Refining The First Step

The days passed in quiet discipline.

Wang Shi spent each morning and night by the lake, seated in meditation, his senses reaching for the energy around him. At first, it was frustrating—spiritual energy was elusive, slipping through his grasp like mist.

Bai Lu offered no reassurances, only guidance. "You cannot force it. You must understand it."

He adjusted his breathing, slowing his thoughts, and little by little, he began to feel it again. The faint current beneath the surface of the world, pulsing, shifting. He no longer had to reach for it; he only had to listen.

Once he could sense it with ease, Bai Lu introduced the next step.

"Now, draw it in."

Wang Shi hesitated. "How?"

She gestured at the waterfall. "Water flows downward naturally, pulled by unseen forces. You must let spiritual energy enter you the same way. Do not grab it—let it come."

He closed his eyes and focused.

The energy around him moved like a breeze over still water. Slowly, carefully, he allowed it to brush against him, guiding it inward instead of seizing it.

A warmth spread through his core.

Not overwhelming, not powerful—but present.

He opened his eyes, a flicker of excitement flashing through them. "I did it."

Bai Lu studied him, then nodded. "Now, do it again. And again. Until it becomes as natural as breathing."

Training was not a single moment of success, but an endless process of refinement. Wang Shi understood that now.

And so he continued.

With each passing day, the energy within him grew steadier. He was still at the very beginning of his path, but for the first time, he could see it.

And he was ready to walk it.

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