Night passed quietly in the Archive Hall.
When dawn arrived, pale sunlight slowly crept through the tall windows, brushing across the endless rows of books.
Lin Mo was already awake.
He sat cross-legged on the wooden floor behind the desk, his eyes closed, his breathing calm and steady.
The faint warmth within his chest had grown clearer during the past several nights.
With the help of Spirit Thread Grass, the First Path inside his body had gradually widened.
And the Second Path had begun to stir.
Now Lin Mo could feel spiritual energy more clearly than before.
It no longer appeared as scattered fragments drifting in the air.
Instead, it felt like a thin mist surrounding him.
Gentle.
Quiet.
Waiting.
Lin Mo slowly inhaled.
As his breath entered his lungs, several strands of spiritual energy followed it into his body.
Unlike the first time he cultivated, the energy did not immediately scatter.
Instead, it gathered within the First Path and began moving naturally along the thin channel.
One circulation.
Then another.
Lin Mo remained calm, simply observing the flow.
The energy moved smoothly through his chest, traveling toward his shoulder before returning again.
The circulation continued.
Five times.
Seven times.
Ten times.
With each cycle, the faint warmth inside his body grew stronger.
Suddenly—
A subtle tremor passed through his chest.
Lin Mo's eyebrows tightened slightly.
The spiritual energy within the First Path began moving faster.
Not violently.
But with growing momentum.
The narrow meridian that had once barely allowed the energy to pass now opened wider.
At the same time, the faint glow of the Second Path stirred.
Lin Mo felt a small pressure beneath his ribs.
Then—
The Second Path opened.
A thin current of energy rushed through it for the first time.
Lin Mo's breathing deepened.
His entire body felt warm.
The spiritual energy no longer drifted aimlessly inside him.
It had begun forming a stable circulation between the two pathways.
The energy flowed from the First Path…
Through the chest…
Into the Second Path…
Then back again.
The cycle continued naturally.
Lin Mo opened his eyes slowly.
A faint ripple of spiritual energy spread outward from his body before fading into the quiet hall.
The breakthrough had happened quietly.
Without thunder.
Without dramatic change.
But Lin Mo understood exactly what had occurred.
He had stepped into the first realm of cultivation.
Body Tempering.
The lowest realm in the path of cultivation.
Yet it was the doorway that separated ordinary people from cultivators.
Lin Mo stood up slowly.
Immediately, he noticed the difference.
His body felt lighter.
His breathing deeper.
Even his senses had sharpened slightly.
The quiet sounds inside the Archive Hall became clearer.
The faint rustling of pages when a breeze slipped through the windows.
The distant chirping of birds outside.
Even the subtle scent of old paper seemed stronger.
Lin Mo clenched his hand lightly.
His strength had increased.
Not dramatically.
But enough to feel.
This was the effect of spiritual energy beginning to refine the body.
Lin Mo walked calmly to the desk and opened the hidden drawer.
The black book rested quietly where he had left it.
He unwrapped it and opened the first page.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then faint characters slowly appeared.
"The first gate has opened."
Lin Mo read the words silently.
Another line formed beneath it.
"Body Tempering has begun."
The page turned by itself.
The familiar meridian diagram appeared again.
Now two pathways glowed clearly.
The First Path.
The Second Path.
Beneath the diagram, new words slowly formed.
"The body contains many hidden roads."
"Two have awakened."
"More remain."
Lin Mo closed the book quietly.
His mind remained calm.
Most disciples celebrated wildly when they entered the Body Tempering realm.
But Lin Mo simply wrapped the book again and returned it to the drawer.
The journey ahead was still long.
Body Tempering was only the beginning.
Many outer disciples never advanced beyond this stage.
Others spent years trying to reach the next realm.
Lin Mo walked slowly toward one of the tall windows.
Outside, the training grounds were already busy.
Disciples shouted as they practiced martial forms under the guidance of instructors.
Few of them realized how difficult the true path of cultivation would become.
Lin Mo looked out at the distant mountains for a moment.
Then he turned and resumed organizing the bookshelves as if nothing had happened.
Inside the quiet Archive Hall…
The library caretaker continued his work.
But now—
Lin Mo was no longer merely an ordinary outer disciple.