However, Madam Shan Min did not live separately from Scholar Dan all the time. When festivals like the Dragon Boat Festival, New Year's Day, and Mid-Autumn Festival drew near, she would return to the Shan Family.
Since Scholar Dan had said this, Wei Tu guessed that Madam Shan Min had sent a letter and would be returning within the next few days.
After presenting the gifts for becoming a disciple.
Martial Graduate Dan's attitude toward teaching Wei Tu did not change much. He was still the same as before, except his tone had grown somewhat gentler.
It no longer carried its former impatience.
Half a month later.
After Wei Tu's archery skills had improved tremendously, Martial Graduate Dan brought him into his living quarters.
Martial Graduate Dan dismissed the maids in the room, then bent down and pried up a blue brick beneath the altar table. From under it, he took out a seven-inch-long redwood box.
"With the stance training from your Health Cultivation Technique to support you, it is already enough for you to train in martial arts and strengthen your physique."
"But a martial artist needs more than a strong body. He must also learn the art of killing."
Martial Graduate Dan glanced at Wei Tu, a look of emotion in his eyes as he spoke in a grave voice.
In truth, taking Wei Tu as his disciple had been a great bargain for him.
Wei Tu had mastered the Health Cultivation Technique and already knew the thirty-two stance forms of the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique by heart. Though these thirty-two forms were merely foundational stance training, they were more than enough to forge the foundation of his Martial Way.
That was to say.
Even before becoming his disciple, Wei Tu's martial foundation had already been solid.
What he lacked was only the methods of combat and fighting.
Put into practice, these methods of combat and fighting were archery, fist techniques, saber techniques...
"The Archer's Stance is the foundation of archery and also the foundation of fist techniques. During this past month of practicing archery, you have unwittingly learned a small portion of my fist techniques as well."
Martial Graduate Dan spoke slowly.
After saying this, Martial Graduate Dan opened the redwood box in his hand, took out a yellowed booklet, and handed it to Wei Tu.
"This is the fist manual of the Tiger Crane Double Form Fist. It is also the martial foundation of our lineage. Only after mastering the Tiger Crane Double Form Fist can you proceed to the next stage of saber technique training."
"My expectations for you are not high. Learn the Tiger Form Fist within a month."
"At that time, I will teach you some saber techniques related to the Tiger Form Fist. By the time of the saber dance examination, if you practice them well, you can at least contend for a Grade B in the Dao Examination."
"Grade B in the Dao Examination?" Wei Tu's eyes lit up slightly upon hearing this.
Like the civil examinations, the martial examinations were divided into the County Examination, Prefectural Examination, Dao Examination, and Provincial Examination.
After passing the County Examination and Prefectural Examination, one only obtained the status of a Martial Student. A Martial Student was not a degree holder, but merely qualified to take the Dao Examination.
Only after passing the Dao Examination and achieving a result could one obtain the degree of Martial Scholar.
The Provincial Examination, on the other hand, granted the degree of Martial Graduate.
At this moment, Martial Graduate Dan said that if he learned part of the saber techniques, he would have a chance to earn Grade B in the saber dance portion of the Dao Examination.
Grade B was truly not a low result.
With Grade B in every subject of the Dao Examination, if the martial examination candidates of that year were somewhat weaker, one could even win the degree of Martial Scholar.
"Thank you, Master." Wei Tu showed a grateful expression as he received the yellowed booklet with both hands and gave Martial Graduate Dan a deep bow.
"Go practice."
Martial Graduate Dan smiled in satisfaction, patted Wei Tu on the shoulder, and waved his hand to indicate that Wei Tu should leave.
"Master, wait."
"There is still something this disciple does not understand."
Wei Tu had reached the doorway when he suddenly recalled something. He stopped, hesitated for a moment, then turned around and bowed to Martial Graduate Dan once more.
"What is it?" Martial Graduate Dan looked surprised at Wei Tu's manner.
After several months together, he had come to understand Wei Tu's temperament well. He knew that this disciple was very mindful of propriety, even somewhat overly respectful.
