The lizard didn't reach for the droplet immediately.
Instead, he asked, calm and level,
"What's the catch?"
The fox blinked.
For a fraction of a second, genuine surprise crossed her face.
Then—
A slow, feral grin spread across her lips.
A quiet laugh slipped from her throat.
"Heh… so you really do know me."
Her eyes gleamed.
"You think I'd hand over something like this without a condition?"
She didn't deny it.
"There *is* a catch."
The lizard simply stared at her, expression blank and unhurried.
"It's nothing you can't handle," she continued. "Something simple. For you."
Her tail flicked lazily behind her.
"But we're not discussing it now."
Her tone shifted—still light, but edged with intent.
"This isn't the time."
She glanced toward the rotating walls of chaotic wind surrounding their sanctuary.
"We get out of this alive first."
Then her gaze returned to him.
"After that… we'll talk."
A brief silence settled between them.
"Are you ready?"
The lizard watched the floating jade container for another breath.
Then—
"…Alright."
No hesitation.
No theatrics.
Just decision.
The fox nodded once.
"Good."
She peeled away the sealing talisman from the jade vial.
The instant the seal broke—
A suffocating aura flooded their sanctuary.
Crimson-gold radiance spilled into the air.
The single droplet of dragon blood essence rose gently from the container, heavy and luminous, as though gravity itself bent around it.
The surrounding wind currents shuddered.
Even the chaotic lightning beyond the eye crackled louder in response.
With a subtle flick of her qi, the fox guided the droplet toward him.
It drifted through the air, leaving faint streaks of golden-red light in its wake.
Up close—
The pressure was immense.
Ancient.
Imperious.
This was not ordinary beast blood.
This was sovereignty condensed.
The lizard did not retreat.
Did not flinch.
He opened his mouth—
And in one smooth motion—
Swallowed the droplet whole.
Silence.
For half a breath—
Nothing.
Then—
His body locked.
A violent eruption detonated within him.
Crimson-gold light burst beneath his scales, veins of draconic energy tearing through his meridians like molten metal forced through fragile channels.
Lightning exploded outward on instinct.
Wind spiraled violently around them.
The fox's eyes widened.
"—Steady!"
She immediately reinforced the sanctuary, pouring qi outward to stabilize the eye of the storm before their concealment collapsed.
Inside the lizard—
The dragon blood roared.
It was not passive essence.
It was will.
Dominance.
It tried to overwhelm him.
Rewrite him.
Claim him.
His small frame expanded slightly, muscles tightening as his scales shimmered with a metallic sheen. Lightning along his body turned faintly golden at the edges. The wind around him sharpened, slicing into tighter, more lethal currents.
The System's voice echoed within his mind:
**[Draconic Bloodline Activation Detected.]**
**[Bloodline Purification Initiated.]**
**[Foundation Reconstruction in Progress.]**
**[Pain Suppression: Disabled.]**
Pain detonated through him.
Not surface pain—
Bone-deep.
Blood-deep.
Soul-deep.
But he did not scream.
He anchored himself.
Wind to circulate.
Lightning to refine.
He did not resist the dragon blood.
He devoured it.
Broke it down.
Forced it to kneel.
Outside the sanctuary—
The storm reacted.
Lightning struck erratically.
The entire Shattered Tempest Expanse trembled.
Far beyond its outer boundary—
The Golden Core cultivator's eyes snapped open.
He turned slowly toward the storm.
"…What was that?"
A pulse.
Ancient.
Draconic.
His smile returned.
Wider.
Inside the eye of chaos—
The lizard's scales began to glow with a deeper, sovereign radiance.
And the true transformation began.
A growl rolled from his throat.
It wasn't loud—
But it carried weight.
A low, primordial vibration that rippled through the eye of the storm itself.
Crimson-gold veins pulsed beneath his scales as the dragon blood essence made its final attempt to dominate—
And failed.
Lightning coiled around him like living serpents.
Wind compressed into razor-edged rings orbiting his body.
Inside—
Something rewrote itself.
The System's voice rang clearly:
**[Draconic Blood Essence Successfully Assimilated.]**
**[Bloodline Gene Acquired: Storm Dragon.]**
**[Bloodline Purity Increased.]**
**[Foundation Reconstruction — 63%… 79%… 100%.]**
The growl deepened.
His body expanded slightly—not grotesquely, but densely. Compact. Refined.
His scales, once simple and pale, now bore faint natural patterns—flowing currents etched in silver-gold lines.
His horns lengthened subtly.
Not larger.
Sharper.
More precise.
The fox stared, stunned.
"…You…"
The air around him felt different.
Not merely stronger.
Heavier.
Authoritative.
The System continued:
**[Cultivation Advancing.]**
**[Foundation Establishment — Ninth Layer.]**
**[Foundation Establishment — Peak.]**
The violent qi tearing through him suddenly synchronized.
Wind and lightning ceased clashing.
They fused.
Balanced.
Obedient.
His eyes snapped fully open.
Clear.
Restored.
The last remnants of damage vanished.
Vision—completely recovered.
The fox felt the shift instantly.
"You broke through…"
He exhaled slowly.
A thin strand of golden lightning slipped from his mouth and vanished into the rotating storm wall.
He didn't feel bloated with power.
He felt compressed.
Tempered.
Like a blade hammered and cooled.
Inside his consciousness, the final notification appeared:
**[Bloodline Ability: Tempest Domain.]**
**[Effect: Enhanced affinity and control over wind and lightning. Suppression effect against lesser bloodlines.]**
Beyond the Shattered Tempest Expanse—
The Golden Core cultivator rose to his feet.
The pulse came again.
Clearer.
Stronger.
His pupils narrowed.
"…So you were hiding something like that."
Instead of anger—
Excitement sharpened his expression.
Inside the storm—
The small lizard lifted his head slightly.
And for the first time since entering the Expanse—
The predator outside no longer felt untouchable.