Chapter 294: Sister, Prepared?

The night was deep; most of the "New Era" Base lay in slumber, save for the faint starlight dotting the artificial sky curtain simulating the night sky, and the ever-burning indicator lights outlining the vast underground city.

But Xia Wan was not asleep.

She stood alone in the Training Chamber assigned to her in the Living Quarters. The walls were lined with Energy-Absorbing Material capable of withstanding intense energy impacts. The main lights were off; only a few faint blue indicator lights in the corners cast a soft glow, stretching her shadow across the cold walls.

During the day, her father, Xia Tian, had been able to walk short distances with family support. Though still weak, his spirit had improved greatly. Her mother had regained her smile, and the home seemed to have regained its former warmth. Nannan, too young to grasp the intensity of what the adults had endured, only knew her father had returned—and still begged for stories.

Everything seemed to be improving.

But Xia Wan knew: some things had changed.

The heart-shattering terror and helplessness she felt when her father collapsed had seared into her soul like a red-hot iron. Qin Feng's words still echoed in her ears—"How can you save your father if you cannot even control your own power?"

She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, then exhaled slowly. Her consciousness sank inward, attempting to touch and guide the latent power buried deep within her Bloodline. It flowed like a warm, boundless river—calm and nurturing under normal circumstances, yet wild and unruly when her emotions surged, like a horse broken free from its reins.

Control it. Master it.

This was not a request. It was a necessity.

She began attempting finer manipulation—not simply channeling energy to strengthen her body or for attack and defense, but trying to separate an infinitesimal thread of energy, like manipulating an invisible string, to touch the Refined Steel Ball floating nearby, used for sensory training.

This exercise tested focus and control to the extreme. Too much energy, and the ball would be instantly destroyed; unstable output, and the thread would snap, scattering the energy.

Seconds ticked by. Sweat beaded on Xia Wan's forehead. Her Spirit was utterly focused, immersed in the subtle fluctuations of that single thread of energy. Everything around her vanished—there was only her, and the floating steel ball.

At first, the energy thread could not stabilize—either too thick, or snapping easily. The ball either remained motionless or was violently repelled by her "touch."

Failure. Adjust. Failure again. Adjust again…

She was not discouraged. In her mind, she replayed the moment Qin Feng had healed her father—his fingertips radiating dense, precise energy brimming with vital force. It was effortless mastery, a profound understanding and absolute command of power's essence.

She would achieve this too.

After an unknown length of time, finally, the barely perceptible energy thread stably touched the surface of the steel ball—neither destroying it nor repelling it. She carefully guided it, attempting to make the ball move slowly.

The steel ball trembled slightly, then, with excruciating slowness, shifted left… one millimeter.

Success!

Though it was only a negligible millimeter, it filled Xia Wan with immense pride. It proved her direction was right—control was possible!

Yet, the instant her spirit stirred with the joy of this tiny success, the once-stable energy thread shuddered violently—*snap! *—and dissolved into the air. The steel ball, deprived of energy, chimed softly—*ding! *—and fell onto the soft training mat.

Xia Wan opened her eyes, gazing at the steel ball on the floor. She exhaled gently. She felt no disappointment—only a brighter gleam in her eyes.

She had found the path. Though rugged, it was clear.

At that moment, a calm voice sounded without warning within the Quiet Chamber, as if echoing directly within the depths of her mind:

"Sister, prepared?"

The voice was ethereal, distant, carrying an indescribable ancient resonance, yet profoundly familiar—striking straight to her soul!

Xia Wan froze, her pupils contracting sharply!

That voice… was Yun Ge!

The ancient consciousness from the Kunlun Mountain vision—the one who granted her the initial Inheritance, left the mysterious coordinates, and called her "Sister"—Yun Ge!

She snapped her head up, scanning the room. The Quiet Chamber was empty, save for the cold glow of the blue indicator lights.

Hallucination? Or…

"Do not search." Yun Ge's voice came again, tinged with a faint, knowing smile, as if seeing through her thoughts, "I exist within your Bloodline, within every time you call upon power."

Xia Wan forced herself to calm down, breathed deeply, and silently thought: "Yun Ge? Is it you? Where are you?"

"I am everywhere, yet nowhere to be found." Yun Ge's voice echoed distantly, "What matters is not me—it is you."

"Me?" Xia Wan was confused.

"You have already touched the vibration of the String—though crude, your direction is correct." Yun Ge's voice carried a hint of approval, then turned grave, "But time is running out."

"What time?" Xia Wan's heart tightened.

"The time of awakening." Yun Ge's tone carried heavy urgency, "Their tendrils are drawing nearer. The silence of this Starfield will soon be shattered."

"They?" Xia Wan recalled the hazy, terrifying fragments from the Kunlun Mountain inheritance—the shadows that devoured stars and destroyed civilizations—"Those… Destroyers?"

"The name does not matter." Yun Ge's voice turned icy, "What matters is that when 'they' descend, the existing order, civilization, even life itself, will face the cruelest culling. The weak have no right to exist."

A chill rose from Xia Wan's spine.

"You must grow faster, Sister." Yun Ge's voice continued, resolute and unyielding, "Learning control is not enough. You must understand the essence of power. You must awaken the true Inheritance slumbering in your Bloodline. You must… become stronger."

"How should I do it?" Xia Wan asked urgently. Her father's ordeal had shown her the importance of power; Yun Ge's warning of impending crisis pressed upon her with crushing responsibility.

"That coordinate…" Yun Ge's voice began to fracture, as if the signal was failing, "Go there… find Jing Yi… he guards… the key…"

"Key? What key?" Xia Wan pressed.

"The key… to the Final Trial…" Yun Ge's voice grew fainter, "Only by passing the Trial… can you truly inherit… the Guardian's… mission…"

The voice ceased abruptly.

The Quiet Chamber fell into silence, as if the entire exchange had been a hallucination.

But Xia Wan knew—it was not.

Yun Ge had appeared again—and brought clearer, more urgent guidance.

Coordinate. Jing Yi. Key. Final Trial. Guardian's mission…

Each word spun in her mind, weaving into a vast, unknown tapestry.

She looked down at her hands. Once, they could not precisely control even a thread of energy. Now, they had moved a steel ball one millimeter.

The progress was small—but it was a beginning.

And Yun Ge's words rang like a bell in her ears.

Time is running out.

She lifted her head, her gaze piercing through the cold walls of the Quiet Chamber—as if seeing the endless starry sky, and the looming threat hidden beyond it.

Sister, prepared?

In her heart, she silently repeated the question.

Then, she clenched her fists.

Whether ready or not, she had to move forward.

For her father, for her family, for all that was worth protecting beneath this starry sky.

She had no retreat.