I am a Late Bloomer in the Immortal World
Chapter 19: Tiger-Crane Dual Form Fist

It wasn’t always the case that First Madam Shan Min lived separately from Mr. Shan.

During festivals like the Dragon Boat Festival, New Year’s Day, and the Mid-Autumn Festival, she would return to the Shan household. From what Shan Wuju had said, Wei Tu speculated that Lady Shan Min might be coming back in the next few days.

......

After delivering the apprenticeship gifts, Shan Wuju's attitude towards Wei Tu's training did not change significantly; it remained much the same as before, though he spoke with a somewhat gentler tone than previously, lacking the urgency that characterized their earlier interactions.

Half a month later, after Wei Tu had significantly improved his archery skills, Shan Wuju invited him into his study.

Mr. Shan dismissed the maids from the room and then bent down to pry open a piece of blue brick beneath the offering table, retrieving a redwood box about seven inches long from underneath.

“You have a solid foundation with the health-preserving technique, and your martial practice has sufficiently strengthened your physique,” Shan Wuju said, examining Wei Tu with a hint of emotion. “But a martial artist needs more than just a strong body and one must also master the art of combat.”

In fact, Shan Wuju considered himself fortunate to have taken Wei Tu as a disciple. Wei Tu had already mastered the thirty-two stances of the 'Turtle Breathing' technique, a foundational practice that established his martial roots. In other words, his martial foundation was solid before he became Mr. Shan’s student.

What was lacking were practical combat techniques like archery, boxing, and swordplay.

“The bow stance I taught you previously is the foundation of both archery and fist techniques. Over the past month, while practicing archery, you have inadvertently learned a small portion of my fist technique,” Mr. Shan explained.

With that, Mr. Shan opened the redwood box and took out a yellowed book, handing it to Wei Tu.

“This is the manual for the ‘Tiger-Crane Dual Form Fist,’ which is the core of our martial arts lineage. Mastering the ‘Tiger-Crane Dual Form Fist’ is essential before moving on to the next step of sword training,” Shan Wuju instructed.

“My requirement is simple: within a month, learn the Tiger Form of this technique. Then, I will teach you some related sword techniques. If you practice well, you should be able to achieve at least a Grade B in the ‘Swordmanship’ portion of the martial examination.”

The mention of a B rank in the examination brightened Wei Tu’s eyes.

Similar to the literary examinations, the martial examinations are divided into four levels: the County Test, the Prefecture Test, the Dao Test, and the Provincial Test.

Passing the County and Prefecture Tests only grants the status of a ‘Martial Student,’ which is not a degree but a qualification to participate in the Dao Test. To earn the title of ‘Martial Scholar,’ one must pass the Dao Test and achieve a certain score.

The Provincial Test, on the other hand, awards the title of ‘Martial Champion.’

At present, Shan Wuju mentioned that mastering a portion of the sword techniques would give Wei Tu a chance to attain Grade B in the swordsmanship part of the Dao Test.

A Grade B score is indeed quite impressive. Grade B in the overall Dao Test can be enough for a martial aspirant to secure the title of 'Martial Scholar', even if the overall level of the current martial candidates is relatively low.

“Thank you, Master.” Wei Tu expressed his gratitude, accepting the yellowed book with both hands and bowing deeply to Mr. Shan.

“Go and practice,” Shan Wuju said with a pleased smile, patting Wei Tu on the shoulder and waving him off.

“Master, please wait a moment.” Wei Tu suddenly remembered something as he was about to leave. He stopped and, after hesitating for a moment, turned around and bowed again to Mr. Shan.

"What is it?" Shan Wuju asked with surprise upon seeing Wei Tu's behavior. After spending several months together, he had come to understand Wei Tu's character well. He knew that Wei Tu was very respectful and even somewhat overly courteous.

In the guest room, Wei Tu used the oil for the lamps sparingly and bought paper and ink himself when they were finished, rather than asking the maid for more.

If one were to say that Wei Tu was not open-hearted with him, it would not be true. Whenever there were doubts about military strategies or difficulties with archery and horseback riding, Wei Tu would frequently come to seek guidance without hesitation. The maids in the house had replenished the oil and ink in the guest room, and he had not refused their help.

Later, Shan Wuju realized that Wei Tu’s careful behavior was due to his long experience as a poor man. He understood the importance of maintaining propriety to avoid being looked down upon.

At this moment, having just handed over the fist technique manual to Wei Tu, it was expected that this respectful disciple would go off to study the manual quietly and practice the basic techniques.

"Master, do you know about the 'Qi Perception' realm? I saw it mentioned in the preface of the 'Turtle Breathing' technique." Wei Tu finally voiced a long-held question.

After becoming Shan Wuju's disciple, Wei Tu had hoped that his master would mention the 'Qi Perception' realm in his daily teachings. However, months had passed, and he had not heard this term from Shan Wuju.

"Qi Perception realm?" Shan Wuju was taken aback, not expecting Wei Tu's question to be related to this.

After pondering for a moment, he carefully explained, "In martial arts cultivation, there is a distinction between internal and external skills—the difference between internal arts and external arts."

"The 'Qi Perception' realm is the first small realm in internal arts."

"Just the first small realm of internal arts?" Wei Tu felt a deep sense of discouragement upon hearing this. He had been practicing the cultivation technique for a long time and, according to his fate of 'Late Bloomer,' he was supposed to practice 'nine times a day' and would only reach the 'Qi Perception' realm after five years.

Yet this was just the first small realm of internal energy cultivation. If this was so difficult, how much harder would the subsequent realms be?

“Don’t underestimate yourself,” Shan Wuju seemed to sense Wei Tu’s thoughts and shook his head. “Your health-preserving manual describes methods to cultivate internal strength from external arts. It doesn’t imply that external techniques are inferior to internal methods.”

“On the contrary, achieving great success in external techniques can produce fierce internal strength that is far more potent. A single thread of this strength can surpass ten threads of the internal strength cultivated from true internal skills!”

Hearing this, Wei Tu sighed with relief, cursing himself inwardly for not realizing this earlier.

The cultivation technique of 'Turtle Breathing' only includes thirty-two basic forms and lacks the methods for channeling internal energy and expanding the meridians, making it clear it was not an internal technique.

"Furthermore, generally speaking, internal cultivators are usually weaker than external cultivators. An internal cultivator who has meditated for decades may not be as powerful as an external cultivator who has been honing their body for several years. Otherwise, all martial artists would be internal practitioners."

Shan Wuju continued, "However, if one can enter the 'Qi Perception' realm, combining internal and external cultivation is beneficial. External cultivators often suffer from hidden injuries due to their early focus on physical training, but an internal cultivator can use their internal power to heal such injuries."

"The 'Tiger-Crane Dual Form Fist' manual I gave you, just like your ‘Turtle Breathing’ technique, also has the potential to develop internal power from external techniques over a long period of time, allowing you to reach the Qi Perception realm."