The felt curtain of the palanquin pulled back with a soft rustle.
Ten hours of deep, uninterrupted slumber had smoothed the tension from Kaelen Vance’s face. He opened his eyes, blinking at the cool gray light filtering into the cedar cabin.
Within his dantian, the emerald tally rolled forward.
[Track 1 (Cultivation Vessel): 690h 00m / 720h (691x Multiplier Active)] [Track 2 (Martial Combat): 690h 00m / 720h (691x Multiplier Active)] [Track 3 (Alchemy & Comprehension): 690h 00m / 720h (691x Multiplier Active)]
Sera Thorne stood beside the left carrying pole, her fingers resting lightly on the shaft of Storm-Pike.
“Hour six hundred and ninety, Master Vance,” Sera announced in a crisp whisper. “We have secured the mouth of the wind-vein.”
Kaelen peered through the narrow cabin window.
The palanquin rested upon a broad, flat limestone porch-ledge. Sheer rock walls towered above them, framing the dark entrance of a massive natural cavern.
