The doors groaned open, revealing a darkness so thick it felt solid.
Jiang's spear was already moving, a blur of red aiming not at Lin Tian, but at the open gap. Kaela dissolved into a streak of shadow, flowing toward the entrance. The truce had lasted exactly as long as the doors took to swing wide.
They're going for the threshold, Lin Tian thought, his mind cold and clear. They want to be first inside.
Instinct, older than any technique, surged up from his core. It wasn't a decision. It was a reflex, like breathing. His Chaos-Harmony Origin Vessel hummed, a subtle vibration deep in his bones. The balanced energy he'd channeled to open the door wasn't just released. It was remembered, absorbed, and now his body echoed it back, a perfect mirror.
He didn't push Xueya and Su Lan forward. He simply stepped, and the world around him shifted.
