Aunt Flo's Grand Entrance

True to her reputation as a genius, Frinda’s longsword was less than half a foot from Du Chen's throat while he was momentarily lost in thought. This strike was both swift and vicious. Not wishing to reveal his Lotus Sacred Artifacts before too many onlookers, Du Chen cast aside his distracting thoughts and swiftly brandished his sword to parry.

*Clang!* As the two swords clashed, two jets of flame suddenly erupted from Frinda’s blade, licking towards Du Chen’s sword-wielding wrist from the point of impact. “Student Francis, you mustn’t lose focus during a duel!”

“My apologies. To be distracted during a duel is disrespectful to one's opponent, and I sincerely apologize. Might I ask how you discerned my momentary lapse?” Du Chen chuckled softly, his wrist flicking slightly. The Vanishing Snow sword vibrated gently, emitting swirling mists from its blade that instantly extinguished the encroaching flames. Yet, he did not press his advantage. Instead, he retreated three steps, standing tall and poised with his sword lowered.

Below the Battle God Platform, Charles indignantly exclaimed, “Since he’s already broken her Flowing Fire Sword, why isn’t he pressing the advantage and seizing the upper hand?! And he has the gall to spout such nonsense!”

Steve, too, failed to comprehend his third brother’s actions, and indeed, none of the students, still in the Battle-Warrior stage, understood what was happening.

In truth, Du Chen’s actions were perfectly understandable, a lesson taught by Deboning. Fire-elemental techniques were immensely potent, aiming for a swift kill, yet there was also the saying that 'a single spark can ignite a prairie fire.' Unless one clearly saw through the opponent's true strength, it was ill-advised to advance recklessly, lest one become entangled in a chain of spreading fire techniques and suffer a significant loss!

Du Chen gazed at Frinda with a faint smile, in no hurry to attack.

“Your eyes wandered after I signed up; if not distraction, then what was it?!” Frinda held her sword horizontally before her, then swept it forth again. A dazzling glow suddenly blossomed from the fiery red longsword, almost blinding everyone, including Du Chen. Since he couldn’t see, Du Chen simply closed his eyes, but the mist from Vanishing Snow grew even denser.

After unleashing her blinding technique, Frinda was about to deliver another strike to defeat Du Chen in one go. Suddenly, she felt as if her longsword had pierced a sticky, cottony web—soft and yielding, preventing any further advance!

*A high-level water-elemental Viscous Mist Secret Technique?!* Frinda knew at once that something was wrong. She dared not press the attack, withdrawing a step to pull back her sword. But by then, her blade was already adhered to Du Chen’s Vanishing Snow sword, utterly unable to move.

Du Chen, eyes closed in concentration, held Frinda’s sword fast with one hand. With the other, he abruptly flicked a finger. *Ding!* With a crisp sound, Du Chen used a single finger to release the adhesive power of his Vanishing Snow sword, letting Frinda go! Grand Matriarch Lucy had once said that if a viscous mist becomes entangled with a fire sword, and one does not wish to engage in a head-on clash of battle qi, then one should swiftly retract the move after testing the opponent’s battle qi strength, thus seizing the initiative!

Sure enough, Frinda’s longsword momentarily paused when Du Chen released her, a fleeting instant during which Du Chen could have seized the initiative. Yet, he still did not pursue, continuing to stand smiling.

Frinda, no longer in a hurry to attack, asked in surprise, “Student Francis, what do you mean by letting me off twice?”

*I let you off twice?!* Du Chen mused, amused. *You silly girl, this is the combat experience accumulated through blood and tears by Grandmaster Deboning and the Red Phoenix Battle Formation, forged through countless battles! Besides, I still want to test your true capabilities… How did this turn into me intentionally going easy on you?!*

Upon reflection, Du Chen understood. He was applying Grandmaster-level experience against a mere Fourth-rank Battle-Warrior! Although Frinda was a prodigy, her actual strength was still lacking, and her vision couldn’t pierce through the tactics and strategies of a Grandmaster-level expert!

*Bah, actually praising himself as a Grandmaster. Everyone, despise him with me…* Du Chen seemed to hear a voice.

If even Frinda, a genius, misunderstood, then the students below the platform were even more confused. Steve nodded in sudden realization, “Hmm, he truly is my brother. Facing such a powerful foe, he can still maintain such elegant and proper gentlemanly conduct. Excellent… Damn, it's a real waste for this guy not to be out charming women!”

