The room had fallen into a deep hush. Only the faint rustling of leaves outside and the slow creak of wooden beams punctuated the silence.
Taryn sat cross-legged on the warm woven mat, back straight, arms relaxed, eyes gently shut. The world within and the world without seemed to merge into stillness.
The system floated a few paces away in the air, oddly quiet for once—no wisecracks, no floating banners, no light shows. Just a calm, observing presence.
"Breathe in… breathe out," Taryn whispered to himself. "Feel it… feel it…"
He let his consciousness expand, past his skin, past his thoughts, into the unseen fabric of the world.
At first, there was nothing. Just blackness. Emptiness. A void behind closed eyes.
But then—there it was.
A flicker.
Like brushing his hand against a field of static. A faint tingle, somewhere between sensation and sound, dancing just out of reach.
It came again, this time from the floor beneath him. Then from the walls. Then the air.
Spiritual energy.
It wasn't loud or flashy. It was like distant ripples under a frozen lake—ancient, patient, everywhere.
His breath quickened slightly, and he tried to pull it toward him, like calling out to a breeze in still air.
But the moment he tried to grasp it—
Snap.
The sensation shattered.
Taryn's eyes flew open, heart skipping a beat.
The system appeared right in front of his face, upside-down and grinning like a madman.
"Well, well, my genius! Did you really think it was going to be that easy?"
Taryn blinked. "I… almost had it. I felt it."
"Felt it? Pfft." The system somersaulted through the air and landed dramatically. "This is cultivation, not a snack bar. You don't feel it and suddenly level up."
Taryn frowned. "But—"
"No buts. You sensed it, and that's already more than most do on their first day," the system said, adjusting its imaginary tie. "But breakthrough? Not happening today, champ."
Taryn looked down, disappointed for a moment.
The system hovered closer, voice now softer but still with its trademark sass. "This... this is the starting step. Even this takes time. You can't just succeed 'cause you have an overconfident face and read one chapter."
Taryn exhaled.
"But now that you've sensed spiritual energy," the system continued, "you need to do it again. And again. And again."
It floated above his head, hands on hips. "Not to force it, but to understand it. The nature of it. The way it flows. How it tickles your meridians, dances along your breath. Only when you get a feel for it—not like a stranger, but like a friend—will it come willingly."
Taryn nodded slowly, letting the words sink in.
"You're not digging a hole, you're planting a seed," the system said. "So don't yank on the stem and expect a tree. Got it?"
"Yeah…" Taryn murmured. "I think I do."
The system stretched lazily and drifted toward the ceiling. "Alright, my job here is done. I'm gonna go nap in your spiritual sea."
"What?"
"Don't worry about it. I don't snore. Probably." It gave a two-finger salute. "If you have questions, read Cultivation 101 again. It won't bite."
With a twirl of sparkles, the system vanished.
Taryn was left alone again in the calm, the echoes of spiritual energy still lingering faintly at the edge of his senses.
He smiled to himself.
No shortcut, huh?
That was fine.
Some things were worth working for.
He shifted his posture slightly, closed his eyes, and reached out again—slow, patient, determined.
One breath at a time.