This section of the mine that Han Yu was in had likely shown signs of collapse before. The water beneath was not flowing cleanly, but pooling and shifting, creating pockets of pressure that could rupture unpredictably.
A path like this would not be an escape route.
It would be a death trap.
Han Yu continued, his pace unhurried, his expression calm. To any observer, he was simply a diligent disciple studying terrain for puppet development. Nothing more. Nothing less. Yet beneath that calm exterior, his mind was working tirelessly, calculating, discarding, refining.
Every aquifer he encountered added another piece to the puzzle.
Some were too narrow. Some too unstable. Some too shallow. Others were entirely sealed in the depths, their presence only detectable through faint traces of residual moisture and the subtle distortion of Qi flow in the surrounding rock.
Time passed.
