After they had cultivated for a long while, a series of clear bell chimes rang out, rousing everyone from their cultivation.
"Hmm?"
Xiao Fan stood and stretched. Seeing Yue Yao's flushed cheeks, he asked softly, "What's wrong? Why is your face so red?"
Yue Yao shook her head and glanced aside, saying lightly, "Nothing. It's probably the heat in here."
Xiao Fan nodded. "That's the academy's bell. Cultivating with the heart fire here causes some fire poison to accumulate in your body. Over time, it damages your health and might even drastically change your temperament. That's why, whenever the tower has been open for a while, the academy rings the bell to remind students to return to their dorms and purge the fire poison from their bodies. Only after you've cleared it all out can you enter the tower to cultivate again."
Xiao Fan turned his gaze toward Yue Yao. When she stood and swayed to one side, he immediately reached out and caught her soft, slender hand. "What's wrong?"
Yue Yao's cheeks were red, and her voice sounded a little odd. "My... my legs went numb. I've been sitting too long."
"Oh..." Xiao Fan nodded and supported her for a while. Only after she had fully recovered did he let go of her. "What are you going to do now? Head back first?"
Rather than answer, Yue Yao looked at Xiao Fan. "What about you?"
Looking around the hall, where people were coming and going, Xiao Fan shook his head. "I was planning to check out the lower floors, but it looks like that won't work now. I'll head back first."
Yue Yao nodded and said to Xiao Fan, "Then let's go together."
The two headed toward the dorms together. Halfway there, Xiao Fan suddenly stopped in his tracks,