The next morning, Yan practiced the older soul art while Qinghe tracked the effect with a prepared Soul-Lantern relay. The method’s ordinary projection benefit appeared first. Its internal spiritual harm then reversed before damage, reinforcing the same part of Yan’s own soul structure.
The projection reached the marker at the far side of the room. It carried a brief message and returned along the prepared relay. It did not create a copy of Yan or leave the receiver’s range.
Gu compared the new readings with the Meridian-Rot test. Both showed a harmful pathway turning inside Yan’s cultivation flow. No sensor detected a drop in the crew’s vitality, cultivation, or soul.
“Calibrate again,” Qinghe said.
The crew checked the instruments against the standard crystal. They repeated the measurement, and the same result appeared. Yan felt the ordinary projection benefit and the familiar strengthening of his soul. He did not feel a second presence outside himself.
A technician asked whether this meant every dangerous technique was safe for everyone.
“No,” Qinghe said. “We tested Yan and two methods. Other practitioners still face their listed costs.”
Yan added, “External injuries and resources remain real. The reversal is not a shield against everything.”
