Sluggishly making her way back across the bridge and to her new home, Bai Feng felt exhausted already and she hadn't even gotten halfway through the day yet. And hungry, but that was normal and she'd be fine without food for a good while yet. But did she have to go hungry anymore?

Bai Feng briefly paused for a moment as the realization washed over her before continuing. She could eat whenever she wanted now and they wouldn't be running out anytime soon, the stores in the house were absolutely bursting with food. And didn't the elder say something yesterday about providing whatever essentials they needed? She no longer had to ration herself like she used to back home whenever they began to run low on supplies but could just simply grab more. It was a strange thing to think about during her walk and made her feel a bit guilty but she shook that off. She'd just have to make the most of it and waste as little as possible.

Eventually, she reached the sign that split the path between the two different areas and saw there was a new board with quite a few other disciples around it. She of course still couldn't understand a single thing it said but it seemed as if the symbols were shifting constantly while she looked at it. She put it out of her mind for now and resolved to ask Yi An about it at some point before heading the rest of the way back.

When she arrived her roommate was unfortunately nowhere to be found. Bai Feng after a moment of thinking ended up grabbing a couple of fruits and eating them before heading towards the meditation room. She might not be able to understand a single thing written on that emerald slip about the cultivation technique but the meditation method that accompanied it did have an illustration of the pose one took. She figured she could at least attempt it even if she couldn't read what was written alongside it. And maybe with some luck and using the advice Elder Ning had given, she'd at least be able to make some progress at it before Yi An was back.

Bai Feng set the candles in the room alight and burnt some of the incense before she settled down in as best an imitation of the pose as she could. She laid down straight, Laying her hands on her stomach while her legs splayed out a bit. It felt oddly relaxing as she took a few deep breaths like that on the mat.

After a minute or so of doing that she picked herself up and grabbed one of the dully glowing blue spirit stones from her pack laying at the edge by the gently flowing water. The channels within were pulsing with energy, with qi, and she could feel a slight tingling and warmth in her hands as she held it. This was to be the key to beginning her cultivation. She stared at it for a moment longer before taking the same meditative pose as before, only this time holding the spirit stone in her hands before she closed her eyes and began to breathe.

It felt strange to her as she lay there just focusing on the gentle warmth in the stone, trying to make it do something, somehow. In the past laying down was something she only did when she was either resting or recovering from an injury. There was just simply too much to do and prepare for in order to do so for any other reason. But now, she was laying down in an attempt to meditate and cultivate. How times had changed.

She still wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do still now that she had begun though. The elder had said that holding the stone would help her feel out her dantian but what was that supposed to feel like? And how was she even supposed to direct the qi within the spirit stone into her dantian once she began? The elder had been frustrating vague with that particular part.

She forged on anyways regardless, she would at least try.

Bai Feng wasn't sure how long she had been lying there when she finally began to feel a slight warmth within her right under where she held the spirit stone, strangely pulsing in time with her breathing. She focused on that warmth and soon she could feel the spirit stone she was holding in her hands begin to pulse alongside it. She didn't let go of that feeling and held onto it, never letting go as more time passed.

And then, eventually, the warmth within her dantian pulsed.

The moment it happened she felt a shift as everything came into startling clarity she had never felt before. She could now feel the weak trickle of energy, of qi flowing from the spirit stone she held and into her dantian. Most of it was flowing into her though some of it was sliding off somehow and dissipating into the air around her.

She could feel a newfound strength and vigor beginning to flow through her limbs. She could feel the slightly chilly air flowing around her. She could feel the sound of the gentle stream of water flowing somehow. She felt complete in a way she never had before. And then the trickle of qi flowing from the spirit stone she held stopped and it all faded away, quickly replaced by a feeling of absolute exhaustion.

Bai Feng groaned as her eyes opened to the ceiling above her and she slowly sat up. She looked down at the spirit stone she held and saw it was grey and lifeless now. She blinked as just a moment later it crumbled into dust. She sluggishly glanced around, even the effort of moving her head feeling like a monumental task, and saw that the incense had stopped smoking and the candles had gone out at some point.

Just how long had she been meditating?

Eventually, Bai Feng stood up and stumbled her way out of the meditation room. She was greeted by the sight of Yi An standing in the kitchen and drinking some fresh tea before the girl's piercing gaze found its way to her.

"I see you have finally finished with your attempts at cultivation today." Yi An's gaze intensified for a moment before it widened. "Oh, congratulations on your awakening. I see you paid great attention to the lessons of the elder."

Bai Feng simply offered her a nod as she tried to not stare at the floor and at her roommate. "Yeah, how long was I in there for?"

Yi An simply tilted her head before giggling for some reason. "You do not know? I am unsure myself since I only arrived back here a half-hour ago but it is nearly past the evening now."

Bai Feng offered back the most dignified response she could come up with at the moment to that revelation. "Huh."

Yi An took another sip from her tea before she continued on with a slight smile. "You should be wary of how time can pass when one cultivates. The act itself is quite distracting and can cause one to skip past the hours of the day without even a second thought. Though if I am being honest I am quite impressed with your swift awakening. For many, it can take days of constant effort, if not a few weeks."

It took Bai Feng a moment to process what she had said before she responded. "I didn't do much, jus' copied the meditative pose the best I could 'en it worked out I guess."

Yi An stared at her for a moment. "You simply copied the pose that came along with the traditional art of the sect? Did you even read the first steps of the Flowing River or did you take what you could from the meditation and awaken that way?"

Bai Feng blinked as she leaned against the wall to help support her tired legs. "I... was I supposed to? I can't read so I figured I'd try 'en it ended up workin' out."

Yi An stood silent for a moment before slowly setting down her cup. "You cannot read? That will have to be rectified quickly. It is simply unacceptable for you to be incapable of such an essential tool while we are staying together." She gave me a look before frowning. "In the morning though as much as I wish to begin rectifying this immediately. You can barely stand right now and would not be able to learn a single thing."

Bai Feng just nodded to her. She could barely think right now and she really needed some rest. She shambled the rest of the way back towards her bedroom before collapsing into her bed. A sense of pride flowed through her as she fell into slumber. She had taken the first step onto the path.