Yue Xin's lips parted, as if to protest further, but she caught the faint glint in Tian Lei's eyes — that same unshakable steadiness that had carried him through storms and blood. Her words stuck in her throat, replaced instead with a quiet nod.
Mu Qinxue noticed. Of course she did. Nothing slipped past her. A faint smirk touched her lips before she turned, her sleeves brushing like drifting snow as she moved deeper into the cave.
"Come. If we're to test this, we'll need an array that can suppress yin backlash. Otherwise, the moment we begin, her meridians will shatter like brittle glass."
Tian Lei followed without hesitation, Yue Xin a half-step behind, her hands trembling faintly in her sleeves though her face remained calm. The deeper they went, the stronger the air grew — the walls of the cavern glowing faintly with carved runes that pulsed with spiritual light.
