The sky dimmed as Lin Moyan sat cross-legged in her room. Her fingers moved with precision as she ground dried herbs into powder, mixing them with a drop of her blood.
A faint glow surrounded the Ninefold Netherflame Cauldron as it hovered in the air, absorbing the mixture.
"Brace yourself," the cauldron spirit murmured. "This will force open the first of your sealed meridians."
Without hesitation, Lin Moyan swallowed the crude pill.
The reaction was immediate.
Agonizing heat surged through her body. Her veins writhed under her skin like serpents, and her vision went black and red. But she didn't scream. She clenched her teeth until blood ran from her lips.
Crack—
A clear sound echoed within her as the first meridian flared open.
She gasped, collapsing into the sweat-soaked floor.
"…One," she whispered. "Nine to go."
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