—He used the cooking oil in the oil lamp in his side room sparingly, and did the same with paper and ink. When they ran out, he did not ask the maids for more, instead paying for replacements himself in town.
It would not be right to say Wei Tu did not open his heart to him either... Whenever he encountered difficult questions in military strategy or obstacles in mounted archery, Wei Tu would frequently come consult him, his master, without hesitation.
When the household maids later refilled the lamp in his side room and replenished his paper and ink, he did not refuse them either.
Only afterward did Martial Graduate Dan understand why Wei Tu behaved this way. Having been poor for so long, he understood restraint and knew that only by acting thus would he avoid being looked down upon.
Now that he had just handed the fist manual to Wei Tu, by all reason this overly respectful disciple should not have turned back to ask a question. He should have gone off silently to study the fist manual and practice the stance forms.
"Master, do you know of the Qi Sensing Realm? This disciple... saw it mentioned in the preface of the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique..."
At this moment, Wei Tu voiced the question that had long accumulated in his heart.
After becoming Martial Graduate Dan's disciple, he had originally thought that Martial Graduate Dan would mention the Qi Sensing Realm during his daily instruction.
Yet several months had passed, and he had never once heard Scholar Dan mention the words "Qi Sensing Realm."
"The Qi Sensing Realm?"
Martial Graduate Dan was also startled upon hearing this. He had not expected Wei Tu's question to concern this matter.
He considered his words for a moment before saying, "Martial cultivation has inner and outer divisions—the distinction between True Internal Martial Arts Techniques and external martial arts."
"The Qi Sensing Realm is the first minor realm in the cultivation of True Internal Martial Arts Techniques."
"It is only the first minor realm of True Internal Martial Arts Techniques?" Wei Tu felt his heart sink at once.
He had practiced the Health Cultivation Technique for so long. According to the guidance of the Late Bloomer fate, he had to practice nine times a day for five years before he could enter the Qi Sensing Realm.
And this was only the first minor realm of internal energy cultivation.
The Qi Sensing Realm was already this difficult.
Wouldn't the realms beyond it be even harder to cultivate?
"Do not belittle yourself." Martial Graduate Dan seemed to have seen through Wei Tu's thoughts. Shaking his head, he said, "Your Health Cultivation Technique booklet describes a method of cultivating internal energy from the outside inward. It does not mean that external martial arts are inferior to True Internal Martial Arts Techniques."
"On the contrary, once external martial arts are mastered, the fierce and powerful internal energy they cultivate is, in terms of might, one strand stronger than ten strands of internal energy cultivated through True Internal Martial Arts Techniques!"
Hearing this.
Wei Tu quietly let out a breath of relief.
He also secretly cursed himself for being foolish enough not to have thought of this.
The Health Cultivation Technique only contained stance training. It did not contain the methods said to exist in True Internal Martial Arts Techniques for circulating internal energy through the meridians and widening the meridians.
At a glance, it was clear that it was not a True Internal Martial Arts Technique.
"Furthermore, generally speaking, Internal Martial Masters are far weaker than External Martial Masters."
"An Internal Martial Master who meditates for decades is still not as formidable as an External Martial Master who tempers his body for several years."
"Otherwise, every martial master under heaven would be an Internal Martial Master."
"And they would be the ones sweeping the martial examinations."
Martial Graduate Dan continued.
"Still, if you can enter the Qi Sensing Realm, cultivating both the inner and outer paths is also good." Martial Graduate Dan pondered for a moment before saying, "Because External Martial Masters temper their bodies in their early years and delight in fighting, they can easily deplete their qi and blood and sustain hidden injuries. If they can become Internal Martial Masters, they can use internal energy to nourish and treat the injuries on their bodies..."
"The Tiger Crane Double Form Fist I gave you is the same as your Health Cultivation Technique. If practiced for long enough, it too offers a chance to cultivate internal energy from the outside inward and enter the Qi Sensing Realm."
Before you continue