Still teary eyed from the night before, Jian Li woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. After quickly wiping her eyes, she opened the door and saw her eldest sister Jian Ye standing before her. Her sister seemed to have aged since the last time they saw each other. Her jet black hair was cut shorter and her eyes seemed wearier than before.

"Ye?" said Jian Li, rather surprised.

Her sister did not reply at first. Instead, she continued to look at her in silence. It was as if she was thinking of something. After a few seconds, she spoke up.

"I am sorry."

For a moment, the words did not quite register in Jian Li's mind.

"What?" she asked. "I'm sorry. I should have protected you all," said Jian Ye.

"What are you talking about?"

Jian Ye just bowed down in silence.

"Jian Ye, what's going on? Are you alright?" asked Jian Li.

Her eldest sister finally looked up and met her eyes. Her eyes were watery and she quickly brushed away the tears that had formed.

"I just couldn't protect you all," she said.

"Jian Ye, don't say that. You protected us just fine. you did everything you could.", Jian Li tried to console her.

Jian Ye shook her head.

"No, I didn't. Even mother...."

Her eyes filled with tears again as she looked away. She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"It's not important now. We can't change what has happened. We can only change what we do now.", Jian Li held her shoulder.

"I know," she answered.

Jian Li pulled her in and hugged her. It hurt her seeing Jian Ye be vulnerable like that.

"You're the best big sister any girl could want."

"And you're the best sister any girl could want. But back to the matter at hand.", Jian Ye said and quickly composed herself.

"I originally planned to just make you familiar with some close combat techniques today but after yesterday it seemed like your Spirit had broken through a level. It has physical signs for some.", she said as she pointed at Jian Li's now white hair.

"Is it good?"

"Of course. Your soul is just as important as the rest of your body in terms of cultivation. Maybe even more so."

"I see."

"To put it in the simplest terms, your body can sometimes be trained to move mountains, but if your soul is weak, you will crumble under pressure." Jian Ye lectured on, seemingly in a improved mood.

"Now that your soul has strengthened, your body is sure to follow. This is all for the best. And now you are ready for the next step in your cultivation journey."

"Which is?", Jian Li asked.

"Actual cultivation. Of course, I'll be guiding you through this and training as well, but it will mostly be on you to do the actual work."

"Alright, I'm ready to do this."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now let's go, I'll explain on the way to the training room."

Jian Li nodded her head and followed her out of the room. The two of them walked through to the basement of the manor. Jian Li guessed that the training room was somewhere in the basement since it was always off limits for her.

"Now, cultivation is a very precise art form that is different for everyone. What works for one person might be useless for another. However, there are steps that are consistent. We'll be going through those first."

It felt like a long walk as Jian Ye explained how their father had been bedridden by the attack earlier. The heavy news gave Jian Li a big scare, but Jian Ye reassured her that it would not be for more than a few weeks.

After a while, the two of them stopped in front of a plain looking door at the basement. There was nothing that indicates that it leaded to a training room of any kind. No neat sign, no fancy markings. It was just a door that looked the same as all the other ones in the hallway.

Jian Ye took out a plain looking key and opened the door.

"The first thing to remember is that it's important to remain patient during this training process. The second most important thing is that you must follow instructions exactly and be absolutely faithful in your following of instructions."

"Now this is going to be your new training room. In here you will go through your daily cultivation routine, which I'll give you in an instant."

Jian Ye turned the knob and pushed the door open. as she finished her explanation.

Jian Li's jaw dropped.

There was a small step down into the massive room. The walls and floors were all made of the same dark stone as the outside of the mansion. Four stone pillars held up the ceiling, which was made up of more of the dark stone. The lighting was a bit depressing, but made it also feel very secluded. Notably, there were a few weapons lying around and mounted on the wall.

"This room is also sound proof, so you can make as much noise as you want."

"What kind of training is there going to be?", Jian Li said uneasily.

"Your main one is going to be cultivation, but we'll also be doing some combat training. I'll mostly teach you martial arts as well. You need to be able to defend yourself after all."

The dark stone all around the room promptly started to glow a bright blue. Lines of dark blue light began to flow through the walls.

"Now, follow me. I'll teach you how to harness your Spirit Energy."

She followed her into the middle of the room. It is only then she realized that there were hundreds of different small symbols painted on the floor.

"Let's begin."

She began to breath steadily, her shoulders rising and falling with each inhale and exhale. Her eyes were shut tight, and she looked to be in a deep state of concentration. Jian Li watched her for a bit before she opened her eyes and looked at her..

"Sit like me, and focus on your breathing. Begin breathing like me."

Jian Li sat down cross-legged in front of her and mimicked her breathing. She found it a bit strange at first, but she quickly got the hang of it. In fact, Jian Li actually felt much calmer than she did before.

"Keep breathing like that for now. We're going to do some light exercise to get you used to using your muscles while focusing your inner energy flow."

Jian Ye stood up and walked over to a far corner of the room. then walked back to her with a rope in her hands. She sat down in front of her and wrapped the rope around her knees, tying them together tightly.

"Now, I want you to try and break these ropes.", Jian Ye said with a serious tone.