The bell kept ringing.
Not loud anymore—distant now—but the sound lingered inside Lu Yan's chest like a second heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
He stood where Lin Yue had left him, fingers curled at his sides, the air still cold where her presence had passed. Frost lingered. Not visible. Just… there. On his skin. In his breath.
Don't stand there, she'd said.
He moved.
Not because she ordered him. Because staying felt wrong. Because something in him had already shifted, and the forest suddenly felt too narrow to hold it.
Lu Yan broke into a jog, sandals scuffing against stone and dirt as the path wound upward. His breathing stayed steady. His body obeyed. Young lungs. Responsive muscles. No ache. No resistance.
He should have been panicking.
Reincarnation. Cultivation world. Alarm bells. Inner grounds—whatever that meant.
Instead, his thoughts kept circling back to one thing.
The way Lin Yue's eyes had lingered on him half a breath too long.
The way her voice had sharpened when the bell rang.
Not fear.
Urgency.
As if something fragile had been interrupted.
"You're enjoying this," he muttered under his breath.
Warmth pulsed in his chest.
I would never, the Manual replied, voice smooth and utterly unrepentant. I simply… observe.
Lu Yan snorted and took the last incline at a run.
The inner grounds opened abruptly—a wide stone courtyard carved into the mountainside, ringed by training pillars and weapon racks. Disciples were already gathering, some half-armored, some still adjusting robes. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, tight and uneasy.
Lu Yan slowed, slipping into the back without drawing attention. Habit. Old life reflex.
New body, old instincts.
He scanned the scene without moving his head. Elders stood near the central platform, faces grim. Spiritual pressure pressed down like invisible hands—not crushing, but firm. A reminder.
You are small.
Lin Yue stood near the Frost Cloud disciples, posture straight, hands folded neatly in front of her. Composed. Distant.
Not looking at him.
He shouldn't care.
He did anyway.
The bell finally stopped.
Silence rushed in to replace it, heavy and expectant.
An elder stepped forward, voice carrying without effort. "A breach was detected at the outer perimeter. Unstable. Unidentified."
A ripple moved through the disciples.
Lu Yan felt it again—that tightening. Anticipation curling into something sharper.
"This does not concern outer disciples," the elder continued. "Remain where you are. Do not interfere."
Several people exhaled.
Lu Yan didn't.
Because Lin Yue's fingers had tightened around her sleeve.
Just a fraction.
He watched it happen. Watched her notice it happen. Watched her relax them again like it hadn't mattered.
Something stirred.
Ah, the Manual murmured. Awareness.
A faint shimmer crossed his vision.
—
[Desire Level: 1% → 3%]
—
Lu Yan almost stumbled.
"What the—"
Quiet, the Manual said. You'll embarrass us.
"Us?"
You'll learn.
The elders were issuing instructions now, splitting groups, calling names. Inner disciples only. The rest dismissed.
Lu Yan turned to leave with the others, the pressure easing as he stepped back—
And then it surged again.
Not from the elders.
From behind him.
He felt it before he heard it. Heat brushing his spine. A presence too close for comfort.
"Outer disciple."
A woman's voice. Older. Calm. Controlled.
Lu Yan turned.
She stood a step away, close enough that he caught the faint scent of herbs and something warmer beneath. Her robes were darker, richer in color. An alchemist's badge gleamed at her waist.
Her eyes were sharp. Assessing. Not unkind.
"You're late," she said.
Again.
He met her gaze without bowing too deeply. "Apologies, Elder."
A pause. Her gaze lingered. Not on his face.
Lower.
Then back up.
Interesting.
Oh, the Manual breathed, delighted. This one resists beautifully.
Golden text flickered, teasing at the edge of his vision, then vanished before he could focus on it.
The elder—Su Mei, his memory supplied—tilted her head slightly. "You were on the mountain path when the alarm rang."
Not a question.
"Yes."
"What did you see?"
Lu Yan hesitated.
Not because he didn't know what to say. Because saying her name felt… intimate. Exposing.
He kept it simple. "A Frost Cloud disciple. She was heading this way."
Su Mei's lips curved, faint but knowing. "Lin Yue."
"Yes."
Another pause. This one heavier.
"Did anything unusual occur?"
Lu Yan thought of the tightening. The awareness. The way the air had shifted between them.
"No," he said.
True enough.
Su Mei studied him for a long moment. Close. Too close. He could feel the heat of her body, steady and restrained, a contrast to Lin Yue's cold presence.
"Good," she said finally. "Return to your duties."
He inclined his head and stepped past her.
Only after he'd taken three steps did he realize his back was damp with sweat.
Not fear.
Something else.
Two already, the Manual murmured, satisfied. You have excellent taste.
"Shut up."
Make me.
Lu Yan left the courtyard with the others, the mountain air feeling different now. Thinner. Charged.
He walked faster, needing space, needing to think—
And ran straight into someone.
Soft impact. A gasp. Hands grabbing his sleeves instinctively.
"Hey—!"
He caught her before she fell, fingers closing around her wrists. Warm. Alive.
Mo Xian'er stared up at him, eyes bright, lips parted in a grin that didn't reach them.
"Well," she said lightly, "if it isn't trouble walking into me on purpose."
Lu Yan released her wrists immediately, stepping back. "You were standing in the middle of the path."
"So were you."
Their eyes held.
The world narrowed.
She leaned closer, voice dropping. "The bell rang. Everyone's nervous. You don't look it."
"I am."
She smiled. Slow. Assessing. "Liar."
Heat spiked.
The Manual hummed, delighted and dangerous.
—
[Yin Resonance: Fluctuating]
Multiple targets detected.
—
Lu Yan exhaled, steadying himself as Mo Xian'er tilted her head, curiosity sharpening into something more possessive.
"Careful," she said softly. "You're interesting today."
He met her gaze, calm on the surface, sharp underneath. "You noticed."
Her smile widened.
Somewhere above them, the mountain groaned.
A distant crack split the air.
Everyone froze.
And Lu Yan knew—without knowing how—that whatever had breached the perimeter was no longer outside.
It was coming in.