"Young master, be careful, I'm going all out!" Everyone has their pride, and Emily Reed was no exception. Her vital energy surged like a fountain from her Tianmen acupoint.

　　Bang!

　　Thud, thud, thud...

　　Emily Reed staggered back seven or eight steps, her face full of shock as she stared at William Carter, who hadn't moved an inch and was watching her leisurely.

　　"Th-three... Third young master, have you reached the fifth level? But you look like you're only at the first!"

　　"Heh, now you can relax." William Carter smiled, confirming his own suspicions.

　　He had just opened his Tianmen, and his source spring was a full ten feet wide, while Emily Reed, though at the third level, had only managed to expand hers to half a foot at most.

　　His own flesh and blood reserves, the explosive vital energy, were six or seven times hers.

　　So, a first-level fighting a third-level—easy win.

　　At this moment, Edward Carter was presiding over a family meeting. Seeing William Carter approach, he couldn't help but frown and said, "Why aren't you sleeping? Here to make trouble?"

　　"Father, I want to lead the team to capture the perverted madman." William Carter spoke bluntly.

　　"Nonsense! Do you have any idea how terrifying that guy is? You think this is child's play?" Edward Carter's face hardened as he scolded.

　　"July, you haven't even 'opened your Tianmen.' If you want to die, that's your business, but what you'll ruin is the reputation of our Xiao family. This is utter nonsense." Uncle Jack Carter was a straightforward and tough man, and didn't hold back just because William Carter was the family head's son.

　　"July, this isn't a joke. We've already discussed it and decided to give them the two shops at the east end of the street." Great-uncle Thomas Carter shook his head in frustration.

　　William Carter understood—the family was planning to pay a hefty sum to the Li and Zhao families, and it was indeed a huge loss of face.

　　"Father, earlier I was unconscious, big brother was bedridden, and second brother wasn't around. The Li and Zhao families couldn't find a good excuse to pressure us.

　　But now it's different—I've recovered!

　　Even if we use two shops to settle the debt, your son will still be a laughingstock.

　　There's no way I'll be a coward!" William Carter's eyes blazed with determination as he made his stance clear.

　　"If you don't want to be a laughingstock, then show some strength!" Third uncle Matthew Carter's son Andrew Carter had always looked down on him, considering him the family's disgrace and a good-for-nothing, so he couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark from the side.

　　Outside the door, Emily Reed couldn't help but curl her lips, her face openly displaying a "you're in trouble now" expression. However, no one inside understood what that look meant.

　　Boom... smack smack...

　　While the Xiao family members stared in shock, William Carter didn't say a word—he took two strides forward and sent Andrew Carter flying with a powerful kick.

　　Just as Andrew Carter jumped up, William Carter landed several hard slaps on his face, leaving him dizzy and bruised, unable to tell which way was north.

　　"Convinced yet?" William Carter asked domineeringly, his foot pressing down on Andrew Carter's chest.

　　"Shameless! Sneak attacks aren't heroic." Andrew Carter struggled and shouted.

　　"Not convinced? Get ready, let's have a proper fight." William Carter withdrew his foot, retreated to the open space in the hall, and pointed at Andrew Carter, "Come on! Use every bit of strength you've got."

　　"Hey!" Andrew Carter was furious, mustered all his strength, flexed his muscles, stomped the ground, and lunged forward like a tiger descending the mountain, pouncing at William Carter.

　　William Carter tilted his head to the side, performed a "dragon swings its tail" move, and with a crisp snap, swept Andrew Carter off his feet like a dog eating dirt.

　　Andrew Carter sprang up in anger, let out a tiger's roar, and grabbed a thick broom handle from the corner, swinging it down with all his might.

　　Edward Carter couldn't help but frown—his son didn't even have a "weapon"...

　　But he also wanted to see if his "useless" son would do anything impressive today, so he didn't move.

　　Crane dances in the nine heavens!

　　William Carter's figure was like a crane, leaping into the air, balancing on one foot atop the broom handle, which bent under his weight. In that instant, his other foot kicked forward.

　　Ah!

　　Andrew Carter let out a shrill scream as his chin took the hit, two bloody teeth flying out, and he was sent crashing to the ground, the back of his head swelling up like a steamed bun.

　　"Convinced? If not, you don't need that face anymore." William Carter didn't care about anything else—when he landed, he stomped hard on his cousin's face, twisting half of it out of shape.

　　"Convinced... I give in, third brother..." Andrew Carter managed to open his mouth with difficulty, spitting blood.

　　Everyone in the hall was secretly shocked—this kid was ruthless, completely different from the "little lamb" he used to be.

　　Did getting knocked out change his personality?

　　Meanwhile, William Carter noticed a green thread of energy rising from Andrew Carter's head, firmly pointing toward himself.

　　A wisp of green energy even separated from the thread and drifted toward him, only to be instantly absorbed by the "Great Freedom Causal Eye."

　　Immediately, he felt a surge of vitality, as if he'd just drunk a big bowl of tonic.

　　As for the other uncles and clan elders, the threads of energy above their heads had originally pointed away from him, but now some of them had straightened, probably no longer looking at him with prejudice.

　　A few others, after a brief struggle, also turned their threads toward him, though their energy didn't flow over.