Samuel Price burst into wild laughter, suddenly roaring in anger. His muscles bulged all over his body, with true energy faintly coursing across his skin. In a flash, he unleashed dozens of punches in all directions.

Instantly, fist shadows shot through the air like streaks of lightning. The outer courtyard guards present couldn’t withstand it at all; they were struck one after another, groaning miserably as they retreated rapidly. Uncle George was hit by four waves of fist force and staggered back several meters.

In that moment, a clearing appeared in the center of the crowd, with only Samuel Price and Edward Carter standing there.

“Edward Carter, just give up and surrender obediently. Become my hostage.”

Samuel Price reached out with one hand at lightning speed. His palm seemed to grow larger as it grabbed toward Edward Carter.

[Collarbone Claw]! Uncle George's expression changed dramatically. He hadn’t expected Samuel Price to have mastered another mid-tier mortal martial art.

Edward Carter felt half his body enveloped by this grab. His gaze turned cold, but he didn’t panic. His opponent was at the second level of Warrior, and this grab was a mid-tier mortal martial art. With Edward Carter’s current strength, dodging was simply impossible.

“Break the surface with a single point!”

With a movement of both arms, as the force approached, Edward Carter alternated seven punches, each landing precisely on a single point in Samuel Price’s palm. The seven punches overlapped, forcefully breaking through this [Collarbone Claw].

Pa! Pa! Pa!...

A series of crisp sounds rang out. The crowd saw Samuel Price’s body tremble slightly, his grab missing its mark, while Edward Carter unleashed seven punches and retreated seven steps, widening the distance.

Steadying himself, Edward Carter thought to himself, “The gap between the ninth level of Martial Disciple and Warrior is only a thin line, but the difference is vast. Fortunately, I’ve activated the first layer of the Battle Saint Physique. In terms of pure physical strength, I’m comparable to a Warrior-level fighter. That’s how I managed to resolve it with seven punches, breaking the surface with a single point.”

Moreover, he could feel a strange power within his true energy, greatly enhancing the might of his martial arts.

“How is this possible?” Samuel Price’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Guard Price, it seems you only know some flashy moves. No wonder you ambushed me at North Cliff, yet I survived unscathed,” Edward Carter said calmly.

These words landed in Samuel Price’s ears like a fuse, instantly filling his eyes with blood as he roared, “That was just your luck, you good-for-nothing from the Qin family! Eight years and you still haven’t broken through. Watch me cripple you!”

His body suddenly swelled, and Samuel Price lunged forward, both hands grabbing left and right, ten fingers stretching and trembling like binding whips, attacking Edward Carter from both sides.

This time, the speed of [Collarbone Claw] was twice as fast as before. Clearly, Samuel Price was going all out, giving Edward Carter no chance to escape.

All around, the expressions of those present changed dramatically. Who could have imagined Samuel Price’s strength was so formidable, leaving them no room to intervene.

“Young Master Edward, look out!” Uncle George’s face changed abruptly. Everything was happening too fast, and he was more than ten meters away from Edward Carter, too far to help in time.

Whoosh...

Edward Carter took a deep breath, knowing that in this situation, he could only rely on himself. His ears twitched, and his hearing spread out like a tide, enveloping the surroundings.

Every movement of everyone present, both in front and behind, appeared in his mind. Edward Carter even saw, eight meters behind him, Steward Franklin’s gaze cold and snake-like, fixed on his back—a position from which rescue could come in time.

Immediately, everyone’s movements seemed to slow down. The speed of Samuel Price’s grabbing palms, once lightning-fast, now appeared ordinary, their trajectories clearly visible.

To hear as if seeing—what a marvelous effect!

“Explosive Rain Shatters Stone!”

Edward Carter stepped forward, throwing both fists at once, executing the final move of the basic fist technique, striking straight into Samuel Price’s palms.

Bang!

The force of [Collarbone Claw] invaded his body. Edward Carter’s body trembled violently, the bones in his arms creaking. With his current true energy, he could only neutralize sixty percent of [Collarbone Claw]’s power.

“Got you, haha!” Samuel Price laughed wildly, suddenly gripping Edward Carter’s fists.

“Not necessarily!”

Edward Carter’s face was expressionless, like a statue. In that instant, he circulated his true energy, directing the remaining forty percent of [Collarbone Claw]’s power to a certain spot in his body.

Breaking through!

Crack! Crack!...

Suddenly, a faint sound came from within Edward Carter, like an eggshell breaking. At the same time, a breeze surged from his body.

“True energy surges like wind! The Warrior realm!?” Uncle George cried out in shock, unable to remain calm, his face filled with joy. After being stuck at the ninth level of Martial Disciple for eight years, had Edward Carter finally broken through at this moment?

Not far away, Steward Franklin’s face changed dramatically, his eyes narrowing with a venomous glint.

“He broke through?”

Feeling the abundant true energy surging within, Edward Carter shook his arms. Instead of breaking free, he channeled true energy into his sleeves. The cuffs suddenly wrapped around Samuel Price’s hands, and with a sharp pull—

In an instant, the wide sleeves seemed to become a spring. Edward Carter used the momentum to leap up, his right foot flashing like lightning as it kicked Samuel Price in the face.

Bang!

Blood splattered from Samuel Price’s face, a long wound appearing on one cheek, perfectly mirroring his old knife scar.

“You little brat…”