I loaded the Mysticism panel.

That evening, Richard practiced his Mirror Condensation Technique in his dormitory as usual.

He first followed the standard procedure, holding his breath to suppress the etheric fluctuations, from 8%, 7%, 6% all the way down to the line he had practiced for months before mastering.

This time, he tried to push it forward.

When it reaches 5% or 4%, the microcirculation starts to swirl, and problems arise in the ether collision circuit and nasal cavity.

He switched to the cycloplegic reflex technique for the first few weeks, and this problem occurred every time he tried.

But tonight was different. The Sphinx lamp was close to him, and the ripples on the lamp swirled inside, taking the pool of clear water in his body down with it.

At 3%, 3%, his path no longer swirled or collided, and the ether followed the ripples, becoming more stable and quiet.

At this moment, a large amount of information about the entire dormitory also flooded in.

Richard opened his eyes, and that familiar soreness no longer came from the back of his head.

There was no blood coming out of his nose as usual. He reached out and wiped his nose; his hand was clean.

To solidify his breakthrough, Richard went through the entire Mirror Condensation Technique again.

In the second and third rounds, things remained very stable; his signature artifacts were helping him.

Richard pulled out the thin handwritten book his aunt had given him.

The first chapter lays the foundation, the second chapter describes the transition methods, and the third chapter begins the next stage.

The following section states that in the second stage, the mirror needs to find a balance between movement and stillness.

If you can stabilize your mirror between actions, you've reached the second stage.

Li Ju had previously found it difficult to do this; even sitting still, he would struggle for a long time to suppress it, let alone in action.

But now he stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

The water surface broke apart for a while at first, then slowly closed up on its own.

He took two more steps, and the water surface gradually stopped breaking.

Richard temporarily stopped his breathing exercise, looked at the dim gaslight outside the window, and suddenly understood the sentence in the book: "The impatient will never find the mirror."

A mirror doesn't choose what it can reflect, nor can it choose when it reflects itself.

The more you try to make it take pictures, the more distracted it becomes; if you stop trying, it will calm down on its own.

For the past few months, he has been thinking about getting through the initial transition period as soon as possible and getting to the second stage.

The next afternoon, when he had no classes, he went to room 314 again.

My aunt was still correcting her never-ending test papers; the red pen hovered over the edge of the page for a long time without falling, probably because she heard him come in.

Isabella didn't even look up; she finally put a checkmark on the test paper with her red pen.

"Your microcirculation has stabilized."

Richard responded.

She closed the test paper and put it in the drawer.

"It's much faster than I expected. I thought it would take you several months."

Richard didn't hide anything, stating frankly that it was his signature artifact that had worked.

Isabella looked up in surprise and activated her spiritual vision to see the changes in the Sphinx Lamp.

"You lamp, you've already undergone a transformation so quickly?"

She looked at her nephew, her expression not very pleasant.

"It took me more than a year after I officially started using my own name for the first time to show signs of transformation. You've only had it for half a year, right?"

Richard did not respond.

There are some things he can't even tell his maternal grandfather, let alone his aunt.

Isabella didn't press the matter further and returned to the main topic.

"Are you in the second stage now?"

Richard nodded.

"It's already possible, but you can only take the picture; you can't use the technique while taking the picture."

Isabella had read the materials herself and had some understanding of this matter.

"If you want to photograph others, you must become extremely still yourself."

But if a real fight breaks out, your opponent won't stand still, and of course you won't be able to stand still either.

How can movement and stillness be combined? This has been the most difficult part for beginners in the centuries-old tradition of mirrored surfaces.

"I see."

Isabella pushed the stack of papers aside.

"You can't just practice by yourself; you need to practice in front of others. It's best to find a few real people to practice with you."

Richard himself had the same idea: "I plan to go find a few classmates."

He gave his name, and it was just four familiar faces: Fisher, Edith, Catherine, and Montagu.

Isabella mentally reviewed the paths these people had chosen.

"Classic texts, star charts, moon hunting, the sun—it's quite comprehensive."