Charles’s face flushed slightly as he retorted, “No, Father said that on the battlefield, life and death are decided in an instant, and situations change constantly. Francis's adherence to such etiquette will only lead to trouble on the battlefield sooner or later!”

Prompted by Steve’s loud praise, the students’ exclamations of admiration rose one after another. Frinda found it grating to her ears, a cold sneer forming in her heart. *Damn it, you want to go easy on me even in an equal sparring match?! This is the posture of a master guiding a novice! You… you dare to look down on me?!*

Frinda’s heart hardened. This next move, she vowed, would force him to fight seriously; otherwise, if he let her off three times, wouldn't she be utterly belittled?

She fixed her gaze on Du Chen, then suddenly lunged forward, leaping high. Her longsword transformed, dividing into two, then four… In the blink of an eye, a sky-full of sword light enveloped Du Chen.

Du Chen looked at the fierce, fiery sword light descending from all directions and smiled unhurriedly. As the flames bore down, Du Chen swept his sword through the air with one hand. With the other, he subtly spread five fingers behind his back. Suddenly, a fist-sized azure Water Orb formed in his palm. He then flipped his hand and threw it. “Student Frinda, I am a Battle Mage!”

As he spoke, the Water Orb arced through the air, circumventing the blockade of sword light, and suddenly appeared behind Frinda!

“You’re a Battle Mage?!” Frinda’s heart leaped in shock. With Du Chen’s sword blocking her front and a water-elemental light bullet assaulting her from behind, she no longer dared to hold back. With a low cry, her body twisted, and the crimson longsword spun rapidly with her graceful movements, blazing fiercely as she swiftly darted to the side.

But by then, Du Chen had already retracted his move again.

The two figures separated. Frinda stared at Du Chen in astonishment. “A Battle Mage who fights hand-to-hand with a sword… Hmph, infuriating, you let me off again! You dare to underestimate me so much?!”

Du Chen lowered his sword and chuckled inwardly. *Heh heh, Student Frinda. I’ve pretty much figured out your capabilities. The duel officially begins now!* He thought this to himself, but what he said was, “Student Frinda, when engaging a lady, it is customary to show humility for three moves. This is the duty of a Divine Scion noble. Now that three moves have passed, please be careful!”

“Francis is truly the epitome of a gentleman! So cool!” someone below the platform cheered loudly. Steve even led the applause and shouts of approval! On the platform, Du Chen’s golden hair swayed elegantly, his demeanor refined, his actions proper and courteous. This immediately sparked perfectly normal thoughts and vague admiration in many female students.

Listening closely, the voices of the female students who had initially cheered loudest for Frinda now sounded a little strained.

Frinda’s heart burned with anger, but she quickly calmed herself, picking up her sword with an expressionless face. “Very well, it’s getting late. Let’s decide the victor with a single move!”

With that, she gripped her sword hilt with both hands and gave a forceful twist. The crimson longsword was actually composed of two Cicada Wing Soft Swords. Holding a sword in each hand, one lowered and one raised, she rotated them with her arms. “Saint Dak family’s secret transmission, Sun God’s Fury! Student Francis, be careful!”

Below, Steve’s expression changed dramatically. “Damn it, Charles, it turns out she wasn’t using her full strength when she handled you!” He anxiously grabbed Charles’s hand, pleading, “What do we do?! The Divine Scion families’ secret battle techniques were all left behind by heroes from the Era of Fallen Gods! Francis hasn’t learned any of these secret divine techniques. How can basic academy moves possibly win against secret divine techniques?!”

Charles’s face was ashen. “Big Brother, I… when I dueled Frinda, I already used our family’s divine technique, Holy Flame Incineration of Heavens, but… but I couldn’t even force out her divine technique…”

“Argh, that’s just because your cultivation isn’t up to par, not that our family’s divine technique is weak!” Steve cried out anxiously. “Damn it, it’s a shame Francis is water-elemental. Otherwise, I’d risk Father’s wrath and pass Holy Flame Incineration of Heavens to him. But now, he doesn’t even know a single divine technique…”

“Wrong! Who says he doesn’t know a single divine technique?!” A majestic voice suddenly echoed in Steve’s ear.

“I once demonstrated a move to him, a peerless Secret Art that swept across the world and lorded over all in the Era of Fallen Gods! With Francis’s talent, he must have already learned it!”

Steve was delighted. “Third Brother knows a divine technique?! Which Titled Battle God left behind this divine technique?!”

