Lu Chen opened his eyes.
The tent was dark. The rain had stopped, and moonlight leaked through the seams in the canvas, drawing a thin silver line across the ground.
He lay on the bed, drenched in sweat. The Dragon-Pattern Spirit Bones beneath his skin were glowing—not their usual pale gold, but a brilliant gold, like molten metal.
[Dragon-Pattern Spirit Bones activity temporarily increased to 85%. Dragon Thunder true essence recovery speed doubled. True essence recovery progress: 7%.]
He sat up and raised his right hand before his eyes. The skin on the back of his hand was translucent beneath the moonlight, revealing the golden patterns below—not tattoos, but the light of his bones themselves, seeping from the marrow and spreading along the bone patterns.
The patterns had changed. They were more intricate than before, spreading from his wrist to his fingertips, every bone in every finger glowing.
[The remaining fragment of the Dragon Thunder Nine Transformations: Root Severer Transformation has been inscribed into the Dragon-Pattern Spirit Bones. Completion: 1/9. More content can be unlocked after breaking through to the late Longevity stage.]
Nine Transformations. He was now at the third transformation. Once he broke through to the late Longevity stage, he would be able to touch the threshold of the fourth transformation.
Lu Chen lowered his hand and picked up the jade box beside his pillow.
When he opened the lid, the nine golden lines on the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill flowed beneath the moonlight, like nine tiny snakes slithering across its surface.
``` [Host status detected: one day remaining in weakened state. True essence recovery progress: 7%. Dragon-Pattern Spirit Bones activity: 85%. Recommendation: after the weakened state ends, first restore true essence to full capacity before taking the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill. Forcibly taking it will