Ultimate True Lord

Chen Yu strode forward without a word, lunging straight at Jiang Ming with a fierce tiger pushing the mountain. He leaped forward, his body bounding, his palm striking Jiang Ming hard in front of him.

"Bang!"

Jiang Ming reacted swiftly, raising his palm to meet the attack. The two palms collided with a resounding crash, firmly held in mid-air with a muffled thud.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate.

"Smack."

Almost simultaneously, the two used their other hands to strike each other's shoulders. Jiang Ming ducked to avoid the blow, but this caused his strike to miss its mark.

He took a deep breath, turned his foot, and rushed towards Chen Yu.

Two loud bangs, fists colliding.

Both men's punches were quickly deflected by the other's arm.

They possess explosive power, surging blood and energy, and superhuman sensory acuity and reaction speed. They are often able to intercept their opponent's punches and then counterattack.

"Clap clap clap clap..."

In the courtyard, two figures exchanged punches, their calloused hands striking each other with muffled thuds. Later, they simultaneously unleashed their full power, their arm strength surging, clashing together like firecrackers.

However, neither of them could maintain their strength for long, and they both stopped after only a few breaths. In the end, neither of them could gain the upper hand.

Chen Yu stopped and stood still, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Jiang Ming, and said frankly, "Junior Brother Jiang, your palm technique is steady and has few flaws. I had heard before that you were diligent and hardworking in the outer academy, and indeed your basic skills are quite solid."

Jiang Ming returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute, his expression calm as he said, "Senior Brother Chen, you flatter me. It's just that I'm a slow bird that gets to fly early."

"How was it, you two? Did you learn anything?" Wen Jin slowly walked over: "We've only recently entered the Gang Jin realm, so it's very important to spar with people of similar skill levels. It will help us hone our skills more quickly."

"That makes sense." Chen Yu nodded.

After this encounter, Jiang Ming gained some insights.

This exchange of blows and counterattacks with Chen Yu made him more proficient in controlling the force of the opponent's strength, and he also truly realized that the explosive release of force of the opponent's strength consumes a great deal of energy and spirit.

Jiang Ming had already used it once when hitting the sandbag, and he activated it again during the sparring session, continuing for several breaths. Now, having regained his footing, he felt his breath was weak and his whole body exuded a slight sense of listlessness.

Obviously, when exerting force, one should not use too much in a short period of time.

Otherwise, it will severely damage your vitality.

"Alright, that's all for today."

Wen Jin spoke at the opportune moment.

He looked at Jiang Ming, whose breath was slightly weak, and suddenly remembered something, so he asked casually.

"By the way, there's something I don't know if anyone has told you before? Every now and then, our Red Sand Martial Arts School gives its formal disciples a nourishing medicinal soup made primarily with blood-nourishing herbs, called Red Sand Soup."

Jiang Ming was taken aback upon hearing this, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes: "Such a good thing?"

He knew very well that a single Blood Medicine was quite valuable, often costing hundreds of taels of silver. Even if the Red Sand Martial Arts School only included one Blood Medicine in the Crimson Sand Soup given to each formal disciple, it would still cost several taels of silver.

Seeing this, Wen Jin chuckled and said, "Of course, this is one of the benefits of being a formal disciple. Although Master Liu seems to be idle and doesn't manage much affairs, he is actually quite protective of his disciples and is always kind to his own people."

After saying that, the group did not linger and turned back to the martial arts school together.

That evening.

Jiang Ming told his younger sister everything that happened at the Wen family's house that day and how Wen Jin helped him.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Tao was very perceptive and, after a little thought, grasped the crux of the matter.

She spoke softly, a hint of clarity in her eyes: "Brother, Senior Brother Wen is willing to help you mostly because you and Fang Heng don't get along. He's using your support to suppress Fang Heng's arrogance."

"Your existence is like an indelible slap mark on Fang Heng's face. Every time Senior Brother Wen sees it, he feels a little more at ease."

