"That's right, today is the twenty-ninth day!" Carter suddenly laughed. "Do you still remember your duel with the Fire Lion?"

Twenty-nine days already? Women really are trouble!

Before this thought even finished flashing through my mind, I suddenly felt a strange fluctuation in my spiritual sense. An unbearable, intense itching sensation spread throughout my body, making me suffer terribly.

This must be Evan Grant hearing my inner thoughts and punishing me.

I hurriedly apologized to her in my mind, while desperately enduring the tormenting itch, and said in a trembling voice, "Sir, I still remember."

Carter looked at my contorted face and asked in confusion, "Gavin Ford, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

"No, sir, I'm fine!" I replied, while quietly begging for mercy in my sea of consciousness, "Sister Evan Grant, I was wrong, I really was. It's all my fault for lacking self-control, forgetting my duties and even blaming you. Please let me go, I won't dare do it again!"

"Hmph, I'll let you off this time. If you dare do it again, you'll be sorry!" Evan Grant's voice echoed in my mind.

"I won't dare again, I'll absolutely obey your orders from now on!"

"Gavin Ford, what did you say?"

Crap, I forgot to use my inner voice and actually said that out loud. Evan Grant, you're going to get me killed!

"Hehe, let's see if you dare to falsely accuse me again!" Evan Grant's voice disappeared, and the itching all over my body vanished as well. I returned to normal, looked at Carter, and said, "I just said, I will absolutely obey your orders, sir!"

He gave me a look of slight suspicion, but fortunately, Carter didn't pursue the matter further. He pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "The day after tomorrow is your duel with the Fire Lion. Judging by your training results these days, you should be ready to practice the next step!"

After speaking, he glanced at the huge boulder, then said to me in a serious tone, "I forgot to tell you, during the Fire Lion's clan's month of fasting, he successfully broke through the eighteenth sealed meridian point on his body."

"What!" I cried out in shock.

Are you kidding me? In just a month, that guy broke through another seal? Doesn't that mean he's even stronger now?

Carter nodded and continued, "The Fire Lion's physique is different from that of humans. The month of fasting is the holy month for their clan. Legend has it that during this month, their clan's sacred relic will bestow blessings upon them. Of course, that's just a legend, but the fact that the Fire Lion used this time to break through again is undeniable!"

"So, what are you going to teach me, sir?"

The more serious Carter's expression became, the more uneasy I felt. Hesitating, I asked in a trembling voice.

"Actually, even if I had taught you combat techniques a month ago, you still wouldn't be his match. The Fire Lion has more combat experience than I do. Any fighting technique is child's play to him. So, I had you practice the charging punch because you only have one chance. As long as you can hit the forbidden zone on his right chest, you'll have a sixty percent chance of winning."

Only sixty percent? I looked at Carter, feeling a chill all over. This perverted guy—last time he said I could win, but now it's only a sixty percent chance? That means there's still a forty percent chance I'll be killed!

"Gavin Ford, don't underestimate that sixty percent chance. Once you face him, whether you even get a chance to strike back is uncertain. But as long as you seize this opportunity, you'll have a sliver of hope."

I nodded helplessly, looking at Carter, pitifully waiting for him to continue.

Carter glanced at me, then, without any warning, suddenly struck out with a backhand punch—fast as lightning.

This was the second time I'd seen Carter make a move, but unlike last time, at the instant he punched, his whole body seemed to be shrouded in a layer of golden light. The punch carried the sound of wind and thunder, its power astonishing.

Before his fist even touched the boulder, he suddenly stopped, withdrew his hand, and looked at me calmly.

I was completely confused, staring at him in puzzlement, then glanced at the boulder.

Carter nodded at me, so I stepped forward to the boulder and reached out to touch it. Remembering my previous experience, I was very gentle, but when my hand touched the stone, nothing happened.

I turned to look at Carter, about to speak in confusion.

"Gavin Ford, the Fire Lion's outer body is as hard as this boulder. External attacks are useless. So, your punch must penetrate the surface and strike inside his body to be effective. Gavin Ford, look at the other side of this stone." Before I could speak, Carter had already started explaining.

I turned the boulder over in confusion—and was stunned.

The other side of the boulder was caved in as if crushed by a tremendous force, reduced to powder. I turned to look at Carter, dumbfounded and speechless.

"Yin within yang, yang within yin. Gavin Ford, when you punch, be like a hawk striking a rabbit—fierce and powerful, with force concentrated in your wrist, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, hidden but not released. Heh, this punch is called the Mountain-Piercing Force!" Carter looked at me with a smile, speaking in a deep voice.

……

Chapter 004: The Duel

July 15th, clear skies, no wind.

Years later, I saw a passage in an old almanac about July 15th, New Era 412: Auspicious for worship and marriage; inauspicious for taking office or traveling. Zodiac clashes with Tiger, evil in the West.