The physicians finished signing the first examination. The clerk copied their readings onto the public slate: no fever, no collapse, no visible meridian damage. He left space for the next measurement below it.
Qiu turned toward Yan. “Another repetition would destroy an ordinary practitioner’s body.”
Yan nodded. “That warning is still true for them.”
Qiu seemed to expect more hesitation. Instead Yan asked the attendant to bring the second target. The challenge permitted another controlled pass, and the witnesses had signed the first result. A heavier bronze frame rolled into the ring.
The arena master asked whether the court should replace the target with one that could better show the force. Yan walked around the frame. “This is fine. I want the same method and the same distance. The different weight gives us a separate result.”
Qinghe checked the placement. It was heavier but centered at the same mark. Wei verified the distance from the starting line. The attendant tested the ward, then gave a hand signal to the arena master.
Yan began Withering Torrent again. The current passed through the channels that had already sharpened during the first practice. He did not need to fight the sensation or force the sequence. The method’s intrinsic harm became further refinement before damage. Its ordinary outward force gathered along his arm and followed his hand pattern.
