Lin Tian's boots pounded against the frost-slicked stone of the mountain path. Each impact sent a jolt of pain through his cursed right arm, a cold throb that pulsed in time with the icy heartbeat in his chest. The other heartbeat, a new and unwelcome warmth, flickered beside it like a guttering candle.
I have to see her.
The thought was a drumbeat, drowning out the System's quiet warnings about trace activation and energy instability. The rules of the Azure Snow Sect, the carefully maintained facade of a provisional candidate, the entire web of control, but it all meant nothing if the link between him and Xueya shattered. He could feel that silver thread straining, chilled by her hurt and confusion.
Ahead, the path curved around a jagged outcrop of blue-veined rock, a natural choke point before the bridge to the inner peaks. Three figures stepped out from the shadow of the rock, blocking his way.
Lin Tian skidded to a halt, ice scattering under his heels.
