Sam led them into a large, quiet room facing his private garden.
There was no fancy furniture, just a clean wooden floor and soft cushions.
The air in the room smelled like fresh tea and cherry blossoms.
"Sit down, Jean,"
Sam said gently.
Jean sat on a cushion, crossing her legs.
"Close your eyes. Don't think about the voices,"
Sam instructed, sitting across from her.
"Just focus on my voice. Breathe in through your nose, slowly. Let the air go deep into your stomach."
Jean followed his words. She took a slow, deep breath.
"Good. Now, imagine a warm, tiny light in your stomach. That is your Dantian,"
Sam explained.
"When you breathe out, imagine that light growing a little brighter. Don't force it. Just let it happen."
Jean kept breathing. In and out. Slowly, she felt it.
A tiny, warm spark in her belly. It was her own Qi waking up.
"Now,"
Sam said, his voice calm and steady.
"Don't build a hard wall in your mind to block the voices. Walls can break. Instead, let that warm light flow up to your head. Imagine it as a gentle stream of water. Let the voices hit the water and wash away."
Jean guided the warm energy up.
It felt just like Sam's shield, but this time, it was her own power.
The loud, messy thoughts from the city outside tried to enter her mind. But they didn't hit a wall.
They just slipped right through the flowing water of her Qi and disappeared.
Jean opened her eyes. A huge, bright smile was on her face.
"I did it. It's quiet. I did it all by myself."
"You did very well,"
Sam smiled proudly.
Then, Sam turned his head. He looked at Ororo, who was standing near the door.
Ororo was watching them very closely. Her blue eyes were full of wonder and deep curiosity.
"You are very curious,"
Sam said with a friendly smile.
"You are already here. Why don't you practice with us?"
Ororo was surprised. She was a teacher. She was usually the one giving lessons. But the peaceful feeling in this room was too good to ignore.
"I am not a telepath like Jean,"
Ororo said softly.
"Qi is not just for the mind,"
Sam explained.
"It is for the body and the spirit. It brings perfect balance. Try it."
Ororo nodded. She walked over and sat on a cushion next to Jean.
She closed her eyes and followed the same simple breathing technique. Inhale deeply. Exhale slowly. She searched for the warm spark in her stomach.
For her whole life, Ororo's emotions were tied to the weather.
If she was angry, a violent storm would come. If she was sad, it would rain heavily.
She always had to keep a tight, hard grip on her feelings. It was exhausting.
But as she breathed the way Sam taught her, something amazing happened.
The warm Qi flowed through her body. It didn't fight the storm inside her. It just calmed the winds. It smoothed out the dark clouds in her heart.
Ororo felt completely relaxed. The tight grip on her emotions finally let go.
She let herself feel pure peace.
And the weather outside didn't go crazy. The sky outside stayed perfectly clear and sunny.
She opened her eyes, looking at her hands in complete shock.
"This breathing... it makes my emotions so easy to control,"
Ororo whispered.
She looked up at Sam with deep respect.
"If I can control my emotions this easily, I can control the weather with perfect precision. I don't have to be afraid of my own feelings anymore."
"Exactly,"
Sam nodded.
"True power does not come from fighting the storm. It comes from being the quiet center of it."
Ororo and Jean looked at each other.
They came to this mansion hoping for a little help, but Sam was offering them a whole new world.
Ororo could not contain her curiosity. The feeling of pure peace was too amazing.
"What exactly is this?"
Ororo asked, her blue eyes locked on Sam.
"It is not a mutant mutation. It does not feel like the magic I know. What are you teaching us?"
"It is called cultivation,"
Sam answered simply.
"And I am a cultivator."
He explained it to them. He told them how cultivation was the art of absorbing the natural energy of the universe.
He explained that it was about making the body, the mind, and the spirit stronger by finding perfect balance with nature.
Ororo listened closely. She focused her senses on Sam.
"When we met at the mall a few days ago, your energy felt like a deep, quiet lake,"
Ororo said softly.
"But today... It feels completely different. It feels incredibly heavy. Like a massive, burning sun. You have become a lot stronger in just a few days."
"You have very good senses,"
Sam smiled.
"Yes. I recently took a big step forward."
They sat on the cushions and talked for hours.
Ororo asked many questions about Qi, energy, and how the universe connected to the soul.
Sam answered every question clearly and honestly.
The conversation was simple, but the meaning was very deep.
The time passed quickly. Before they knew it, it was already lunchtime.
Sam stood up and stretched his legs.
"We have talked a lot,"
Sam said.
"But true learning comes from practice. We should go out to the city for lunch."
He looked down at Jean.
"A busy, crowded restaurant will be very loud,"
Sam told her.
"It is the perfect place to test your shield. You need to see if you can keep the voices away by yourself, without my help. Are you ready for the test?"
Jean stood up. She took a deep breath and felt the warm spark of Qi in her stomach. She wasn't scared anymore.
"I am ready,"
Jean said bravely.
Just then, the door to the room opened.
Natasha walked in.
She was wearing comfortable training clothes.
Because she had just broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, she looked incredibly radiant and strong.
"Are you three going somewhere?"
Natasha asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"We are going out for lunch to test Jean's new shield,"
Sam explained.
"Do you want to come with us, Nat?"
Natasha looked at Jean, and then she looked at Ororo.
She saw two incredibly beautiful, powerful women who were already learning how to feel and use Qi.
Natasha immediately remembered the honest conversation she had with Sam.
To keep his Golden Core from burning him alive, he needed more Yin energy.
He needed to build an array of strong women to share his power.
Natasha smiled.
"No, thank you,"
Natasha said smoothly.
"I am busy today. I have a lot of reports to read. You three go have fun."
As Sam walked past her toward the hallway, Natasha caught his eye.
She gave him a slow, knowing wink.
Sam understood exactly what she meant.
She was looking at Ororo and Jean, and she was silently telling him that they were definitely good enough to be his future Dao companions.
Sam just shook his head slightly, hiding a small, amused smile as he led his two new students out to the car.
[email protected]/phelio 40+ more chapters for only $7