Three Rivers County, Hanging Pot Medical Hall.
After work in the evening.
Several menial workers huddled together, whispering.
"Hey, have you noticed? Shen Han's been acting kind of strange these past few days."
"Yeah, he's always looking in the mirror, no matter where he is!"
"Looking in the mirror? Shen Han's a grown man, just like the rest of us. What's he looking in the mirror for?"
"He was even looking in it just now while we were lining up to collect our monthly pay."
"Could it be..."
"Shh, keep your voice down. He's coming."
A dark-skinned youth strode out of the medical hall's accounts office, clutching a bronze mirror in his hand. He was none other than the Shen Han they had been talking about.
The others exchanged glances and hurriedly scattered.
Shen Han said nothing. He yawned and walked straight out of the medical hall.
"You don't understand..."
He gazed at himself in the mirror, a faint smile playing at his lips. "At this rate, I should be able to fuse successfully tonight!
"I've been in this world for half a year, and my cheat only arrived a few days ago.
"Well, as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. I hope it gives me a huge surprise!"
Before long, Shen Han's figure slipped through the streets and alleys and darted into a small courtyard in the eastern part of town.
The courtyard was small, with only two rooms.
Click!
Shen Han opened the door to his room, hurried inside, and casually lit an oil lamp.
Once inside, he sat on the edge of the bed and continued looking in the mirror.
The bronze mirror was worn and battered, its frame mottled with rust, while the surface shimmered with wisps of sinister energy.
What was baffling was that the mirror showed nothing in the room except him. What was more, his reflection was incomplete. Like scattered blocks being pieced together, it was slowly taking shape bit by bit!
"It worked!"
Half an hour later, the last fragment of the image in the bronze mirror snapped into place.
The person in the mirror looked exactly like him. Once fully formed, he became a separate body and began wandering around inside the mirror of his own accord.
"Stop!"
Shen Han controlled him with a thought.
In an instant, his reflection understood and stopped in his tracks, then sat down cross-legged.
"Marvelous, absolutely marvelous!"
Shen Han clicked his tongue in amazement. "I knew it. This is the sort of setup a transmigrator deserves!"
That's right, he wasn't from this world.
Half a year ago, he had gotten lucky and transmigrated to this continent, ending up in Three Rivers County. He soon learned that this was a feudal dynasty where martial arts reigned supreme, a world where not only were there experts who could come and go like the wind, but demons and monsters roamed as well.
To protect himself, he had started practicing martial arts.
Unfortunately, martial arts required talent. His aptitude wasn't even average, and he had already passed the golden age for beginning his training. In other words, he had no chance of making any progress in the martial world.
But he still had to make a living.
Half a month ago, he had moved into this courtyard. Thanks to an introduction from his neighbor, he had become a menial worker at Hanging Pot Medical Hall, where he did odd jobs every day and at least had a way to earn a living.
The turning point had come three days ago.
By chance, he had come across a bronze mirror and awakened his cheat.
As long as he kept looking in the mirror until his reflection fully took shape, the person in the mirror could become his clone. And not just any clone, but a prodigy with exceptional talent, who could practice all kinds of martial arts in the mirror without rest and without sleep in his place. He could even share the results of that training!
"Let's give it a try!"
Shen Han wasted no time. He immediately rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a martial arts manual, Basic Fist Technique, then placed it on the bronze mirror. It was a common manual that anyone in Three Rivers County who wanted to learn martial arts could get their hands on.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the manual slid into the bronze mirror and appeared in his clone's hands.
Shen Han stared at his clone without blinking.
The clone quickly flipped through the manual once, then tossed it out of the mirror.
Afterward, the clone struck a stance and began practicing inside the mirror, executing each move with precision. His build and posture were remarkably well-coordinated.
"That's incredible!"
Shen Han was thrilled.
An expert's first move told you all you needed to know.
If he had to compare his old punching form to his clone's, it would be like comparing earth to heaven. They weren't even in the same league.
He watched the clone practice with keen interest for an hour.
A panel of light appeared on the bronze mirror.
Mirror Master: Shen Han
Cultivation: None
Martial Arts: Basic Fist Technique (Beginner)
"The fist technique reached the beginner level already?"
The next moment, Shen Han took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Sure enough, every trick and secret of the Basic Fist Technique had already taken root in his mind as muscle memory. The punching moves and methods for gathering strength were crystal clear.
He got excited and hurriedly practiced a set of beginner-level Basic Fist Technique in the room.
Whoosh, whoosh!
His punches cut through the air with a fierce whistle, each move remarkably refined.
Shen Han was overjoyed and told his clone to keep practicing.
"I really don't have any foundation in martial arts, but with my clone doing the work, isn't it just the same?
"Practice. Keep practicing.
"My clone is me. When he trains, it's the same as me training. I'm the one putting in all the effort!"
After giving his clone the order, Shen Han put the bronze mirror away, took a bath, and settled comfortably into bed.
"Martial arts have four stages: beginner, minor mastery, major mastery, and perfection.
"It only took an hour to reach the beginner level in fist technique.
"I'm sure it won't take more than a few days to reach perfection. Heh, all I have to do is reap the benefits."
After muttering to himself, Shen Han fell into a deep sleep.
The next day.
Shen Han woke from a pleasant dream early in the morning. The first thing he did was check the bronze mirror.
Martial Arts: Basic Fist Technique (Beginner)
Why was it still at the beginner level?
Looking again, he saw that although the clone in the mirror hadn't slept, he hadn't practiced either. Instead, he was sitting on the ground, staring blankly.
Why hadn't he kept practicing?
Shen Han immediately asked his clone with a thought.
The clone looked up, pointed at his stomach, then shook a finger.
"Do you need food?"
At once, Shen Han understood.
Martial arts training consumed a tremendous amount of energy. A martial artist's appetite steadily increased, and without enough food, training couldn't continue.
The clone nodded emphatically.
I really dropped the ball... Shen Han thought. He had wasted an entire night.
There were two flatbreads and three steamed buns left on the table, so he immediately brought them all to the mirror. The clone snatched them up and polished them off in three bites.
"Can you practice now?"
Shen Han told the clone to start practicing again.
With his strength restored, the clone was once more full of energy and resumed practicing his fist technique inside the mirror.
Only then did Shen Han head to the medical hall.
"This is a problem..."
As he walked, he pondered it.
If he wanted his clone to train without interruption, he had to prepare enough food for him, especially meat!
The medical hall did provide meals during the day, but only enough to feed Shen Han. In other words, he would have to spend extra money on the food his clone needed.
Just then, a voice came from behind him.
"Shen, you brat. Your medical hall paid you yesterday. Time to hand over last month's incense money for the Dragon King, isn't it?"
The speaker was a burly, scar-faced man with a fleshy face. He bared his teeth as he approached Shen Han.
"So it's Master Hu."
Shen Han recognized the scar-faced man. He took out a hundred copper coins and handed them over. "Please accept this, Master Hu."
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