"You're forcing it again."
Lila's voice cut through the morning training session, sharp but not unkind. She stood behind one of the newer recruits—a guy named Chen who'd been struggling with chi cultivation since day one. His face was scrunched with effort, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool morning air.
"I'm not forcing," Chen protested through gritted teeth. "I'm directing."
"You're forcing." Lila placed her hand on his shoulder, and he visibly relaxed at the contact. "Feel the difference? That tension in your core? That's you trying to control something that doesn't respond to control. Chi flows. You guide it, suggest direction, but the moment you try to grab it..." She squeezed his shoulder slightly. "It fights back."
Chen exhaled slowly, his posture shifting as he tried to apply her advice. After a moment, a faint red glow appeared around his hands—dark chi, pulled from environmental energy rather than internal reserves.
