"No. I have not a single fucking clue."
She blinked at his admission and crude words for a moment, but then, she focused. "Alright. You've started a minor cycle. Now you must keep it moving. Let the fire-qi complete a full loop through your lower body. That's the last step of Qi Gathering. If you stop now, it'll backlash."
It took everything, all his focus, his will, his pain tolerance honed through wars and primordial trials.
The circuit grew. With every breath, the fire-qi spun faster, burning away weakness, carving through bone and tendon like lava through soft earth.
Quinlan bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as the last segment of the loop finally connected.
And then…
Stillness.
Not silence.
Stillness.
The beast inside him coiled, no longer thrashing, but circling. Breathing. Waiting.
The fire-qi no longer fought him.
