Another knock came less than an hour later.
It wasn't the disciplined rap of the Hall guards. This was a thunderous pounding that shook the door in its frame. Lin Tian opened his eyes from his meditative posture on the floor. He hadn't been cultivating, just breathing, trying to smooth the wild currents of Ice Flame Qi that still swirled in his dantian like a storm.
This is it, he thought. No more warnings.
He stood and opened the door.
Four disciples stood there, but these weren't from Discipline. They wore the pale blue and silver of the Frozen Sword Faction. Their expressions were carved from ice, and their hands rested on the hilts of their swords. The leader was a tall man with a severe face Lin Tian recognized from the ranking slabs, Du Heng, Rank #11.
"Lin Tian," Du Heng said, his voice a low rasp. "You are summoned before the Inner Disciplinary Council. Now."
"On what charge?" Lin Tian asked, his tone flat.
