Pedestrians on the street saw the fight and all ran away to watch from a distance, while those farther away gathered closer.

James Carter swung a stool away with one palm. A figure lunged at him, already right in front of him. His own hands suddenly tightened, as if someone had gripped them firmly, twisting them behind his back. At the same time, the opponent’s foot kicked at his knee joint!

This series of moves was as fast as lightning.

His knee and lower leg involuntarily trembled, bending slightly inward, as if drawing a circle. Back in the day, when James Carter was learning internal martial arts, he traveled far and wide to seek out masters. Although he never learned the true essence or profound mysteries, he still benefited greatly in terms of technique. Mainly, after spending large sums of money, he managed to pick up a thing or two.

That kick actually missed by a hair’s breadth! Robert Bolton couldn’t help but doubt his own kicking technique. Back in the army, during competitions, he could kick bricks and hit his mark every time—even with his eyes closed, it was no problem. How could he have missed today?

As this thought flashed by, he realized the opponent’s grip was astonishingly strong! With a sudden burst, he broke free, and not only that, but the force made him lunge forward!

Robert Bolton knew things were bad, but he reacted quickly. Using the momentum, he suddenly lowered his body and swept his leg at the ground. James Carter had already leapt into the air, flipping over, his hands reaching down in a claw shape—the Eagle Claw technique from Iron Sand Palm—grabbing straight at Robert Bolton’s head.

His sweeping leg missed. Robert Bolton had once watched a martial arts performance and had seen this very move. He had pondered how to counter it, and now, seeing James Carter use it, he was secretly delighted. He tilted his body to the side, rolled on the ground, and, like a frog on its back, suddenly kicked upward with both legs, using the acrobatic move of balancing a ball with his feet, aiming right at James Carter’s Eagle Claw.

“This guy’s got talent, but today I’m wearing heavy leather shoes. No matter how tough your hands are, they’re still flesh and blood. This kick should break your claws for sure.”

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Robert Bolton felt a chill on the soles of his feet, followed by a ripping sound and a burning pain, as if a layer of skin had been sliced off his foot with a knife.

Pushing off with both hands, he did a kip-up and stood up. Robert Bolton saw that the soles of his sturdy, military-issue leather shoes had been completely torn off, leaving only a few scraps of leather clinging to his feet—he was almost barefoot. Even his thick soles seemed to have been skinned, with blood seeping through.

As soon as Robert Bolton got up, James Carter had already landed, his figure flickering as he charged forward with an arrow step! He stopped! Planted himself firmly in a horse stance! With a backhand, he struck out with his palm—swift as thunder, the force of the palm making the skin sting. Robert Bolton hurriedly punched out, and as their fist and palm collided, Robert Bolton felt a heart-wrenching pain, and then his fist seemed to go numb. James Carter then lunged forward again with a bow step, and his other palm struck Robert Bolton’s left rib.

James Carter’s palm hit, then pushed and shook—this was the “shock” technique of the Thunderbolt Style! Robert Bolton heard a crack, felt a chill in his heart, and knew his rib was broken. His body flew like a blade of grass, landing five or six meters away with a thud on the concrete road.

Only one thought remained in Robert Bolton’s mind: “So powerful, I’m really hurt this time!” He immediately passed out.

Robert Bolton had charged up, but James Carter broke free, using the Eagle Claw and Thunderbolt techniques of the Iron Sand Palm, and actually broke the ribs of this deputy captain of the criminal police squad, knocking him unconscious. This took only two or three rounds, less than a minute.

The Eagle Claw and Thunderbolt techniques of the Iron Sand Palm are performed in one continuous flow, without the slightest pause. James Carter had practiced them for ten years, countless times, so much so that it became a habit—he couldn’t hold back even if he wanted to.

What’s more, there’s an old saying: “In a fight, don’t hold back; if you hold back, don’t fight.” If you hold back and the other person doesn’t, you’ll suffer—after all, the body is made of flesh and blood. It’s no joke.

External martial arts are indeed fierce—the moves are continuous, the strikes heavy and ruthless, and it’s hard to restrain oneself. Often, a single move can kill, unlike internal martial arts, which can be controlled. But internal martial arts can’t kill as quickly or as fiercely as external styles.

Robert Bolton survived only thanks to those sturdy military shoes. When James Carter used the Eagle Claw, the shoes absorbed some of the force, preventing him from finishing the move as usual. Otherwise, Robert Bolton would have ended up like that curly-haired youth.

“Damn!” Seeing Robert Bolton fall to the ground, with a Type 54 pistol exposed at his waist, James Carter realized he had just fought a plainclothes detective. He quickly grabbed his broken phone and sprinted away toward the school.

Chapter 005: Goosebumps

Confucians disrupt the law with literature; knights break the law with martial arts!

This is an age-old saying.

As long as someone possesses abilities beyond the ordinary, trouble is bound to arise. Humans are emotional creatures—whether out of joy, anger, greed, or violence, all sorts of emotions will erupt and demand expression. For ordinary people, it might be drinking to drown their sorrows; for scholars, it’s writing; for martial artists, it’s their fists.