She further commented, "Fischer and Edith both took the purely academic path, and at the stage of being practitioners, they basically have little fighting power in the field."

Catherine is a moon hunter with decent direct combat ability, while Montagu is the sun and can do everything.

The more diverse the people you reflect on, the better you can hone your own inner self.

Richard stood up.

"Then I'll go and make an appointment with them."

"Go ahead." Isabella picked up the red pen again.

"Be careful when you practice, don't cause internal injuries to the other person."

Richard was about to reach the door when he was called back.

Richard.

He turned around.

"Your grandfather's matter is in the past. If something like this happens again in the future, remember to tell us elders."

"I've got it."

It's quite easy to ask someone to come along.

Richard thought that perhaps it was because the tradition of mirrors was very rare throughout the empire.

His four classmates probably hadn't met many people working in the field.

Their curiosity was piqued by Richard, and they all agreed as soon as the time was set.

The training venue was the largest of the row of independent training rooms in the basement of the college area.

Fisher arrived first and asked questions as soon as he entered.

"Can you really see exactly what I'm going to do?"

Richard nodded: "Of course it can be taken."

"What if I do absolutely nothing?"

"Then let's just shoot an empty image."

Fisher pondered this statement for a moment and found it quite reasonable, but something still felt off.

Finally, he gave up and put the book in the corner, then started to stretch his wrists.

When Edith came this time, she didn't bring her plant guide book. After entering the room, she stood silently in the corner.

Catherine arrived at the perfect time. She nodded to everyone as she entered and took off her coat, revealing a sporty dress with a hint of abs on her stomach.

It's clear that although she's a scholar, she also exercises regularly.

Montagu was the last to arrive. He wasn't wearing his dark blue overcoat today; he had changed into hunting attire.

Richard, seeing that everyone was present, said, "Let's practice in pairs first, and then we'll have a free-for-all."

Fisher rubbed his hands together. "Who wants to go first?"

Montague said, "You and Edith go first."

Fisher frowned. "Why the two of us first?"

Catherine wrote in her notebook: "Because your two direct combat abilities are relatively average, it will end relatively quickly."

Although her expression was indifferent, it did not show any disdain.

Fisher opened his mouth as if to refute, but found that he couldn't.

He and Edith exchanged a glance, their faces both conveying the self-awareness that they were merely there to make up the numbers.

The two stood in the center of the field, and Richard stepped aside, spreading out the mirror water and observing silently.

This match was less of a sparring session and more of two scholars trying to recall their meager fighting techniques.

Fisher is a follower of the classical tradition, which means keeping all one's knowledge and skills in one's head.

At the practitioner stage, their fighting ability is not much different from that of an ordinary person who has memorized a lot of books.

He gathered the ether in his palm and condensed it into a small page, one of his few remaining fighting techniques.

Edith chose the Star Chart tradition. Richard was a little surprised when he learned of this choice, but after thinking about it, he wasn't surprised at all.

Star charts focus on observing stars, calculating, and deducing, using the invisible star chart above to deduce the general direction of the opponent's next move.

But whether one can actually avoid it is another matter entirely.

The two exchanged blows in the center of the arena. Fisher conjured a page from his book and slashed forward, but Edith anticipated this and sidestepped, flicking out a small wisp of stardust.

Stardust fell on Fisher's pages, corroding them and leaving them pitted and uneven.

After about 5 minutes of fighting, the two of them started panting heavily.

"Stop," Richard announced, ending the meeting.

Fisher plopped down on the ground: "I get it now, I guess I'm just not cut out for head-on combat."

Edith comforted him, saying, "Your pages are stronger than mine; at least they can block it for a bit."

Fisher looked up, panting.

That's true. When they were both in the profession, they were at risk of being shot dead if they encountered an ordinary person with a gun.

Scholars who take these two paths never prove their value on the front lines.

The next scene is Catherine, and the red-haired girl has already stood up on her own.

She looked at Montagu, moving her arms and legs as if eager to try.