Ultimate True Lord

In the following days, Liu Mao led his many new disciples to practice horse stance. Everything must be done step by step; after practicing horse stance for a few more days, they could start practicing ground stance.

For the entire morning, the group first stood in a horse stance for a while, then lifted the smallest row of stone weights, repeating this process back and forth.

Jiang Ming immediately felt the pain of practicing martial arts; his legs and hands ached and went numb, feeling as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Every time he lifted the lock, every time he assumed a horse stance, it was as if he was wrestling with his own muscles and bones. Even his fingertips trembled slightly, and he was so weak that he could hardly lift them.

Around noon, everyone ate their own lunch.

Red Sand Palm does not provide daily meals; the disciples who come to become its disciples bring their own.

A quick glance revealed a diverse array of people squatting under the shade of trees, their diets varying considerably. Some came from well-off families, eating snow-white dry rice and steamed buns made from refined rice, while occasionally a few slices of braised beef glistening with oil and preserved meats could be seen.

Some families with modest means would have a meal consisting of cornbread made from coarse grains, along with some dried radish and pickled vegetables.

In the corner, Jiang Ming also took out his own food.

Several large, warm white steamed buns, a small row of braised beef with a savory aroma, interspersed with jelly-like pork skin, and even a round egg. These were brought by my younger sister, Jiang Tao, and they were still warm.

The food here is about the same as that of the disciples from wealthier families.

Jiang Ming swallowed hard, then without further hesitation, broke off a piece of soft white steamed bun and ate it with the rich aroma of braised beef.

After peeling the egg, he swallowed it whole, and his tired body seemed to be instantly infused with strength.

This was all thanks to his cleverness in helping the martial arts school calculate the accounts and offset the tuition fees for becoming an apprentice.

The money originally intended for his apprenticeship remained untouched. This large sum of money was enough for him to eat meat and fish every meal during his arduous training over the next few months, thus strengthening his body.

Jiang Ming had already decided to go all in, using all of his original tuition fees to improve his meals and strive for a breakthrough.

Becoming a formal disciple of the Red Sand Palm sect guarantees a very comfortable life. Senior Brother Liu Mao had mentioned this to them that afternoon, which drew envy from everyone.

After a hearty meal, everyone continued their rigorous training in the afternoon.

Jiang Ming had eaten a full lunch and still had the energy, but his limbs were becoming increasingly unresponsive, and he even found it difficult to lift his arms and legs.

Just then, Liu Mao walked over slowly and distributed a small jar of dark, shiny ointment to each person.

The ointment had a slightly spicy herbal aroma, and the jar still had faint medicinal stains on it. Liu Mao solemnly instructed everyone that this was a black ointment.

After finishing your practice each day, apply it to your sore and numb arms and legs, rubbing it repeatedly until it feels warm. Rest well tonight, and you will feel much better when you practice again tomorrow.

That evening, despite the soreness in his hands and feet, Jiang Ming meticulously recorded the day's accounts at the martial arts school. Then, he applied a medicated plaster to his skin.

The next day, he was surprised to find that the pain in his limbs had indeed subsided by more than half. Although some pain remained, it did not interfere with his practice.

So Jiang Ming diligently practiced his skills every day, and whenever he had free time, he would go to Mixiang Street to help people with their accounts.

Time passed day by day, and he practiced like this from the hottest days of summer until early winter. During this time, Jiang Ming returned to his hometown a few times and found some knocking marks on the door and footprints in the yard.

It's estimated that Zhang Hu, unwilling to give up, came back a couple more times, probably having discovered that Jiang Ming had moved. Therefore, for a period of time afterward, the remaining traces didn't increase.

During these four months, Jiang Ming practiced his skills diligently.

In the first few days, the movements were just going through the motions, and the training effect was not very good.

Later, he started to perform the basics more skillfully and was able to complete them smoothly. Finally, his posture became quite proper, and he developed muscle memory for the standard movements.

After that, he began practicing palm techniques and the footwork that complemented them. His overall condition became more and more energetic.

For over a hundred days, practicing martial arts every day and eating rice and meat at every meal would be enough to cause a dramatic change in an ordinary person. Not to mention that Jiang Ming was just a sixteen-year-old boy in puberty, at the age when his body was growing rapidly.

