But she wasn't alone. She was tethered to a dozen exhausted, terrified teenagers, half of whom were injured.
She couldn't unleash her wide-area-of-effect attacks without risking burning her own teammates.
She couldn't dodge freely, because every spirit she sidestepped would instantly fall upon the weaker disciples behind her.
She was a high-mobility fighter forced to play the role of a stationary tank. It was the worst possible tactical scenario.
"Remember the protocol," Ji'an commanded, pointing to the green jade Lifeline Tokens hanging from their belts. "If the line breaks. If you feel your mind slipping. You crush the plaque. There is no shame in surviving. Do not let your pride turn you into a ghost."
Before anyone could respond, the fire in the center of the hut suddenly flared up.
But it wasn't orange anymore. The flames turned a sickly, luminescent spectral green. The temperature in the room plummeted to freezing in the span of a single heartbeat.
