Chapter 19: Tiger and Crane Twin Form Fist

However, Dan Min was not entirely estranged from Dan Wu Ju. During major festivals like the Dragon Boat Festival, New Year's, and Mid-Autumn Festival, she would return to the Dan household.

Hearing his master's remark, Wei Tu speculated that Dan Min might have written a letter and would be returning soon.

…

After presenting the apprenticeship gift, Dan Wu Ju's attitude toward teaching Wei Tu did not change significantly. He maintained the same rigorous instruction as before, though his tone had softened somewhat—no longer as sharp and urgent.

Half a month later.

Once Wei Tu's archery skills had improved substantially, Dan Wu Ju summoned him into his private chamber.

After instructing the maids to leave, Dan Wu Ju bent down and pried open a loose blue brick beneath the offering table. From the compartment beneath, he retrieved a redwood box about seven inches long.

"You already have the foundation of Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation's stance training, which is more than enough to build your physical strength."

"But a warrior needs more than a strong physique—he must master the art of killing."

Dan Wu Ju looked at Wei Tu with a deep expression, his tone serious.

In truth, he considered himself fortunate to have taken Wei Tu as a disciple.

Wei Tu had already cultivated his Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation to the level of Major Accomplishment and had completely mastered all thirty-two fundamental stances. While these were merely foundational exercises, they were sufficient to solidify his martial foundation.

In other words, before even becoming his disciple, Wei Tu's martial roots were already firmly established.

What he lacked was the knowledge of combat techniques.

These techniques boiled down to archery, fist techniques, and saber techniques—methods of direct combat.

"The bow stance is the foundation of archery, but it is also the foundation of fist techniques. Through your month-long archery training, you have unknowingly absorbed parts of my fist techniques."

Dan Wu Ju spoke slowly.

With that, he opened the redwood box in his hands, took out an aged manual, and handed it to Wei Tu.

"This is the fist manual for Tiger and Crane Twin Form Fist. It is the core martial art of our lineage. Only by mastering this can you proceed to the next step—saber techniques."

"I do not have high expectations for you. Within a month, you must master the Tiger Form."

"When that time comes, I will teach you some saber techniques that are derived from the Tiger Form. If you practice diligently, you should at least secure a second-tier ranking in the 'saber performance' section of the Dao-level exam."

"Second-tier ranking in the Dao exam?"

Wei Tu's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

The martial examination system, much like the civil exams, consisted of county-level, prefectural, Dao-level, and provincial (Xiang) exams.

Passing the county and prefectural exams only granted one the status of a Martial Student, which was not an official title but merely a qualification to proceed to the Dao exam.

It was only after passing the Dao exam with a sufficient ranking that one could earn the title of Martial Scholar (Wu Xiucai).

The provincial exam, or Martial Provincial Examination, was for those seeking the coveted title of Martial Juren—a stepping stone toward official military positions.

Dan Wu Ju's remark implied that if Wei Tu successfully learned a portion of the saber techniques derived from the Tiger Form, he could achieve a second-tier rating in the Dao-level saber assessment.

For a Dao exam candidate, achieving an overall second-tier rating across all sections meant that, if the competition was weak, he could potentially secure the title of Martial Scholar.

"Thank you, Master."

Wei Tu's face showed a deep sense of gratitude as he respectfully accepted the aged manual with both hands and bowed deeply to Dan Wu Ju.

"Go practice."

Dan Wu Ju smiled in satisfaction, patted Wei Tu's shoulder, and waved his hand, signaling for him to leave.

"Master, wait a moment."

"There's something I still don't quite understand."

Just as Wei Tu reached the doorway, something suddenly came to mind. He hesitated for a moment, then turned back, bowing again to Dan Wu Ju.

"What is it?" Dan Wu Ju was slightly surprised by Wei Tu's behavior.

After months of living together, he had a good grasp of his disciple's personality. Wei Tu was extremely mindful of etiquette, sometimes to the point of being overly cautious.

—The oil for his lamp in the side chamber was used sparingly, and he was equally frugal with his paper and ink. When he ran out, he never asked the maids for more but instead spent his own money to buy them from town.

If Wei Tu were keeping a distance from him, that wouldn't be right either… Whenever he struggled with military strategy or had difficulties in archery training, he would always seek guidance without hesitation.

Later, Dan Wu Ju understood the reason behind Wei Tu's behavior—he had been poor for too long. He knew how to navigate social dynamics and understood that behaving this way would prevent others from looking down on him.

Now, having just received the fist technique manual, it made no sense for this reserved disciple to immediately turn back and ask questions. Normally, he would first study the manual carefully before coming back for guidance.

"Master, do you know about the Qi Perception Realm?" Wei Tu finally voiced the question that had been weighing on his mind.

"I read the preface of Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation, and it mentioned something about it…"

Wei Tu had assumed that after becoming Dan Wu Ju's disciple, he would naturally come across discussions of Qi Perception Realm in his master's teachings.

Yet after several months of training, he had never once heard Dan Wu Ju mention it.

"Qi Perception Realm?"

Dan Wu Ju was momentarily taken aback. He hadn't expected Wei Tu's question to be about this.

After pondering for a moment, he carefully chose his words.

"Martial cultivation is divided into internal and external paths. Internal cultivation involves true inner energy, while external cultivation focuses on honed physical strength."

"Qi Perception Realm is merely the first minor stage of true inner energy cultivation."

"Only the first minor stage?"

Hearing this, Wei Tu felt a wave of disappointment.

He had been practicing Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation for so long. According to his Late Bloomer destiny, he had to train nine times a day for five years to reach the Qi Perception Realm.

And yet, it turned out to be just the entry-level stage of inner cultivation?

If the Qi Perception Realm was already this difficult, wouldn't the later stages be even harder?

"Don't underestimate yourself."

Dan Wu Ju noticed the change in Wei Tu's expression and shook his head.

"The Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation manual you have describes a method of cultivating inner energy from external practice, but that doesn't mean external martial arts are inferior to internal arts."

"In fact, an external martial artist who has fully mastered his art can produce internal energy far more powerful than that of most internal cultivators—one strand of an external martial artist's energy is worth ten strands of an internal cultivator's."

Hearing this, Wei Tu let out a small breath of relief.

He silently scolded himself for being foolish.

He should have realized it earlier.

Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation only had stance training—it lacked the meditative breathing techniques that true inner cultivation methods were known for.

Clearly, it was not an internal martial art.

"Besides, in most cases, internal cultivators are much weaker than external cultivators in direct combat."

"An internal cultivator may sit in meditation for decades, but he'll still struggle against an external martial artist who has spent just a few years refining his body through rigorous training."

"If internal cultivation were truly superior, wouldn't all warriors in this world be practicing it?"

"If that were the case, wouldn't the martial examinations be dominated by internal martial artists?"

Dan Wu Ju chuckled.

"That said, if one can reach the Qi Perception Realm, combining both internal and external cultivation is beneficial."

"External martial artists often sustain hidden injuries from their intense physical training and frequent battles. If they can develop inner energy, they can use it to heal and regulate their bodies."

"I'm giving you Tiger and Crane Twin Form Fist because, like your Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation, it can eventually lead to inner energy cultivation through external practice. If you train long enough, you will also have the chance to reach the Qi Perception Realm."