Ultimate True Lord

With a thought, Jiang Ming unleashed the power accumulated in the Primal Furnace.

After a while.

The furnace fire roared, and a line of twisted black and gold text danced around.

[The following Red Palm Enhancement Options are available]

Firstly: Increases the speed of practicing the Red Sand Palm by 50%! (Success rate: 99%)

Secondly: When breaking through the bottleneck of the Red Sand Palm realm, the difficulty is reduced to 10% of the original! (Success rate: 90%)

Thirdly: The hardness of the palm increases by 40% when using the Red Sand Palm! (Success rate: 90%)

The other enhancements remained unchanged, except for the second enhancement, which decreased in power again. However, the combined effect of the three enhancements was terrifying. If Jiang Ming chose this enhancement, his bottleneck would only be one-tenth that of an average person.

"The success rate for enhancement level 2 is only 90%? It seems that the later the enhancement goes, the more difficult it becomes to improve."

He thought to himself, becoming slightly wary.

"Which one should we choose? One or two?"

Jiang Ming hesitated. He was only facing 30% of the difficulty in breaking through the bottleneck of the Red Sand Palm. Perhaps if he put in a little more effort, he could achieve something.

Jiang Ming has noticed that the skin and calluses on his palms are getting thicker and thicker, and his palms are getting hotter and hotter, as he has been practicing his technique these past few days.

"If I can use this enhancement to improve my cultivation speed, then I won't have to crawl like a tortoise when I practice next."

Jiang Ming took a deep breath and made a decision.

Give him another half month. If he can break through, then everything will be fine. If he can't, then we'll focus this third enhancement on reducing the bottleneck difficulty. This is the most rational choice at this stage.

Time flew by. From mid-April to the end of April, Jiang Ming suppressed his desire to use the Primal Furnace, calmed his mind, and kept trying to hone his skills and break through the barriers through his own efforts.

He could clearly feel the heat in his palm accumulating slightly, with a faint tendency to expand.

Unfortunately, Jiang Ming's attempts to seize the moment always fell short. He tried and failed repeatedly, like the ebb and flow of the tide, never quite reaching the shore.

During this time, the way people looked at Jiang Ming changed subtly. What was initially astonishment at Jiang Ming's diligence had turned into cold indifference and a sense of shared sorrow.

That's how it is for outer court disciples. If one or two people manage to break through to the White Sand level and become formal disciples each year, they're considered extremely lucky.

No matter how diligent or hardworking Jiang Ming is, it makes no difference.

One afternoon in late April.

Lin Lei lowered his head, packing his luggage with a gloomy expression. With only half a month left, the White Sand level was too difficult, and there was no hope of breaking through. Now, they could only go their separate ways to make a living.

Jiang Ming stood aside, ultimately offering no advice.

The first day of May, early morning.

In the outer courtyard, only one-third of the disciples remain, some of whom were newly recruited over the past ten months. Only a handful of elders, like him, are still gritting their teeth and striving to break through to the White Sand level.

Over the past six months, life in Wangyue City has become increasingly difficult. Ordinary families are struggling financially and cannot afford to support their children's continued martial arts training.

Last summer, the martial arts school recruited a large number of students, its peak enrollment ever. In the following six months, many students dropped out, took back their remaining tuition fees from Old Man Liu, and went home to make a living.

In addition, the group of people who came in the summer are now reaching their October deadlines. As a result, the number of students in the Foreign Languages ​​Department decreased significantly in April and May, at an alarming rate.

"Shhh..."

In a corner of the courtyard, Jiang Ming focused his mind and breathed deeply, repeatedly stirring the red sand with his palms as he practiced his technique. His palms were already slightly red and hot.

At this moment, Fang Heng, who had broken through to the White Sand Realm and become a formal disciple, walked in slowly with two inner courtyard disciples. He glanced around the courtyard but didn't see Lin Lei, so he casually asked, "Where's Lin Lei?"

A disciple from the outer courtyard nearby whispered, "Let's go, we're not practicing anymore."

Fang Heng immediately sneered, his face full of disdain, and turned to look at Jiang Ming, who was practicing his palm strike not far away, and said coldly.

"Ha, one's gone, you'll be almost there too."

"Isn't the ten-month deadline almost up?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming didn't react much, but Wang Yan, standing behind Fang Heng, suddenly stiffened, his heart sank, and he felt a slight sting.

