A faint trace of approval crossed Neto's face.
"That means the foundation held."
Neto remained crouched beside the basin for several moments before finally speaking again.
"The next step is pathway formation."
Shadow looked up immediately. "Already?"
"You can't remain dependent on loose circulation forever," Neto replied. "A stable core without pathways is incomplete."
Shadow lowered his gaze toward the faint warmth still resting deep within his body. Even now he could still sense the newly formed core pulsing softly beneath the surface like a second heartbeat.
"How are the pathways formed?"
"They begin at the core itself," Neto explained. "Every cultivator builds outward from there, extending mana veins throughout the body until circulation becomes stable enough to sustain advanced techniques and reinforcement."
Shadow frowned slightly. "Gradually?"
Neto shook his head once. "No. The pathways are formed in a single process."
Shadow stared at him. "All at once?"
"Yes."
The answer immediately explained several things.
The larger pathways. The shortcuts. The obsession with finishing quickly.
Shadow's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Because the longer the process takes, the worse the pain becomes."
Neto regarded him carefully before nodding once. "Exactly."
He turned afterward and walked toward the rear section of the cavern where several clay jars and bundles of dried herbs rested along the stone shelves carved into the wall. Shadow watched silently while Neto began sorting through them with practiced familiarity.
"What are you doing?" Shadow asked.
"Giving you a better chance of surviving this properly."
Neto crushed several dark green leaves between his fingers before dropping them into a large iron basin already filled with steaming water near the fire. A sharp earthy scent immediately spread through the cavern while faint traces of mana drifted from the herbs themselves.
"A medicinal bath?" Shadow asked.
Neto nodded once. "The pathways place enormous strain on the body during formation. These herbs will reduce inflammation, stabilize circulation, and help you maintain consciousness longer once the pain starts becoming difficult to manage."
Shadow stared toward the steaming water for a moment. "So most people don't use this?"
"Most people either can't afford the resources or don't care enough about their foundations to bother." Neto's gaze shifted briefly toward him. "The easier route is faster."
Shadow already understood what that meant.
Larger pathways. Less pain. Weaker foundations.
Neto continued preparing the mixture while speaking calmly. "The denser the pathways become, the longer the process lasts. Without preparation, many cultivators lose focus before completion and settle for whatever their body can barely tolerate."
"And if they force themselves too far?"
"The body collapses."
The answer came without hesitation.
Neto eventually stepped aside from the basin while steam rolled steadily upward from the darkened water. "Get in."
Shadow lowered himself carefully into the medicinal bath.
The heat struck first.
Then the herbs.
A strange cooling sensation gradually spread through his muscles afterward, dulling the lingering strain from earlier cultivation while the pressure surrounding his core settled into something steadier beneath the surface.
Shadow exhaled slowly despite himself.
Neto folded his arms nearby. "The bath won't remove the pain," he said. "It'll only help your body endure it longer."
Shadow nodded once.
That was enough.
Neto stepped behind the basin while Shadow settled deeper into the steaming water, allowing his breathing to steady again.
"Close your eyes."
Shadow obeyed immediately.
"The pathways will spread outward from your core naturally once you begin directing mana through your body," Neto explained. "Do not rush the process. Build carefully. Build evenly. And above all else, maintain control."
Shadow nodded once.
The core pulsed softly within him as he drew mana outward from it for the first time. The sensation immediately felt different from before. Denser. More refined. Instead of borrowing mana from the world around him now, the power responded directly from within.
Then the pain began.
Shadow's entire body locked tight as mana tore outward from the core like burning threads forcing their way beneath his skin. His breathing immediately faltered while pressure spread violently through his body all at once.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to stop.
"Maintain focus," Neto instructed calmly behind him.
Shadow forced himself to steady his breathing while guiding the mana carefully instead of allowing it to surge uncontrollably.
Slowly, painfully, the pathways continued spreading outward from the core in branching streams.
Shadow felt the first veins spread downward through his abdomen before branching into his hips and legs. The sensation burned violently beneath the surface, like molten threads carving themselves directly through muscle and bone while the mana forced open routes where none had existed before.
His thighs tightened painfully.
Then his calves.
The pathways spread deeper through his legs until even his feet trembled violently beneath the steaming water.
Shadow forced himself to maintain focus.
The mana shifted upward next.
New pathways branched through his chest and shoulders while pressure spread tightly around his ribs and spine. Every breath became heavier as the circulation extended toward his lungs and heart, wrapping around both with agonizing precision before stabilizing into steady flow.
The sensation nearly made his concentration slip.
Not because of the pain alone.
Because he could feel everything now.
His heartbeat.
His breathing.
The circulation spreading beneath his skin in hundreds of branching streams.
Sweat poured down Shadow's face while the medicinal bath around him gradually darkened from impurities being forced outward through his skin.
Still he continued.
The pathways extended through his arms next, branching downward from his shoulders through his biceps, forearms, wrists, and finally into his fingers. Every movement became hypersensitive beneath the spreading circulation until even the smallest tremor felt amplified through his entire body.
Neto observed silently for a long while before finally speaking again.
"You're reaching the dangerous part now."
Shadow barely managed to force out the words. "What dangerous part?"
"The pathways surrounding the brain and eyes."
The warning immediately cut through the haze of pain surrounding Shadow's thoughts.
Neto's voice remained calm but firmer now. "The body can survive damaged pathways elsewhere. Those areas are different. Lose focus there and the consequences become permanent."
Shadow's heartbeat hammered violently in his chest.
He understood immediately.
Blindness.
Brain damage.
Death.
"Be ready," Neto warned quietly.
Then the mana reached upward.
Pain exploded through Shadow's skull hard enough that his body nearly convulsed inside the basin. White-hot pressure tore behind his eyes while the newly forming pathways forced themselves through areas so sensitive that even breathing became difficult to maintain.
Shadow nearly lost control immediately.
"Focus."
Neto's voice cut sharply through the chaos.
Shadow gritted his teeth hard enough to taste blood while forcing the circulation back under control. The pathways continued branching outward through his vision, around his temples, through the deeper regions of his mind while pain hammered through him in relentless waves.
His body screamed at him to stop.
To settle for less.
Larger pathways. Faster completion. Anything to end the pain.
Shadow refused.
The pressure intensified further as he forced the mana into smaller, denser branches instead of allowing the circulation to widen naturally. Every additional pathway felt like driving burning glass beneath his skin while the strain pushing against his mind grew steadily harder to contain.
Time disappeared completely beneath the pain and concentration.
Then finally—
The circulation connected.
The pathways stabilized simultaneously throughout his body while mana surged through the completed network in one unified pulse. The sensation nearly stole the breath from Shadow's lungs.
For the first time, the mana no longer felt scattered or unstable.
It flowed naturally through him.
Completely.
The strain vanished almost instantly afterward.
Shadow's body swayed violently inside the basin before the exhaustion finally overtook him.
Then darkness took him.