The repair council chose the northern high plateau for Yan’s celestial-refinement method. It stood above the villages and offered enough flat ground for the ritual platform without placing the work beside a home or water road. The air pressed against the barrier field, carrying a low storm hum that Yan could feel in his teeth.
Wei walked the perimeter with the formation teams. They moved along the ridge in pairs, testing each shield marker and clearing the route down to the lower shelter. Creatures had gathered around storm energy before. The guards needed a path to redirect them away from the platform without crossing the ritual boundary.
Qinghe placed sensors around the stone platform. She checked each wire against the ground markers and made sure the readings could be seen from the safety line. Gu arranged reflective bowls to monitor the soul stage. He set each one at a different angle, then stepped back and watched the reflected light.
The ritual method required a strand of storm energy to pass through Yan’s body, foundation, and soul. The full sequence was written in the manual. Yan had the required spirit stones and cultivation to begin. The personal backlash that would tear an ordinary practitioner’s channels open reversed for him, strengthening his structure before injury.
