I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The equestrian center in the south of White Gull Port is located at the end of a fairly wide street. Today, Marcus Aurelius is in the courtyard instructing several apprentices on the techniques of lance thrusting.

He was tall with broad shoulders and back. His short, gray hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to his forehead. An old scar ran diagonally from his left eyebrow to his cheekbone.

His wife was carrying a tea tray out of the house; she was slender and had delicate features.

Beside her was a young girl whose features were exactly like her mother's, but with a touch of childishness that had not yet faded.

The sound of horses' hooves came from the street corner, growing louder as it approached, and stopped at the entrance of the equestrian center.

Aurelius put down his wooden lance, looked towards the door, his face darkening, and called to his wife and daughters:

"You all go back inside first, and whatever you do, don't come out."

He recognized the William family crest on the horse; no one else in the William family would be so free, so it could only be the infamous Adrian who had come.

Adrian dismounted, his boots landing on the sandy ground and kicking up a small cloud of dust.

He surveyed his surroundings, flicked his whip, and waved to his entourage, signaling them to wait outside.

He just wants to "stretch his muscles" today and doesn't need too many spectators.

The butler followed half a step behind him, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Young master, this Mr. Marcus Aurelius is no ordinary man. He served in the Western Cavalry Regiment, distinguished himself in battle, and was wounded. He retired with his medals on his back..."

Adrian waved his hand without turning his head. "So what? Once you retire, you're a commoner. A commoner is a commoner. You should know your place when you meet a noble."

Marcus Aurelius knew the other party was coming for him, so he went out to greet him, glancing at the butler behind him and the group of attendants standing outside the door.

"Sir, what brings you here?"

Adrian smiled slightly, his tone polite, yet every word was barbed:

"I have long admired Mr. Marcus Aurelius's exceptional martial skills and the many merits he rendered while serving in the Western Regions. I am currently looking for an opponent to spar with; I wonder if you would do me the honor?"

Marcus Aurelius fell silent. He saw the sword at the waist of the attendant outside the door, and the worry and threat in the steward's slightly lowered gaze.

He couldn't afford to offend this kind of person, but he couldn't just back down either, especially not on his own turf. So he spoke up:

"I've been retired for many years, and my skills have become rusty."

"That's perfect. I've been neglecting my practice lately, so let's have a fair spar to see who can prove themselves better. We'll both use swords, and no magic allowed."

Fairness my ass!

Who doesn't know that the King of the South's nephew has extremely poor magical talent and is therefore not valued by his family?

In this world, the threshold for cultivating battle qi is much higher than that for magic. Ordinary soldiers often learn enchanting magic and other spells under the training of instructors before going to the battlefield, using magic to fight against enemies.

The inability to use magic is tantamount to cutting off an arm for a veteran who has been training on the western frontier for more than 20 years.

As for using a sword?

Even with the addition of magical enchantments and other factors, swords are rarely used on the battlefield; he is more skilled with knives and spears than swords.

Marcus Aurelius knew he couldn't avoid it today, so he sighed, slowly took down the wooden training sword hanging on the porch, walked to the center of the sandy ground, stood still, and assumed a stance.

Adrian also drew his unsharpened hollow steel longsword. He didn't give Ole any more time to prepare, and stepped forward, slashing down with the blade.

Aurelius parried with his sword.

The wooden sword clashed with the steel sword, producing a dull thud.

He slightly lowered his wrist, then used the momentum to turn to the side, redirecting the opponent's force to the side with clean and swift movements.

Adrian was slightly distracted, raised an eyebrow, sheathed his sword, turned around, and readjusted his posture.

"Not bad, this is interesting."

In the following rounds, Adrian's offensive became increasingly fierce.

His swordsmanship was actually quite good, but compared to the veterans honed in the deserts of the West, these meticulously crafted skills seemed to lack resilience.

Marcus Aurelius could always look for an opportunity to defeat him, but each time he held back just before he was about to succeed.

He knew he couldn't really hurt the other person.

Adrian noticed this as well, a slight smile playing on his lips. He suddenly slowed his sword strike, then suddenly exerted force, slamming the spine of his blade into Aurelius's right wrist.

The wooden sword flew out of my hand and landed on the sandy ground with a muffled thud.

Aurelius took two steps back, covering his right wrist with his left hand, fine beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.

He is indeed getting old, and the old injury on his wrist affected his ability to exert force at crucial moments.

Adrian sheathed his sword, did not pursue, and slowly walked up to him, his smile both flippant and smug:

"Sir, you are indeed still as skilled as ever, it's just a pity... you've been retired for too long, and your skills have become rusty."

Given his personality, how could he not press his advantage?

I only caught a glimpse of the other party's outstandingly beautiful female relatives through the crack in the door of the main room. I really didn't expect there would be an unexpected surprise!

The girl was standing behind the door, clutching a roll of bandage that hadn't been properly rolled up. She was nervously peering through the crack in the door at the outside, her eyes showing a mixture of wariness and unease.

Behind her was a slender woman who was pulling her daughter behind her.

Adrian's gaze returned to Aurelius's face, his tone unchanged:

"Is this your daughter? She's quite beautiful."

Marcus Aurelius's back tensed slightly: "My daughter is still young and doesn't understand worldly affairs."

Adrian seemed not to hear, took two steps toward the door, bowed slightly, and greeted the girl inside.

"My name is Adrian von Wilhelm, Inspector of the White Gull Harbor Territory. I apologize for any offense I may have caused; I merely wished to spar with your father and had no ill intentions. May I ask how you are addressed, young lady?"

The girl inside the door took a few steps back, shrinking back and not daring to speak.

Aurelius stepped forward, blocking Adrian from the door: "My lord, my wife and daughter have never liked receiving outside guests."

The smile on Adrian's face faded slightly as he straightened up and slowly swept his gaze across Aurelius's face.

He looked at the somewhat dilapidated equestrian hall, and then at the apprentices in the courtyard who dared not speak out in anger, and suddenly felt a little bored.

"Mr. Aurelius, this land in White Gull Harbor belongs to my William family. I recall the lease agreement is about to expire, isn't it?"

Aurelius's expression changed several times. He could roughly guess the other party's scheme, but he still held onto a sliver of hope and said:

"Sir, you must have misremembered. The contract still has five years left on it."

I said it's due, so it's due. Why all the nonsense?

In this White Gull Harbor, my William family is the law; every copper coin that falls to the ground belongs to my William family!

Although he thought this in his heart, he couldn't show it in front of the other party's daughter, so he smiled insincerely and said:

"No, you're mistaken. The contract is about to expire. If you don't believe me, you can go to the notary office to inquire."

"..."

Adrian didn't wait for his reply, glancing sideways at the figure still gripping the doorframe through the crack in the door, his tone nonchalant:

"I have a newly arrived northern horse, but it's very spirited, and the trainer has been thrown off several times. If your daughter is willing to give it a try, perhaps she can help me solve this problem."

The meaning is self-evident.

Aurelius clenched his fists at his sides, then relaxed them, then clenched them again.

He knew he couldn't lay a hand on his wife, daughter, or the apprentices who had learned horseback riding from him.

But should we just let them bully our family like this?

At that very moment, lightning suddenly struck from the sky.

A silvery-white arc of electricity silently pierced the sky and landed precisely on Adrian's head!

Before Adrian could react, he froze, as if all his strength had been drained away, and fell straight forward, face down on the sandy ground, raising a small cloud of dust.

The entire room fell silent.