"The commander-in-chief doesn't need to worry about whether I can enter or not."

Ethan's voice was calm, steady, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Tyler stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Haha, very good," he said coldly.

"Then I look forward to seeing you in the Training Trial Secret Realm."

He leaned slightly forward, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"I hope you can come out alive… and still have the chance to see me again."

He bit down hard on the final words, the threat undisguised.

With that, Tyler turned without another glance, gathered his people, and vanished into the air in a flash of distorted space.

Ethan lifted his head and looked in the direction Tyler had left.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Then he smiled.

He did not care about Tyler's warning.

As long as Valerius—the chief palace master of the Palace of the Four Cycles—did not personally intervene, no one in Blue-Wave City could truly threaten him.

And even if Valerius took action…

Ethan's lips curved faintly.

Divine Artifacts.

He had more than one.

Once an artifact descended, who in this land could truly stand against it?

After the commander-in-chief of the Heavenly Palace left, the entire area exploded into noise.

Shock. Excitement. Awe.

People could hardly believe what they had just witnessed.

The commander-in-chief of the Heavenly Palace—an Ultimate Supreme who ranked among the top five combat powers of the Palace of the Four Cycles—had left like this.

Not in triumph.

Not in dominance.

But with restraint.

With caution.

And all because of one man.

Ethan.

In the entire northwest of the Demon Territory, Tyler could easily rank among the top ten experts.

From this alone, everyone could vaguely sense how terrifying Ethan truly was.

At that moment, a gentle voice sounded beside Ethan.

"Mr. Ethan, thank you very much."

Elara stepped forward, hands folded lightly before her. Her expression was soft, her temperament gentle, every movement dignified and elegant.

Ethan turned to look at her and nodded slightly.

Before he could respond, a loud and utterly inappropriate voice suddenly rang out.

"Brother-in-law, you're amazing!"

Ethan froze.

Elara froze as well.

For a heartbeat, the air turned awkward.

Elara's face flushed red instantly as she lowered her head.

"Brother!" she scolded softly.

"What nonsense are you saying?!"

Ethan glanced at the speaker.

"Who are you?" he asked calmly.

The young man straightened proudly.

"Hello, brother-in-law—ah no, Brother Ethan," he corrected himself quickly.

"My name is Damon, son of the Sky family. We met before at the Peaceful Haven Inn."

"I see," Ethan nodded. "Nice to meet you."

He paused, then added flatly, "And don't call me brother-in-law. I only defeated Bruce of the Heavenly Palace."

Damon laughed awkwardly.

"Alright, alright. I'll call you Brother Ethan."

Then he leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially, eyebrows raised.

"But with Brother Ethan's strength, even if the palace commander personally showed up, he might not be your opponent. So sooner or later, you'll still be my brother-in-law."

Ethan laughed lightly.

"You kid."

Then his expression turned serious.

"The reason I took action today," he said calmly, "was because your Sky family and I each needed something. This was a transaction."

"I hope Miss Elara and Young Master Damon understand that."

The words were clear.

Too clear.

Elara was stunned for a moment.

Then her brows knitted together slightly.

She hadn't expected Ethan to be so direct.

So… it really was just a transaction.

Not destiny.

Not affection.

There was no need to say it so bluntly.

It stung more than she had anticipated.

"Mr. Ethan," Elara said softly after a brief silence, "there is no need to make it so explicit. I understand."

She let out a faint sigh.

"I only hope that in the future, Mr. Ethan can grant me freedom… and innocence."

She was not foolish.

If Ethan had no feelings for her, then she would not cling to him.

She would not entrust her life to someone else's goodwill.

Ethan looked at her quietly, then nodded.

"Don't worry, Miss Elara," he replied calmly, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

"You will have both freedom and innocence."

At that moment, Max and Bella walked over.

They had naturally heard the exchange.

Yet neither of them showed any displeasure.

They had already known that Ethan's interest in their daughter was not romantic.

As long as Elara was not harmed, everything else was secondary.

Moreover, Ethan had just promised freedom and innocence.

That alone was enough.

They believed Ethan would keep his word.

"Mr. Ethan," Max said calmly, "you are right. This is merely a transaction between us."

"I hope both sides can cooperate happily."

Max felt no resentment.

At first, he had hoped Ethan would become the Sky family's true son-in-law and lead them to unprecedented heights.

Now, that thought had vanished completely.

How could the Sky family ever keep someone like Ethan?

He had rejected the Heavenly Palace commander-in-chief without hesitation.

Such a person was destined to walk alone.

Cooperating with the Sky family was simply mutual benefit.

And that was enough.

Both sides got what they wanted.

Max and Bella only felt a faint sense of regret.

If only Ethan had truly come for their daughter…

"Mr. Ethan," Bella said politely, cupping her hands, "thank you for today. Please follow us later to the Sky family. We will prepare what you need."

"Alright," Ethan nodded. "I'll wait."

Max and Bella exchanged glances.

Then, in a flash, the two of them transformed into streaks of light and landed on the two remaining stages.

Max's voice rang out clearly across the entire area.

"From this moment on, the Sky family's competition to recruit guest elders ends here."

On the other stage, Bella's voice followed immediately.

"From this moment on, the Sky family's recruitment of sons-in-law also ends here."

"Ethan is the winner."

With a single appearance, Ethan had brought an end to two grand events that had lasted for many days.

The crowd did not protest.

They did not complain.

They only sighed.

After all, Ethan's strength was undeniable.

Even the commander-in-chief of the Heavenly Palace feared him.

Who would dare voice dissent?

"This Ethan is terrifying. Guest elder and beauty—both secured in one go."

"Sigh… I wanted to try my luck, but it ended just like that."

"What can we do? Ethan is too strong. The Sky family is about to rise."

People gradually dispersed, still discussing what they had witnessed.

Within a quarter of an hour, the bustling grounds emptied out.

Only a few scattered figures remained, and even they soon left, unwilling to linger.

The place fell quiet.

A/N:

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 1 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 2 Extra Chapters

Dragon - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

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