Feeling a slight warmth at his dantian, William Lincoln's mind stirred, and he finally came out of the meditation that had lasted an entire day. Somewhat surprised, he muttered to himself, “This sensation of warmth is qi perception, and this breath of energy has already entered the dantian, circulating back and forth along a certain trajectory. I didn’t expect that in just one day, not only did I cultivate qi perception, but I also completed the step of sinking qi into the dantian. Compared to the month it took in my previous life, this is many times faster. Cultivating on a planet rich in spiritual energy really does yield twice the result with half the effort.”

　　As soon as he came to, Carrie Lincoln, who had been watching him closely, immediately shouted, “He’s awake, he’s awake! This kid is finally awake.”

　　“Haha, that’s great. Look at how lasciviously this kid is smiling—his mastery of battle qi must have improved a lot. Come on, Charlie, what level swordsman have you reached? Level four? Five? Or even six?”

　　William Lincoln quietly sensed the battle qi within his body, but there was no movement—it was still the same as before.

　　“Come on, Charlie, don’t keep us in suspense. You’ve been in seclusion for a whole day and night; surely you’ve broken through more than just one level, right? Be honest, have you reached level five swordsman?”

　　Beside him, Lincoln also looked expectant, waiting for William Lincoln to announce the result that would delight them.

　　William Lincoln shook his head slightly and smiled, “It’s not that easy to break through swordsman levels. I’m still at level three.”

　　“No breakthrough?” Carrie Lincoln and Lincoln were stunned, their hearts sinking, and they hurriedly pressed, “Kid, seriously, you’re not joking, are you? We’re being serious here.”

　　William Lincoln frowned, “I’m confident I can break through within a month, but one day… that’s too tight.”

　　“A month, are you serious?”

　　“Of course.”

　　The two of them tensed up, exchanging glances. Suddenly, they both collapsed to the ground as if struck by a huge blow, their faces pale, muttering to themselves, “It’s over, it’s all over, we’re finished this time.”

　　“What’s wrong?” William Lincoln vaguely remembered that someone had come to make a commotion here last night, but he had been focused on cultivating and only sensed it slightly, not knowing what had happened.

　　Suddenly, Carrie Lincoln howled up at the sky, “Heavens, why is my fate so bitter? I’m doomed this time.”

　　Lincoln also looked utterly defeated, his eyes lifeless, as if his soul had been sucked out, staring blankly ahead.

　　At that moment, a deep, powerful shout came from downstairs: “Hey, B-13 dorm! Do you know what time it is? It’s almost five o’clock. Katherine Lincoln the boss has spoken—get to the dueling arena immediately, or your B-13 dorm’s act of accepting a duel, insulting others, but not daring to show up will spread throughout the entire academy, even all of Radiant Sun City.”

　　“Spread throughout all of Radiant Sun City…” Lincoln and Carrie Lincoln exchanged a glance, seeing the terror in each other’s eyes.

　　If this really spread throughout Radiant Sun City, their reputations would be utterly ruined, and no one would ever respect them again. Even their families would be looked down upon and scorned…

　　“Damn it, that bastard is really vicious.”

　　“Let’s go. At worst, we’ll just get beaten up—even if we’re crippled, it’s better than losing our reputation.” Lincoln suddenly stood up, a trace of resolve flashing in his defeated eyes.

　　“I’m sorry, brother, I dragged you into this. If I hadn’t told you that Charlie might advance to level four swordsman, you wouldn’t have messed around with me.” Carrie Lincoln looked full of regret, feeling so bad he was about to go crazy.

　　Lincoln gave a bitter smile, “What’s done is done, what’s the point of saying more? Sigh, let’s go—if we die, we die.”

　　With William Lincoln’s intelligence, and based on Charles Lincoln’s memories of them, he had already vaguely guessed what had happened from their few words, and his expression grew a little displeased. “Just what kind of enemy did you provoke?”

　　Carrie Lincoln opened his mouth, but found it hard to speak.

　　At this moment, Lincoln seemed to have come to terms with it and said, “Don’t worry, we brought this trouble on ourselves, and we’ll try to take responsibility. It’s just that, Charlie… sigh, we’ve let you down…”

　　“Who is the opponent?”

　　“Level four swordsman, Katherine Lincoln.”

　　“Level four swordsman…” William Lincoln sorted through Charles Lincoln’s knowledge of level four swordsmen and the scenes of their battles, and had a rough estimate of their strength—probably equivalent to a postnatal realm martial artist.

　　“A level three swordsman’s ultimate sword technique is already powerful enough to kill. However, unleashing an ultimate sword technique takes time, like a soldier with a World War I rifle who needs to load bullets and clean the barrel. A level four swordsman… is like a soldier with a pistol… but even before firing, there’s still the process of raising the gun, aiming, and pulling the trigger. If I’m lucky, it’s not entirely hopeless…”

　　William Lincoln couldn’t help but give this matter some thought. After all, he was now involved, and if he wanted to continue staying safely at this academy and use it as a base to understand this world, he had to solve the problem at hand.