The chill came three days after Su Lan's evolution, a sharp, silver needle in the back of Lin Tian's mind.
He was in the pavilion's training yard, practicing the fluid transitions of the Moonfrost Sword Dance, when it hit. Not pain, but a profound, hollow cold that had nothing to do with the environment.
It was the bond, the one tied to Xueya, pulling taut like a wire about to snap.
He lowered his practice jian, his breath frosting in the air. Through the link, he felt a chaotic, glorious pressure building—a dam about to break.
She's not controlling it.
Su Lan stepped out from the arched doorway, a medical ledger in her hand. She took one look at his face and her relaxed posture vanished.
"It's Xueya," she stated, her voice flat.
Lin Tian nodded. "Her bloodline. It's advancing again. Faster than she can handle."
"Stage Three manifestation," Su Lan muttered, closing the ledger with a snap.
