The 'Useless' Fifth Bro

Du Chen emerged from the Grand Council Hall, found a hidden spot, and used his lotus to fly back to his dorm room. Even before reaching his destination, Du Chen was already experiencing the benefits. Throughout the flight, many high-difficulty maneuvers he previously couldn't manage – like ninety-degree turns or rapid aerial stops – now felt effortless atop his lotus. He genuinely achieved the legendary state of being "as serene as a maiden, yet as nimble as a startled rabbit."

Inside his bedroom, Du Chen checked his progress. Before today, his fifth lotus had only just begun to unfurl a sliver, but now, not only had it fully bloomed, his sixth lotus was already more than halfway open. In other words, The Lives of 397 Souls had resulted in the blooming of one and a half lotuses.

With five lotuses in bloom, Du Chen also gained some insight. Calculating by lives saved, during the first Bagua's three lotuses, he probably needed to save dozens of lives on average for each flower to bloom. However, for the second Bagua, which was his current stage, he likely needed to save hundreds of lives on average for a single lotus to bloom! He wondered if the third Bagua would require another tenfold increase, demanding the rescue of a thousand people. Du Chen mused, if this indeed were the multiplier, then by the eighth Bagua, the number of lives he'd need to save would be counted in the billions.

It seemed that 'Grape's' remark about needing to save the world for the eighth Bagua to bloom wasn't just idle chatter. Du Chen calculated that the total population of intelligent races in the entire Battle God World easily numbered in the billions. So, the resources for good deeds in his eighth Bagua would certainly be sufficient, but the opportunities might not present themselves. Would a catastrophe capable of harming hundreds of millions occur so easily? Unless there was a world war! And several of them! Or perhaps some legendary Great Demon King appeared, threatening to annihilate all life in the world, and after he dealt with him, his lotus should bloom!

These were all matters for the future. Du Chen cast aside the thought and continued to examine his body. His Lotus Internal Force hadn't grown thicker this time, but it had been further purified and its circulation speed greatly increased. Its speed could almost keep pace with Du Chen's thoughts; the moment he thought of his arm, the inner strength would instantly appear there.

Following that, the inexplicable profound feeling in his mind grew stronger and clearer. Du Chen found a somewhat apt analogy for this sensation: it was as if an old monk was chanting scriptures inside his head! The chanting was sacred and solemn, imbued with an immense sense of mystery, like a clear stream constantly washing over Du Chen's brain, leaving him refreshed and brimming with Spiritual Power, his communication with the Water Element significantly smoother. The strangest thing was that, despite the constant chanting, one might expect to feel annoyed, yet Du Chen felt no such irritation at all!

Du Chen mused, what exactly was this profound sensation? It certainly enhanced his Spiritual Power and aided his rapid cultivation as a Battle Mage, but its function definitely wasn't limited to that! However, its specific additional uses would require him to gradually uncover them himself.

Besides these, all parts of Du Chen's body had received a certain degree of reinforcement. However, the most important thing, and what Du Chen was most concerned about, was that the fifth lotus tattoo had detached from his body…

Looking at the five lotus flowers placed on the table, Du Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The first three golden lotuses were relatively normal; though they could change in size, they still retained the shape of a lotus. As for 'Fourth Bro,' it was an invisible shield. While that guy was a deformed, flattened face, it was supremely practical – Philip on Mount Tianshan had experienced it firsthand!

But this fifth one…

"Damn it, 'Fifth Bro,' what kind of thing are you?" Du Chen felt his lotuses were increasingly tending towards becoming deformed offspring! This tattoo, after leaving his body, was indeed lotus-shaped, about the size of a bowl. Yet, it felt soft and squishy, and semi-transparent. It was like the soft, rubbery toys Du Chen had played with in his previous life, filled with oil and water.

Du Chen casually patted it, and with a soft *thud*, 'Fifth Bro' flattened. Du Chen then squeezed and kneaded it, rolled it around, and 'Fifth Bro' was quickly molded into a cylindrical rod, lying quietly on the table… utterly motionless.

He flicked it, no reaction! He threw it on the ground, and besides a *thud*, nothing happened… In short, this fellow was like a compliant Play-Doh toy; no matter how Du Chen molded it, it refused to display any of its wondrous properties. After studying it for half a day, Du Chen nearly became frustrated, thinking 'Fifth Bro' was just one of 'Grape's' pranks, utterly useless. But when he infused it with inner strength, just as he did with his previous 'brothers,' 'Fifth Bro' could still change size at will. This kept a sliver of hope alive in Du Chen's heart.