“Hmph hmph, that move is called…” Jamis and others, having heard the news after disembarking, rushed to watch the spectacle. The old Gambler, arms crossed, smiled proudly, then continued, “That move is called… Beast Emperor’s Unyielding Wall!”

“Ah, Beast Emperor’s Unyielding Wall?! But is there such a divine technique?!” Steve asked, puzzled!

While a few people below were talking, the victor on the platform had already been decided.

Frinda’s twin swords spun, faster and faster, conjuring a halo of light before her. As the halo burst forth, Frinda’s body blazed with fire, like a scorching sun. Suddenly, the scorching sun flickered, at one moment charging directly at Du Chen, at another drifting left and right to build momentum. Finally, she soared high and then descended from the heavens.

Looking up, it seemed as if two suns had appeared in the sky, and one of them was falling, its target, naturally, Du Chen!

With the scorching sun bearing down, the earth-shattering pressure tightened Du Chen’s grip on his sword. A sense of impending doom welled up within him. He narrowed his eyes, fixating on the descending sun, then a cold smile touched the corner of his lips.

“Vanishing Snow.”

The vast Battle God Platform suddenly froze over. Dark clouds gathered, snowflakes whirled, and a blizzard descended abruptly. Looking closely, the pristine snowflakes were mixed with a few sparkling, icy shards, sharp and bone-chilling!

The scorching sun fell, while snow danced, creating a phenomenon rarely seen in nature on the Battle God Platform: Sun Snow!

The blazing, scorching sun charged into the snowy landscape, its momentum abruptly halted. The ice shards mixed within the snowflakes, carried by the biting wind, wrapped around the scorching sun, dancing with the cold wind and rapidly diminishing the intense fire. Although the sun’s advance was obstructed, it still emanated its scorching glow, melting the obstructing ice and snow, steadily approaching Du Chen.

The fusion of fire and ice yields only two outcomes: either the fire is extinguished, or the ice melts!

Du Chen let out an elegant, cold laugh, his longsword dancing, drawing the ice and snow to shield his body. Snow and ice shards rapidly spun before him. In an instant, he had encased himself within an ice sculpture.

*What a beautiful sight!* Frinda, driving the scorching sun, couldn't help but sigh at the magnificent scene of the fiery sun and dancing snow before her eyes. But immediately after, her battle qi burst forth, and she charged furiously towards the dimly visible Du Chen within the ice sculpture. “Good, I will break your ice and snow shield head-on!”

With a *boom*, the scorching sun and the ice sculpture collided. Flames billowed, and ice shards scattered. Fire and ice intertwined across the sky, creating an even more spectacular sight!

The ice sculpture shattered. Flames still burned on Frinda’s longsword, though much weaker. Her chest heaved, and she panted as she pointed her sword at the ice sculpture fragments. “Francis, you’ve lost—”

She laughed bitterly, because after the ice sculpture shattered, Du Chen was nowhere to be found. The figure in the ice sculpture earlier was merely a water-elemental illusion, nothing more than a decoy!

Reflected in the scattered ice shards, Frinda saw Du Chen standing behind her, smiling. His long golden hair fluttered in the lingering breeze. Dressed in white as pure as snow, he lightly pointed his sword, smiling leisurely amidst the falling snow. “Student Frinda, let’s end it here for today!”

Frinda was slightly stunned. Du Chen had already stepped off the Battle God Platform, found his brothers among the students who were scrambling to dodge the dispersing aftershocks, and gracefully sheathed his sword before walking away.

“Who, who won in the end?!”

“Yeah, who won?!” The students asked each other blankly.

But a select few with keen eyesight were astonished. A duel between Fourth-rank Battle-Warriors could possess such power! They… they were capable of challenging Fifth-rank Battle-Warriors who were on the verge of becoming true Battle Gods! And the outcome… was self-evident. Frinda had fallen for Francis’s feint. In that moment when her battle qi was depleted and she was dazed, Francis had countless ways to defeat her, or even easily kill her!

However, Student Francis was kind-hearted. After Frinda fell into his trap, he didn’t press the attack, allowing the young lady to save face!

The senior female students accompanying Frinda ran onto the Battle God Platform, asking anxiously, “Frinda, what on earth—”

Frinda waved her hand, stating firmly, “You won today. I’m completely convinced of my defeat. A water-elemental illusion, huh… Hmph, give me a month, and I’ll definitely defeat you!” With that, she left with her sword.