He has changed a lot. He used to be only about 1.7 meters tall, but now he has grown to 1.75 meters.

His skin was slightly dark, his back and waist were strong, his shoulders were broad and his arms were thick, and his muscles were lean and powerful. He looked completely different from the bean sprout he used to be.

Mid-November, Hongshazhang Outer Courtyard.

"Bang bang bang!"

A man in gray stood before the wooden stake, took a deep breath, and unleashed a series of rapid strikes with both hands, the sound of the wooden stake clapping against the wood echoing continuously. His palm strikes were precise and powerful, his arm muscles taut, and the wooden stake trembled slightly with each blow.

"call…"

Jiang Ming withdrew his slightly reddened palm and exhaled a breath of stale air.

He turned to look at his side, where a short, stocky figure was vigorously pounding on a wooden stake. It was the same short guy who had started learning martial arts in the same batch as him, the one who said he was learning to grow taller and stronger. His real name was Lin Lei.

The two have spent the last few months together, receiving instruction from their fourth senior brother, and have become quite familiar with each other.

Seemingly sensing that Jiang Ming was looking at him, Lin Lei looked over.

"Jiang Ming, how's your practice of the moves and routines coming along?"

Jiang Ming gently shook his head: "I'm still far from it. There's one crucial point I just can't figure out. I asked my fourth senior brother, but he couldn't explain it either. I can only wait until Elder Liu comes to give a lecture in a few days and then ask him for guidance."

Upon hearing this, Lin Lei immediately pouted and couldn't help but complain, "Sigh, the outer court's treatment is really bad. Look at the inner court disciples, they can ask Elder Liu for guidance anytime they have a problem, and there are fewer of them, so they don't have to wait."

"Elder Liu only shows up once every three days when he comes to our outer courtyard, and each time he spends half a day. With so many disciples crammed together, it takes a long time for each of them to ask a question, and often they can't get a turn."

Both of them knew in their hearts that this was only one aspect of the difference.

The inner disciples are provided with free meals, which consist of fine rice and meat at every meal, and they also have specially prepared qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing medicinal soups, which they can drink two bowls of every week.

Meanwhile, the outer court disciples could only afford to eat coarse grains and salty vegetables at their own expense. Their resources and treatment were truly worlds apart.

"..."

Jiang Ming remained silent, but he also knew that inner court disciples were naturally gifted and had no one to blame but themselves.

Jiang Ming hasn't even fully mastered the palm techniques yet, while those in the inner courtyard have already begun practicing real techniques to hone and refine their hands.

The person who made the fastest progress had only been practicing for a little over two months, and the difference was obvious.

"If only I could be in the inner courtyard, with rice, meat, and medicinal soup, I'd probably be practicing magic by now," Lin Lei thought unrealistically. With his and Jiang Ming's mediocre aptitude, it was a bit of a pipe dream.

"Oh, right."

Lin Lei turned his head, leaned closer and lowered his voice, "I have a childhood friend who heard that I'm learning boxing here and is planning to come and become my apprentice. When he arrives in a few days, I'll introduce you to him."

Before the words were finished, two figures slowly walked out from the inner courtyard.

The two were dressed in cleaner and crisper gray cloth outfits than those of the outer courtyard disciples. The clothes were starched and clean, and the fabric was brand new, without a trace of sweat or wrinkles, which was completely different from the dusty training clothes of the outer courtyard disciples.

Their gazes were fixed straight ahead, their faces expressionless, but their eyes held a faint sense of detachment and indifference. They never looked at the outer courtyard students practicing in the arena, as if no one was around them.

Under the gaze of the outer disciples who unconsciously slowed their movements, the two walked straight away, probably to help Old Man Liu with something.

In their minds, most of these outer court disciples who were still struggling with basic palm techniques were mediocre and unlikely to make a breakthrough; they were just wasting their time here.

In the courtyard, Lin Lei only let out a muffled groan after the two figures had walked away, his voice low so that only Jiang Ming beside him could hear it.

"What's so great about it..."

Jiang Ming did not respond, but simply raised his left hand. On the back of his hand, on the [Primal Furnace], there was a line of writing that glowed faintly.

[Technique: Red Sand Palm (Beginner Level) - Cannot be Enhanced]