One month later
In recent days, Li Qingshan had visited Master Wu from time to time to exchange insights, benefiting greatly and already achieving mastery of Manifest Jin.
Following his usual routine, Li Qingshan came to Riverside Park, not far from his residence.
With its shady green trees and fresh air, it was an excellent place to practice the Crystal Visualization Method.
He found a secluded corner, sat cross-legged on a bluestone slab, and closed his eyes to focus.
His attainment of the Third Level of Deep Sleep allowed him to enter the state quickly. His mental power spread outward like clear crystal, reflecting everything within ten zhang.
The path of a dewdrop falling from the tip of a leaf, the movements of ants crawling through the grass, and the slow motions of an elderly person practicing Taiji in the distance all appeared clearly in his "mind's mirror."
Suddenly, an unusual fluctuation in a presence caught his attention.
That presence was perfectly harmonious, as though it had become one with heaven, earth, and nature, yet it held a power that made his heart tremble.
In this ordinary park, it stood out like a pearl hidden among grains of sand.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes, a flicker of curiosity passing through them.
He concealed his presence and quietly walked toward its source.
After passing through a bamboo grove, the view suddenly opened up before him.
In a clearing by the lake, a woman dressed in white training clothes was practicing her forms.
Her movements flowed gently like water, and her steps were nimble as a swimming dragon. Every move held an indescribable rhythm.
Baguazhang. Li Qingshan's heart stirred as he recognized this Internal Martial Arts technique, known for its unpredictable changes.
But he soon noticed that the woman's Baguazhang was unlike any version he had seen before.
Her movements seemed gentle, but with every step she took, the fine dust beneath her feet trembled in a peculiar, regular pattern, as though controlled by an invisible force;
As her palms swept through the air, the currents around her flowed with them, subtly corresponding to the eight trigrams and forming a delicate field around her.
Standing at a safe distance, Li Qingshan quietly activated his psychic power and observed her closely.
To his mental perception, the way the woman's Qi and blood circulated was extremely peculiar:
It seemed calm as a lake, yet beneath the surface, hidden currents surged;
With every change of form, her Jin surged and withdrew like dragons and serpents rising from the earth. Held back rather than released, it contained terrifying explosive power.
What exquisite control of Jin.
Li Qingshan marveled inwardly,
This is no longer mere martial arts. It's almost the "Dao."
Absorbed in watching, he unconsciously adjusted his body slightly along with the woman's movements, imitating the intent behind the circulation of her Jin.
His attainment of the Third Level of Deep Sleep allowed him to understand and reproduce the techniques he saw with extraordinary speed,
While the extraordinary perception granted by his psychic power allowed him to discern the essence behind those movements.
The woman seemed completely immersed in her practice and did not notice the observer in the distance.
Her forms grew faster and faster, her figure darting across the clearing like a swimming dragon. Her feet followed the positions of the eight trigrams, and her palms flew, stirring gusts of breeze.
The longer Li Qingshan watched, the more astonished he became.
The woman's martial art had already transcended the realm of moves,
Reaching the supreme state of "intent united with Qi, Qi united with strength."
Her skill at sensing Jin was particularly remarkable. She seemed able to anticipate every subtle change in the air currents and adjust in advance, truly achieving the state where "not a feather can be added, nor a fly alight."
Such a level is probably beyond even a Transformation Jin grandmaster.
Li Qingshan was shaken. City C actually has someone like this?
Just then, the woman reached the Turning Palm in her Baguazhang practice and turned with the motion,
Her gaze happening to sweep over the spot where Li Qingshan stood. Their eyes briefly met across the distance.
Li Qingshan's heart jolted.
The woman's eyes were clear as water yet deep as an abyss, as though they could see through a person's heart.
What surprised him even more was that, at the instant their eyes met, he clearly sensed that she too had noticed something extraordinary about him. It was not the curious scrutiny of an ordinary person,
But a mutual sensing of presence between experts.
The woman did not stop moving. The corners of her lips merely lifted slightly, as though she found it interesting.
Her movements abruptly changed from smooth and harmonious to fierce and forceful. Every palm strike produced a distinct sound as it cut through the air, yet her steps remained light as feathers.
Is she demonstrating this for me?
A realization seemed to dawn on Li Qingshan, and he watched even more intently.
He noticed that the Jin in the woman's Baguazhang was now much more apparent, as though she were deliberately demonstrating the secret of releasing Jin in internal martial arts.
Turning her palms like millstones,
Thrusting them like thunder,
Changing forms like lightning,
She displayed the eight key principles of Baguazhang-"rolling, drilling, contending, wrapping, twisting, enveloping, boring, and turning"-to their fullest.
What benefited Li Qingshan most of all was her use of Inch Jin.
The woman's movements were clearly small, yet the force of her palms reached several feet beyond her, striking distant willow branches and making them tremble slightly.
Such exquisite control of force was precisely the highest realm of Hidden Jin in Chinese martial arts.
Before he knew it, Li Qingshan's body stirred, and he began unconsciously imitating the way the woman exerted force.
He tried combining the mental control of his psychic power with the circulation of Jin in Baguazhang. He felt the Qi and blood flow freely through his body, as though a whole new vista had opened before him.
