Ultimate True Lord

In the auditory hallucination, there seemed to be a soft, echoing sound, as if something invisible was being shattered.

A surge of energy, far hotter and more concentrated than before, slowly circulated in his palm.

The palms, which were originally slightly red, gradually developed a light white frost-like color, as if they were wearing a pair of semi-transparent white thick leather gloves. This was the sign that they had entered the white sand layer.

"Phew!" Jiang Ming let out a long breath, the stagnation that had been building up for months was swept away, his whole body felt full of energy, and his arms felt incredibly relaxed.

"A breakthrough has been achieved."

Not far away, the fourth senior brother Liu Mao immediately noticed the commotion. His gaze sharpened and fell on Jiang Ming. He spoke with a hint of surprise.

Upon hearing this, Wen Jin and Fang Heng, who had been at odds just moments before, immediately fell silent, and all the disciples in the courtyard turned their gazes to Jiang Ming.

Just then, the commotion alerted the inner courtyard, and Old Man Liu happened to walk out slowly from inside.

He glanced into the distance, his cloudy old eyes narrowed slightly, and fell directly on Jiang Ming's hands covered with pale white sand, instantly sensing some changes in his aura.

"Not bad." Old Man Liu nodded slowly, his voice not loud but clear. "Although you made it in the last half month, you've finally made it in. You are the only one in this batch of outer courtyard students to break through to the White Sand Realm."

As soon as Old Man Liu finished speaking, Jiang Ming's breakthrough was confirmed. The outer court disciples immediately erupted in murmurs and whispers.

"It actually worked out in the last two weeks!"

"It's been so tough. I've seen Senior Brother Jiang practicing diligently every day for the past few months without ever slacking off. Now he's finally made it through."

"He was the only one from the last batch of foreign language departments to get through."

All eyes, filled with amazement and envy, fell upon Jiang Ming. At this moment, Jiang Ming became a role model for everyone in the outer courtyard.

Beside him, Fang Heng's expression stiffened slightly, and a hint of undisguised surprise flashed in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected that this outer court disciple, whom he had always looked down upon, would actually be able to break through the deadline in the last period.

But his surprise was fleeting. He quickly composed himself, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips, and spoke.

"It was just a lucky breakthrough at the last minute. My talent is what it is. Even if I reach the White Sand level, I can't expect to reach any further realms. There's nothing to be proud of..."

On the other side, Wen Jin stood to one side of the crowd, a genuine expression of approval on his handsome face, displaying the demeanor of a family disciple.

He slowly walked towards Jiang Ming and nodded slightly, his tone calm: "Junior Brother Jiang, breaking through at the last moment is truly remarkable. Congratulations on reaching the White Sand level."

Upon hearing this, the students from the outer courtyard echoed their congratulations.

Only Wang Yan, standing behind Fang Heng, was pale-faced, his expression filled with shock and bitterness. He stared at Jiang Ming, a hint of resentment in his eyes.

Jiang Ming, whom he had once mocked as just an outer disciple recruited by Master Liu to make up the numbers, actually succeeded and could directly become a formal disciple of the martial arts school.

He himself, despite having good potential, was stuck at a critical juncture and could not make any progress. With only half a month left, his hopes were already slim.

Looking at Jiang Ming's success and thinking about his own predicament, Wang Yan felt utterly powerless. His lips twitched, but he couldn't utter a single word, only a bitter feeling welling up inside him.

In the outer courtyard, facing the complex gazes of amazement, envy, and even jealousy directed at him, Jiang Ming felt a surge of joy at his successful breakthrough, but he did not become complacent in the slightest.

He was by nature a calm and collected person, and he knew that this step was just the beginning. He suppressed the excitement in his heart in a short while.

"Master."

Jiang Ming looked at the old man Liu who was slowly approaching, and immediately bowed and called out in a deep voice.

It's important to understand that previously, both outer and inner court disciples could only respectfully address him as Elder Liu. Only after reaching the White Sand level and becoming a formal disciple were they qualified to call him Master.

"Hmm." Old Man Liu responded to the word "Master," looked at him quietly, and a rare seriousness appeared in his cloudy eyes as he slowly spoke.

"Now that you have broken through the White Sand realm and entered the Hard Force realm, let's seize the day and perform the apprenticeship ceremony now."

A moment later, Old Man Liu sat upright on a wooden chair in the courtyard. Jiang Ming stepped forward, bowed three times, and finally offered him a cup of warm tea.

The first bow is for imparting knowledge and skills; the second bow is for receiving the inheritance; the third bow is for becoming a disciple.

After the ceremony, Old Man Liu nodded slightly. From then on, Jiang Ming became his officially recognized disciple and truly became one of the Red Sand Martial Arts School's own people.

The reason why Old Man Liu specially performed this apprenticeship ceremony in front of everyone in the outer courtyard was to use Jiang Ming as an example and leave some hope for those disciples who were on the verge of giving up.

Half an hour later, the noise in the courtyard gradually subsided, and everything returned to its usual tranquility. The disciples returned to their practice, and the commotion just now dissipated like ripples after a pebble was thrown into water, leaving only lingering waves.

The backyard of the martial arts school.

Jiang Tao was squatting by the stove, tidying up the medicine pots. She heard footsteps, turned around, and saw Jiang Ming walking over, so she smiled and went to greet him.

"Brother, I've saved up some more money; I can buy a few doses of medicine."

"The last two weeks..."

Jiang Ming looked at her and spoke first, his voice carrying a hint of undisguised composure and amusement: "Xiao Tao, I've broken through to a higher level, and I've also become a disciple of the Red Sand Martial Arts School."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tao froze, standing rooted to the spot. Her eyes widened slightly, the smile on her face slowly vanished, and then her eyes instantly reddened.

She didn't cry out loud, but her nose tingled and tears streamed down her face. Jiang Tao's lips were desperately turned up, she was both crying and laughing, and her little body was trembling slightly with excitement.

Jiang Tao clutched Jiang Ming's sleeve, her voice choked with emotion, her tone joyful as she whispered over and over, "Brother...it's done, it really's done...I knew it, brother could do it...he could do it!"

More than half a year of anxiety and worry, and the hope of saving every penny, all turned into unstoppable joy at this moment.

It's important to know that there's a world of difference between the entry-level disciples and the formal disciples of the Red Sand Martial Arts School.

Formal disciples not only no longer need to pay tuition fees, but can also consult Master Liu on martial arts problems at any time.

Furthermore, once you reach the White Sand level, you've acquired real skills and can use the martial arts school's connections and reputation to find a job in the city.

Whether you join the government as a constable, work as a bodyguard in a security escort agency, or stay at a martial arts school as an assistant instructor, you can earn a considerable amount of money each month.

In addition, some lucky ones can even receive help from their fellow disciples.

Some of the senior disciples at the Red Sand Martial Arts Academy come from wealthy families. While practicing martial arts at the academy, they also secretly recruit and mentor outstanding formal disciples.

For example, Fang Heng had two senior brothers who recognized his talent and offered him money and medicine, treating him as a promising talent and winning him over early on.

However, Jiang Ming knew in his heart that he had only barely broken through in the last half month, and his talent was mediocre. He estimated that no one would pay attention to him, so he shouldn't even think about pursuing this.

Therefore, for him, finding a job through the martial arts school was of paramount importance. This was not only the foundation for his future livelihood, but also the source of income for continuing to practice martial arts and purchasing medicinal herbs.