The moment Zhao Zuo swallowed, he knew something was wrong. An overwhelming heat flowed from his throat, down his esophagus, and finally settled in his stomach, searing hot as if he had ingested molten lava. Almost instantly, beads of sweat streamed down his forehead and dripped to the floor.
Pain followed. It was as if he were inside a volcano crater; scorching waves of heat surged violently from his abdomen into his flesh, threatening to roast him to a cinder. Zhao Zuo swayed, feeling himself withering away, on the verge of death.
He felt as if he were in a scorching desert, under a blistering sun.
As if by instinct, or perhaps a subconscious reaction, Zhao Zuo assumed the first stance of the Golden Body Technique. The heat rampaging through his body suddenly found a path, beginning to flow in a specific pattern. The deadly scorching sensation subsided slightly, replaced by a pleasant warmth.
