The silence in Lin Tian's room felt heavier than usual after the refectory. He sat on the edge of his bed, rolling his right shoulder.
A phantom ache, leftover from the Frost Serpent weeks ago, throbbed in time with his heartbeat. Or maybe it was just the lingering chill of the Spirit-Quenching Ice, now fully digested and converted into a cool, steady reserve in his dantian.
Showy, he thought, closing his eyes. Maybe too showy.
A pulse of warmth brushed against his mind, familiar and concerned. Xueya. He sent back a wave of reassurance, picturing the frozen stream in the garden. I'm fine. They're just testing.
Another pulse, this one sharper, tinged with fire. Su Lan. It wasn't words, more a sense of focused attention, like someone had turned to look directly at him from across a crowded room.
A soft knock came at his door, three precise taps.
He knew who it was before he called out, "It's open."