On the other side, Steve was roaring with laughter, holding his two brothers’ hands. “What a thrill! Absolutely thrilling! Third Brother, I think it seems like you won, right?” He chuckled, “Excellent, excellent, hey, truly excellent, even more exhilarating than encountering a battle-hardened madam!”

Du Chen rolled his eyes. He was truly speechless at his eldest brother’s way of thinking. Charles, meanwhile, had been keeping his head down, deep in thought. Suddenly, Charles violently shook off Steve’s hand, opening his mouth as if to say something.

Du Chen knew exactly what he was thinking, and sneered, “What? Frinda thrashed you black and blue, but this ‘useless’ me defeated Frinda, and you’re displeased?” Remembering Charles and Arges’s hateful demeanor back at the Saint Sigurd Cain Estate, Du Chen’s words grew even more venomous. “If you want to fight me, you can, but first, find a way to beat Frinda!”

Seeing his two younger brothers, Steve sighed. His good mood from earlier had vanished. He gave an awkward laugh and squeezed himself between the two.

Du Chen truly had the ability to completely defeat Frinda just now, but at the last moment, he remembered The Clues left by Phil – the Saint Dak family. Therefore, he held back, showing seven parts mercy, and handled the situation with great elegance! Truly elegant! And thus, he stole the limelight!

After a brief chat with Jamis and the others who had come to watch the show, Du Chen was slightly surprised not to see Annie. He then parted ways with them. “Big Brother, do you know two things? First, what is the relationship between the Saint Dak family and the Saint Sigurd Cain family? Second, what will happen to the Saint Sigurd Cain family on May 13th next year?”

“The Saint Dak family?” Steve looked bewildered. “No idea. I only heard her mention it when I dueled Frinda. What’s up? Does Frinda’s family have some connection to ours?”

He thought for a moment and added, “May 13th? Nothing major, is there? Oh, right, I owe a massive debt to the Wind-Moon Brothel, and the promissory note says I have to pay it before then! So… you understand!” He grinned.

*My Big Brother!* Du Chen was torn between laughter and tears, but he also realized that Phil’s affairs were very likely being kept secret from her husband and son, and Du Chen vaguely felt that what Phil was involved in was on an entirely different level from his current environment!

*Perhaps I shouldn’t tell Big Brother after all.* Du Chen casually handed over a handful of Gold Coins, found a quick excuse to mislead Steve, then returned to his dormitory, deep in thought.

Having been away for over half a year, his former small courtyard was unattended and covered in dust. However, several laborers hired by Harry were now cleaning it, while Shieb Harry the butler was downstairs in the grand hall, busily constructing a huge, magnificent, beautiful… dog kennel!

As he worked, he instructed Andy, who was lounging beside him, “Remember, from now on, you’ll live here! Eat in the dining room, and for convenience, go to the backyard…” He squeezed Andy’s neck in dissatisfaction, shaking his head. “Damn it, you’ve gained weight again these past few days. Listen up! Our handsome, dashing, and incredibly benevolent master is a person of status and prestige. As your master’s Divine Pet, you must be able to uphold his dignity! Hey, are you listening to me?! I’ve been spoiling you too much lately, haven’t I…?”

Andy lay sprawled lazily, his eyes sparkling as he stared at his new home, grinning foolishly and happily. “I, Chris Andy, the Moon Goddess’s favored one, am so troubled!” He shook his head. “Not long ago, I was living in a cold, damp cave, but now, I’m going to sleep on a silk velvet bed… Sigh, such trouble. Should I sleep on my belly, or on my back?! Ouch!” He heard Harry’s last words and knew it was bad, but he really had gotten fat recently, making his movements sluggish… And so, he took a Brick to the head from Harry – a pure Gold Brick at that – immediately followed by Harry’s roar, “Remember, from now on, run ten laps along Water River every morning and evening, or you’ll get no food!”

Beibei squatted nearby, giggling at the two clowns.

Meanwhile, on the now-cleaned attic balcony, Du Chen leaned against the railing. “Deboning, the flag of the Belkus has been raised. Flaying should contact me soon. In the meantime, keep an eye on that Frinda, Frinda of the Saint Dak family!”

Deboning frowned. “Young Master, one thing has always puzzled me. From the images left by Saintess Phil, her strength is definitely above mine. If even with her power, she said your future would be incredibly perilous, then our opponents will likely be top-tier Battle Gods or organizations of this era!”

