Ultimate True Lord

In the inner city, by the Mu River, a small pavilion overlooking the water.

Along the riverbank stands an elegant wooden house, simple and clean, surrounded by hundreds of clumps of green bamboo.

Outside the small pavilion, a section of wooden pavilion extends outwards, suspended directly above the water. Inside the pavilion are a blue stone table and stone benches.

Standing here and gazing into the distance, the view is expansive, with the river surface shimmering in the sunlight. Not far upstream, there are rows of exquisite painted boats along the Mu River, where the sounds of music, laughter, and the scent of perfume drift on the breeze, yet without disturbing the tranquility.

"A good place."

Second Senior Brother Wang Zheng looked around at the scene and nodded.

Sixth Senior Sister Su Ling glanced at the river and chuckled softly, "This waterside pavilion is so much more elegant than the noisy restaurants and those frivolous pleasure boats. Junior Brother Wen's taste is truly remarkable..."

Wen Jing smiled smugly, then led everyone to a waterside pavilion on the side of the bamboo forest. The five of them took their seats in turn, and the Wen family servants who had been waiting there immediately stepped forward to quietly brew tea and pour water for everyone.

Wen Jin picked up her teacup, glanced at the row of pleasure boats upstream, and said with a smile, "Senior brothers and sisters, look over there. There's someone from our sect who's been enjoying himself there every day lately."

"Is it Fang Heng?" Sixth Senior Sister Su Ling immediately chimed in, a hint of displeasure on her face: "He spends all his time on pleasure boats and doesn't cultivate at all. It's outrageous."

Wen Jin nodded: "That's right."

Once the conversation started, everyone quickly began chatting in that direction. Some of the senior brothers valued Fang Heng because of his talent for cultivation and would support him. Others, however, disliked his character and distanced themselves from him.

Clearly, most of the people present belonged to the latter category.

As the five chatted, they said a lot of bad things about Fang Heng. Wen Jin even asked Jiang Ming curiously how he had offended Fang Heng.

Jiang Ming spoke slowly, somewhat helplessly.

"I didn't do anything to provoke him, but for no reason he started to hold a grudge against me. This guy is really too petty."

Wen Jin nodded in agreement: "Fang Heng is indeed like that; that's all he's good for."

Upon hearing this, the second senior brother, Wang Zheng, also shook his head.

After chatting for a while, the initially somewhat awkward relationship between the group instantly became much closer.

Sometimes, the easiest way for a few people who aren't very familiar with each other to get closer is to get together and complain about the same person. After chatting for a while, they find they share a lot in common, and naturally, they become closer.

The five chatted for a while, and then began to talk about the Hengjiang boxing style of Anpingpu.

Second Senior Brother Wang Zheng took a sip of tea and said, "Hengjiang Fist has become increasingly arrogant over the past month or so. Master Liu has already clashed with the opposing school's master several times in secret."

"The two recently agreed to hold a sparring match in two months, with each side sending two disciples specializing in soft skills and three disciples specializing in hard skills to compete..."

The fourth senior brother also knew the news and chimed in.

"This time it's not just a simple boxing match, it's also about competing for students and territory. In addition, we need to show the surrounding forces which martial arts school is stronger, so that they will be willing to cooperate with us and send people to learn martial arts in the future."

"Master Liu said that there will be a reward for anyone who represents the Red Sand Martial Arts School in this boxing match. If you win, the reward will be doubled."

Wen Jin's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Jiang Ming, then tentatively asked, "Perhaps... Junior Brother Jiang could give it a try?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng raised an eyebrow but shook his head.

"This time, we'll definitely choose disciples who have been at the Gangjin level for a long time and have solid combat experience. Junior Brother Jiang has only recently entered the Gangjin level and has little combat experience, so he probably won't be selected."

Sixth Senior Sister Su Ling nodded in agreement.

The fourth senior brother seemed to be deep in thought. He had sparred with Jiang Ming and knew that the man was not weak in actual combat and had a very clear fighting objective. However, having just entered the realm of raw strength, he was still too low-level, so he didn't say anything more.

Wen Jin opened her mouth, wanting to say that Jiang Ming was extremely strong in actual combat, and that even the third leader of the fierce bandit group Black Stone Village had died at his hands. However, Wen Jin remembered the matter of keeping it a secret, and ultimately swallowed her words.

At this moment, Jiang Ming calmly spoke up: "Senior Brother Wen, I have just entered the realm of Qi and blood, and I haven't mastered the control of my Qi and blood yet, so I won't join in the fun."

He understood that in this kind of regulated arena competition, one could not resort to underhanded tricks, but could only fight head-on, and it was all about skill and overt techniques.

With his current cultivation level, he would probably find it difficult to defeat those veteran, powerful disciples of Hengjiang Fist in a head-on fight. Only in a true, ruleless life-or-death battle could his ruthless methods be truly unleashed.

The group changed the subject and chatted for a while longer. Wen Jin mentioned that her family had recently found several red medicinal herbs in the mountains, and they were very lucky.

"I don't know why, but lately we've been finding red herbs in the mountains much more often than usual."

"The other pharmacies also made a considerable profit."

As soon as he finished speaking, several pleasure boats floated slowly down the river, and the sounds of men and women joking and laughing could be faintly heard.

Everyone instinctively turned their heads to look, and saw Fang Heng, along with his third and fifth senior brothers and their group, sitting on the pleasure boat. They were drinking and making merry with several beautiful courtesans, looking quite carefree.

Just then, the pleasure boat drifted near the pavilion. Both groups noticed each other, their expressions simultaneously darkening, their mood dampened.

The two sides faced each other with stares fixed on each other, their atmosphere clearly divided, clearly representing two rival cliques within the Red Sand Martial Arts School.

Jiang Ming watched this scene and a sense of emotion suddenly arose in his heart.

He had initially thought it was a bad thing that Fang Heng had inexplicably taken a grudge against him. But now it seemed that misfortune might be a blessing in disguise. Precisely because Fang Heng regarded him as an enemy, he was instead pulled into another circle by Wen Jin.

In fact, they gained a lot of benefits.

No matter the place or faction, they are unlikely to be a monolithic entity. If you offend someone, don't worry too much; the next day, teammates of similar caliber will likely automatically match up and stand with you.

On the banks of the Mu River, in front of the pavilion.

The two sides remained in a standoff for a moment, the water flowing on and on, and the pleasure boat eventually drifted slowly downstream.

On the boat, the group continued drinking and making merry, with the singing girls' laughter filling the air. The third and fifth senior brothers, along with the others, were reeking of alcohol and their faces were flushed.

Fang Heng, however, looked disappointed. He glanced coldly at the departing Linshui Xiaoxuan and chuckled softly.

"Heh, Wen Jin's group even recruited someone as mediocre as Jiang Ming. Their social circle is just so-so."

Beside him, several senior brothers echoed his sentiments, pointing and laughing.

Fifth Senior Brother, feeling the effects of the alcohol, suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, Junior Brother Fang, you know that our Red Sand Palm and Hengjiang Fist are going to have a sparring match soon, right?"

"I think you should give it a try. Not only will you get a reward from Master Liu, but it's also a great opportunity to show off. The Qian and Li families in the inner city, as well as Shengji Grain Store, will all be there to watch. There are many benefits to performing well..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Heng's lips curled up, and he said confidently, "I already knew about this. Master Liu spoke to me and specially reserved a spot for me, telling me to win it gracefully."

All around, his fellow disciples laughed and joked, saying that Master Liu valued Fang Heng highly and that this sparring match would definitely be a great opportunity for him to show off his skills.