Saint Dak

Upon hearing Deboning's words, the Lotus Sacred Artifact beneath Du Chen's feet suddenly accelerated. A surge of heroic spirit welled up within him; the immortality that countless elites across generations and eras of upheaval had so assiduously pursued, he had, in a sense, already achieved. How could he not feel an immense sense of accomplishment!? Though, the cost of this immortality felt... marginally steep.

“Fool!”

Du Chen shivered, a jarring, piercing voice echoing in his mind! He suddenly remembered: where had the voice come from that instructed him to use the Seventh during his skirmish with the Sea-race? Judging by the tone, these two voices originated from the same source! Yet, when he tried to investigate with his inner senses, that voice had already vanished, leaving only the long-present droning chant of an ancient monk in Du Chen's mind.

Though his heart was filled with boundless doubt, Du Chen had no way to investigate, for he couldn’t pry open his own head and Lotus Primordial Spirit to see if there truly was an old monk lurking within. Stowing away this unanswered enigma, Du Chen stealthily flew, unseen, returning to the Belkus before it docked at Battle God Isle. He had already prepared his alibis, though a few minor chinks remained in his armor—for instance, Annie and others had seen his Lotus Sacred Artifact; if they were to confront Roland, they might deduce that Du Chen was the one who saved them. However, given Roland’s fiery temper, such a confrontation was almost impossible.

At this stage, concealing the vast majority of his power was still necessary. And with Du Chen’s disposition, even if he could one day flaunt all his power openly without reservation, he would still choose to conceal it; such was the innate cunning of a thief. Good things, after all, were always best kept hidden!

The silver-white, streamlined Belkus docked at Battle God Isle’s pier. It was late December, yet the climate of Battle God Isle remained perpetually spring-like. The sprawling docks buzzed with people, sailors in short-sleeved linen still diligently toiling. On both sides of the pier, rows of palm trees stood verdant and tall in the gentle sea breeze, the scenery still enchanting. But looking further afield, Du Chen couldn't help but chuckle wryly.

This batch of new cadets was repeating the very tasks he had undertaken last year on Hot Spring Mountain. Divided into groups, they sweated profusely as they labored to ascend the mountain path, carrying iron boxes weighing over a hundred jin. However, this year, it seemed the Black-faced Devil, Ricardo, had finally absorbed the lessons of the previous year. There was no rain, nor had he unleashed swarms of pythons in pursuit. Instead, he made the students climb gleaning white jade steps, while he and a dozen other teachers ignited the path behind them. Any student who lagged, well, too bad; they’d be waiting for the scorching hot steps to blister their soles!

As an upperclassman, Du Chen's mood watching the new cadets’ military training was naturally a blend of schadenfreude and immense nostalgia; those verdant, innocent days were forever gone...

“Young Master, look!” Deboning suddenly pointed at a teacher pursuing and 'disciplining' the lagging students, a wry smile playing on his lips. Du Chen followed his gaze. It was Grand Matriarch Lily, dressed in a standard teacher’s robe, clutching a massive flamethrower. She was bellowing curses at the slower cadets, her crisp, tyrannical voice audible from afar. “Damn it, you’re all trash, absolute rubbish! Move faster, or tonight you’ll all be thrown into the sea to wrestle with sharks! Hmph, on the battlefield, you worthless lot would already be chopped into mincemeat for the dogs!” *Whoosh!* A ferocious jet of flame erupted from the flamethrower in her hand.

The new cadets must have been cursing her silently, but Dean Ricardo, supervising, watched Lily with eyes shining with admiration. He mused, *What is talent? This is talent! No, I must confirm her full professorship and transfer her to the Disciplinary Committee when I get back! Can’t let anyone snatch her away!* Du Chen wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow, chuckling dryly. “Miss Lily has truly brought her military drill regimen to train the new cadets… and it seems to be the high-intensity version! Heh, heh-heh!”

Stepping off the pier, Du Chen let out a long, exhaling roar, venting the exhilaration of returning home. Annie silently followed beside Du Chen, head bowed, glancing left and right. Finally, under Du Chen’s bewildered gaze, she couldn’t help but say, “Francis, I’m sorry!”

“Annie? Why are you apologizing?” Du Chen looked at Annie, utterly bewildered. The young beauty’s face was like a ripe, luscious apple, her bashful demeanor as she fidgeted with her collar resembled a vibrant, blossoming flower bud, irresistibly endearing. Yet her fervent gaze seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words she yearned to pour out to him. Du Chen swallowed, telling himself, *Calm down! I must be calm at a time like this!* Annie averted her eyes from Du Chen’s sky-blue gaze, lowering her voice. “I’ve caused you quite a lot of trouble recently, please forgive me, but…” She hesitated, clutching her collar tighter. “There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but I never found the right opportunity…” Du Chen’s heart lurched, and he hastily interrupted her, smiling. “I haven’t felt you bring me any trouble at all, I think you might be misunderstanding. We’re good friends! Why should we even talk about trouble? How about this: once I’ve settled in, we can have a serious talk!” He secretly resolved that this issue with Annie seemed to have reached a point where it simply had to be addressed. *Alright, once I’m settled, I’ll clarify things with her. At the very least, I can’t let Annie pester him further!* Watching Du Chen’s retreating back, Annie anxiously called out, “Why don’t you let me finish?! If you wait until you’re settled… it’ll be too late!”

