But William Carter was self-aware, while that Edward Grant was a petty, narrow-minded man. He knew that William Carter used to be very close with Charlotte Harris, and had often caused trouble for William Carter in private. Especially now that he was already a martial apprentice at the Skin-Membrane stage and highly valued by Samuel Foster, he would frequently use practicing boxing as an excuse to humiliate and beat up William Carter.

Ten days ago, William Carter was injured by Edward Grant, leaving his body weak, and as a result, the remnant soul of Henry Clark took advantage of the situation and almost possessed him.

Of course, now William Carter's body already had a new owner.

As for Charlotte Harris, in his eyes, she was no beauty, but rather the source of trouble.

But the current William Carter had no choice; the troubles left by his predecessor could only be cleaned up by the current one.

“You should have about two months left before your three years are up, right? The master said, if you can’t reach the Skin-Membrane stage in three years, it means you have no talent for martial arts, and continuing to train is pointless. If you still want to stay at the martial hall, you’ll have to pay double tuition. You didn’t come yesterday, so I thought you’d figured it out and decided to give up martial arts. I didn’t expect you to show up today. Looks like you still can’t let go of that woman. Why put yourself through this? Just for that woman, you’re going to let that petty man Edward Grant humiliate you for another two months!” David Morgan shook his head as he saw William Carter glance at Charlotte Harris.

“I’ve long since had nothing to do with Charlotte Harris. I’m staying only to practice martial arts!” William Carter said.

“William, it’s useless. I’ve seen through it. Practicing martial arts isn’t just about talent and diligence—what’s more important is your family background. I was born strong and work hard at martial arts, but so what? After all my hard training, I can barely fill my stomach, let alone get any meat or medicinal supplements. How can my vital energy grow strong? The master said, hair and skin are the surplus of blood. If your vital energy doesn’t overflow, how can you reach the Skin-Membrane stage? If you don’t reach the Skin-Membrane stage, how can you comprehend and temper inner strength? Without inner strength, you’ll always just be a martial apprentice, working for others your whole life, never making it to the top.”

“But look at those rich young masters. Most of them just eat, drink, and play all day, yet many of them have reached the Skin-Membrane stage. Sure, some are truly talented, but I don’t believe all of them are. Most of them rely on daily meat and medicinal supplements!”

“So, William, what’s the point of you staying at the martial hall for another two months? You’d be better off finding a job to support yourself. You’re educated, smart, and have martial arts training. I’ve heard your ancestors were from a big family, so plenty of employers would be happy to hire you. Unlike me, I have nothing but my strength, so I’ve already signed up at the martial arena. I’ll be fighting soon, so I’m staying to train and boost my combat power, not to break through to the Skin-Membrane stage.” David Morgan said.

The entry-level martial arts stages are divided into Muscle & Tendon Training and Skin-Membrane Training, collectively called the Vital Energy stage.

As long as you’re willing to endure hardship, anyone can train their muscles and tendons to be tougher than ordinary people, though the degree varies. But reaching the Skin-Membrane stage is much harder; it requires not only talent and hard work, but also special training methods and matching prescriptions, not to mention meat and medicinal supplements.

Both the Muscle & Tendon and Skin-Membrane stages are called martial apprentices. Their strength only differs in degree, not in kind.

But once you seal your vital energy with the skin membrane and temper it day and night to develop inner strength, your power undergoes a qualitative change.

A martial artist who develops inner strength is called a martial master. Even if he isn’t particularly strong, the quality of his power has changed, and he can easily defeat even the strongest martial apprentices.

In the county city, martial masters are already considered martial arts experts, always sought after by the great families and clans, never lacking opportunities. Some martial masters with secret training methods can open their own halls to teach students, or keep their own retainers and servants, forming their own independent forces.

Samuel Foster possesses the technique and secret recipe for cultivating the Cold Iron Palm’s inner strength. Unwilling to serve under others, he established his own martial hall, forming an independent force and maneuvering among the major powers of the county city.

But for martial apprentices, finding a good path, a good employer, or a good salary isn’t so easy. They need to demonstrate their value before any power is willing to pay a high price to recruit them.

And the most direct and convenient way to show your value is to participate in martial fights at the county city’s martial arena.

Participating in these fights not only brings a handsome income, but if you make a name for yourself in a single battle, you’ll surely attract the attention of various powers.

Of course, the fights at the martial arena are different from the sparring in the martial hall. The participants are all fighting for fame and a better future, and there’s gambling and betting involved behind the scenes, so the fights are intense—one could even say brutal.

Only those confident in their strength or in urgent need of money dare to take this path.

Chapter 9: The Bout

“Xiao Qiang, with your strength, it should be easy for you to find a good job. Why bother with the martial arena? The fights there are brutal—there have already been many cases of injuries and deaths.” William Carter frowned and said.