The ruins slowly returned to silence after the black-aura man vanished. Only the faint crackling of leftover energy remained in the air, like dying embers after a fire. Mohit stood still for several seconds, his senses stretched outward, confirming that no hidden presence lingered nearby.
Only when he was sure did he finally relax his shoulders.
His body felt drained, but not empty. The warmth inside him was stable, pulsing steadily instead of chaotically. That alone was progress.
"We survived," Siya whispered, her small hands still trembling slightly.
Meera placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Not just survived. You handled your energy better than yesterday."
Siya looked surprised. "I did?"
Arjun nodded. "You disrupted his movement twice. That helped a lot."
Siya's eyes brightened faintly. Confidence — fragile, but growing.
Mohit exhaled slowly. "That man won't be the last. If someone like him is roaming freely, more awakened threats will appear soon."
Silence followed his words.
They all understood the meaning.
Random training wouldn't be enough anymore.
They needed structure. Discipline. A real path forward.
"From today," Mohit continued, "we train seriously. Not just power… but control, awareness, coordination, and endurance."
Arjun crossed his arms. "Sounds like a real cultivation school."
Meera smirked. "Then you're the instructor now?"
Mohit shook his head lightly. "No. We'll learn together. I'll guide where I can."
They moved deeper into the ruins where the energy flow was calmer but still active. The cracked stone platform at the center became their temporary training ground.
Mohit began with the basics.
"First — breathing synchronization. Energy follows breath. If your breathing is chaotic, your power will scatter."
He demonstrated slow rhythmic breathing, guiding the warmth through his core in a smooth circulation loop.
Arjun followed easily. Meera adapted quickly. Siya struggled at first, her energy spiking and collapsing unevenly.
"It's okay," Mohit said gently. "Don't force it. Let it flow."
After nearly twenty minutes, Siya's breathing finally stabilized. Her aura softened into a gentle pulse instead of sharp bursts.
Her face lit up. "I can feel it… it's calmer."
"Good," Mohit said. "That's your foundation."
Next came sensory expansion.
Mohit asked them to sit quietly with eyes closed and extend awareness outward — feeling vibrations in the air, changes in temperature, emotional pressure in nearby energy currents.
At first, only Arjun could sense faint disturbances. Meera detected subtle shifts after a while. Siya felt almost nothing.
Then suddenly, her eyes widened. "Something… moved."
Mohit smiled faintly. "Exactly. That's your awareness awakening."
Slow growth. But real growth.
Hours passed.
Sweat soaked their clothes. Muscles trembled. Minds sharpened.
Mohit felt his reverse cultivation defect stir several times, pulling energy back from circulation. He adjusted carefully, never pushing too far. He was learning to dance with his limitation instead of fighting it.
As dusk approached, the sky turned purple-orange.
They sat together, exhausted but satisfied.
Arjun stretched. "This kind of training… it actually feels different from random fighting."
Meera nodded. "We're building foundations instead of gambling with power."
Siya hugged her knees quietly. "I'm not scared anymore… not like before."
Mohit looked at her and smiled. That alone made today worthwhile.
But deep inside, a faint unease stirred.
While training, he had sensed something subtle — like distant ripples far beyond the ruins. Multiple awakenings. Moving. Watching.
The city was changing faster than expected.
As they prepared to leave, Mohit spoke carefully. "From now on, we move cautiously. No solo exploration. If any strange energy appears, we regroup immediately."
They all agreed.
The path ahead wouldn't be simple.
But they were no longer walking alone.
Discipline had become their weapon.
Unity their shield.
And beyond the quiet streets, unseen forces were already shifting — preparing the next wave of trials.