“This kid has been out of martial arts for years, and whatever foundation he once had is almost gone. Now he’s injured too—it’s like he’s just recovered from a serious illness. Even a gust of wind could knock him over. Why should I be afraid of him?”

James Thompson absolutely refused to believe that Ethan Carter could beat him.

Although Ethan Carter had once reached the Body Tempering stage, after so many years of neglect, he probably hadn’t even reached the second level anymore. Meanwhile, James Thompson had long since achieved the third level of Body Tempering, with the strength to pull apart over a hundred pounds with both hands. He could take down a tiger, let alone Ethan Carter.

“Heh, you little punk, still trying to bluff me… You brought this on yourself!”

James Thompson sneered, then suddenly threw a punch with a whooshing sound at Ethan Carter’s chest, while simultaneously kicking at Ethan Carter’s waist. This was the Five Thunder Sect’s move, “Fierce Tiger Sweeps with Its Leg.”

A tiger, living deep in the mountains, when it encounters a high ravine, will leap down, and with a sweep of its right leg, pin its prey beneath its paw. In that single pounce and sweep, it can shatter the prey’s bones, leaving no chance to escape.

So, when a tiger leaps across a ravine to hunt, it often succeeds in a single move, with no need for a chase.

“Fierce Tiger Sweeps with Its Leg” is based on this idea. If James Thompson’s move landed, Ethan Carter probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for ten days.

“Courting death!”

Just as James Thompson’s punch was about to land, Ethan Carter suddenly struck. His body flashed to the side, dodging James Thompson’s punch, and at the same time, he threw a lightning-fast punch of his own.

Crack!

Ethan Carter’s spine contracted, his whole body tensed like a drawn bow, from tailbone to neck, his bones crackling like beans in a hot pan.

James Thompson’s punch hit nothing, and as he heard that sound in his ears, his hair stood on end and he was chilled to the bone. Before he could react, a sharp pain hit his chest like a thunderbolt, and he was immediately sent flying by a terrifying force.

“Triple Vertebra Strike”—this was a powerful martial art Ethan Carter had brought from another world. The key was to harness the power of the spine, the “great dragon,” channeling the strength of all the body’s bones and muscles into a single point, then unleashing it in a sudden burst.

The explosive force of this move was overwhelming—unstoppable!

It was true that Ethan Carter wasn’t as strong as James Thompson, but with the Triple Vertebra Strike, the power he unleashed far surpassed James Thompson. If James Thompson’s strength was enough to wrestle a tiger, then Ethan Carter’s punch could kill one outright.

In terms of martial arts, knowledge, and combat experience, someone like James Thompson, who only knew how to rigidly imitate moves, was worlds apart from a real combat martial artist from a family like Ethan Carter.

“Wow! What strength!”

James Thompson cried out, then was slammed hard against the iron door. His bones crackled—who knew how many were broken. Then he collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth, his eyes full of terror.

The injuries were secondary; the real shock was in his heart. It was like a snake about to eat a toad, only for the toad to suddenly transform into a lion and stomp the snake to death.

That was exactly how James Thompson felt now.

“I told you, you brought this on yourself, but you wouldn’t listen.”

With his hands behind his back, Ethan Carter walked up to the iron door and looked coldly at James Thompson:

“In the past, I let things slide because I was generous, but you really thought I couldn’t deal with you. Take this as a small lesson. If there’s a next time, you’d better think twice.”

With that, Ethan Carter strode out, not giving him another glance.

James Thompson opened his mouth, wanting to ask what move Ethan Carter had just used—it definitely wasn’t a Five Thunder Sect technique. But seeing Ethan Carter’s departing figure, a chill ran through his heart, and he didn’t dare ask anything.

……

On Five Thunder Mountain, people came and went.

Ethan Carter walked along the stone path on the mountain. As he passed, he saw the disciples pointing and whispering about him. With his sharp hearing, he caught them secretly mocking him, saying that as the young sect master, he wouldn’t last much longer and would soon be deposed. Then he’d truly be a useless waste.

Hearing this, Ethan Carter just sneered inwardly, unconcerned. He was no longer the old Ethan Carter; if these people wanted to see him make a fool of himself, they were gravely mistaken.

Ethan Carter had no interest in arguing. Facts speak louder than words—soon, these people would realize just how wrong they were.

He lowered his head, walking calmly, lost in his own thoughts.

The incident with James Thompson was, for Ethan Carter, an opportunity to establish his authority. Ethan Carter knew that when James Thompson was found lying at the door, badly injured and coughing up blood, it would send a clear warning to those in the sect who mocked and looked down on him.

“Kind people are bullied, tame horses are ridden. To deal with these petty people, you have to use both status and strength. Only then will they behave.”

Ethan Carter possessed all the memories of the Five Thunder Sect. He could see at a glance that the biggest problem with the original Ethan Carter’s poor situation was his overly timid personality. Even though he was the young sect master, he didn’t act like one at all.