At dawn, Lu Chen's body began to burn.
It was not the heat of the medicine. His own body temperature was rising—his skin was hot as a branding iron, and the moment sweat seeped out, it evaporated, leaving behind a faint reddish layer of salt frost.
The temperature inside the tent was at least ten degrees higher than outside. Sweat had appeared on Yun Qingyue's forehead as well, but she did not leave. Sitting by the table, she held that piece of golden runic bone in her hand.
[Body temperature: 40°C. Continuing to rise. Cause: accelerated metabolism due to increased Dragon Blood concentration.]
Forty degrees. An ordinary person would already have fallen unconscious with such a fever.
Yet he had not passed out. His mind was clearer than ever—clear enough to hear his bone marrow creating new blood, clear enough to hear the golden patterns inside his bones spreading thread by thread.
[Dragon Blood concentration: 135%. Skeletal dragonization: 18%.]
He raised his right hand before his eyes.
The golden patterns on his forearm had already spread to the crook of his elbow. Their branching lines had grown denser and denser, like a golden net wrapping his entire forearm.
Every strand of that net was glowing. The light shone out from beneath his skin, turning his forearm translucent—revealing the radius and ulna within, both bones covered in golden patterns.
[Dragon Thunder Nine Transformations · Root Severer Transformation follow-up technique unlock progress: 12%.]
"Your bones are changing," Yun Qingyue's voice came from beside the table.
"I know."
"Not just the Dragon-Pattern Spirit Bones. All of your bones are changing. Your ribs, spine, skull."
She rose, walked to the bed, and pressed a hand against his chest. Her palm rested over his sternum for five breaths.
"Your