Du Chen made up his mind, instructing Harry to carry his luggage and stride towards the dormitory area. But as he reached Battle God Square, Dean Ricardo’s booming voice, roaring out an announcement, sent a chill down his spine, nearly causing him to stumble on the steps. “Now for the results! The first place in the mountain climbing competition is from the Lanning Empire, Saint John City… Avril!!” Gods, had Avril truly enrolled in Battle God Academy!? Were the words she spoke last year when he took her to school not just a fleeting impulse, mere words spoken without genuine intent!? Du Chen gazed towards the summit of Hot Spring Mountain; it was too far to see clearly, yet within the mist-shrouded landscape, a gaze, both captivating and unyielding, seemed fixed on him, menacingly, as if ready to devour him whole!

Glancing back at Annie, Du Chen felt his scalp tingle. But before he could recover from the shock, someone rushed up to him, shouting, “Francis, you damn well finally made it back! Come on, quickly, with me!” Steve strode up with rapid steps, looking the same as ever: red hair unbound, dressed in a fiery red student uniform, moving with haste. A warmth spread through Du Chen as he met him. “Brother, what a coincidence! You were at the docks! I have something I need to ask you: do you know what will happen to the Saint Sigurd Cain family on May 13th next year…?”

As Steve drew closer, a sudden surge of anger flared in Du Chen’s heart. Steve’s face was a canvas of blues and purples, and a plaster was stuck on his forehead, making him look quite comical. But there was no doubt: he had undoubtedly received a brutal thrashing recently! “Brother, who beat you!?” Steve grabbed Du Chen’s hand and rushed towards Fiery Gorge. “Forget the chatter! Tell me, to what extent has your power grown over the past six months? Is there any chance you can defeat a fourth-tier Battle-Warrior!?” Du Chen stared, dumbfounded. “Absolutely! While I’m only fourth-tier right now, in actual combat, I can even challenge an early fifth-tier Battle-Warrior!” This was the honest truth, spoken without factoring in the power of his Lotus Sacred Artifact or inner strength. “That’s good then! Let’s go, to avenge Charles and me!” Steve said fiercely. “Damn it, I got thrashed again today. I was just coming to the docks to find some help, never thought I’d run into you so coincidentally!” His gnashing teeth and seething expression indicated he had suffered immense grievance recently. “And Charles, he got thrashed today too!”

“Brother, why did you say ‘again’?” Du Chen, filled with righteous indignation, demanded, “Has some gang been bullying you recently?” “Damn it, don’t even mention it! Charles and I have utterly disgraced the Saint Sigurd Cain family’s honor!” Steve’s words were disjointed and unclear. “Good grief, that lass is absolutely outrageous. Sigh, it’s my fault, I was useless; she’s pretty, I couldn’t bring myself to strike hard… Right, when you meet her, just win, don’t deliver a killing blow, don’t inflict heavy injury, just be gentle… just gentle will do!” “Brother, don’t rush, tell me slowly!” Du Chen instructed Harry to return and tidy their dorm room, while he urgently followed Steve southwards from the docks. From Steve’s fragmented words, he gleaned one crucial detail: this opponent was a woman, and a very beautiful one at that! This… Du Chen truly disliked dealing with women. But for a lifelong brotherly bond, damn it, no matter who the opponent was, anyone who dared to harm his elder brother was an enemy of his! And undeniably, while Steve was lecherous, he was by no means a rowdy idler who deliberately caused trouble and bullied others!

Steve indignantly spoke as they walked. “Do you remember the top-ranked student from our incoming class?” “Of course, I do. Rumor had it she was a girl my age who scored full marks! Oh, and Charles, who was second overall, wasn’t convinced and said he’d challenge her! Could it be…?” “Precisely, it’s that lass! After enrollment, she was elusive as a phantom. Charles searched for a long time and finally found her two months ago, then challenged her to a duel!”

Steve sighed. “Initially, that lass was refined and courteous, but who knew… you know Charles’s temper, constantly droning on about family honor. The moment she heard Charles was a direct descendant of the Saint Sigurd Cain family, her expression instantly darkened. Not only did she agree to the duel, but she unleashed a ferocious attack, giving my Second Brother a sound beating!” Du Chen felt a mix of surprise and delight. His delight stemmed from the fact that his unlucky second brother had finally gotten his just deserts; that lass had effectively vented his frustration! His surprise, however, was that among Battle-Warriors of the same age, Charles could be considered a true genius, rarely encountering a true rival. For a girl his own age—three years younger than Charles—to be able to give him such a thrashing, she must be a truly rare prodigy in this world!

