The heat started as a low burn in his chest, about an hour after the elders left.
Lin Tian was sitting on the edge of the spirit vein pool, listening to Xueya talk about the political factions within the Frostheart Residence. A sudden, sharp warmth bloomed behind his sternum, like a coal igniting. He shifted, trying to ignore it.
Just residual energy, he thought. It'll settle.
But it didn't settle. The warmth spread, crawling up his throat and down his arms. It pooled in his dantian, a restless, churning heat that felt nothing like the clean cold of Xueya's ice or the controlled fire of Su Lan's qi. This was raw, unchecked Yang energy, and it was starting to cook him from the inside.
"Lin Tian?" Xueya's voice cut through his focus. She was staring at his face, her eyes wide. "Your skin… it's red."
