The night was calm.
A quiet wind drifted through the cedar trees surrounding the Outer Sect Library, carrying the faint scent of mountain herbs. Most disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect had already returned to their quarters after a long day of training.
The sect gradually fell into silence.
Inside the Archive Hall, however, a small oil lamp still burned.
Lin Mo sat cross-legged behind the wooden desk.
The black book rested beside him, closed and wrapped in a plain cloth. He had not opened it again since the previous night.
Instead, several other books were spread across the desk.
Records of cultivation.
Manuals explaining meridians.
Notes describing the early stages of spiritual energy control.
Lin Mo had spent the entire day reading.
Now he finally understood the basic principles.
Body Tempering strengthened the body.
Qi Gathering allowed a cultivator to absorb spiritual energy.
But before any of that, a cultivator first needed to sense spiritual energy.
Many outer disciples spent months attempting this step.
Some failed entirely.
Lin Mo slowly closed the book in front of him.
He extinguished the oil lamp.
Moonlight flowed through the tall windows, illuminating the quiet hall in pale silver.
He moved the chair aside and sat on the floor.
Cross-legged.
Back straight.
Hands resting lightly on his knees.
Lin Mo closed his eyes.
The Archive Hall returned to complete silence.
He followed the breathing rhythm described in the cultivation records.
Slow inhale.
Slow exhale.
His thoughts gradually calmed.
Outside the building, insects chirped faintly in the night.
Wind brushed gently against the windows.
Time passed.
At first, Lin Mo felt nothing.
Only the slow rhythm of his breathing.
But he remained patient.
Minutes stretched into nearly half an hour.
Then—
Something faint appeared within his awareness.
A subtle sensation.
Like a thin stream of cool air drifting through the darkness.
Lin Mo focused carefully.
The sensation grew clearer.
Tiny fragments of energy floated quietly around him.
Invisible.
Yet strangely tangible.
Spiritual energy.
Lin Mo's heartbeat quickened slightly.
But he forced himself to remain calm.
The cultivation texts had warned that excitement could disrupt the process.
He continued breathing slowly.
Gradually, the drifting fragments of energy responded.
One tiny strand moved closer to him.
Then another.
They gathered around his body like faint mist.
Lin Mo followed the instructions he had memorized earlier.
Do not force.
Guide gently.
He inhaled slowly.
As his breath entered his lungs, a tiny thread of spiritual energy followed it.
It was incredibly weak.
Almost like a drop of water falling into a vast ocean.
But it entered his body.
Lin Mo immediately felt a subtle coolness spread through his chest.
He did not attempt to push it further.
Instead, he simply observed.
Just as the mysterious black book had taught him.
The small strand of energy drifted naturally through one of his meridians.
It moved slowly.
Almost lazily.
But it moved.
Lin Mo recognized the pathway immediately.
It was the same hidden meridian he had discovered earlier.
The First Path.
The energy flowed along the thin channel toward his shoulder before fading away.
Lin Mo opened his eyes.
His breathing became slightly heavier.
But his expression remained calm.
He had done it.
He had successfully drawn spiritual energy into his body.
Even if it was only a tiny amount.
Many disciples spent months attempting this.
Lin Mo had achieved it in a single night.
He placed a hand over his chest.
The faint warmth from before had grown slightly stronger.
Not much.
But enough to notice.
Lin Mo stood up slowly and walked toward the desk.
He opened the hidden drawer and took out the black book.
After a moment of hesitation, he unwrapped the cloth.
The cover remained blank.
He opened the first page.
The words inside had changed.
New lines slowly formed across the paper.
"The first thread has entered."
"The first path has awakened."
Lin Mo read the sentence quietly.
Then another line appeared.
"Observation creates understanding."
"Understanding opens the gate."
The page turned itself gently.
The diagram of meridians appeared again.
But now something was different.
One of the thin lines glowed faintly.
The same hidden pathway in Lin Mo's chest.
Beneath the diagram, a final sentence appeared.
"Circulate the breath ten times each night."
"The path will widen."
Lin Mo stared at the page.
Ten circulations.
That sounded simple.
Yet he knew cultivation was rarely simple.
He closed the book again and wrapped it carefully.
Then he returned it to the hidden drawer.
For now, that was enough.
Lin Mo walked back to the center of the hall and looked around.
Thousands of books surrounded him.
Ancient knowledge.
Forgotten discoveries.
Most disciples ignored these shelves completely.
But Lin Mo suddenly realized something.
While others fought fiercely for cultivation manuals…
He possessed something far more valuable.
Time.
Silence.
And an entire library.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Tonight had only been the beginning.
But somewhere within the quiet Archive Hall…
Lin Mo had already taken his first true step onto the path of cultivation.
And the world beyond the shelves had no idea.