“Brother, and then? What happened to your face!?” Steve chuckled sheepishly. “They dared to challenge the Saint Sigurd Cain family, so I couldn’t stand idly by, could I? I went up and exchanged a few blows with that lass myself…” The result was obvious, so Du Chen continued, “That was two months ago, but what happened today!?” Steve replied, “Don’t even ask! Second Brother is stubborn as a mule; he’s never suffered such a loss his entire life. Do you think he’d easily let it go!? As a result, for the past two months, Charles has sought out that lass every few days. Each time he goes, he gets beaten, and then I get dragged into his misfortune!” He suddenly lowered his head, chuckling with a roguish glint in his eye. “But I think Second Brother has taken a liking to that lass now. Going to duel her is probably just an excuse to get another look at her, to grow closer… And I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen Charles covered in injuries, muttering a woman’s name in his half-sleep late at night!” His bruised face and wagging eyebrows made him look utterly lecherous!

“Just now, Charles went to that lass again. He lost, then confessed his admiration for her, but this time, that lass seemed to be exasperated by his ‘admiration’ and struck with full force. I went up to help and also received a good beating, so I was going to the docks to find some of my drinking buddies to make a show of force, and then I saw your Belkus… Heh, we’re here!” The two brothers arrived at the Battle God Platform in Fiery Gorge. There were several such Battle God Platforms in each teaching district, specifically for students to spar their battle qi. The academy encouraged sparring here, provided teachers were notified beforehand and no fatalities or grave injuries occurred during the duel.

Du Chen cared not a whit for Charles’s fate, but with his elder brother beaten, Du Chen certainly wouldn’t stand idly by. He temporarily set aside two pressing questions he needed to ask Steve—about the Saint Dak family, and what would happen on May 13th tomorrow! Around the red arena, a crowd of students had gathered, some cheering wildly, or rather, reveling in malicious glee. Judging by their uniforms, several senior female students from Fiery Gorge were shouting the loudest!

On the stage, Charles, bruises still visible around his eyes and a wound on his shoulder, was struggling valiantly. His opponent was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl with short blue hair, quite pretty, yet she wore an expression of haughty arrogance. Wielding a longsword, every strike aimed at Charles’s vital points: forehead, neck, chest, and abdomen. Truly ruthless! However, it was clear that the young girl was remarkably precise; the blade’s edge would instantly flatten when it truly came into contact with a body. Otherwise, any more Charleses would likely have met their maker. Still, even a flat-bladed strike was unbearable; if Charles were to remove his clothes, he’d likely be covered in bruises everywhere! But it wasn’t her fault; if a bruised guy constantly challenged you to duels, muttering your name in the middle of the night, and this went on for two months, even a clay statue would lose its temper!

“Third Brother, it’s that lass! Her name is Frinda! Hurry, Second Brother can’t hold on much longer!” Steve urged. Du Chen had initially wanted Charles to suffer a little more, but out of respect for his elder brother’s pride, he shouted, “Stop!” Frinda remained unfazed, renewing her fierce assault on Charles, her movements even faster and more ruthless. She quickly forced Charles to flail clumsily, then with a sudden thrust, she compelled Charles to contort his body to evade, but her sword-wielding wrist nimbly twisted, using the hilt to poke Charles just above the eyebrow. “Ugh!” Charles grunted, clutching his eyes, but Frinda flipped her hand again, seizing the opportunity to press her longsword against Charles’s throat.

She declared coolly, “Another helper? Hmph, come on, both of you!” Du Chen leapt onto the platform, summoned his Vanishing Snow Sword, and with a light flick, a flurry of ice shards and snowflakes deflected Frinda’s longsword. He smiled, “Good skill!” Seeing Du Chen display his skill, Frinda sheathed her longsword, taking light, measured steps to stand before Du Chen. Staring at the slightly taller Du Chen, her beautiful face devoid of emotion, she asked, “Who are you!?”

“Francis, this is none of your business!” Charles stepped forward to push Du Chen aside. *Shing! Shing!* Both swords simultaneously pointed at Charles. Frinda said coldly, “Defeated general, off the stage with you!” Du Chen said coldly, “Charles, haven’t you brought enough shame upon yourself? Losing for two consecutive months…” He shook his head. Steve then went onto the stage and forcefully dragged the indignant Charles away. Below the stage, Charles was still seething with indignation, but Steve clapped a hand over his mouth, angrily saying, “Enough! Leave the rest to Third Brother!” Frinda coldly appraised Du Chen from head to toe. “You are Francis, the third son of the Saint Sigurd Cain family!?” She added inwardly, *Is he *that* person?!

