Because Aedric had inherited Jon Snow's memories, he knew the lands around Winterfell like the back of his hand. It didn't take him long to find a quiet, secluded spot beyond the castle walls where few people ever wandered.
Arya Stark followed him curiously, wondering why her brother insisted on teaching her outside the castle, but her trust in him was absolute. She didn't question it, simply trailing after him with obedient excitement.
Once he was certain they were alone, Aedric's expression turned serious. He looked at Arya's eager little face and said solemnly,
"Before I teach you anything, you must promise me one thing. Everything I'm about to show you — you cannot tell anyone, not even Father or Mother. Can you do that?"
Arya blinked at him in confusion, but Aedric didn't explain. Instead, he bent down, picked up a pinecone from the ground, and flicked it lightly with his fingers.
With a sharp whoosh, the pinecone shot out like an arrow and slammed into a tree over a hundred meters away with a resounding thud, shaking the trunk so violently that leaves rained down.
"Remember how you asked me yesterday how I could catch a pinecone without looking?" Aedric said with a faint smile. "What I'm about to teach you — is that."
Arya stared wide-eyed at the pinecone buried deep in the tree bark. After a moment of stunned silence, she suddenly squealed with excitement, leapt at Aedric, and clung to him like a little koala.
"I promise! I'll do it! I won't tell anyone! Please, hurry up and teach me!"
Aedric, looking thoroughly annoyed, pried her off and pushed her back by the forehead until she stopped wriggling. Only then did he say in a deep voice,
"You might think I'm being unreasonable, but there's a reason for secrecy. What I'm about to teach you has an extraordinary origin. It's said to come from a land that was destroyed by fire — the birthplace of dragons. You know what place that is, don't you?"
"Could it be Val—"
Before she could finish, Aedric clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Shh." He pressed a finger to his lips. "Now you understand why I'm being so careful. This knowledge could bring trouble — not just for us, but for all of the North. You must never speak of it. Understood?"
Arya nodded rapidly, her cheeks flushing bright red.
Aedric couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. He didn't actually need to give his techniques some grand origin story, but "the lost arts of Valyria" made for the perfect excuse.
Still, given that this world might really have gods watching — perhaps even the Three-Eyed Raven spying right this moment — he decided it was safer to be vague rather than tempting fate by naming things outright.
After repeating several warnings, Aedric began teaching Arya the first stage of the Postnatal Inner Core Skill.
Since the girl had never heard of meridians or acupoints, Aedric didn't bother with the theoretical details. Instead, he guided her hands and legs into the proper meditation pose — "five hearts facing the heavens." Then, placing one hand on her back, he said softly,
"Close your eyes. Empty your thoughts. Don't think about anything. Just pay attention to the energy as it moves through you — remember that sensation clearly."
"Alright," Arya said brightly — though instead of closing her eyes, she tilted her head and asked, "Jon, how did you learn something like this? It's so strange, but kind of fun!"
Aedric didn't answer. Instead, he gave her forehead a light flick.
She let out a small yelp, rubbing the spot and pouting. "Fine, fine, don't tell me! But you didn't have to hit me! What if I get stupider?"
Still muttering under her breath, she made a face at him — but then finally closed her eyes and grew quiet.
Since she was only a beginner, Aedric didn't expect much. Forget "merging with the void" or "achieving oneness" — she just needed to calm down and feel the flow. Once she'd settled, he released a gentle stream of inner energy into her back, guiding it through her body according to the prescribed route.
The Postnatal Inner Core Skill was a technique custom-tailored by the system specifically for Aedric. His own cultivation base was deep and stable — during his first session, he had managed to draw in the power of the void itself and complete all eighty-one major cycles in one go, forming a condensed inner core within his dantian.
Arya, though exceptionally talented for this world, still lacked the foundation. It took her five full cycles before she could even begin to draw in a trace of void energy. Compared to Aedric, it was like heaven and earth.
But once that power entered her, the true process began. She could now circulate the energy on her own.
The goal of the first stage was to circulate the void energy through eighty-one major cycles, gathering it into the dantian to form an inner core.
Of course, no one but Aedric could accomplish that perfectly. Arya managed forty-nine full cycles before her small body could no longer withstand the growing pressure.
When she finally opened her eyes, she gasped.
"Eww! What's all this black gunk coming out of me? It smells awful!"
Looking down, she saw her skin slick with a foul, tar-like substance. She started frantically trying to wipe it off.
"Stop shouting," Aedric said dryly, handing her a clean cloth. "That's the impurity being expelled from your body — part of the cleansing process. Go back, take a good bath, and eat plenty of meat afterward. Your inner energy needs fuel. That's enough cultivation for today. This afternoon, meet me at the training yard. I'll teach you the basics of swordsmanship."
He added with a meaningful glance, "And remember — if anyone asks what we were doing out here, just say I was showing you one of my own fighting techniques. Don't explain further. Let them guess."
Arya sniffed at herself again, grimacing in disgust. "Ugh, I smell horrible! It's like something died on me!"
Aedric chuckled under his breath at her exaggerated expression, then led the foul-smelling, grumbling little girl back toward Winterfell — teacher and student both satisfied with the day's secret lesson.
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