Kaelen did not flinch as the five pairs of poisoned talons closed within six inches of his throat.
A small porcelain teacup floated undisturbed in the air beside his right shoulder, its surface sending up thin, lazy ribbons of jasmine steam.
Across the garden lawn, fifty guards and thirty sect patriarchs cried out in terror. Patriarch Shen drew his sword with a frantic shout, certain that Master Ash was about to be torn to shreds before anyone could cross the grass.
Deep within Kaelen’s dantian, the ancient grey tablet flashed with brilliant, golden fire.
People waste precious hours screaming during ambushes, Kaelen thought, feeling the autumn air freeze around his skin. If you have five minutes of two-hundred-times speed, you can brew tea, bake bread, and eliminate an assassin before the steam leaves the cup.
He mentally reached for the two locked seals in his sea of consciousness.
[The Fallow Slate] [TRACK 2 (MARTIAL COMBAT): 240 HOURS UNSEALED] [TRACK 3 (ALCHEMY & COMPREHENSION): 240 HOURS UNSEALED] [120-MINUTE BURST WINDOW INITIATED] [ACTIVE COMBAT MULTIPLIER: 241x] [ACTIVE ALCHEMY MULTIPLIER: 241x] [BURST CONVERSION: 1 BURST MINUTE = 241 BASELINE HOURS] [TRACK 4 (DAO & FORMATIONS): 1,300 HOURS (13,010x) - UNTOUCHED]
The physical world slowed to an absolute crawl.
