Han authorized a controlled cycle at the repaired station. Sella stood at the regulator, Pao watched the return vent, and the crew waited beyond the marked line. Gu read the drawing while Qinghe kept the timing chart.
Yan combined Nine-Death Blood Ignition with the complete furnace-circulation art. Both methods were familiar to him. He began the sequence without struggle, and the life-burning current moved through his channels.
The personal cost reversed into vitality. His breathing deepened, his hands steadied, and his strength rose. The furnace took qi from the cycle. Sella called out the pressure mark, and Yan held his position until she lowered the current.
The new ceramic collar stayed cool. Pao checked the joint and found no new crack. Han assigned a rest interval anyway, then switched the furnace to a reserve cell while the engineers examined the outer conduit.
Yan stepped aside and asked to see the readings. “I can do another one if it helps.”
“The machine needs a pause,” Sella said. “Your body isn’t the only part of this system.”
He watched the gauges settle. The next cycle, when Sella allowed it, felt less dramatic than the first. His body had already gained more strength and vitality; the art still rewarded practice, but there was no sudden leap. Yan laughed at how patiently it continued to work.
