Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

The old man in the mirror moved. With a smooth and flowing motion, he slowly raised his palm, and his inner energy seemed to rise along his meridians, condensing in his palm. The originally faint white energy suddenly gathered into a single point and landed in the center of his palm.

The old man threw a punch, not fast, but with a whooshing sound. Even though it was in the mirror, Jia Cong could almost hear the whistling wind from the punch, making his ears ring.

The old man's fist technique seemed ordinary, but he concentrated his inner energy in one place. The force of his fist was like a thousand pounds. This was the essence of the third level of martial arts, which is to concentrate inner energy. When the energy is gathered, the power is concentrated. When it is concentrated, it has the power to break through the wind!

Jia Cong was so engrossed in watching that his meridians seemed to have a mind of their own, flowing in accordance with the old man's aura in the mirror. The qi that was originally stagnant in his meridians slowly gathered towards his dantian, then traveled along the dantian and gradually condensed in his palm.

He felt warm all over, with a gentle flow in his meridians, and the bottleneck that had been stuck at the second level was showing signs of loosening.

He dared not be distracted, his eyes fixed on the old man in the mirror. He saw that each move was slow and deliberate, and every action perfectly demonstrated the method of condensing internal energy. Raising his hand, punching, kicking, and finishing the movement, his internal energy gathered and dispersed at will, sometimes condensing at the tip of his fist, sometimes at the sole of his foot, and finally sinking into his dantian. Every move was exquisite.

Jia Cong followed the old man's example, practicing each move step by step. He had already learned the method of opening the meridians and guiding qi under Sun Tai's guidance, and now, receiving guidance from a master martial arts practitioner was like a sudden enlightenment.

After an unknown amount of time, the old man in the mirror threw his last punch. The wind from the punch whistled and the white mist dissipated. He then slowly withdrew his stance, his aura returning to calm. He stood still, his gaze seemingly looking at Jia Cong through the mirror. His eyes were indifferent but carried a hint of guidance.

Jia Cong's heart trembled. He felt his internal energy in his dantian surge suddenly, rushing through his meridians to his limbs and bones. The originally scattered energy suddenly condensed at this moment and gathered on his right fist.

He instinctively threw a punch, the wind from which grazed the table, causing the teacup on the table to tremble slightly. The sound of the wind breaking was clear to the ear, far beyond the brute force of his past!

Overjoyed, Jia Cong looked down at his fist and felt that the internal energy in his fist was condensed and did not dissipate. He had actually broken through the bottleneck and stepped into the third level of martial realm, the realm of condensing internal energy!

This is when one truly enters the gate of martial arts. From then on, weapons and fists are all enhanced by internal energy. With the power to break through the wind in hand, one will no longer be fighting with brute force against ordinary martial artists, but will truly control power with qi.

Jia Cong slowly withdrew his fist, his excitement still lingering. When he looked up at the Mirror of Love and Lust again, the quiet room in the mirror had long since disappeared, and the old man's figure was nowhere to be seen. The mirror surface became blurry again, only reflecting his own astonished expression, which was no different from an ordinary bronze mirror.

He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, feeling his muscles and bones relax, his internal energy flowing freely in his meridians, condensing and dispersing at will, and the exhilarating feeling of breaking through still lingered in his limbs and bones.

He held the Mirror of Love and Lust in his hands, no longer feeling any fear of the mirror, but rather a sense of awe.

The lame Taoist priest was right. This mirror did not reflect beauty or ugliness, nor did it steal souls. Instead, it contained such a profound opportunity for martial arts!

It seems that Jia Rui was originally an ordinary mortal with a wicked heart, and all he saw were illusions of love and lust. But he himself was burdened with a strange soul and devoted himself to martial arts. The mirror reflected his opportunity to understand martial arts. This is the true meaning of "distinguishing between truth and falsehood"!

However, no one knew who the old man in the mirror was at the moment. Judging from his posture, his skill was definitely above Sun Tai's, and he might even be one of the eighth or ninth level experts that Sun Tai mentioned.

