[Consume 200 years of lifespan. Breakthrough begins. Estimated completion time: six hours. Cannot be interrupted.]
A surge of heat welled up from his dantian. It was not the mild warmth of deduction, but a searing heat, as hot as molten lava. It rushed into his meridians, stretching them a full circle wider.
It hurt, but not the pain of tearing—it was the pain of being stretched, like pulling a rubber band to its limit.
Lu Chen gritted his teeth and looked inward at his dantian. It was expanding, growing from the size of a fist to the size of a bowl. His true essence dropped from sixty percent to fifty percent—not because there was less of it, but because the vessel had grown larger, making the same amount seem diminished.
[Breakthrough progress: 10%... 20%...]
The heat surged into the Dragon-Pattern Spirit Bones. The golden patterns on his bones lit up like lamps being kindled. They spread from his bones into his muscles, then from his muscles beneath his skin. Lu Chen lowered his head to look at his arm—golden light flowed beneath his skin like streaks of golden snakes.
[Breakthrough progress: 30%... 40%...]
The heat surged into the silvery-white pattern on his right arm. The pattern had already turned gold, the same color as the Dragon-Pattern Spirit Bones. It pulsed beneath his skin like the heartbeat of a living creature.
[Breakthrough progress: 50%... 60%...]
When the pain reached seventy percent, Lu Chen saw that dragon again. Silvery-white, coiled before him, watching him with golden eyes.
"You're here again."
"I'm breaking through."
"I know." The dragon lowered its head and pressed its forehead against his. "You're trading lifespan for a breakthrough. This is a forbidden art of the dragon race."
"Why is it