Du Chen shrugged. “Perhaps. This matter can’t be rushed; we can only investigate slowly! By the way, did you see my fight with Frinda just now?”

“I watched it from the shadows. That Frinda is indeed a genius. Her Sun God’s Fury must be a Blazing-Light Secret Technique left by a fire-elemental Titled Battle God from the Era of Fallen Gods. For Frinda to cultivate a Fallen God Secret Technique to such a degree at such a young age, she is truly a rare genius!” Deboning pondered. “With her talent, she’ll probably reach Six-Star Battle God within two years, and she has great hope of reaching the Ninth-rank peak, achieving the realm of integrating a Natural Primeval Soul, and perhaps… even becoming a Titled Battle God!”

Du Chen recalled the pressure Frinda had exerted on him, nodding. “Sun God’s Fury… hmm, a good opponent! What about my improved ‘Vanishing Snow’?”

Deboning paused for a moment, then, after a long silence, said, “Very handsome!”

“And then?”

“Very pretty!”

Du Chen rolled his eyes. “What else?!”

“And also… utterly trash!”

Du Chen protested, “How can that be? I used it to defeat the Saint Dak family’s ‘Sun God’s Fury’!”

“Young Master, you won by confusing your opponent with illusions and then ambushing them. But your opponent was only a Fourth-rank Battle-Warrior! Even if Frinda is a genius, her vision and experience are still at the Fourth-rank, so she naturally couldn’t see through your illusions. However, in the eyes of High-level Battle Gods, that move of yours is far too easy to counter!”

Du Chen clicked his tongue. Deboning quickly added, “However, I am judging your move from the perspective of a Ninth-rank peak expert. In the eyes of Fourth, Fifth, and even Six-Star Battle Gods, Young Master, your ‘Vanishing Snow’ is still…”

“Enough, enough, I want your Ninth-rank assessment!” Du Chen waved his hand. “Tell me, how should it be improved?!”

Deboning smiled. “Borrow speed from wind and snow, abandon illusions, condense power into the sword… Cast aside the flashy elements; absolute extreme speed can easily defeat the enemy!”

As Du Chen listened, he felt fortunate. Having a Grandmaster-level expert by his side for constant guidance, along with the cheating-like assistance of his Lotus Primordial Spirit, it was difficult *not* to make rapid progress!

Suddenly, Du Chen noticed a pair of fiery eyes staring at him from the adjacent balcony. He secretly glanced over… *Sigh, Annie. Well, I’d better clear things up with her quickly!*

“Let’s continue discussing the improvements to ‘Vanishing Snow’ tonight. I need to go out for a bit now!” Du Chen turned and headed downstairs. By now, the dormitory was tidied up. Just as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw Annie had already approached his door.

“Student Francis, there’s something I absolutely must tell you!” Annie shyly approached Du Chen, head bowed, her voice very soft.

“Oh, perfect, I also have something I want to discuss with you!” Du Chen, a novice in matters of the heart, suddenly felt that facing an army of sea creatures was far easier than breaking up with a girl!

“You also have something to tell me?” Annie looked up in surprise, her large eyes filled with bashfulness as she gazed at Du Chen. “Can I go first? Because my matter is really urgent!”

“No, I should speak first!” Du Chen’s scalp tingled. He thought to himself, *If Annie blurts it out and then I have to reject her, how humiliating would that be for her?!* He quickly interjected, “Recently, I…”

Annie anxiously waved her hand. “Please let me speak first, I’m really urgent!” She nervously fumbled with the hem of her clothes, her fair, tender face flushed red, whether from shyness or urgency, looking utterly charming! “I, I have a secret I want to tell you!”

“Student Annie, I think you might be misunderstanding something. I…”

“Francis, please, just let me finish, okay?” Annie boldly raised her hand and covered Du Chen’s mouth. Her slender, jade-like fingers intimately touched his lips, instantly rendering Du Chen bewildered.

Annie also realized her actions were overly impolite, but the fire was already reaching the rafters; how could she not be anxious?

“My secret is… Oh, dear!”

Annie didn't know where to put her other hand. A thousand jumbled thoughts filled her mind, and for a moment, she couldn’t decide which words to utter first. “Today, today I…”

Removing her fingers from Du Chen’s lips, she rubbed her hands together. Annie, with her girlish demeanor, left Du Chen dumbfounded. “What about today?”

Annie finally mustered her courage, stared at Du Chen, her face crimson, and whispered, “Today, my… my Aunt Flo arrived!”