Although Alex carried the copied bloodline of the Thor and wielded the power of lightning, his current strength was still limited.
Besides, his clash with Li Xiaoyao had only been a sparring match. While Li Xiaoyao looked battered by the lightning strike, the injuries weren't serious. With Zhao Linger's care, he recovered quickly.
Still, even after regaining his footing and receiving his sword back, Li Xiaoyao couldn't shake the sting of humiliation. Being defeated in front of Zhao Linger left a shadow over his pride. His eyes, when they turned toward Alex, carried little goodwill.
Alex only smiled faintly and chose not to reply. This wasn't a blood feud, and time had a way of softening grudges. His real goal had already been achieved: he had stepped in to prevent Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru from becoming entangled in needless conflict.
To him, the tale of the Legend of Sword and Fairy was nothing but tragedy—the Drunken Swordsman dead, Lin Yueru dead, Zhao Linger dead, even Liu Jinyuan dead. In the end, only Li Xiaoyao remained, burdened and alone.
If it were possible, Alex wished for all of them to have a happier ending.
With that in mind, he turned to leave, not intending to linger any longer.
But a firm voice called out to stop him.
"Young man, wait a moment."
Lin Tiannan rose from his seat at the edge of the arena, his sharp gaze fixed on Alex, brimming with admiration. "This young man's martial arts are extraordinary—rare among his generation. Since you've stepped into this competition and shown such talent, I, Lin Tiannan, am very pleased with you."
They often said a mother-in-law grew fonder the more she looked at her son-in-law. In this case, Lin Tiannan, as the father, carried the same sentiment. He studied Alex with satisfaction.
Alex had dispatched Li Xiaoyao with ease, his martial skills far beyond ordinary. In truth, even Lin Tiannan wasn't sure he could defeat him. And while Alex wasn't the most dazzlingly handsome man alive, he was tall, striking, and carried himself with quiet strength—enough to be considered an excellent match for his daughter.
Lin Yueru, standing nearby, flushed slightly at her father's words. Even with her stubborn, headstrong nature, it was embarrassing to discuss marriage so openly. Besides, she had long rejected the idea of a martial arts competition to decide her future, considering it little more than a farce.
"Senior Lin, you've misunderstood. I have no intention of marrying Miss Lin…" Alex quickly waved his hand, startled. He had only entered the stage to stop Li Xiaoyao, not to court anyone.
"Are you already married?" Lin Tiannan pressed, his frown showing some dissatisfaction with Alex's refusal, though he kept his tone measured.
"No," Alex answered honestly, shaking his head.
"Then the man is unmarried, the woman is unmarried, and you've fought in the competition for her hand. The matter is settled!" Lin Tiannan declared, his tone final and unyielding.
"No, I can't marry your daughter!" Alex said firmly, his voice cutting against the decision.
"It's not marrying her off—it's marrying into our family," Lin Tiannan corrected coldly.
"That's even more impossible," Alex replied, his refusal stronger than before.
He had never once considered falling in love with Lin Yueru—or with anyone from this world. To him, he was only a traveler passing through their reality. He couldn't stay as he pleased, and he wouldn't allow himself to shatter someone else's heart.
And as for taking someone back with him to his own world? Few, if any, would be willing to abandon their families and friends. And even if they did, what awaited them was nothing but the bleak, collapsing end of the world.
If Alex had a choice, he wouldn't even want to return there himself—let alone drag another into that fate.
"You bastard, who do you think you are? I don't even care about you!" Lin Yueru's delicate face flushed with anger as she heard the argument between her father and Alex. She shouted at him, her voice trembling.
The moment the words left her lips, her eyes brimmed with tears. She turned abruptly and fled from the stage.
Lin Yueru might have been proud and strong-willed, but in this old-fashioned world, a woman's reputation was dearer to her than life itself. It was one thing to have a martial arts competition arranged to decide her future. But now her own father and a stranger were arguing openly about her marriage—and that man had rejected her so bluntly, as though she were beneath him.
"Worthless… worthless…" she sobbed as she ran back to her chambers, tears streaming down her cheeks. In that public quarrel, she had been treated like an object to be bargained over. And worse, even when the man refused, her father still pressed the issue—as though forcing her hand.
Alone in her boudoir, she stared into the mirror at her tear-streaked face. A bitter whisper slipped from her lips."Am I really… that ugly?"
"Ruru…" Watching his daughter vanish in tears, Lin Tiannan felt both heartache and fury. His pain was for his daughter. His anger, however, was for Alex.
"What just happened?" Alex muttered, guilt flickering across his face as he watched Lin Yueru run off crying. Still, he reminded himself he had acted for their own good, and the guilt in his chest eased slightly.
"Master Alex, cousin…" Liu Jinyuan sat in the audience, emotions swirling.
When Lin Tiannan had proposed a marriage between Alex and Lin Yueru, Liu Jinyuan's heart had dropped. But when Alex firmly refused, relief washed over him. Yet, seeing Lin Yueru flee in tears, his chest tightened again with discomfort.
"As annoying as he is, I'm glad he defeated me earlier…" Li Xiaoyao muttered from the crowd. Watching the scene unfold, he felt a strange sense of relief.
If he had beaten Lin Yueru himself, and then her father had tried to force him into marriage with her, what would he have done? Just imagining it made his skin crawl.
So now, seeing Alex locked in a heated standoff with Lin Tiannan, Li Xiaoyao's resentment toward him eased considerably. In fact, a faint hint of gloating rose in his heart.