" Aunt Xianyue, it's been a long time."
Ignaz greeted Li Xianyue warmly. She, however, looked a little uncomfortable. With Ignaz's height and striking looks now, being called "Aunt" made her feel old.
"Little Ignaz, I'm not used to people calling me auntie. You should call me 'sister.'"
"Sister?"
The Skywater Academy students receiving the Tian Dou Royal Academy group, along with Ignaz's teammates, all stared at her in shock. A forty-two-year-old woman asking an eighteen-year-old man to call her "sister"? That completely scrambled the generational order.
The academy dean quickly jumped in. "What's important isn't whether he calls you aunt or sister. The real priority is letting the children settle down and rest for tomorrow's match."
"You're right. I got too caught up in the moment and forgot the main thing. Kids, please come in."
But Shui Bing'er, her eyes brimming with tears, ignored everything else and walked straight toward Ignaz. He scratched his head, a little awkward.
"Bing'er, it's been a while, I—"
Before he could finish, she suddenly veered away and threw her arms around Duguyan and Ye Lingling instead.
"Yan, Lingling, it's been forever since the three of us were together! Tonight we're drinking until we drop—no one goes home sober!"
She said it like Ignaz wasn't even there. Stuck in the middle, he felt like a giant third wheel—awkward and completely out of place.
"And Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Yang Yong, Zhuqing—don't be shy. Our teachers went all out preparing for your arrival."
Dragging Duguyan and Ye Lingling along, Shui Bing'er brushed right past Ignaz and into the academy. She didn't even look at him, as if he were invisible. Ignaz sighed to himself. He had brought this on himself, and her cold shoulder was only natural.
Walking at the rear, Li Xianyue and the dean kept pace with Ignaz. Seeing Shui Bing'er's deliberate snub, Li Xianyue tried to explain.
"Ignaz, Bing'er's been talking about you nonstop all these years. If it weren't for you, she never would've broken through from Spirit Grandmaster to Spirit Ancestor \[魂宗] in just six or seven years."
"She's just putting on an act for outsiders," Ignaz muttered. Then, more seriously: "She's already at Rank 40 Spirit Ancestor? Did she get her fourth ring yet?"
"Not yet. She said she'll wait until after the competition to obtain it."
At that, Ignaz smiled to himself.
"Good. That's very good."
...
That night, Duguyan, Ye Lingling, Shui Bing'er, and the others downed five or six jars of strong wine. With their levels—Spirit Elder, Spirit Ancestor, even Spirit King—it barely got them tipsy.
As the welcome banquet wound down, Duguyan, Ye Lingling, and Shui Bing'er excused themselves, saying they needed the restroom, and slipped back to their assigned dorm. Once inside, they began whispering plans.
"Bing'er, it's been a year since we trained together. If we want to really make him pay three days from now, we need to reinforce our Martial Spirit Fusion technique."
"Our strategy's simple. First, we'll… then…"
"Yan, that's a great plan. But it'll be tough on Lingling."
"It's fine. My spirit power should be enough to support you two."
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Ignaz."
The three froze, panic flashing across their faces. Did he already know what they were plotting? Duguyan quickly whispered for Ye Lingling to switch off all the lights, then put on her most irritated tone.
"Ignaz, we're already asleep. If you've got business, come back tomorrow."
"Little sister, I know you're awake. Bing'er's in there. I have something important to discuss with her. If you don't open the door, I'll kick it down."
"I'll count to three. Three… two…"
Before he reached one, the door cracked open. A delicate, pale hand shot out, yanked him off balance, and pulled him inside.
"Girls, get him! This fake Big Brother Iggy is an intruder!"
In the pitch darkness, six fists came raining down on Ignaz like sledgehammers. No matter how he explained, the three of them kept pounding away, venting their frustrations. Duguyan even warned him between swings:
"You pervert sneaking into a girls' dorm at midnight—if you dare lay a hand on us, we'll scream. And if my grandfather hears about this, you're dead meat."
After taking more than a dozen blows, Ignaz finally bellowed,
"Enough! You've had your fun. I came here because I have serious business with Bing'er."
Relying on his instincts, he suddenly caught hold of a soft, unfamiliar hand and pulled its owner straight into his arms.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
Shui Bing'er's face burned red, her voice shrinking softer and softer.
In a flash, Ignaz carried her to the light switch and flipped it on. The moment the room lit up, Shui Bing'er's cheeks flushed even deeper. She pounded at his chest with her small pink fists.
"You jerk! Put me down!"
Seeing him holding onto Shui Bing'er, Duguyan exploded.
"Shameless Ignaz! Let go of my sister right now!"
Releasing his grip with one hand, Ignaz calmly sat down under the glare of the three girls. His voice turned serious.
"Bing'er, Aunt Xianyue told me you've reached Rank 40 but haven't gotten your fourth spirit ring yet. Tell me—how many years was your third spirit ring?"
The three exchanged glances. So he really did have business with her.
"Eighteen hundred years," Shui Bing'er answered. "Why?"
"It's fine. Eighteen hundred is a bit low for your third ring, but it won't stop you from absorbing a ten-thousand-year ring for your fourth."
"What?"
All three girls gasped in shock.
"Bing'er's fourth spirit ring can be a ten-thousand-year one?"
"That's right. Thanks to years of taking Whale Rubber, her body's already conditioned for it."
As he spoke, Ignaz reached into his treasure pouch and pulled out an immortal herb along with several crimson leaves.
"With this, your fourth ring can be taken directly from that ten-thousand-year Phoenix Bird."