There was a wave of silence for a few moments after Xiao fell to the ground like a wet towel, but the onlookers soon erupted into cheers, having genuinely been blown away. They had been expecting fights between mere outer disciples after all, so the spectacle the two in the arena had offered went far beyond expectations, even if very few understood what had just happened.

Xiao had not egregiously botched his dodge and impaled himself because of it. Everyone was fairly certain that Xiao had indeed dodged the thrust. Only for a moment later, to realise that the rapier had gone through him anyway. But for now, no one really cared.

They simply enjoyed the moment as Xiao was carried away to be healed, whilst Anoteros casually walked off the arena as Elder Gang's voice rose, bringing silence to the whole area.

“The tournament has come to an end- The winner is Zixuan Elt!” he said, and after letting everyone shout for a bit, told them to begin to disperse. And that those who managed to catch the eye of the elders would be called upon later.

It was all rather cut and dry, but it wasn’t like there were ever any sort of celebrations attached to such an event. That sort of thing was reserved for tournaments that involved other sects. And they would typically not be hosted within a sect, but on neutral ground instead.

In any case, Edrick did not show it, but he had been slashed deeply and was currently losing quite a bit of blood, especially from the very last strike Xiao managed to land. Most people seemed not to have even registered that it had happened, but as Anoteros had punched the lights out of the protagonist, just as he was passing from consciousness to unconsciousness, he took one last swing, seemingly out of instinct. Leaving a deep gash across Edrick’s face, a most nasty injury.

‘That guy is awfully powerful already, even though it is just the beginning of his journey…’ having been an old man and never a reader of those kinds of stories, Edrick was unaware that the main theme of Xiao’s script revolved around him crushing enemies and gathering hot babes, and that those things needed to happen often at that. Which was why, even when barely just getting started, the main character was already leagues above the rest in the same rank.

Granted, Anoteros had not gone all-out against Xiao. He had been rather soft on him when he could have been far more brutal. But he needed to have that guy up and operational soon enough for the little trip he had planned now that he had won the bet, and he also needed to ensure that no resentment was built-up in between them, at least for now.

If he had used the full extent of his bloodline and physique against Xiao, things would have certainly been different. But it did not matter, and it was not a bad thing to keep him in the dark about his real strength anyway…

After Edrick had enjoyed the care and attention of his wives for a little while, he was approached by Ku and Ting and then taken to the former’s quarters in the sect’s main building, receiving treatment for his injuries from them.

Meanwhile, his wives went ahead to the residence to ‘prepare something’, which Anoteros was looking forward to despite already knowing what it was.

“By the way, Edrick, would you not like to meet my absolutely stunning great-niece?”

“You know, there was no need to wait for my wives to not be around to let them present themselves, they wouldn’t have minded in the least” he casually responded, making the two elders chuckle. They had both met each of his wives on a few occasion, so they were well aware that they took their subservience to him very seriously. Still they found it hard to believe that they would not be even a little miffed about the introduction of two noble girls to their beloved husband. After all, none of them were anywhere near their status.

One was originally an impoverished peasant, one used to be a servant, another had been a mere outer disciple without talent, and the last originated from a foreign country, and hadn’t hailed from any particular lineage…

It would only be natural for them to be at least a little bit threatened by that.

But Edrick did not think so,.

After he was properly patched, his wounds should only take a little while to heal and disappear completely. He dressed up and was presented with the young ladies.

He quite liked what he was looking at.

“Miss Bai Xing, Miss Jingyao Zhenniao- It is my pleasure to meet you today. I have only heard good things about you two, and I can’t help but notice that the descriptions I was given did not do justice to your beauty” he said, delivering his best impression of a respectable noble way of flirting with girls. Casually, he reached out to grab and kiss the back of their hands, remaining unfazed even as a shock of pain coursed through his body, or as the taste of poison clung to his lips.

Bai seemed quite pleased, whilst Jingyao seemed like she just wanted to melt into the floor and disappear.

“W-Well, nice to meet you too… Huh…” Whilst the Zhenniao young lady could only stammer out a few words, not having a clue what to do or say, the Xing young lady formed a slight smile.

“My great-aunt thinks you are a good match for me. As far as her last attempts went, you seem to be the only one with some real balls. I quite like you for now, but neither my father nor mother will agree for me to have a husband that: Only just started cultivating, is weaker than I am, and has a rather poor reputation, I personally only care about the second reason- I’ll reject any proposal given my way and remain a virgin until you decide to come visit me at the Xing clan, alright? You can come whenever you want to face my parents” she winked at him. The straightforwardness made her great-aunt shake her head in the background, but Anoteros quite liked it.

“I understand, I shall not make you wait for too long, and come claim you sooner than later” he promised.

“Claim me, huh? I’ll be looking forward to that” appearing satisfied with that short exchange, she gave a small bow and excused herself from the room.

This white-haired girl was quite the looker and seemed to have a personality that was of great interest to Anoteros.

Once she had left, he turned to Jingyao. She was also quite the nice thing to stare at, especially due to being so visibly timid and uncomfortable under his gaze. Shy girls were quite beautiful things, especially with that hairstyle that left her eyes totally out of view.

“Heh…” she looked around and realised that she should probably say something as well.

“Hum… W-Well… I quite liked your fight… A-And… I guess I would like it if you paid a visit sometimes? Huuuh… G-Goodbye!” and with that, she ran off like a spooked rabbit.

Ku and Ting had rather different expressions on their faces.

The former would have preferred if her great-niece had shown a bit more tact, as she had been taught to do, whilst the latter was just delighted, knowing that her niece just needed to act like this for the fish to take the bait. Who could resist wanting to get the affection of such a mousy girl?

“So, what do you think, Zixu? Bai can be a bit problematic when she gets her mouth running, but this time, what she said was not wrong, at least… My sister and her husband only have her as their child for now, the next sibling is still on the way, so they will certainly be very, very picky about the man who gets their daughter. As long as she likes you though, they will have to fold. Even if they can’t stand you, she’s their first child, they can’t bring themselves to marry her off for profit alone” explained Ku, her arms crossed.

“I quite like her already” Edrick did not elaborate much further than this, but she had definitely caught his attention on the first meeting. He wanted to own her.

Meanwhile, Ting just elbowed him in the ribs slightly.

“Cute little thing, isn’t she? Well, not exactly little in height, but you get what I mean”

“Does Miss Jingyao not have any other suitors?” he asked. Ting had never elaborated on that front, unlike Ku.

“They all gave up, a bunch of cowards who could not break through her timidness, or who got hit by a toxic aura and got spooked… Currently, you’re the only one trying to put a ring on her finger”

He spoke a little while longer with the women, confirming that he was not dropping out on them and would indeed pursue the two young ladies. Not only was it to his benefit to do so, but they were quite charming. He couldn’t help but already envision putting a wife-crest on them.

For now, however, he headed back to his residence. His four wives were waiting to congratulate him for his victory in the tournament.