Consuming the fruit entirely.
Nothing wasted.
As the warmth spread deeper, his already stabilized cultivation began to inch forward once more.
The **Lizard** did not stop at one fruit.
Nor two.
The growing warmth only deepened the instinct within him.
Not ordinary hunger.
Something tied to evolution itself.
Another fruit disappeared into his maw.
Then another.
And another.
The cave gradually filled with the faint scent of rich spiritual essence as he consumed them one after another.
The **Crimson Veinblood Tree** slowly became bare.
Until only three fruits remained hanging from its branches.
The lizard swallowed the last fruit in his grasp.
Warmth surged through him once more.
His golden eyes glowed faintly in the dim cave.
Then he paused.
His gaze settled on the final three fruits still wrapped in silk.
His tongue brushed slowly across his maw.
"…Not many left."
A simple conclusion.
His eyes shifted toward the **Fox**.
Still cultivating.
Still unmoving.
The dense energy surrounding her remained stable, even stronger than before.
The lizard observed her quietly for a moment.
Then looked back at the fruits.
"…Can't finish everything."
Matter-of-fact.
Reasonable.
The fox still required resources as well.
His eyes narrowed slightly afterward.
Because despite everything he had consumed, the hunger remained.
Not painful.
But persistent.
A constant pull toward more.
More essence.
More energy.
More refinement to stabilize what he had become.
The lizard licked his maw once more.
Then turned.
Toward the cave entrance.
His body began to fade gradually.
Light bent around his scales.
His presence dissolved as concealment naturally enveloped him, making his figure nearly impossible to perceive.
Only faint distortions lingered for a brief moment.
Then he moved.
A silent streak slipped through the concealed entrance of the cave.
Returning once more to the outside world.
The valley remained undisturbed.
The cave behind him stayed hidden, untouched, and silent.
And high above the forests, an unseen presence cut through the sky once again, searching for prey.