“Hmph, it’s precisely because William Carter has an average foundation that he needs to practice with me even more. If he takes a few hits from me here, it’ll just hurt a bit. But if he goes out and loses to someone else, it won’t just be a little pain—it could mean serious injury or even death, and it would disgrace our martial arts school!” Edward Grant’s expression darkened as he spoke coldly.

David Morgan was an honest and straightforward person. Seeing that Edward Grant was clearly narrow-minded and just wanted to take the opportunity to humiliate William Carter, yet still put on the airs of a senior disciple and dressed up his words so grandly, he couldn’t help but show anger on his face. Just as he was about to speak up again, William Carter stopped him, smiling slightly as he said, “Xiaoqiang, Senior Brother Grant isn’t wrong. My foundation is average, so I need to practice even harder. It’s rare for Senior Brother Grant to be willing to guide me, so I should cherish the opportunity.”

“Ziling, he’s clearly…” David Morgan said angrily.

“David Morgan!” William Carter pulled David Morgan back and gave him a look.

Although David Morgan was honest and straightforward, he knew that Edward Grant’s family had some wealth and influence in the county city, and he was also the master’s favored disciple. If David Morgan really tried to stand up for William Carter, in the end, not only would William Carter still get beaten, but he himself would also be punished.

So, David Morgan finally closed his mouth angrily.

Seeing that William Carter, who used to show his anger openly, suddenly changed his attitude, Edward Grant gave a cold, sinister smile and lowered his voice: “William Carter, don’t think that just because you’re acting like this, I’ll go easy on you.”

“Senior Brother Grant, just do your best.” William Carter replied calmly, then stepped back a few paces, one hand extended forward and the other behind, assuming the starting stance of an old monk holding a begging bowl.

Chapter 10: Unexpected

The Cold Iron Palm uses the palm as a blade, following a swift and fierce style, without overly complicated moves—just five main techniques.

Mountain-Cleaving, Mountain-Crushing, Mountain-Lifting, Thrusting, and Hammering.

From these five main forms, various practical combat moves are derived.

For example, the Mountain-Cleaving form includes straight cleaves, horizontal cleaves, diagonal cleaves, leaping cleaves, turning cleaves, glancing cleaves, and so on.

Seeing this, Edward Grant let out a cold “heh heh” and strode forward boldly, raising his hand in a palm-blade, launching directly into a powerful Mountain-Cleaving strike.

As Edward Grant brought his fingers together to form the palm-blade, his callused palm actually glowed faintly red, as if iron had been heated red-hot. The wind from his palm carried a hint of heat.

This was the sign of a martial apprentice at the Skin-Membrane level—when exerting force, the blood and energy surged within the skin and muscles, bursting forth with power.

Seeing Edward Grant raise his palm-blade and strike down with such speed and force, his momentum unstoppable, William Carter did not panic as he had in the past. Instead, his mind entered a state of perfect clarity, as calm as still water.

In this state, his mind was like a mirror, reflecting every change in the outside world in perfect detail. He could even faintly predict his opponent’s feints and next moves from the flow of air and shifts in energy.

Almost without thinking, William Carter quickly sidestepped, narrowly dodging Edward Grant’s fierce palm-blade. At the same time, he bent his knee and drove it upward, slamming into Edward Grant’s hidden left hand, preventing it from striking. One palm then struck at Edward Grant’s exposed right arm with the Mountain-Crushing form, while the other hand, fingers gathered like a dagger, thrust toward his ribs.

Edward Grant had thought that his powerful Mountain-Cleaving strike, so swift and fierce, would make William Carter panic and retreat, which would be just what he wanted—he could then press forward and keep attacking.

If William Carter tried to block with both arms, Edward Grant’s skills had already reached the Skin-Membrane level. A direct clash would at least injure William Carter’s muscles, if not his bones, and his hidden palm-blade would strike like a venomous snake at William Carter’s abdomen, making him collapse in pain.

If William Carter was agile enough to dodge sideways, his hidden palm could strike with the Mountain-Crushing form and knock him down.

But Edward Grant never expected that William Carter would sidestep with such calm precision, passing just beside his powerful palm-blade, and then, in a flash, drive his knee into the hidden hand, completely sealing off his follow-up move.

“Damn it!” Edward Grant, after all, was a Skin-Membrane level martial apprentice and reacted quickly. His hidden right palm struck William Carter’s rising knee, and he leapt back like a startled cat, dodging William Carter’s thrust at his ribs.

Seeing Edward Grant dodge his thrust, William Carter couldn’t help but think, “What a pity.”

His foundation was average, and so was his palm strength. Whether chopping or striking, his power was limited. But if he could land a thrust with the palm-blade, the small point of impact would make it as deadly as a knife, greatly increasing its power.

If Edward Grant had taken that thrust to the ribs just now, he’d probably be in pain for days, and the fight might have ended early.

Still, aside from William Carter’s extraordinary sensitivity, Edward Grant’s true strength was actually much greater. Not only did Edward Grant dodge William Carter’s sneak attack in time, but his palm strike to William Carter’s knee, though rushed, left William Carter’s knee aching, as if he’d slammed it into a stone slab.