Time always flew when one was busy.
Consulting one prescription after another, Lin Mo deftly pulled open the little drawers, weighed out the ingredients, wrapped them up, and handed them to the waiting patients.
His luck was quite good today, though. He encountered no patients who needed massage or bone-setting, which saved him a fair amount of time.
After a stretch of busy work, Lin Mo handed the task of filling prescriptions over to another clinic apprentice who had come to relieve him.
Then he plunged back into the room where the clinic kept its books and began reading with interest.
Along the way, he reinforced his memory of the portions that interested him, committing them to mind.
Soon, the sky gradually darkened, and the number of patients in the clinic began to dwindle, meaning his work for the day was more or less over.
He said goodbye to Ye Lingling and Elder Ye, then recalled Charmander, who was dozing on the floor after eating and drinking his fill, and left the clinic.
On the way back, he had dinner at a familiar roadside noodle stall.
A large bowl of steaming bone-broth noodles went into his stomach, dispelling the slight evening chill and filling his empty belly.
By the time Lin Mo returned to the Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy, the sky had gone completely dark, and pinpricks of light were beginning to appear in the dormitory building.
He walked up to the sixth floor and habitually glanced at the door to room 608 next door. It was still pitch-black inside.
Sure enough, that guy Xiao Lin still wasn't back.
That battle maniac had apparently run off to some sparring ground to find someone to fight again after the afternoon's free training period ended.
Back when Lin Mo still spent most of his time at the academy, Xiao Lin would occasionally come to spar with him.
Although he knew full well that he was no match for Charmander, Xiao Lin was still brimming with fighting spirit whenever he faced him.
One could only say that Xiao Lin truly lived up to his reputation as a battle maniac known throughout the academy.
It was only because this was the Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy, whose infirmary had a four-ring healing-type Soul Master permanently stationed there.
That was what allowed Xiao Lin to receive timely treatment, keeping his injuries from affecting his foundation and future cultivation.
Otherwise, how could any other academy have such excellent provisions?
Healing-type Soul Masters were hot commodities wherever they went.
Shaking his head helplessly, Lin Mo took out his key, opened the door to his own room, 609, and walked inside.
He closed the door behind him and switched on the light, its soft glow instantly dispelling the darkness in the room.
He habitually locked the door from the inside, then walked over to the desk, unlocked a drawer with his key, and took out a somewhat thick notebook.
Opening the notebook and picking up a pen, he began recording and summarizing what he had learned and seen at the clinic that day.
He did not write particularly quickly, occasionally pausing to think before jotting down his own understanding and conjectures as well.
Only after finishing all this did Lin Mo close the notebook again and lock it back inside the drawer.
The things recorded in this notebook were merely some insights and reflections on what he had learned and seen at the clinic.
It amounted to a little summary.
As for his research and insights concerning his Second Martial Soul and his Self-Created Soul Skill, "Blood Burst," he had never recorded them on anything physical.
All of that was firmly committed to memory, with no records left in the outside world.
He understood the principle that one must never let down one's guard against others.
If such a minor mistake caused the existence of his Second Martial Soul to be exposed ahead of time, he would be losing the greater for the sake of the lesser.
After putting away the notebook, Lin Mo wasted no time.
With a mere thought, he summoned Charmander again.
"Keep watch for me. Don't let anyone disturb me," Lin Mo instructed Charmander.
Charmander swished his tail and gave a low "woo" in response.
Then he walked over to the door and vigilantly watched for any movement around him, carrying out his duty as a guardian.
Lin Mo felt quite reassured leaving this task to Charmander.
Then he sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and, with his palms, soles, and the crown of his head facing upward, began that day's cultivation.
Before formally beginning his Soul Power cultivation, however, Lin Mo first mobilized the Bloodline Power within his body, as he always did.
As he actively circulated his Bloodline Power, a red glow gradually emerged over the surface of his body, so faint that it was almost impossible to notice without looking closely, and the blood vessels beneath his skin seemed to swell slightly.
This was precisely Blood Burst, the Self-Created Soul Skill Lin Mo had developed through the properties of his Body Martial Soul. It was currently in its First-Stage Boiling Blood state.
In the Boiling Blood state, Lin Mo could temporarily strengthen individual parts of his body, greatly enhancing his speed, strength, and reactions.
Moreover, while he maintained and used Blood Burst, his body also underwent an effect akin to "tempering," producing an extremely slight improvement in his physical constitution.
Although the improvement was tiny, the accumulated results over time were quite considerable.
After more than four months of uninterrupted experimentation, Lin Mo had already begun to glimpse how he might advance the first-stage "Boiling Blood" state to the next, deeper level.
At this thought, Lin Mo subconsciously raised a hand and gently pressed it against his left chest, over his heart.
Through his clothes and breastbone, he could clearly feel his heart's powerful beating.
Although his exploration of the second stage was still far from successful, Lin Mo had already named it in advance-he called Blood Burst's second stage "Burning Heart."
According to his deductions and his experiences from the few occasions when he had luckily brushed against its threshold, if the specific effects of the first stage, "Boiling Blood," primarily involved stimulating and utilizing his own Bloodline Power, with an emphasis on "enhancement";
then the second stage, "Burning Heart," involved a deeper application of Bloodline Power, seeking to project that power beyond his body and achieve the effect of "external blood Qi release."
Blood Burst would no longer be limited to enhancing the inside of his body, but would allow him to release blood Qi externally, and even condense Qi into form.
However, this process was destined to be long and difficult.
At least for Lin Mo as he was now, even while in the enhanced "Boiling Blood" state, releasing blood Qi externally at this stage depended almost entirely on luck.
Even one success in ten attempts would be an excellent result.
Moreover, that one success often amounted to nothing more than a faint wisp escaping. He could not control it precisely at all, much less apply it in actual combat.
He still had a very long way to go before he could control "Burning Heart" as reliably as he did "Boiling Blood" and bring it to a level where his own panel would record it.
Nevertheless, even this already left Lin Mo feeling quite gratified.
Because it meant that the path was right, and all that remained was to invest time and effort into slowly exploring it.