Yan entered the gate court as the ward closed behind him. The route from the aqueduct disappeared, leaving a blank wall where the folded passage had been. A brief signal from Wei’s side reached the inner gate, confirming that the assault team still held its position.
Captain Rul came down the court stairs with six guards. His long sword was already drawn. He looked Yan over and then at the folded wall.
“You used the step,” he said. “You should be on the ground by now.”
Yan’s foundation felt more stable than it had before the passage. The art’s cost had refined it; he had not fallen or lost his cultivation. “I’m standing.”
Rul lifted his sword. “For now.”
Yan’s body still remembered the opening. He did not confuse the new strength with safety from a blade. He set his stance and began Blood Ignition. Its personal harm reversed into renewed years and vigor before injury. A bright force ran through him, and he felt a clean surge of power.
The first guard raised a shield. Yan drove his shoulder into its center and broke the line without sending the man into the others. The shield spun from the guard’s hands and slid across the paving.
