The quiet hum of midnight wind rustled through the high cliffs of Mount Fei-Lan, the sacred mountain that overlooked the Thousand Fangs Sect's main grounds. A bluish mist coiled through the trees like spirits in mourning, and from the base of a darkened cave carved into the mountain's heart, an ominous glow pulsed like a heartbeat. This was the place spoken of only in whispers—the Azure Bone Altar.
Jayden Cross stood at the entrance, cloaked in a robe woven from Windsteel Threads, his chi pulsing faintly as he studied the markings on the cave walls. His eyes, once clouded by doubt, now burned with clarity. This wasn't just a trial—it was the last gateway before ascending to Peak Spirit Manifestation, the stage that would push him beyond the strongest cultivators in the lower realms.
Beside him, Master Wu Jin's voice echoed softly. "Are you certain, Jayden? The Azure Bone Ritual is not something that can be reversed once begun. Your soul may fracture. Your bloodline may awaken in ways you cannot control."
Jayden's jaw tightened. He remembered the last duel—when Elder Renkai, one of the legendary Seven Peaks of the Eastern Courts, had humiliated him in front of thousands. He remembered the poison that had almost claimed Lena's life. The ambush at Stormveil. His father's voice in the dreamscape whispering: "The dragon sleeps within the marrow."
He took a deep breath. "I'm ready."
Inside, the cave expanded into a chamber shaped like the open jaws of a beast. Giant bones—fossils from divine beasts—were fused into the walls, pulsing faintly with residual energy. In the center lay a stone dais, above which hovered a single drop of glowing blue essence.
Azure Bone Marrow.
Said to have been extracted from the spine of a Divine Azure Dragon over ten thousand years ago.
Jayden knelt at the dais and began the ritual. He bit into his thumb and pressed it into the center of the formation. The blood sizzled against the stone. Instantly, ancient runes lit up, spinning around his body like a vortex of forgotten tongues.
His chi trembled. His soul shook.
Then pain hit him like a tidal wave of lightning.
It felt as though molten lead were being poured through his bones. He gritted his teeth, refusing to scream, as phantom claws raked at his limbs and invisible fangs bit at his veins. The Azure Bone Marrow was trying to reject him—his mortal body wasn't yet worthy.
But he wasn't just mortal anymore.
He activated the Dragon Vein Circulation Technique, cycling his internal chi rapidly while drawing on the reservoir of celestial herbs he had consumed just days before. His meridians expanded. His bones cracked—reshaping. His blood began to glow faintly with a faint gold-blue hue.
Memories not his own flooded his mind—dragons soaring above forgotten heavens, battles between titanic cultivators that shook the cosmos, and the moment his ancestor, the first of the Dragon Form bloodline, sealed away the power that now surged through him.
And then…
Silence.
The chamber dimmed. The marrow drop vanished.
And Jayden stood, eyes glowing like twin moons, veins coursing with power. His entire skeleton had transformed—lightweight yet harder than refined adamantine. His cultivation surged, breaking through mid-Spirit Manifestation, smashing into late-stage before finally stabilizing at the very peak.
Master Wu Jin, watching from afar, let out a slow breath. "He did it. He actually did it."
Elsewhere, far across the continent…
Inside the Council of Seven Shadows, a gathering of masked elders sat before a floating orb that now pulsed ominously.
"The Azure Bone has been claimed," one elder hissed.
"Who?"
"Name: Jayden Cross. Descendant of the Dragon Line."
The chamber fell silent.
Then the Grand Elder leaned forward. "Summon the Hellblaze Envoys. If he dares awaken the bloodline fully, he will shatter the balance of the Five Martial Domains."
Back on Mount Fei-Lan, Jayden stumbled out into the open air. He had survived, but he had changed.
Lena rushed to meet him, eyes wide as she sensed the new energy radiating from him. "You… you don't even feel human anymore."
Jayden smiled faintly. "I'm not. Not entirely."
Before she could reply, an explosion ripped through the forest below. Screams followed. Flaming spears rained down from the sky—Hellblaze Sect assassins.
A dozen figures leapt from shadows, dressed in obsidian robes, their faces covered with bone masks etched in crimson fire.
"Hand over the marrow!" one of them snarled.
Jayden's smile vanished. "Too late. It's already in my bones."
The first assassin charged. Jayden moved like wind—faster than he ever had before. He ducked low, sweeping the man's legs out and cracking his ribs with a spin kick that sounded like thunder. Another came at him with dual crescent blades, but Jayden twisted his palm and summoned Windfire Palm, a technique fueled by dragon chi. It detonated on impact, sending the attacker flying.
One by one, the Hellblaze warriors fell.
But their leader remained—a woman with silver hair and eyes like a storm. "You're no longer a boy," she said, drawing a spear that glowed with cursed runes. "But you are not yet a dragon."
Jayden inhaled deeply. "Then let me show you how close I am."
The duel lit the mountainside ablaze. Jayden pushed beyond his current limits—his techniques flowing like silk, powered by the Azure Bone's essence. But the woman was relentless. Her spear bent space, her footwork defied gravity. Twice she nearly pierced his chest.
But in a final moment, Jayden tapped into the marrow again. For a brief second, his eyes slitted, and a translucent dragon spirit coiled around him.
He struck.
The woman's spear shattered. She dropped to one knee.
Jayden stood over her, panting. "Go back to your masters. Tell them the heir has awakened."
She glared. "They won't stop. You've chosen a path of war."
Jayden turned away. "I didn't choose the path. I was born on it."
That night, as the mountain burned below and the skies thundered with unseen tension, Jayden sat in meditation beside Lena.
"You've changed," she said.
He nodded. "And more is coming. The Dragon Form… is only beginning to stir."
She reached for his hand. "Then I'll walk it with you."