So that's how it is! he thought in delight. The circulation of Jin in internal martial arts has so much in common with mental cultivation!
Just then, the woman suddenly drew her movements to a close and stood still.
Her breathing was steady and her complexion unchanged, as though that performance had been no more than a casual stretch.
She turned to Li Qingshan and smiled faintly. "You've watched for so long. Did you gain anything?"
Li Qingshan took a few steps forward and respectfully cupped his fist in his other hand. "Thank you for the demonstration, Senior. I've benefited greatly.
"This junior is Li Qingshan. Please forgive me for taking the liberty of watching."
The woman studied him, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes. "Your name is Li Qingshan? You have fine natural aptitude and perceptiveness.
"Judging by you, it seems you've already touched the threshold of Hidden Jin?"
"I haven't been teaching myself for long. I've only scratched the surface,"
Li Qingshan said modestly.
"Teaching yourself?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, disbelief in her voice.
"Someone who can discern the essence of my martial art has done more than merely scratch the surface."
She paused, then added:
"When you imitated the way I exerted force just now, you had the form but not the spirit, though you were on the right track.
"Internal martial arts value intent over form, spirit over strength.
"You seem to have understood that instinctively."
Li Qingshan's heart stirred. He knew this was an advantage granted by his psychic power.
Once one's mental cultivation reached a certain level, one could quickly grasp the essence of any technique.
"You flatter me, Senior.
"I only feel that your martial art seems different from ordinary Baguazhang, closer to the Dao of nature."
The appreciation in the woman's eyes deepened.
"'Closer to the Dao of nature'! It seems you really are perceptive."
She took a few steps forward, coming closer to Li Qingshan.
Only then did Li Qingshan get a clear look at her face:
She was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with picturesque features and an ethereal bearing. She possessed both the clarity of a young woman and the composure of a grandmaster,
The two qualities blending perfectly to give her a unique charm.
"You seem very interested in Chinese martial arts?"
the woman asked casually.
"Yes."
Li Qingshan nodded.
"I believe Chinese martial arts are not only a means of combat, but also a path of evolution."
"A path of evolution?"
A strange light flashed in the woman's eyes.
"That's an interesting way to put it. Tell me more."
Li Qingshan gathered his thoughts and said,
"I believe that, cultivated to a profound level, Chinese martial arts can break through the limits of the human body, unlock its potential, and even touch the extraordinary."
Hearing this, the woman fell silent for a moment, then suddenly gave a soft laugh.
"Interesting.
"In all these years, you're the first person to look at Chinese martial arts from that angle.
"Most people treat them either as fighting skills or as exercises for health and fitness."
She looked out over the lake, her voice growing thoughtful.
"You're right. Guoshu is indeed a path of evolution."
"But that path is far more difficult than ordinary people imagine, and far more fascinating as well."
Li Qingshan's heart stirred, and he asked tentatively,
"May I ask your honored name, Senior?"
The woman turned her head, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"A name is only a label. If you truly have your heart set on the martial path, you'll learn it someday if fate allows."
With that, she suddenly raised a hand and pointed at a willow tree three zhang away.
"Watch closely."
She gave a gentle push of her palm, seemingly without exerting any force.
Yet the willow tree trembled slightly, and a leaf drifted down. More amazingly, the leaf fell neither to one side nor the other, landing right in front of Li Qingshan.
"This..." Li Qingshan's pupils contracted slightly.
"Striking acupoints across empty air? Projecting Gang Jin?"
The woman smiled without answering. She turned and glided away, disappearing deep into the bamboo grove in a few bounds, leaving only a sentence echoing through the air:
"The martial path is long. Conduct yourself well."
Li Qingshan stood where he was, the shock in his heart hard to quell.
He bent down and picked up the fallen leaf. Its veins were intact and entirely undamaged, yet the subtlety of the Jin contained within gave him endless food for thought.
"A one-inch strike across empty air. That's the mark of the Gang Jin realm."
He murmured to himself,
"City C actually has someone like this? A female Gang Jin grandmaster..."
Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind-a name that resounded like thunder in the original Romance of Dragons and Snakes.
"Tang Zichen?!"
Li Qingshan abruptly raised his head and looked in the direction the woman had disappeared.
Could that woman just now have been the Tang Sect's leader, known as "Sister Chen," the one who guided Wang Chao, the future number one in the Chinese martial arts world?
He recalled the woman's bearing and grace, that transcendent air of a grandmaster,
And the effortless way she had wielded Gang Jin. He grew increasingly certain of his guess.
No wonder she reached such a level. So it was her!
Li Qingshan was both shocked and delighted.
He was shocked to have encountered this legendary figure by such a coincidence;
He was delighted to have received her guidance. Even if it had only been an unintentional demonstration, he had benefited greatly.
He stood by the lake, recalling every movement he had just seen and every subtle change in Jin he had perceived.
Without realizing it, his understanding of Chinese martial arts deepened another level, and he gained new insights into the use of Hidden Jin.
Tang Zichen has appeared in City C. That means Wang Chao should be in this city too, and he'll soon begin his journey on the martial path.
Li Qingshan looked into the distance, his gaze profound.
The storyline of this world was slowly unfolding.
And his arrival might become one unexpected variable in it.