Ultimate True Lord

"Junior Brother Jiang, you're amazing."

Not far away, Wen Jin walked over and exclaimed in admiration.

"In a few days, there will be a competition between our Red Sand Palm and Hengjiang Fist. I think you should really sign up and give it a try. If you win against a Hengjiang Fist disciple in the competition, Master Liu will even give you half a red peony as a reward."

Jiang Ming's heart stirred slightly. The reward for this duel with Hengjiang Fist was actually a red elixir. Winning would grant him half a red elixir, and even losing would give him a quarter of one, as long as he could secure a spot in the competition.

He had tasted a bowl of red medicine; its effects were potent, and it was indeed extremely nourishing to the vital energy and blood, which could definitely accelerate cultivation.

Jiang Ming couldn't help but feel a little tempted, but then he thought of something and spoke with some doubt.

"Master Liu is so generous? It's just a martial arts sparring match, yet he gives such a valuable reward. All in all, it's probably worth several red peonies. This reward is far too great."

Wen Jin smiled faintly upon hearing this and slowly explained to him.

"Don't think that Master Liu only makes a living from the Red Sand Martial Arts School. The martial arts school is just his core foundation; he has many other businesses behind the scenes."

"There are grain shops, ironware workshops, and general stores in the city. They have also taken over several trading companies and have long-term partnerships with many prominent merchant families in the city."

"The real purpose of the Red Sand Martial Arts School is to stabilize the situation and maintain control. All the formal disciples in the school are considered Master Liu's men, a truly formidable force."

"With this force keeping things under control, no one dares to mess with his business. That's how he can grow his business bigger and bigger, and open more and more shops."

Wen Jin paused for a moment before continuing.

"Take our Wen family for example. My family has always supported two herb-gathering teams and has been cooperating with Master Liu for a long time."

"Every time we go into the mountains to collect top-quality medicinal herbs, including rare red herbs, we will share a portion with him as agreed."

"Otherwise, where do you think the Red Sand Martial Arts School got its medicinal soups and red medicine?"

"Master Liu is not just a reckless martial artist who only knows how to fight; he is quite shrewd. Of course, sometimes Master Liu can be a bit stingy."

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Ming suddenly recalled how he had tried to offset his tuition fees by settling accounts when he first entered the Red Sand Martial Arts School.

That amount of money is probably not worth mentioning in Teacher Liu's eyes.

But the other party still agreed and didn't complain.

Perhaps it's because Liu Shisheng was born with a penny-pinching mentality, and he was still greedy for that little bit of money.

Or perhaps he took Jiang Ming in because he saw that Jiang Ming was meticulous, calculating, and had a cautious and stingy nature that was somewhat similar to his own.

Jiang Ming was unaware of this.

"How about it? Want to sign up and give it a try? Gang Jin has four spots available, you might just get selected," Wen Jin said.

"That's true." Jiang Ming nodded slowly, a hint of consideration appearing in his eyes.

Since the opportunity is right in front of us, there's no harm in giving it a try. It would be great if we got selected, but it doesn't matter if we don't.

……

……

The next afternoon.

On the west side of the Red Sand Martial Arts School, the room was dimly lit, with the doors and windows half-open. The wind blowing in from outside carried the heat of summer. Two wooden tables were placed side by side against the wall inside.

Second Senior Brother Wang Zheng and Third Senior Brother Chen Jian sat behind the table, responsible for counting and screening the disciples who had registered for this martial arts competition.

The two had already secured their spots in the soft-style competition, making them the school's pre-selected candidates and the two strongest soft-style fighters in the school.

As for the eldest brother, he has always been mysterious. Even Wang Zheng and Chen Jian rarely see each other, and he is rarely seen.

The eldest disciple rarely interacted with the ordinary disciples in the martial arts school. On the rare occasions he returned to the school, he would only meet with Elder Liu alone.

Inside the room, a thin registration form lay on the table. Chen Jian picked it up casually and began calling out names one by one for screening.

Most of the disciples with strong foundations have ordinary skills and shallow cultivation.

He would call out a name, and almost every time someone shook their head, simply dismissing them with a "not strong enough" comment.

Several people in a row failed the screening.

Until they flipped through the roster to Fang Heng's name.

"Fang Heng occupies one."

Chen Jian did not hesitate.

Fang Heng has been breaking through to the Gang Jin level for more than four months. His cultivation speed is incredibly fast. His current Gang Jin cultivation is quite profound, and he is about to reach the threshold of the Gang Jin mastery, where his fists fall like hammers.

Beside him, the second senior brother, Wang Zheng, opened his mouth but still didn't say anything.

He also tacitly agreed that Fang Heng would occupy one of the spots.

Although Wang Zheng and Fang Heng don't usually get along, Fang Heng's skills are indeed up to par, and there's not a single flaw to be found.

The selection process continued, skipping over two or three more disciples who lacked cultivation and were only average in actual combat.

Soon, Jiang Ming's name appeared on the roster.

Upon seeing the name, Chen Jian frowned and immediately rejected it: "This won't do, skip it."

Wang Zheng immediately spoke up in support, because Jiang Ming was someone in their circle.

"We can't be so hasty. Jiang Ming's actual combat skills are quite good. Some time ago, he was already able to control his qi and blood at will, and his hard strength is no worse than most of the disciples with the strength of body."

But Chen Jian continued, his intentions resolute.

"This skill is not enough. The disciples selected by Hengjiang Fist Martial Arts School are definitely those with solid cultivation and excellent combat experience. This sparring match between the two martial arts schools is extremely important and cannot be taken lightly."

"If we choose him and he gets defeated in a few moves, our Red Sand Martial Arts School will lose face big time, and it will also be a slap in the face to Master Liu..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng fell silent.

He understood that, objectively speaking, Jiang Ming's current cultivation level was indeed inferior to that of the top disciples of the Gang Jin sect. He lacked the necessary foundation to participate in this competition.

He did not continue to defend Jiang Ming, and acquiesced to the outcome.

Chen Jian nodded in satisfaction, then crossed out Jiang Ming's name with a single stroke, removing it from the candidate list.

At dusk.

Jiang Ming learned about his failure to be selected from his second senior brother, Wang Zheng.

Wang Zheng said with a hint of helplessness, "I've already tried to get it done for you, but Chen Jian is adamant and doesn't want you to participate at all."

"Your strength cultivation is indeed lacking; your foundation is not solid enough. Even if I say a few more words, I'm afraid it will be difficult to help you secure it."

After listening, Jiang Ming remained calm and did not show much disappointment. He clasped his hands in a respectful greeting to Wang Zheng.

"Thank you, Second Senior Brother, for speaking up for me."

"It would be best if I could be selected, but it's not a big deal if I don't. It's just that I'm not good enough, so it's really hard for me to win."

For the next three or four days, Jiang Ming stayed in the courtyard of his new home, never leaving the house, practicing his boxing day and night. He mastered seven open moves and two covert moves, his techniques becoming increasingly skillful and insidious.

He also began to study the ultimate technique of Red Sand Fist, the Vermilion Bone-Eating Seal, racking his brains to figure out its mysteries and gradually mastering its essentials.