The climb took two hours.
Lin Tian led the group up the spiraling branches of the Heart-Tree, each step taking them higher into the thinning air.
The forest below had settled into a rhythm of healing, green light pulsing through the bark like blood through veins.
But up here, the air was different.
Thin. Cold. Sharp in a way that cut at the lungs.
"Breathe through your core," Lin Tian said, not looking back. "Let the qi filter the oxygen."
Behind him, the group adjusted. Su Lan's flames dimmed slightly as she conserved energy. Xueya's frost aura thinned to a whisper. Yue Chan's silks grew tighter around her chest as she fought for air.
Yan Jiao grunted. "This is worse than the forge."
"That's because we're above the clouds," Linle said, her voice carrying through the branches. "Or close to it."
She wasn't wrong.