Although he was an inner court disciple, he only had half a month left to serve.

Wang Yan had good potential, but he just couldn't break through that layer of white sand barrier. He was originally arrogant and didn't take it seriously, thinking that he could easily step into it in the last few months, but reality didn't go as planned.

At this moment, Wang Yan was unintentionally hurt by Fang Heng's words. Although he was very anxious, he dared not say a word.

Just then.

Several more people entered through the courtyard gate. Leading them was the fourth senior brother, Liu Mao, followed by two inner courtyard disciples who rarely appeared on ordinary days.

One of them was tall and handsome, dressed in a plain-colored martial arts robe. The fabric was much finer than the others, and he had a warm jade buckle tied around his waist. He was clearly of noble birth.

Some disciples in the academy were talking privately about how this person was Wen Jin, a member of the Wen family who ran a medicinal herb business in the inner city. He was extremely talented and a top genius in the martial arts school, but he had never gotten along well with Fang Heng.

Wen Jin glanced indifferently at Fang Heng and the others, her tone calm yet sharp, and spoke directly.

"Junior Brother Fang is still so ruthless. Isn't Junior Brother Wang Yan's deadline approaching as well? We're both disciples, why be so harsh?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yan's expression turned even more unpleasant.

Just a few months ago, he often made sarcastic remarks in the outer courtyard, saying that the disciples of the outer courtyard were of inferior quality and would never be able to even touch the threshold of Bai Sha in their entire lives.

These words still echo in my ears, yet I find myself stuck at the crossroads, unable to move an inch, a stark reminder of the contradictions they have made.

The Red Sand Martial Arts School has vastly different rules for its inner and outer disciples, but one rule remains the same: if a disciple fails to break through to the White Sand level within ten months, they must return to where they came from.

In the outer courtyard, Wen Jin and Fang Heng stared at each other from afar, and the tension between them suddenly intensified.

Within the Red Sand Martial Arts School, they each already had their own circle.

Standing behind Wen Jin was his fourth senior brother, Liu Mao, and beside him was Su Che, an inner court disciple who had recently broken through to the White Sand level. Su Che was also a genius who had recently entered the White Sand level and had always been close to Wen Jin.

Fang Heng, on the other hand, led the way himself, with two followers on either side, along with his third senior brother Chen Jian, who was among the formal disciples, forming a formidable force.

Fang Heng's face darkened, and he immediately sneered, "Senior Brother Wen is quite kind, but unfortunately, he's misdirected his kindness. If your aptitude isn't good enough, it'll be a waste of time even if you work your way to death."

Wen Jin remained calm and unperturbed, speaking softly but with force: "It's better than some people who, having just entered the sect and become formal disciples, are eager to kick their fellow disciples while they're down. That shows a narrow-mindedness."

In just a few words, neither of them gave an inch. The disciples in the academy could all see that these two were never on good terms, neither in their hearts nor in their appearances.

Just as everyone's attention was drawn to Wen Jin and Fang Heng.

Jiang Ming remained calm and composed, his eyes serene, as if he hadn't heard the heated arguments around him. He focused solely on stirring the red sand, his movements becoming faster and more vigorous, the heat rising in his palms.

However, that heat, like a surging tide, failed to break through the bottleneck at its peak. Now, the crest is rapidly receding.

"The two-week deadline has passed, and there's still quite a bit to go... well then..."

"A primitive furnace!"

Secondly: When breaking through the bottleneck of the Red Sand Palm realm, the difficulty is reduced to 10% of the original! (Success rate: 91%)

"My success rate has dropped from 90% to 91%. Is this the result of my hard work during this period of training? Unfortunately, it's still not enough..."

His gaze fell silently on the back of his left hand, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Instantly, a black-gold light shone brightly, like a twisted lightning bolt, and merged into Jiang Ming's body.

[Technique: Red Sand Palm - Beginner's Guide]

Enhancement 1: When breaking through the bottleneck of Red Sand Palm, the difficulty is reduced to 10% of the original!

"It was a success; there was no failure."

He calmed himself down and realized that the bottleneck in front of him was surprisingly fragile. The barrier that had once been an impregnable fortress was now like a thin paper door, as if it could be pierced through completely with just a little more force.

"Break it!"

Jiang Ming exerted his strength again, plunging both palms hard into the red sand. The heat bursting from his palms surged and exploded, instantly engulfing his forearms.

"Click!"