Wang Shi sat cross-legged on the cool earth, his posture stiff with inexperience. The waterfall's steady rhythm filled the air, but Bai Lu's voice cut through the sound with quiet authority.
"Close your eyes."
He obeyed.
"Breathe in."
He took a slow breath, the night air crisp against his skin.
"Breathe out."
His shoulders loosened slightly.
"Now, reach beyond what you can see."
Wang Shi frowned. "Beyond?"
"The world is filled with spiritual energy. It flows through the land, the sky, and every living thing. You must stop looking with your eyes and start feeling with your soul."
He tried.
Minutes passed.
Nothing.
The silence stretched between them, broken only by the distant calls of night creatures.
Wang Shi clenched his fists. "I don't sense anything."
Bai Lu's voice remained patient. "That is because you are still thinking like an ordinary man."
He opened his eyes, meeting her calm gaze. "Then what should I do?"
She studied him for a moment before speaking again. "Let go."
Wang Shi blinked. "Let go of what?"
"Your expectations. Your frustration. The idea that you must force something to happen." She gestured toward the lake. "Spiritual energy is like water. If you grasp at it too tightly, it slips through your fingers. If you are too rigid, it will pass around you. Instead, become still. Let it come to you."
Wang Shi hesitated, then closed his eyes once more.
He exhaled slowly, letting the tension leave his body.
He stopped trying to reach for something and instead… simply waited.
At first, there was only darkness.
Then, a faint sensation—so light he almost missed it.
Like the first ripple on a still pond.
A shift in the air.
The soft hum of something unseen brushing against him.
It wasn't strong. It wasn't overwhelming.
But it was there.
His breath caught.
"I feel it," he whispered.
Bai Lu didn't respond immediately. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer than before.
"Good. That is your first step."
Wang Shi opened his eyes. The world looked the same, yet somehow… different.
More alive.
He had barely touched the surface, but for the first time, he understood.
This was the beginning.
And he would not stop here.
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