"It is more -- spiritual energy, than magic," he clarifies. "Only refined and concentrated. That is what cultivation is. Martial methods help to ensure balance."

She is too old to begin forming a golden core, almost certainly, but their world is different. Maybe there is something.

"I do not know if you could, but I would be willing to show you, if you wanted to try. And if not, there is always sword practice, to improve skill."