Night settled gently over the Azure Cloud Sect.
The distant training grounds had long since fallen silent. Lanterns flickered outside the dormitory halls where outer disciples rested after a long day of practice.
At the far edge of the sect, however, the Outer Sect Library still glowed faintly.
Inside the Archive Hall, a single oil lamp burned on Lin Mo's desk.
The hall remained as quiet as ever.
Lin Mo sat behind the desk, a small clay bowl placed before him.
Inside the bowl floated several thin green leaves.
Spirit Thread Grass.
Earlier that evening, Lin Mo had carefully washed the herbs using clean water from the courtyard well. Now the leaves rested in steaming water, slowly releasing their faint scent into the air.
The smell was subtle.
Fresh.
Almost like damp grass after rain.
Lin Mo watched the bowl silently.
According to the travel journal, the herb should produce a gentle warmth within the chest when consumed.
But the journal had only described its effects vaguely.
Lin Mo preferred to observe carefully.
He waited several minutes until the water cooled slightly.
Then he lifted the bowl and took a small sip.
The liquid tasted mild.
Barely bitter.
Nothing unusual.
Lin Mo placed the bowl back on the table and closed his eyes.
He slowed his breathing, focusing on the sensation within his body.
At first, nothing changed.
Then—
A faint warmth slowly spread through his chest.
Lin Mo's eyes opened slightly.
It was exactly as described in the journal.
But this warmth felt different from the one produced by his cultivation.
This warmth was softer.
Gentler.
Almost like a small stream feeding into an already burning ember.
Lin Mo immediately sat cross-legged on the floor.
He extinguished the lamp.
Moonlight filled the hall once more.
Closing his eyes again, Lin Mo followed the breathing rhythm he had practiced during the past several nights.
Inhale slowly.
Exhale slowly.
The warmth from the herb drifted gradually through his chest.
Soon, the familiar pathway appeared within his awareness.
The First Path.
The faint thread of spiritual energy stirred.
Unlike before, however, the energy moved more easily this time.
The warmth from the herb seemed to guide it.
Lin Mo remained calm.
He did not force the energy forward.
He simply observed.
The thin current flowed gently through the First Path, traveling from his chest toward his shoulder.
One circulation.
Then another.
The process felt smoother than before.
As though the narrow pathway inside his body had softened slightly.
Minutes passed.
The herb's warmth continued feeding the flow.
After several circulations, something subtle changed.
The First Path expanded.
Only slightly.
But Lin Mo felt it clearly.
The once narrow channel now allowed the spiritual energy to pass more freely.
Lin Mo's breathing remained steady.
Ten circulations.
Just as the mysterious black book had instructed.
When the tenth circulation completed, the warmth from the herb gradually faded.
The spiritual energy settled back into stillness.
Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes.
Moonlight illuminated the silent Archive Hall.
The bowl of herbal water still rested quietly on the desk.
Lin Mo placed a hand against his chest.
The First Path remained open.
The faint warmth inside his body was stronger than before.
Not dramatically.
But undeniably.
A quiet satisfaction appeared in his eyes.
The herb had worked.
Lin Mo stood and walked to the desk.
He opened the hidden drawer and removed the black book.
Carefully unwrapping it, he turned to the first page.
The blank paper remained still for several seconds.
Then the ink slowly formed new words.
"The first path grows stable."
Lin Mo read the line calmly.
Another sentence appeared beneath it.
"The Second Path stirs."
The page turned by itself.
The familiar diagram of meridians appeared once more.
The First Path now glowed slightly brighter.
Nearby, another thin pathway flickered faintly.
It was still dim.
Still incomplete.
But it had begun to awaken.
Lin Mo stared at the diagram quietly.
So the herb truly had influenced the hidden pathways.
The Second Path was no longer completely dormant.
Lin Mo closed the book slowly and wrapped it again.
Then he returned it to the hidden drawer beneath the desk.
For a long moment, he simply stood in the quiet hall.
Outside, a gentle night breeze rustled through the cedar trees.
The world remained calm.
Unaware.
While most disciples struggled through physical training and ordinary breathing techniques…
Lin Mo had quietly taken another step forward.
And he had done so without drawing the slightest attention.
He extinguished the moonlit bowl of herbs and cleaned the desk carefully.
Soon, the Archive Hall returned to its usual peaceful state.
Rows of books.
Dust-filled shelves.
Silent shadows.
But deep within Lin Mo's body…
Two hidden pathways had begun to awaken.
And the path ahead had just become a little clearer.