Li Shen realized something was wrong the moment he woke up.
His body felt heavier—not with fatigue, but with density. When he clenched his fist, the air itself seemed to resist him. His bones hummed faintly, as if something deep within them had changed shape.
He stepped outside Elder Yue's mountain residence as the morning mist rolled across the cliffs. With a single step, the stone beneath his foot cracked.
Li Shen froze.
"I didn't use Qi," he whispered.
Elder Yue watched from the pavilion, eyes sharp. "You don't need to anymore."
She motioned for him to strike a training pillar forged from spirit steel. Li Shen hesitated, then drew his arm back and punched—carefully.
The pillar shattered.
Fragments rained across the platform.
Silence followed.
Elder Yue exhaled slowly. "Dragon Bone Strength. Your skeletal structure has begun refining itself beyond mortal limits. Every movement you make now carries power."
Li Shen stared at his hands. Fear crept into his chest. "Am I still human?"
Elder Yue did not answer immediately. "You are Li Shen," she finally said. "That must be enough."
That night, the dreams returned stronger than ever.
Li Shen stood in a sea of fire. Massive dragons were chained to the sky, their bones glowing jade as lightning tore through them. One dragon turned its head and looked directly at him.
"Remember," it said.
Li Shen woke screaming.
His bones glowed faintly beneath his skin.