Liu Shengnian took out a transparent hourglass filled with fine gray sand. He held it up for everyone to see, then flipped it over. The sand in the upper chamber quickly began to flow into the lower one.
"This marks a duration of seven breaths. Keep that in mind, you two."
Zhao Lin watched the hourglass, silently counting in his head. When all the sand had run out, he estimated that about twenty seconds had passed.
The disciples all turned their gazes to Zhao Lin, wanting to see just how strong this youngest inner-court disciple was.
"Listen up. We'll start on the count of three."
Liu Shengnian cleared his throat and shouted, "One, two, THREE!"
Zhao Lin moved the instant he heard the call, throwing a straightforward, no-frills punch.
