A little while later, after calming down a bit and another meal, this time some soup, Yin Lian was ready to try again.
She once more sat in a lotus position and began concentrating once more to cultivate.
This time, when she found that inner energy, she felt it had gotten easier than before.
And unlike before, she didn't rush in too quickly to break down her meridian clots. Instead, she did as the Will advised and took it slow, slowly chipping away at the thing until her meridian had been cleared.
All of a sudden, her eyes shot wide open as she felt an immediate change within herself. It was as if a door had been opened within her body, cleansing it of impurities and making it more pristine, and clean of filth.
But that wasn't quite what happened. Because if that was what had really happened, then her body would've been covered in said filth that had been purged from her body, which happens in the later stages.
Here however, she instead refined a clump of Qi that is formed in each and every Meridian at birth, each one filled with a varying amount of Qi that would slowly fuse with the individual when they cultivate.
The longer one leaves the task of opening their Meridians though, the less of an impact these clots have, as their essence degrades over time.
This is why it's best for them to start their journey young, as their bodies naturally still take in this energy as it adapts to their growing bodies, at least until they hit puberty, which is when it starts to degrade.
If they leave it too late, their latent potential will be null and they won't be able to make any progress regardless of their talent or potential for it has all but withered away by the sands of time.
Yin Lian however, was starting her journey at the ripe age of six and a half years old, which was the youngest one was allowed to start cultivating. Any younger and their bodies would explode from the wild energy released from the clots.
Upon opening her first meridian, Yin Lian could instantly tell that her body had become much stronger than before.
If before she had the strength of a six-year-old, now she had the strength of a seven-year-old. Maybe not much of an improvement in that department, but this was why starting of early was good.
As the earlier one started, then the stronger their body grew to be as they got older in accordance with how strong it was when young.
So since she had the strength of a Seven year old, when she actually became seven years old, she would have the strength of an eight year old and so on and so forth.
This was something Yin Lian had never felt before, and it felt… Invigorating.
Her breathing started to get faster as she grew eager to open more of her Meridians and get back out there and kill those bastards that did all of this to her.
But then she remembered the Will's words, to be patient and take her time or else risk dying once more.
That advice quickly cooled the fire stirring in heart, even if only for a time. It would never be completely put out, not until she exacted her revenge on everything and everyone.
For now, she took a deep breath once more and resume cultivating, fixing her lotus position and returning to cultivating.
Now that she had opened her first Meridian, the one tied to her unique constitution, she would be able to follow the path to opening her Meridians as stated in the cultivation manual.
…
Which meant that she had to actually read and remember it.
She grumbled and got up, going back to the throne where she left the book. She didn't need to go onto the throne itself to cultivate, she just needed the book on top of it.
But as she grumpily stomped her small feet towards the throne, the Will saw what she was after and lifted it up and opened it to the necessary page.
"If you ever need any assistance or advice, just ask and I shall do my best to aid you. I won't be there to vanquish your enemies for you, but I can help you get stronger, remember that."
Looking up at the abyssal void of darkness above her, Yin Lian nodded and sat back down and began to cultivate her Meridians once more.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before searching for that Qi from earlier, which was ten times easier than before thanks to having opened her first Meridian, allowing for an easier time controlling the flow of Qi.
Technically she hadn't actually opened her first Meridian as the one tied to her constitution didn't count, it never did.
Yin Lian had read the page and guided the Qi through her constitutions Meridian and through her veins to the first Meridian required to cultivate this manual.
Every cultivation path required one to open up different paths with their Meridians, as it would help flow the Qi through ones body to achieve a certain goal, which was to cultivate that particular path to achieve that Dao, or multiple depending on which path you treaded.
Either way, Yin Lian began working away at her first Meridian in accordance with the cultivation manual, feeling the energy flow through her easily.
And after a few minutes of chipping away at the clot bit by bit, it crumbled and let out all of the Qi that made it up, invigorating Yin Lian once more.
The rush of progressing in her cultivation was addicting, and the girl was eager to continue, and even though the Will's grim reminder of death stopped her from going hog wild and killing herself, she wanted to keep going.
"That's enough for now." But the Will had other thoughts. It knew that although she was making strides, she was progressing too fast still.
And just as her face started to pout and begin throwing a tantrum, the Will explained why it said that.
"You have made great strides in your cultivation, but your mind cannot keep up. Your body may feel full of vitality and like it could run a kilometre without tiring, but your mind is still the same. Get some rest first, then you can go back to cultivating."
Yin Lian grumbled some nonsensical gibberish under her breath before turning around as if she was turning away from the Will.
The Will merely sighed at her antics, but still appreciated that she listened to it.
The girl herself wasn't quite sure why she was listening to the Will so much, but ever since she came back from death, something within her had changed, becoming more violent, more bloodthirsty, yet also more silent and coldblooded.
She was still young, and she was currently isolated from the world, but when she went out into the world in a few years, all of this would be unleashed in a bloody fury upon the world.
She would take the world by storm, both figuratively and literally, bringing death everywhere she went.
But that's for later, for now though, she slowly curled up onto the floor and began to fall asleep, the mental exhaustion catching up to her.
The Will then created a pillow and a blanket for her so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable or cold whilst she slept.
And as she slept, the Will decided to organise the inheritance a little bit. It also changed the cultivation manual ever so slightly so that it would be better suited for Yin Lian and her special constitution.
The path of the Asura was a bloody one, but with her Eternal Nine Yin's physique, it could be that much more deadly, at least depending on which Dao's she decided to focus on.
That was a decision for later though, and besides, these changes wouldn't affect her progress no matter what Dao's she chose.
_
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After a few hours, Yin Lian awoke under a soft and fluffy blanket, as well as a comforting and squishy pillow, both of which reminded her of home.
A dark feeling welled up inside of her as she remembered the words of those that did all of this.
From the bandits, to even those two weirdo's, who were most likely cultivators now that she thought about it.
She wanted revenge, to kill every single person who had been a part of that tragic incident, from those that partook in it, to the masterminds behind it all.
She may be young, and may not have much insight, but she could clearly tell that those two cultivators were involved in everything based on what they said.
And they would pay for their insolence. With their own blood, she would make sure of it.
"Ah, you're awake. Good, it's time to continue cultivating." The Will spoke, snapping Yin Lian out of her hateful revery.
The little girl shook her head and sat back down in front of the cultivation manual, which was sat back up against the foot of the throne.