Frinda held a profound impression of the name Francis. Firstly, rumors circulated among outsiders that Frinda had achieved perfect scores upon enrollment, and there was even talk that she would be another once-in-a-century genius, akin to Charlemagne. Yet, after enrollment, the second fastest to advance on the promotion speed rankings was Du Chen, not her! Secondly, while outsiders didn’t know about the perfect scores, Frinda herself was well aware that she actually had one subject with a slight imperfection, not a perfect score. However, like Du Chen, she had received a blessing bonus from the Holy Church, which led to the rumors of her perfect scores. And the one exam where she hadn’t scored perfectly was precisely the 'History of Battle Gods and the Holy Church's Code,' a subject where the examiner’s questions were impossibly cunning, and among all candidates, only Du Chen, that eccentric, had achieved full marks! How could the intensely competitive Frinda not be impressed by a man who had surpassed her in these two aspects!? Moreover, there was another reason in her heart, the most important reason…

“I am Francis, Divine Scion of Sigurd!” Du Chen said, smiling faintly.

*Was there a difference?* Frinda frowned in thought, noticing Du Chen called Charles “classmate” instead of “Second Brother.” She suddenly nodded. “I see. So, you’re here for revenge!?” “Revenge? Why would there be animosity between us? Charles was in the wrong here. If I were to step into the arena simply to avenge him, wouldn’t I become a despicable wretch who can’t distinguish right from wrong!?” Du Chen replied with a smile. Du Chen’s amiable and approachable demeanor, his open-minded posture, immensely surprised Frinda. Below the stage, Charles, however, burst into a rage. He knew he had been out of line, but such words should never come from Du Chen, the family’s disgrace…

Frinda also looked at Du Chen with some surprise, then chuckled softly. “Not for revenge? Perhaps you’re simply itching for a challenge, hoping to spar a bit with me!? I don’t mind!” She elegantly twirled her longsword, resting it behind her back, and with a slight lift of her other hand, made a gesture inviting him to begin. She looked valiant and spirited, her expression serene and fearless. Du Chen shook his head, his demeanor refined and elegant, but inwardly, he thought with a wicked smirk, *Damned girl! Seeing a brother hurt and immediately rushing to fight without investigating the opponent’s background, maintaining one's prestige, or securing a retreat? That’s what a thoughtless brute does! Your Third Young Master isn’t that stupid!*

“Furthermore, Miss Frinda, you just fought a major battle with Charles and expended considerable battle qi. If I were to spar with you now, wouldn’t that be…” He didn’t finish, instead standing, smiling serenely. *This Francis is upright and honorable, exactly as the rumors described, and truly far stronger than his two elder brothers!* Frinda gritted her teeth inwardly, *But you are a Divine Scion of Sigurd, from the Saint Sigurd Cain Estate. I will eventually have to fight you, and a suitable pretext for battle is hard to come by. Why not seize this opportunity today and settle this with you here!* With that thought, Frinda raised her sword and challenged, “How much battle qi does it take to deal with that useless idiot!? Francis, you are Dean Zigurd’s personal disciple. I have long wanted to seek guidance from you. Today, both you and I are already standing on the Battle God Platform, and many students are observing below. This is a rare opportunity, so please, I ask that you, the fastest-advancing expert, enlighten me with your skills!” *Oh dear, this lass is actively provoking me!?* Du Chen inwardly smirked. *Good. Everyone saw that I came up here to reason and admit my brothers’ wrongdoing, but you insist on making the first move. When things escalate, I’d be in the right, wouldn't I?*

Du Chen said with feigned reluctance, “Well… after all, my two brothers were in the wrong first today, if I were to…” “Steve and Charles’s matters are in the past! Now, I simply wish to spar with you!” Frinda’s sword tip pointed downwards, one hand open, adopting the customary starting stance for a challenge between Battle Gods.

“Then, alright. Though I’m ashamed to say I’ve not lived up to Dean Zigurd’s teachings, my skills are crude… We’ll just touch and go, no real harm!” Du Chen raised his longsword, pointing it obliquely towards the sky. “Good!” Frinda advanced rapidly. *Ding!* The two longswords met, then swiftly disengaged—this was the customary etiquette of a duel. Du Chen shook his head, smiling faintly, twirling his longsword. “Francis, Divine Scion of Sigurd, of the Saint Sigurd Cain family! Please!” Frinda nodded slightly. “Frinda, Divine Scion of Migho, of the Saint Dak family! Please!” She swung her sword, launching into an immediate thrust, but Du Chen froze.

*The Saint Dak family!?* Du Chen’s heart skipped a beat. Could this be the very Saint Dak family Phil had specifically instructed him to find!?