The night was quiet, but Wang Lin couldn't sleep.
Not because of noise. Not because of pain. But because of what was happening inside him.
His breath came slow and steady, yet the air in his lungs felt heavier than usual, warmer. Each inhale stoked a low heat in his core, like embers resting deep in his bones. His skin prickled under his robe, a subtle tingling that refused to fade. And beneath it all, something older — something primal — pulsed in the silence.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation chamber, eyes closed, fingers interlocked. The room was lit only by the faint blue glow of the floating system panel that hovered quietly at his side.
"Long Shan."
"You feel it too."
"It's waking up."
"Yes. The bloodline's at the edge. You've reached the first threshold."
Wang Lin didn't respond right away. His heart beat once — and for the first time, he could hear it through his entire body. Not just a thump in his chest, but a resonating pulse that vibrated through his arms, legs, spine, skull.
He opened his eyes slowly. Even in the dark, they glowed faint blue — not from technique or illusion, but from within.
"What happens now?"
"Your body will break."
"Again?"
"Yes. But this time, it'll rebuild itself stronger. Smarter. Closer to what the bloodline remembers."
"And what does it remember?"
"A being that could crush sects with a glance. A predator that heaven feared."
Wang Lin gave a faint smile. "Sounds like someone I'd like to meet."
"You don't meet it."
"You become it."
Then the pain began.
It started in his spine — a sharp jolt like molten needles threading through every vertebra. Then it spread outward, across his ribs, up his neck, down his arms, spiraling through every muscle and joint.
He didn't scream.
He gritted his teeth and leaned forward, pressing both palms into the cold stone beneath him. His veins bulged, glowing faintly with blue light that pulsed harder with every heartbeat.
His breath hitched.
His skin steamed.
Sweat rolled off his face, sizzling as it hit the floor.
"Stay conscious," Long Shan said firmly. "If you pass out, the transformation resets. You'll have to endure it again."
"I'm not passing out," Wang Lin growled through clenched teeth.
His arms trembled violently. The bones beneath the surface began to warp — not shatter, but reshape, as if they were being carved by unseen hands.
He collapsed onto his side, gasping.
And then it spread to his mind.
The flood of visions hit like lightning: blinding flashes of war, roars that split mountains, dragons descending like shadows through fire — wings of light, claws of stone, blood falling like rain. A world older than memory. A battle never recorded.
And in the middle of it — a figure with eyes like his.
But it wasn't human.
It was wrath given form.
He snapped back to the present with a strangled gasp. His hands dug into the stone floor, carving shallow cracks.
His body glowed now — not gold, not white, but deep, shimmering azure, wrapped in fine lines that curved along his arms like celestial veins.
"You're doing it."
"Almost there."
Wang Lin rolled onto his knees, panting. His bones stopped shifting. The burning in his skin began to fade, replaced with a strange coldness — not weakness, but stillness.
Power, refined.
Not raw.
But focused.
"Check me."
"Confirmed."
[Status Update]
Name: Wang Lin Realm: Qi Condensation – Stage 2 Bloodline: Celestial Dragon (Integration: 20%) Transformation State: Unlocked – Phase One: Draconic Veins System Sync: 19% New Trait Unlocked: • Dragon Pulse (Passive): Spiritual energy now flows 2.1x faster through meridians • Combat Benefit: Higher energy efficiency and enhanced stamina recovery New Skill Unlocked: • Internal Echo: Reflects 15% of spiritual impact damage during physical clashes
Wang Lin sat still.
Steam curled off his back. His eyes no longer glowed.
But the feeling in his limbs — in his blood — was different now.
Not heavier.
Not lighter.
Just… clearer.
He stood slowly, each movement smooth, silent. No stiffness. No drag. Even the fatigue from the fight with Shen Bai was gone, replaced by a cool, calm strength that hummed beneath his skin.
He raised his hand, curling his fingers into a fist.
No tremble.
Only stillness.
"Long Shan."
"Brother."
"I feel... empty and full at the same time."
"That's the bloodline adjusting. You just went from walking with it… to walking as it."
"Will it happen again?"
"Yes. At thirty-five percent. Then again at fifty. But every time, the cost rises."
Wang Lin nodded slowly. "Then I'll rise faster."
"Good."
By sunrise, he was gone from the pavilion.
He moved silently through the inner sect roads, heading not toward the training fields, but toward the outer walls — to the boundary where spirit beasts were caged and tested for disciples ready to tame or fight them.
He wasn't going there to tame.
He was going to hunt.
Because transformation alone wasn't enough.
He needed to know what this new body could do.
What it could endure.
What it could destroy.
And there was only one way to find out.