“Could it be that William Carter hasn’t given up on himself? The reason he’s been sleeping in class all the time is because he’s been training too hard on his own?” The more James White thought about it, the more convinced he became, and the look he gave William Carter was now mixed with approval and affection, along with even more relief: “That must be it, the old principal really had an eye for talent, it was me who misunderstood him. 10 points of strength at the Mortal Body level—in all of Guide Prefecture, there’s probably no one who can match that, and even among all the high schoolers in the Earth Federation, that’s top-tier… What a good kid… He’s really had it tough…”

The more James White thought about it, the more pleasing William Carter seemed to him. He felt that William Carter not only had great talent, but also an excellent character. Ever since he lost to Jane Anderson, he’d been the subject of much gossip, yet William Carter bore all that pressure without complaint, and managed to train to such a level in such a short time. Such temperament and talent are truly rare among high school students.

“Is this for real? Hitting 10 points of strength without using a Vital Energy technique? Has this guy been hiding at home every day, crazily training his strength?” Robert Harris couldn’t help but swallow hard. Hitting 10 points at the Mortal Body level was just too shocking—there had only been a handful of such people in a small city like Guide Prefecture.

David Thompson and Grace Bennett also looked at William Carter with a strange expression. Although Grace Bennett had always believed that William Carter wasn’t someone who would let himself go and must have been training hard in private, she never expected William Carter could train his strength to such a level.

“It seems the strength tester’s data is still a bit different from the game. In the game, my strength cap is 9, but in reality, the test shows 10.” William Carter thought to himself.

“To be able to hit 10 points of strength—no wonder he’s called the number one genius of Guide High School. But if you think that’s enough to beat me, you’re wrong.” Robert Harris said, looking at William Carter.

Seeing William Carter’s test result, Robert Harris was now willing to let William Carter join their team.

Although Robert Harris could use Thunder Fist to hit more than 10 points of strength, that required expending Vital Energy, and with his current level, he could only throw one punch like that in a short time—he couldn’t fight for long.

But William Carter’s 10 points of strength were real and solid, allowing him to fight for a much longer time, which was a huge help to the team, maybe even more useful than his Thunder Fist.

And then there was William Carter’s Inch Punch. To be able to use such an Inch Punch, it was clear William Carter hadn’t really slacked off—he must have been secretly training hard all along, so there was no issue of being out of practice.

However, Robert Harris still didn’t want to admit defeat. He still planned to beat William Carter first, and then generously offer to let him join the team.

Chapter 7: One Punch Blasts the Gauge

“Xiangdong…” David Thompson started to say something, but was cut off by a wave of Robert Harris’s hand.

Having someone with 10 points of strength join their team was obviously a huge help. David Thompson felt that since William Carter had already shown enough strength, there was no need to keep pushing things—falling out with each other wouldn’t benefit anyone.

If Robert Harris insisted on using Thunder Fist to defeat William Carter, and William Carter really left, it would be a loss for them.

Seeing Robert Harris walk up to the pressure plate, David Thompson wanted to say something more, but was stopped by a wave from Grace Bennett.

“Are you sure this is okay?” David Thompson asked, looking at Grace Bennett.

“It’s fine, that guy has already accepted William Carter. He just doesn’t want to lose.” Grace Bennett said calmly.

“That guy Xiangdong, so obsessed with saving face.” David Thompson was momentarily stunned, then suddenly understood, and with a laugh and a curse, said no more, watching as Robert Harris began his second strength test.

Robert Harris looked serious as he stood before the pressure plate, slowly raising his fist. The veins on his fist bulged, looking like streaks of lightning crisscrossing, making his fist appear fierce and terrifying.

Bang!

His fist slammed violently onto the pressure plate. The special alloy plate clearly recoiled, and the numbers on the screen lit up rapidly, finally stopping at 11.

“Well?” Feeling his Vital Energy nearly depleted, Robert Harris secretly wiped away a cold sweat.

His own strength was 7, and a single stage of Thunder Fist could only boost his strength by about half—it wasn’t very stable. Sometimes he could hit 10, sometimes 11. Today’s punch was a good one, and thankfully, he still beat William Carter.

“Not bad.” William Carter was indeed a genius in cultivation, but his emotional intelligence was pretty average. He didn’t notice Robert Harris’s emotional changes, only thinking that if he couldn’t win, he couldn’t join the team, so he walked over to the strength tester again.

But this time, William Carter didn’t punch right away. Instead, he carefully examined the strength tester.

“What are you looking at? If you can’t do it, just say so. There’s no shame in losing to me.” Robert Harris saw William Carter hesitating and thought he lacked the confidence to hit a higher score, which was why he was stalling.

Looking at the strength tester, William Carter said worriedly, “If this thing breaks, the school won’t make me pay for it, right?”