Lucas remained seated on the chamber floor for several hours, his body surrounded by the faint hum of circulating Qi as he forced his weary meridians to recover from the toll of sleepless days and relentless strain. The dull ache in his limbs and the heaviness in his chest lessened gradually, though he knew full well that cultivation alone could not undo the exhaustion of thirteen long days without rest. Still, he persisted, eyes closed and mind anchored in calm, until the sound of the door sliding open reached his ears.
