Midnight.
The Azure Cloud Sect slept beneath a sea of clouds.
Inside his quarters, Lin Xuan sat motionless, Dragon Vein circulating in steady rhythm.
Synchronization: 24%
The energy felt thicker tonight.
Heavier.
As if the air itself resisted him.
Inside his spiritual sea—
Xuánlóng's silhouette stirred uneasily.
"Something is wrong."
Lin Xuan opened his eyes.
At the same time—
The sky above the sect darkened.
Not with clouds.
With pressure.
The First Lightning
🌩
A streak of silver lightning tore across the heavens.
It did not strike.
It hovered.
Crackling above the highest peak.
Outer disciples rushed outside, confused.
"What's happening?"
"That's not normal weather…"
Inner elders appeared midair, expressions grim.
One of them whispered:
"Heavenly fluctuation."
Another replied:
"But no one is breaking through…"
Silence fell.
Because they all felt it.
The pressure wasn't centered on a peak.
It was centered—
On the outer disciple quarters.
Inside the Room
Lin Xuan's Dragon Vein suddenly flared violently.
🔥
Synchronization: 24% → 27%
His meridians trembled.
The sky above responded instantly.
🌩 BOOM
A bolt of lightning slammed against the sect's protective barrier.
Not random.
Targeted.
Xuánlóng's voice deepened.
"It has noticed you."
Lin Xuan's expression hardened.
"Heaven?"
"Yes."
"Your path is not recognized."
Another lightning strike descended—stronger.
The barrier cracked faintly.
Elders raised their hands, reinforcing the formation.
"What disciple is triggering this?!"
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
Forced Advancement
Inside the room—
Dragon Essence surged uncontrollably.
Lin Xuan felt his bones vibrate.
His blood burned.
This wasn't voluntary cultivation.
This was pressure-induced evolution.
Dragon Vein Stage – Forced Resonance
Synchronization: 27% → 31%
Crimson light erupted from his body, piercing through the roof.
A massive dragon shadow formed in the sky for a split second.
All disciples saw it.
All elders saw it.
Even Zhao Chen saw it.
His eyes widened.
"A dragon…?"
The shadow vanished instantly.
But the omen remained.
Beyond the Sect
Hundreds of miles away—
In a desolate canyon—
An old man wearing ancient black robes opened his eyes.
His pupils were vertical slits.
"…Dragon bloodline."
He stood slowly.
"It still exists."
Behind him—
Gigantic chains bound something enormous beneath the earth.
And it had begun to stir.
After the Storm
The lightning gradually faded.
The pressure lifted.
The sect barrier stabilized.
Elders descended to investigate.
But when they entered the outer disciple area—
Everything appeared normal.
Lin Xuan stood quietly among the crowd.
Calm.
Composed.
As if nothing had happened.
But inside—
Synchronization stabilized at 31%.
A new presence filled his spiritual sea.
Not just veins.
Not just flame.
A faint scale pattern now covered parts of his inner realm.
Xuánlóng spoke softly.
"You have crossed the first threshold."
"Heaven now recognizes you as an anomaly."
Lin Xuan looked up at the fading storm clouds.
"So it begins."
Not just sect politics.
Not just Zhao Chen.
The world itself had reacted.
And somewhere far away—
Something ancient had awakened.
High above, Zhao Chen watched the last trace of lightning disappear.
His expression was no longer calm.
"If that was him…"
He clenched his fist slightly.
"Then I underestimated him."
For the first time—
Zhao Chen felt something unfamiliar.
Not anger.
Not irritation.
But threat.
Lin Xuan returned to his room.
The Dragon Vein pulsed steadily.
Stronger.
More alive.
The hunters inside the sect were sharpening blades.
But now—
Hunters beyond the mountains had smelled dragon blood.
And they were coming.