"Sigh, for now, I'll keep you as a Play-Doh toy!" Du Chen molded 'Fifth Bro' into a ball, like a child's bouncy ball, and casually stuck it to his back.

Du Chen didn't rush to find Flaying and Deboning next. Instead, he simply assessed his own strength. As a Battle-Warrior, he was an initial stage Three-Star Battle Mage, but relying on the Vanishing Snow sword and his unique Secret Technique, he could contend with mid-stage or even peak Three-Star Battle-Warriors. If he used his Lotus Internal Force and sacred artifacts, he could defeat Five-Star Battle-Warriors.

However, since the Sixth Star denotes a Battle God, involving Battle Soul power, Du Chen was temporarily no match for them. Of course, all Undead Battle Gods, including those of the Ninth Star, were not included in this category!

Du Chen returned to the Grand Council Hall. By then, the Battle Gods had dispersed. Rogliff shamefully carried the "Crocodile" Sacred Artifact back to his ship, then hastily departed Battle God Isle. After a brief chat with Zigurd and guiding the Student Council subordinates to clean up the venue, Du Chen, Flaying, and Deboning made their way to the seaside.

Looking out at the boundless ocean, Flaying smiled, "Helen has already left. She thought Rogliff was poisoned and would die, so she was really happy when she departed!" He chuckled, then added, "That girl is actually quite pretty, are you really willing to let her go?"

Du Chen pouted, annoyed, "I hope I never see her again in this lifetime!" He added silently in his heart, *even if I do, it'll have to wait until the Precious Scroll Divine Art is perfected! Then… hehe!*

"I should go too!" Flaying suddenly sighed. A wisp of sea breeze blew past, making his tone sound somewhat desolate and lonely. Du Chen was startled and quickly asked, "Aren't you coming with me to find my mother?"

Flaying shook his head. "I have some other matters. You and Deboning go! When you return to Battle God Academy again, we will meet!" He then pointed to the black warship beside the Belkus on the sea. "You don't need this ship. How about lending it to me for now?"

After Du Chen readily agreed, he continued, "Do you understand what you need to do now?"

"I understand. Rogliff and Philip belong to the same organization, and my mother, Maternal Grandfather, and daughter may all have intricate connections to this organization! Now, this organization must still be watching us. Although I've temporarily succeeded in diverting their attention, for a long-term plan, we must investigate everything about this organization as soon as possible!" Du Chen rubbed his nose. "We can't openly declare war on them – that would be suicide. So, we must pursue them covertly! The Clues are Beibei's origins and my mother's grave!"

Flaying nodded, silently assenting to Du Chen's words, then suddenly said coldly, "Deboning, your young master's safety is entrusted to you!"

…

Smoothly, Du Chen passed the academy's mid-year examination and prepared for his field trip. This time, the Old Gambler Jemis was the team leader. Bovin had no teaching position but somehow acquired a senior advisor identity and joined the field trip team.

As for the team members, they gave Du Chen a headache. He originally wanted to ask his Big Bro to go, but our classmate Steve had, since enrollment, been single-mindedly devoted to the private lives of senior female students. His strength hadn't improved at all; he was still a Two-Star Fighter and thus not qualified for the trip. Du Chen's other friend, the Xino Dwarf Sem, however, had reached the peak of the Three-Star rank. Hearing Du Chen was going on a field trip, he voluntarily joined the team. Du Chen was very satisfied with this choice. But the other few were problematic.

They were Jason, the plump man with spy-like tendencies. Porter, with his watermelon haircut, oversized glasses, and an emotional intelligence so low it left Du Chen speechless. And then there was Annie, who relentlessly pestered Du Chen!

Additionally, thanks to Jemis's arrangements, Harry the Shieb, little Beibei, and Deboning, serving as Du Chen's Battle God attendant, also ignored school rules and followed Du Chen.

June's sea breeze was already humid and hot, but the people on the deck of the Belkus, amidst this sticky, sweaty wind, excitedly began their journey.

"This ship is amazing! I must build a ship just like it!" The Xino Dwarf Sem stood at the bow, arms raised high, striking a Titanic pose, shouting. In the cockpit, Deboning, acting as captain, scoffed coldly. *Hmph, do you Xino Dwarfs truly believe you could build a Yasha Holy Ship!?*

"Dear students, come over here, Professor Jemison has something to announce!" The Old Gambler stood by the mast, clapping his hands and yelling. Beside him, the Old Charlatan lazily reclined in a soft chair, sunbathing. "As you can see, this is the field trip manual issued by the academy!"

