The raw files in LR are NOT processed. LR maintains a list of the instructions you have given it by adjusting the sliders. The raw file is processed when you export a file. When you export a file you choose the format jpg, Tif etc.Only at export does LR process your raw file to a RGB file format like Tif, jpg etc.All parametric raw editors work like this including DXO Photolab.
This is a limitation of Adobe, and from Adobe:
Set preferences for working with camera raw files in external editors
Lightroom Classic opens camera raw and DNG files directly in Photoshop CS3 (10.0.1) or later. However, Lightroom Classic must send either TIFF or PSD copies of camera raw and DNG files to Photoshop Elements and to other external editors that cannot read raw data. In the External Editing preferences, you specify the file format, color space, bit depth, and compression for the TIFF and PSD files that Lightroom Classic sends to these editors.
There are addons to LR that will allow you to send the raw file to another editor.
