"Belonging to the Cleone Clan originally?"

"You must be mistaken! We meticulously verify the provenance of every auction item—there’s no chance of forgery!" Su Ya exclaimed in shock.

"No forgery? Easy to say!" Amansa pulled out an oddly shaped ring. Its pale violet glow shone onto the spear, instantly revealing faint crimson patterns. The interlaced lines formed two crossed swords—the Cleone Clan’s crest.

"Every Cleone heirloom bears a hidden mark. Shine the right light, and our crest appears. As a top-tier auctioneer, you can’t possibly be unaware of this."

Su Ya fell silent. Major powers all had such safeguards. Her sharp eyes confirmed both the ring and crest were genuine… but how? How could stolen Cleone property end up in their auction house?

If the Cleones wanted their item back, they’d negotiate privately. No need for this spectacle—especially not waiting until the spear was nearly sold. This was just an excuse to stir trouble.

The auction house guards lay defeated. The audience had long fled—no one dared oppose the Cleones. Su Ya, unarmed and powerless, stood no chance against them.

"If you’re here to cause chaos," a voice cut from above, "find a better excuse."

At the VIP suite window, a tall woman looked down imperiously.

"You’re… Miss Sinan Yuan?!" Relief flooded Su Ya’s face.

Sinan Yuan had finally snapped.

"Sinan Yuan? Ah—I recall now. Aren’t you the guard captain for that useless second daughter? I didn’t expect the main Sinan Family branch to—"

*BOOM!*

An explosion erupted inches above Amansa’s head. Had the blast radius been a few centimeters wider, her head would’ve vanished.

"Who did you call useless?!"

A figure shoved past Sinan Yuan, planting herself at the window—arms akimbo, violet hair flowing, eyes blazing with confidence, smile dazzling. Only Sinan Ying could strike such a pose.

Striking a dramatic stance, she bellowed with theatrical fervor:

"Back when I was down on my luck, you called me trash, scum, a good-for-nothing! But—"

"Uh… I never said that…" Amansa mumbled weakly.

"Don’t interrupt!—But now, I’m not the same person! The ‘useless’ Sinan daughter is gone! So, uh…"

Sinan Ying stammered "uh—" four times, blinking rapidly as she frantically rummaged through her skirt pockets.

"Ugh… where’s my script? I brought it… forget it! Point is—I’m strong now! Kneel and accept your fate!"

With a flashy spin mimicking Sailor Moon’s leaps, she vaulted from the window.

"Wai—Miss!"

Sinan Yuan lunged but grasped only air. Sinan Ying’s body arced gracefully—like a swallow riding the wind, a butterfly dancing midair—then—

*THUD—CRACK!*

"OWWWW!!!"

"…………"

The VIP suite was at least fifteen feet high… If she weren’t an Anomaly Power user, she’d be crippled by now, I thought dryly.

"Hurts… but I’ll endure! This is my debut battle!"

Sinan Ying groaned, struggling to rise. A terrible premonition gripped me.

It came true the next second.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never scorn the poor youth!"

She tilted left, palm covering half her face.

"Heaven shows no mercy; all creatures are but straw dogs!"

Arms crossed overhead.

"If Heaven abandons me, I’ll defy it and become a demon!"

Legs parted, one hand on hip, the other thrust forward.

"Dragons have reverse scales—touch them, and you die!"

Torso twisted, one hand pressed to her forehead, the other under her chin.

"If Heaven betrays me, I’ll slaughter every living thing—so what?!"

Knees bent, she yanked open her jacket collar.

"MY FATE IS MINE TO COMMAND—NOT HEAVEN’S!!!"

She froze in Goku’s iconic Kamehameha stance.

"…………"

Everyone stared, dumbfounded.

"...Ye."

"...Yes?"

"You taught her these poses, didn’t you?"

"...Yes."

"Don’t let me see it again."

"...Sorry."

While we stood frozen, Sinan Ying wasn’t done. She roared:

"Shatter!"

A bright blue bubble shot from her palm toward the Cleones.

"Watch out!"

The black-clad man lunged forward, clawed hand outstretched. A miniature black coffin materialized from thin air, swallowing the bubble.

He barely exhaled before—*thunk!*—the unbreakable coffin crumbled to ash. The blast wave slammed into his chest. He staggered back a dozen steps and collapsed.

The others froze. Everyone knew the Sinan Family’s second daughter was a powerless anomaly—a non-threat. Yet this strike? Perfect timing. Precise force. No collateral damage. This was mastery.

"Ugh… my foot!"

Sinan Ying suddenly crumpled, clutching her ankle.

"Miss!" Sinan Yuan flipped down smoothly. The rest of us rushed over.

"Miss, what’s wrong?"

"＞﹏＜… I twisted it…"

"……"

As they say: cool for three seconds max.

"Tch… I told you not to rush! Mo Xiaohong and I will guard the miss. Ye, Rui Xin, Lin Bing—you engage!"

"Understood!"

So it came to fighting. My past opponents were mostly beasts; aside from Rui Feng, I’d never battled humans. Perfect training.

Four enemies: the black-clad man, the bald one, the middle-parted man, and Amansa Cleone. Only the black-clad man’s power was known.

Amansa sneered as we charged. "Simon, handle these three. Kill the second daughter."

"Yes!" The bald man—Simon—dissolved like smoke.

*Teleportation!*

"Damn… Xiao Ying!"

"Don’t worry! The captain and Xiaohong are strong! I’ll disrupt their senses with sound waves—Rui Feng, Lin Bing, strike now!"

Rui Xin parted her lips. An invisible ripple surged toward the trio.

Amansa’s hand flashed into her pocket. A glass-shattering *crack* echoed—the sound wave disintegrated mid-air.

"How?!" Rui Xin gasped. Her signature move, effortlessly countered.

"No tricks then—attack!" I roared. Blood erupted from my skin, forming a dozen spears that shot forward.

"Child’s play, Su’en!"

"Behold!" The middle-parted man—Su’en—inhaled sharply. His chest and belly swelled into a bloated sphere.

"Scalding Steam!"

*WHOOSH!* A torrent of superheated vapor blasted forth, colliding with the blood spears.

*HISSSS—* The unstoppable spears froze midair, sizzling as they dissolved into crimson mist.

*Evaporated?!*

"Hah! Your blood control is novel—but my steam vaporizes all liquids!"

"Then just… cool it down."

A soft, almost inaudible voice spoke. Lin Bing had silently stepped onto the stage.

"Freeze."

An ice-blue field erupted. The scalding steam crystallized instantly into glittering frost.

"You’re an ice-type Anomaly user?!" Su’en paled. Without heat, his steam was useless.

"Everything has its natural counter," Lin Bing murmured, a faint smile on her doll-like face.

"Hah! True—everything has its counter!" The black-clad man’s mocking laugh cut through.

"Lin Bing, look out!" I yelled.

"Too late!" His fists clenched. Black ribbons of light coiled around Lin Bing. A colossal black coffin sealed her—and her ice field—inside.