It came with a click of understanding, as if a door that had been resting against its frame finally opened. Qiao Zhi's cultivation moved beyond the peak of Earth Profound and entered the early Heaven Profound Realm. The qi in her dantian condensed into a more stable pattern, and her martial aura formed around her body for the first time without immediately dispersing.
The clearing responded.
The mist around the waterfall lifted in a slow spiral. Birds sleeping in the trees startled into the night, beating their wings as they fled from the sudden pressure in the air. The stream beside the pool shuddered, and a narrow strip of water near the bank briefly flowed backward before the current returned to its usual direction. The sword lying beside Qiao Zhi's bedroll began to vibrate against the stone. Its sheath made a low, resonant hum that travelled across the clearing and faded into the trees.
