There was no doubt. Although Bovies was unwilling, he had realized since the last competition that he was not a match for Fred. The man was now standing among more than 50 guards, all of who had been beaten to the ground by him with his wooden stick. This further proved Bovies' point. Even though Bovies looked like he was attacking Fred now, in reality, his target was not him but Seelie, who was standing next to Fred!He thought Seelie was just a powerless woman who was also Fred's wife. As long as he could control Seelie, would Fred not have to surrender?Hence, in the moment before he reached Fred, Bovies, with this plan in mind, suddenly changed directions. He reached his hand out toward Seelie with a fierce and triumphant smile on his face.In just the blink of an eye, he had Seelie captured and in his control."Didn't expect this, did you?" Now that Seelie was under his control, Bovies sneered triumphantly. "I didn't expect you to withhold from showing your true strength i

The money that Varioso had given them was now dwindling, and financial issues were becoming a concern.If they continued to be harassed by those searching for this fictional manual of martial arts secrets, Fred would have no peace. This would make it impossible for him to focus on recuperation. The dangers posed by the Ancient Warlords discovering Fred's identity were even more perilous.Fred mulled these thoughts over in his mind for a moment before asking, "Can you find out if there are any other families in Waterway Town, apart from the Steford family, with a decent reputation but no significant hope of winning this five-year competition?""That's not hard at all. In fact, I can even list them right now,” Seelie replied. "A couple of days ago, I was chatting with some local vendors here. There are four families with relatively strong influence in Waterway Town—the Steford family, the Ciel family, the Tohil family, and the Nile family. "Among them, the Ciel and Tohil familie

Who would not want to win the five-year competition? Winning would, after all, grant one control over Waterway Town. It meant obtaining endless wealth and resources. The other three families had been on equal footing with the Nile family in the past. The difference only emerged because the three families had all achieved victories since then. Thus, there was now a gap between them and the Nile family.Despite his initial excitement, Hector quickly regained his composure and looked at Fred. "Mr. Hoffman, can I understand that you joining the Niles means that you’ll be representing us in the five-year competition to ensure our victory? "I know you must be a formidable fighter to have been able to walk out of the Steford family safely, but is that enough to guarantee our victory in the five-year competition?"Fred chuckled. "You may test me using the methods the Steford family used.""The Stefords? What did they do?" Hector asked in confusion."They had over 50 guards, plus a pers

Seelie, who was sitting beside Fred, sensed Hector's concerns clearly. People were like that. If one asked for too much, they would be thought of as greedy. However, if one asked for too little, they would be suspected of having ulterior motives. Seelie immediately spoke up, "Since he’s not going to say it, then allow me. I want elegant clothes and exquisite food! No repeats every day! If I’m not satisfied, then I won't let him participate in the five-year competition!"Sure enough, with just that, Hector finally smiled with satisfaction. "No problem! Those requests are, of course, acceptable, Mrs. Hoffman. With a great fighter like Mr. Hoffman joining the Nile family, these things are only right! "Mrs. Hoffman, rest assured. You'll get your elegant clothes and exquisite food. I guarantee there'll be no repeats!"Hector then turned to Howard and said, "Mr. Howard, I’d like to trouble you to run an errand for me. As I recall, the mansion on West Street has been vacant all this tim

After moving into the West Street mansion as per Hector’s arrangement, Fred and Seelie isolated themselves. They rarely ever left their rooms. Fred focused on his recovery and hardly ventured outside, while Seelie was enjoying a variety of luxurious goods as promised to her by Hector. When Seelie was trying on the new clothes the Nile family had sent her today, her expression suddenly froze. She immediately dropped the clothes and hurried to Fred's room.She had sensed the air in the mansion turning oppressive. It was flowing toward the direction where Fred was.The moment Seelie arrived at the room, the long-sealed door slowly opened. Fred was seated inside."You... You recovered so quickly?" Seelie asked in utter amazement when she felt the heavy pressure and aura emanating from Fred.Marshal and Gregory had taken two to three months to recover from their injuries after they entered the secular world. However, it had been just three days since Fred and Seelie entered the Ancien