Jemis waved a small booklet in his hand. "It outlines the precautions for your field trip and the tasks you need to complete to earn credits! I've noted down the tasks, but as for the remaining precautions… hehe!" He casually tossed the booklet into the sea. "To hell with it!"

"Oh, dear Professor Jemison, you are so enlightened! Having you as our team leader is truly a blessing!" Jason's plump face bloomed into a smile like a flower.

"No, it should be said that traveling with classmate Francis is the most blissful thing! Look, the other teams all travel by large passenger ships, but we have a private yacht! Other classmates have to worry about food, lodging, and accommodation after landing, but Francis has a dozen Heatwave Beach Villas waiting for us along the Einz coast!"

Jemis chuckled, completely devoid of any professorial dignity. "So, let's just treat this field trip as a trip hosted by classmate Francis!"

Du Chen glanced at Annie, who was playing with her daughter, discreetly widened the distance between them, and stood beside Porter, then laughed, "Old Gambler, we still have to do the tasks assigned by the academy. Otherwise, if you don't get evidence of the mission objectives, we won't be able to report back!"

"That's true!" Jemis nodded. "Now, about our itinerary. First, we'll arrive at Newin Port in Lanning. Francis has a villa and two beach resorts there. We'll play for ten days before anything else! Then we'll temporarily split up. Francis will go to pay respects to his mother, while the rest of us will carry out an academy-assigned task – to capture a Five-Star Aberrant Beast in the Misty Forest! This will prove your team's combat capabilities! And then, let me think… damn it, I shouldn't have thrown away that manual! Oh, right, next we'll rendezvous in Saint John City and travel together to the beastmen's nation, McAllen!" He raised an eyebrow. "As for what we'll do there, hehe, that's a secret for now!"

At that moment, Harry delivered coconut drinks, and Jemis stopped speaking, enjoying the pleasure of the private yacht trip with everyone.

Du Chen leaned on the railing, sipping his drink, while pondering his own affairs. Aliza had already asked Auntie Sherine to keep an eye on things, ensuring Roland wouldn't harm him again. Arthur's training method had been compiled into a booklet and given to Leonardo. As for his Big Bro… he had left him fifty gold coins, enough for him to curry favor with many senior female students… All matters within the academy were settled, and he could now confidently pursue his mother's whereabouts.

After three days of sailing, the Belkus arrived at Newin Port. Du Chen, in his capacity as a Divine Scion of Sigurd and an Imperial Baron, requested the Lanning navy stationed in Newin Port to guard his luxury yacht, then switched to a carriage to reach a beach villa fifty *li* outside the city. The sky was dark at this moment, with the sun setting and the bright moon yet to rise. Under the pale, white beach lights, a lone villa stood silently on the deserted beach. Though called a villa, it looked more like a typical church-style ancient castle.

In the night, a slight sea breeze blew, and only a faint yellow light shone from the ancient castle, making it appear somewhat eerie and terrifying from a distance.

"Is this your villa? It looks so strange!" Annie leaned close to Du Chen, asking curiously.

"Don't tell me it's a haunted castle?" Jemis chuckled, trying to scare his students.

Du Chen examined the ancient castle, which seemed to rise out of the beach. "Harry, take my contract and negotiate the reception of this ancient castle!"

Soon, the Shieb returned, sweating profusely, followed by a man in his forties or fifties. "Are you my new master?" His voice was low and suppressed, sounding cold, and his pale face, illuminated by the ancient castle's deep yellow, dim lights, was sinister and gaunt, resembling a mummified corpse clawing its way out of a coffin.

"Yes, I am your master, Francis! Lead us in!"

Without a word, the steward silently turned and opened the ancient castle's colossal, four to five-meter-high, dark and eerie gates. *Creak!* "Ah!" Porter shrieked in fear, leaning against Du Chen.

Beyond the gates was an abnormally vast entrance hall, black, dark, and dimly lit. In the enormous hall, only a dozen scattered candles on the walls provided light, but the candlelight was green! In the ghostly, phosphorescent green glow, everyone saw the walls covered with Portraits. The moment the gates opened, Du Chen felt as if the figures in those paintings had come to life, their gazes instantly locking onto him!

"Ha, it really does feel like a haunted castle!" Jemis laughed, when suddenly, the sinister servant floated beside him. "Esteemed Professor, you have excellent judgment. This indeed is a haunted castle, haunted by a female ghost…"