but she could feel the difference between the energy she had gathered and the level of control needed to support a higher stage. She did not push against it blindly. She let the circuit continue, examining each point where her qi slowed. The weakness lay in the transition between gathering energy and expressing martial intent. She had learned to compress the sword's edge, but she had not yet brought the same precision to the aura surrounding her body. Her energy still spread too broadly whenever she attempted to extend it beyond the immediate space around her.
