Ultimate True Lord

A few days later, in early June.

The area between Anpingpu and Fenghepu is still the gray square where the last arena was set up.

The summer sun, growing ever hotter, cast a golden glow across the bluestone ground, illuminating the enclosed arena area.

It even seemed a bit too bright.

On both sides of the arena area, people were already lined up.

On one side was Red Sand Palm, led by Liu Longquan, a portly man who sat steadily on a large wooden chair, holding a teacup in his hand.

I take a sip every now and then.

Behind Liu Longquan, four soft-style martial arts disciples from the Red Sand Martial Arts School stood in a row, perfectly aligned. They were all strong, tall men, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, exuding a powerful aura and piercing eyes.

Further away, the other formal and inner disciples of the Red Sand Martial Arts School, who had come to watch the battle, looked at them with a mixture of admiration and envy. To be able to represent the martial arts school in this battle meant they were the most outstanding disciples of the Red Sand Palm!

This is a form of recognition and honor.

Of the four, a tall figure stood quietly on the far right.

Jiang Ming was dressed in a black and gray outfit, his broad shoulders and strong, bulging muscles in his chest and arms making the loose fabric bulge. His height of 1.85 meters and his inverted triangle physique were particularly striking.

Compared to the other three senior brothers next to him, his figure was a size larger.

Jiang Ming's gaze slowly swept across the entire venue, and he also felt the gazes coming from all directions. A slight sense of emotion appeared in his eyes.

Only a few months have passed since the last martial arts competition, and everything has changed drastically.

During the first martial arts competition, he wasn't even selected for the list of strong-strength disciples. But now, he stands among the only four soft-strength disciples at the Red Sand Martial Arts School, receiving the spotlight from all sides.

Jealousy, hostility, or envy...

In that sense, Jiang Ming could be considered a prominent figure.

A thought flashed through his mind. Jiang Ming turned his gaze back to the opposite side, where the Hengjiang Fist's headquarters were located.

The leader, also seated in a chair, was a middle-aged, muscular man with black wristbands. His aura was oppressive, and his gaze was icy.

It was Shi Yan, the master of Hengjiangquan.

Behind him, four disciples with soft strength were also lined up in a row.

Senior Brother Wu Kui and genius disciple Shen Zhou are both familiar faces.

There are also two others, the second and third oldest among the Hengjiangquan disciples.

The third disciple, Lu Lang, had a name that sounded quite sharp, but he looked like a heavy stone pillar, calm and reserved. He had a strong build and a dark complexion, and he seemed to be a man of few words.

The second disciple, Zhou Yang, was rather thin and tall, exuding a sharp and shrewd aura. His face was angular, with long, narrow eyes. When he looked at someone, his gaze was like a knife, inexplicably sharp.

Zhou Yang, with his hands hanging at his sides, seemed to sense the gaze directed at him from the opposite side. He suddenly looked up and met Jiang Ming's gaze.

Two gazes collided in mid-air.

He looked at Jiang Ming's calm face, grinned, and gave a hint of undisguised provocation.

"Junior Brother Shen, that Jiang Ming is said to be the second top genius of the Red Sand Martial Arts School after Fang Heng, and is highly regarded by Liu Longquan."

Zhou Yang turned to Shen Zhou, the handsome man beside him, and said.

"Heh, probably just another empty shell like Fang Heng, not worth mentioning."

Shen Zhou sneered, shook his head, and looked disdainful.

"Oh? I heard that a few days ago, this Jiang Ming personally killed the leader of Black Stone Village in the Yancang Mountains. That leader was a master of soft strength. This feat doesn't seem like empty boasting..."

Zhou Yang recounted some information he had gathered yesterday.

Shen Zhou chuckled and spoke.

"When Jiang Ming entered the Yancang Mountains, Liu Longquan was also there. It's obvious who killed the leader of Black Stone Village."

"Or, if Liu Longquan severely injured the leader of Black Stone Village and then Jiang Ming killed him, that could also be considered as him killing him with his own hands."

"When I go on stage and face him, I'll expose his true colors."

Shen Zhou's meaning was simple: this was Liu Longquan's tactic of secretly paving the way and building momentum for his cultivated disciples, thus elevating their reputation. Many martial arts schools and families in Wangyue City had done similar things before.

That's why he said Jiang Ming was a fraud.

"That's true."

"Then we don't need to pay too much attention to him."

Zhou Yang nodded, agreeing with Shen Zhou's statement. His gaze then shifted, focusing primarily on Wang Zheng, the second disciple of the Red Sand Martial Arts School, and Chen Jian, the third disciple; these two were the real opponents.

In the Red Sand Martial Arts School, Wang Zheng and Chen Jian are both masters of soft strength, having failed to break through the entangling force. They possess profound foundations and are quite formidable in actual combat. As for Liu Mao and Jiang Ming, they are both ordinary senior soft strength practitioners, somewhat troublesome, but not many.

On the Hengjiang Fist side, the eldest disciple Wu Kui and the second disciple Zhou Yang were originally at the peak of soft strength, while the third disciple Lu Lang was a senior soft strength practitioner. However, Shen Zhou later surpassed them, with the support of his family, and was the first to reach the peak of soft strength.

At this moment, judging from their strength on paper, Yokojiang style has the advantage.

On the gray square.

Besides the Red Sand Palm and Hengjiang Fist schools, there were also various martial arts schools in the east of the city, as well as other miscellaneous forces, all surrounding the area. They were essentially spectators of this battle, and they had paid their admission fees.

The two prescriptions and several martial arts manuals were given as prizes.

"Hey, which side do you think will win?"

"The Hengjiang Fist style, with three disciples who have mastered the soft strength technique, is truly unmatched in our East City Martial Arts School. Apart from them, other schools like the Red Sand Palm and Flying Star Martial Arts School only have two disciples who have mastered the soft strength technique."

"I think Red Sand Palm will win."

"I've heard of Shen Zhou's name, Hengjiang Fist, even across several shops in Fenghepu. He has a great chance of breaking through to the Entangling Force realm. His current strength is probably not much weaker than Wu Kui, the top disciple of Hengjiang Fist..."

There was much discussion among the crowd, with about 60-70% of them optimistic about Hengjiang Fist.

However, in a martial arts arena, you only know after the fight. A contestant's skill level isn't the only standard; how they perform in actual combat is what matters most!

Time passed slowly, and the sun rose higher and higher.

The sunlight shone directly, bringing with it an increasingly intense feeling of heat.

Finally, at 1:00 AM, everything was ready.

This time, it was once again the master of the Rending Wind Leg Gym who was invited to host the match. He slowly walked to the side and invited the fighters from both sides to come to the arena.

"Yokogawa Fist, Lu Lang!"

The old man who was hosting the event spoke in a loud voice.

Immediately, a burly, blue-clad figure stepped forward from Hengjiangquan's side. His steps were steady, and his aura was profound. Although he had not yet reached the pinnacle of soft power, he was very close.

"Red Sand Palm, Wang Zheng!"

On the Red Sand Martial Arts School side, the second senior brother, Wang Zheng, stepped out and went straight onto the arena. His expression was calm, and he was completely composed. The Red Sand Palm side was certain to win the first match; the only question was how long their opponents could last.

After all, Wang Zheng is the strongest in the Red Sand Martial Arts School on the surface, while Lu Lang is the weakest in the Hengjiang Fist school.

In this arena, the first spot for each side to fight will be announced to the owner of the Rift Leg Gym in advance, somewhat like the game of Tian Ji's horse racing strategy.

"start!"

With a command given.

"Thump!"

In the square, two figures suddenly clashed fists and feet.