Jia Cong examined the mirror again, but at this moment, the Mirror of Love and Lust no longer showed any unusual phenomena. It was just like an ordinary bronze mirror, reflecting a yellowish and unclear image of a person's face.

He didn't have time to feel his inner energy again. He quickly rummaged through his chests and found a wooden box. He carefully wrapped the "Mirror of Love and Lust" inside and put it in the camphor wood box where he kept the Zhaowu Golden Mace. Only then did he stop.

He took up his mace and struck a pose in the room. Previously, when he was wielding it, he had to rely on brute force to support himself, and his arms were sore and heavy. He had to rest after only a few moves. But now, his body moved with the mace. He lowered his shoulders and elbows, and his inner energy was concentrated at the tip of the mace. With a gentle shake, the golden mace emitted a deep hum.

A gust of wind swept by, causing the candlelight in the room to flicker slightly, casting dappled shadows on the window paper that also trembled gently.

Jia Cong was overjoyed and used several basic chopping, sweeping, pointing, and thrusting techniques in succession. He felt his internal energy flowing freely within his body. When it gathered on the mace, the originally heavy bronze weapon seemed to have come to life. Each move was solid and the remaining force was long and powerful, unlike the weak and feeble feeling after using up all his brute force in the past.

Only then did he realize the wonder of the third level of internal energy condensation. Not only did his fists and feet have the force to break through the wind, but he could also control weapons with his internal energy and enhance his strength by using his internal energy.

Two days later, Sun Tai returned to the manor to teach again. After demonstrating two sets of boxing, he noticed Jia Cong's ability to control his internal energy with ease and immediately became serious. "Third Master, have you encountered any fortuitous events these past few days?"

Jia Cong had anticipated this, but feigned ignorance, saying, "Master Sun is joking. It's just that I had nothing to do after school and diligently studied the methods you taught me. Perhaps I've practiced them well enough that they're going more smoothly than before."

Sun Tai shook his head, stepped forward, and placed his hand on Jia Cong's wrist. The moment his fingertips touched him, he felt a solid internal energy flowing through his pulse, gathering and dispersing at will, unlike the sluggishness of the second level of meridian opening.

Sun Tai's eyes lit up. "Third Master has already stepped into the third level of internal energy condensation! Ordinary people get stuck at the point of opening the meridians, which takes at least half a year and at most several years. Even a natural martial arts prodigy would find it difficult to achieve such speed."

Jia Cong still smiled and said, "It's all thanks to Master's excellent teaching; I was just lucky."

Sun Tai looked at him, his eyes full of admiration, but he didn't ask any more questions. He simply clapped his hands and said, "Good! What a stroke of luck! You've finally mastered internal energy cultivation, which means you've truly entered the path of martial arts! Third Master, you can start learning weapons now!"

After saying this, Sun Tai told Jia Cong to stop his movements and rest for a while before asking his question.

"I wonder which weapon Third Master wishes to learn?"

Jia Cong did not hide anything and personally presented the Zhaowu Golden Mace to Sun Tai.

"Master Sun, look! This is a golden mace bestowed by our ancestor, a weapon used by our forefathers!"

Sun Tai had rarely seen such a divine weapon before. He was so happy that he trembled all over. He carefully took it and wielded it a few times. With his already masterful skill, he wielded the golden mace with great force, and his moves were clearly full of energy.

Before the mace even touched the stone slab, a soft hissing sound was heard. The bluestone slab was swept by the internal force emanating from the body, leaving shallow patterns, and stone fragments rolled down with the wind from the mace.

Sun Tai performed a dance, then immediately withdrew, returned the golden mace to Jia Cong, and continued to praise himself.

"As expected of a family renowned for its martial arts, the divine weapons and profound heritage left by their ancestors are something ordinary families cannot match. With the blessings of his ancestors and such a natural talent for martial arts, Third Master should have no problem passing this year's martial arts examination!"