The young man had been following behind Henry Collins the whole time, as if in deep meditation, until Henry Collins mentioned him, at which point he seemed to snap out of a petrified state.

"Huajin master?" Ethan Carter glanced over. This young man was indeed quite strong, already a level four Huajin master, even at the peak of Huajin, just half a step away from becoming a level five Baodan grandmaster.

However, he must have just recently broken through, as his aura was not yet well restrained, and it was clear that his sharpness was overwhelming.

He was likely one of those experts who broke through with the recent changes in the world and the revival of spiritual energy. Such experts had become quite common after the spiritual energy's return.

Ordinary people didn't feel it as deeply, only noticing that their bodies were getting healthier and they were less likely to get sick, but martial artists felt it most keenly. After the world's revival, it was as if the shackles that had weighed on them were suddenly lifted.

In the past, just breaking through to Huajin could take a lifetime, but now, reaching Huajin was clearly much easier.

James Harris turned to look at Ethan Carter, and a faint glint appeared in his eyes as his entire aura suddenly erupted. If before he had only seemed sharp, now it was like a volcanic eruption.

"I heard you killed the Scorpion?" James Harris suddenly spoke, clearly having learned some things from Henry Collins.

Ethan Carter nodded and said, "That's right, I killed him!"

James Harris spoke coldly: "The Scorpion had a stroke of luck in his early years and became a disciple of my master, so he was my senior brother. But he committed all sorts of evil, did as he pleased, and repeatedly colluded with foreign forces. Now that my martial arts have reached a high level, I was planning to settle accounts with him and clean up our sect, but he died at your hands!"

"So, do you want to avenge him?" Ethan Carter said calmly.

Chapter 12: The Outcome Is Clear

"No, I heard you killed him with ease. Now I want to challenge you. I want to prove something: it's not that our sect's martial arts are lacking, but that he was lacking!" James Harris looked seriously at Ethan Carter and said.

"So that's how it is!" Ethan Carter nodded. "That's how it should be. There are no invincible martial arts, only invincible people!"

This James Harris before him was indeed much stronger than the Scorpion. The Scorpion had only barely stepped into Huajin, while James Harris was already close to the strength of a Baodan grandmaster.

Under normal circumstances, that half-step might be impossible to cross in a lifetime, but now, with the world's changes and the revival of spiritual energy, taking that half-step was no longer so difficult.

In the coming period, as spiritual energy continued to revive, it would be a time of rapid progress for everyone.

Ethan Carter then shook his head and said, "Although you're stronger than the Scorpion, you're still not my match. You're young—why not go back and train for a few more years and gain even more?"

Hearing this, both Henry Collins and Emily Collins felt a bit odd, because no matter how you looked at it, Ethan Carter was the younger one—at most just over twenty—while James Harris was nearly thirty.

Yet now Ethan Carter seemed like someone with more experience, almost like an elder giving advice to James Harris.

"Whether I'm your match or not, we'll only know after a fight!"

A glint flashed in James Harris's eyes, and in an instant, he struck. In a split second, his figure pounced like a fierce tiger, his five fingers clenched into a fist, striking at Ethan Carter like a tiger pouncing on its prey.

James Harris's punch made the air explode, producing a sound like firecrackers going off.

This punch was incredibly fast, like a spear sweeping out—quick, accurate, and ruthless, a level only achievable after more than ten years of hard training.

James Harris didn't hold back at all, because he knew the man before him was no weakling. If Emily Collins hadn't lied, then Ethan Carter, who could easily kill the Scorpion, was definitely a formidable opponent.

But Ethan Carter remained calm and unhurried, reaching out and gently grabbing James Harris's fist, silently and without a sound.

When James Harris saw his hand had been caught, he tried to break free, only to find he couldn't twist away at all. With a cold snort, he twisted his body and swept a long leg like a whip toward Ethan Carter's head.

This move was even more dangerous—with his leg strength, an ordinary person's head would be kicked off.

Ethan Carter simply raised his other hand and easily caught the incoming whip-like leg.

It was almost silent.

After these two attacks were blocked, James Harris didn't stop. Once Ethan Carter let go, he continued to throw punches at Ethan Carter.

Each punch swept out like a great spear, powerful and forceful.

It seemed that James Harris's style of boxing had evolved from spear techniques, carrying the aura of battlefield combat.

As time went on and spiritual energy continued to revive, these martial arts would be able to unleash even more astonishing power, not just simple hand-to-hand techniques.

Of course, it was still not on the same level as what Ethan Carter had learned.

For a full ten minutes, Ethan Carter let James Harris attack as he pleased, but with the simplest of moves, he was able to block all of James Harris's attacks.

At this point, even Henry Collins and Emily Collins, who didn't understand martial arts, could see that Ethan Carter's strength far surpassed James Harris's.