However, Jiang Tao frowned, her tone revealing a hint of worry.

"But this will definitely make Fang Heng resent you even more. Brother, you must be careful. This man is narrow-minded and might use some underhanded tricks in the dark."

"It's alright. We already have a grudge, so it doesn't matter if he hates me a little more. In fact, I can use this hostility to gain cultivation resources. For me, this is already the best outcome."

Jiang Ming's expression was calm, without much worry or anxiety.

there is always a solution to a problem.

……

……

Over the next month, Jiang Ming officially integrated into the inner courtyard's life. He and his senior brother Chen Yu became acquainted through a fight, and from that day on, they would engage in practical sparring every few days to familiarize themselves with and master the power of force.

As for Wen Jin, Jiang Ming was supposed to go to the Wen family to take up his post in the same month he became a formal disciple.

However, a change occurred on the Wen family's side. The newly formed herb-gathering team was so busy with various matters that it was delayed until mid-May, and it was still a few days away from being officially formed.

In this way, Jiang Ming ended up receiving a month's salary for nothing. Back at the end of April, he had already asked Wen Jin for an advance on his monthly salary because of the huge expenses he incurred for cultivation medicines.

Wen Jin himself was a martial artist and knew that money was tight when one first entered the Gang Jin realm, so he readily agreed without any hesitation.

In early May, Jiang Ming enjoyed a life where he had no worries about fine rice and meat every day, and the qi, blood, and medicinal foods he needed for cultivation were never interrupted.

With ample nourishment, Jiang Ming could clearly feel his physique becoming stronger and stronger, and his progress in cultivating the Red Sand Palm was also much faster than before.

However, this progress is somewhat slow compared to that of other formal disciples.

Jiang Ming knew perfectly well that he was originally of average to below-average aptitude and had no chance of breaking through to the White Sand realm. On the other hand, most of the other formal disciples of the Red Sand Martial Arts School had above-average aptitude, and some of the most talented ones were even of superior aptitude.

For example, Fang Heng.

He had already solidified his strength and was now focused on reaching a higher level. Elder Liu placed high hopes on Fang Heng, telling him to strive to break through the brown sand and enter the soft strength realm within eight months.

Jiang Ming, on the other hand, is currently focused on consolidating his strength and controlling his qi and blood. Comparing the two, the gap is indeed quite large.

"The difficulty of breaking through the bottleneck of the Red Sand Palm has been reduced to one-tenth of its original level. So what I need most next is to speed up my cultivation!" Jiang Ming's mind was clear, and he understood his next move.

On the primordial furnace, dark golden taotie patterns had already covered most of it. A month with ample medicine and food was equivalent to more than two months. Now, with more than half a month left, his essence and blood would be fully replenished.

"The activation of the Primal Furnace requires more cultivation techniques."

During this time, Jiang Ming has already hired someone to contact the martial artists in Wangyue City, especially those who have lost limbs and are practically crippled. Presumably, good news will arrive soon.

One afternoon in mid-May.

Jiang Ming finally enjoyed the benefits of being a formal disciple.

In the inner courtyard, a pot of red sand soup, made primarily with red herbs and red leaves, and supplemented with various white herbs, was served.

The strong medicinal aroma is overwhelming, and the aroma alone can make one feel a slight stirring of the blood and qi.

This is absolutely a highly nutritious food; drinking it can cause a normal person to have a nosebleed.

Each of the formal disciples present received a bowl, and Old Man Liu showed no favoritism in this regard.

Jiang Ming stood in a corner of the inner courtyard, holding a bowl of steaming red medicinal soup in his hands, his gaze indifferently fixed on the left.

Not far away, several inner court disciples were gazing longingly at the medicinal soup in his hand, their expressions filled with envy. At this moment, he finally truly understood what it felt like for those inner court disciples to be looked up to by the outer court.