Bittersweet Victory
A week had passed since Aelina left the group of Battle Maiden Sect survivors in the secluded valley. Their focus had been solely on cultivating and absorbing as much Qi as possible from the formations, but now those formations had been deactivated.
Skye opened her eyes, the tranquility of her meditation shattered by the abrupt absence of Qi. Her senses immediately noted the change. She turned to look at Morgana, whose eyes also fluttered open, reflecting a similar realization. The abundance of Qi, the gift that had supercharged their cultivation, was no more.
"The formations have ended," Skye announced, standing and dusting off her robes.
All around her, the other women began to stir, their meditation disrupted. Confusion flickered across their faces as they looked at each other, a shared sense of disappointment echoing through them. The Qi's disappearance signaled the end of a period of immense growth, a feeling they all cherished.