The man's brows furrowed. He was confident that this punch could surely kill his opponent, but the dagger in the other’s hand was quite peculiar—before it even neared his throat, he could already feel a chill. Moreover, since William Carter was currently favored by the Third Young Miss, he couldn’t be killed easily. The warning had already served its purpose. Weighing his options, the man let out a cold snort, withdrew his fist, and stepped back.

"Just a mere level one. My level two yuan force disdains to kill you. That punch just now was merely a warning." The man smiled arrogantly.

"Who are you?" William Carter narrowed his eyes slightly and asked calmly.

"Henry Foster! One of the top ten battle slaves under the Third Young Miss!" Henry Foster glanced around, a flash of jealousy in his eyes, and continued, "I went out on business four months ago. I didn’t expect that upon my return, I’d hear from Wang Mang that the Third Young Miss actually gifted you a private courtyard. So I came specifically to see what charm you possess. Unfortunately, I’m very disappointed."

After speaking, Henry Foster let out a cold laugh, his eyes flashing with intense killing intent. He thought to himself, although this person’s looks were inferior to his own, he had a unique, cold sharpness about him—no wonder he could win the Third Young Miss’s favor. Hmph, many people saw me come here today, so I’ll let him go for now. Tonight, I’ll sneak over and cut off his head—wouldn’t it be even better if no one knew? At this thought, the murderous intent in his eyes grew even stronger.

"I’m quite curious—if you kill me, aren’t you afraid the Third Young Miss will blame you?" William Carter’s expression remained unchanged, a faintly odd look flickering in his eyes. He had already seen through the other’s killing intent and made up his mind.

"How ridiculous. Among men in the Purple Mansion, there are no restrictions on killing each other. Besides, I am a battle slave, and you are a favored slave—our statuses are completely different. If I kill you, not only will the Third Young Miss not blame me, she might even reward me." Henry Foster sneered, turned, and was about to leave.

"So that’s how it is. Then there’s no need for you to leave." William Carter’s voice instantly turned icy.

Henry Foster was stunned, stopped in his tracks, and looked back, then burst out laughing: "Since you’re seeking death, I’ll grant your wish! Even if the Third Young Miss asks, I’ll have an explanation."

With that, he stomped his foot and rushed toward William Carter, his right fist striking out fiercely. William Carter appeared nonchalant, yuan force instantly coursing through his meridians. His body tilted slightly, and he kicked out, striking the opponent’s wrist.

Henry Foster was startled. William Carter’s kick was incredibly fast—compared to his previous feeble, desperate resistance, this kick was more than twice as quick.

Though surprised, Henry Foster was still unafraid. He believed the other only had level one yuan force, while his own level two yuan force would guarantee victory. In his mind, he could already picture William Carter’s right leg being smashed to pieces by his punch, blood and flesh flying. With a sinister grin, he didn’t dodge, instead channeling his yuan force to clash head-on with William Carter.

But in the next instant, his smile froze. At the moment their fists and feet collided, a whirlwind erupted around them. The man staggered back four steps before barely regaining his footing, his right hand trembling uncontrollably, completely numb.

William Carter retreated two steps, the numbness in his right foot vanishing instantly.

"Level two? That’s all?" William Carter’s eyes filled with mockery as he spoke casually.

"Impossible! You’re not level one—you’ve been hiding your strength!" Henry Foster couldn’t believe his level two yuan force had been defeated by someone at level one, and he shouted hysterically.

William Carter hadn’t hidden his strength; he truly was at level one yuan force, but he had already reached its peak and was about to break through to level two.

William Carter felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped to use this opponent to hone his combat skills, but hadn’t expected the other to be so weak. Didn’t he realize that in that punch just now, he’d wasted at least sixty percent of his yuan force? In reality, only thirty or forty percent had actually clashed with his right foot.

As for himself, thanks to practicing with the bouncing metal ball, he could now perfectly unleash seventy percent of his full yuan force. He believed that as the height of the bouncing ball decreased, it wouldn’t be long before he could use every bit of his strength without waste.

William Carter didn’t know that this interplay of expenditure and conservation was the key to applying yuan force in physical combat.

"Is that all you’ve got? If so, then you can die now." A flash of murderous intent appeared in William Carter’s eyes as he flicked his dagger, aiming straight for the man’s heart. Toward anyone who tried to kill him, William Carter never showed mercy.

As William Carter flicked the dagger, a trace of madness appeared in Henry Foster’s eyes. Ignoring the flying dagger, he immediately pulled out a piece of black cloth from his chest and gave it a fierce shake. A jet-black beam shot out, striking the dagger in midair.

With a metallic clang, the dagger changed direction and embedded itself deeply in the left wall of the courtyard.

William Carter’s expression shifted. The moment Henry Foster produced the black cloth, a powerful sense of danger surged in his heart. Without hesitation, he twisted his body, and the 120-kilogram lead weights he carried thudded heavily to the ground.

Henry Foster was stunned, horror flashing in his eyes. In that instant, a thought suddenly occurred to him: "He was carrying so many lead weights while fighting me just now—my god, now that he’s shed them, how fast will he be?"

Gripped by fear, Henry Foster immediately shook the black cloth again, and another jet-black beam shot like lightning toward William Carter.