The Alluring Aunt

"Hey! Xiao Ling, you've gotten so much more handsome!" The sultry voice was delightfully melodic.

"Auntie, stop teasing me," Endymion's face softened with a rare tenderness. Over the years, only this beautiful and alluring aunt had ever made him truly feel the warmth of family.

"I'm serious, Xiao Ling. You look so much healthier than before!" she said with a playful grin.

"Auntie, just get to the point—what do you want?" Endymion said with a hint of helplessness.

"You brat, can't I just come find you without a reason?" she chided, mock offended.

"But, my dear aunt, if you had no reason, I doubt you'd even remember me," he reminded gently, knowing how she lost herself in work and often forgot everything else.

"You ungrateful kid! I may forget everything else, but you think I'd forget your birthday?" She rolled her eyes, "Just like always, don't forget to come see me tomorrow!"

Birthday?

Endymion paused briefly. Immersed in cultivating combat energy and magic, he had nearly forgotten. Indeed, his eighteenth birthday was tomorrow.

"What are you spacing out for?" the woman's voice took on a slight reproach. "Alright, I'm not going to chat. Be sure to come early tomorrow!"

Before he could respond, the screen darkened and the beautiful figure vanished.

Endymion shook his head; he knew her well enough not to be surprised by her style. Yet the thought of seeing her again tomorrow brought a spark of anticipation.

Unconsciously, he had arrived at the Purple Bamboo Grove. As always, the grove was serene; tall stalks of violet bamboo stood quietly, and he murmured an incantation. A slicing wind blade cut through the grove, setting the leaves dancing joyfully, as if welcoming him.

Venturing deeper, Endymion found a spot to sit and began his practice.

Familiar magical elements surged eagerly from all directions, flowing into his body as though reluctant to leave. Here was their true home.

"Come forth, my lovely little friends, all of you!" Endymion thought silently, and the magical elements responded, swarming eagerly around him.

Lost in the wondrous magic realm, he felt the power within grow, and time slipped away unnoticed. When he finally awoke from meditation, dawn was already breaking.

Opening his eyes, he stood, brushed dust off himself—and suddenly sensed something was amiss. Whirling around,

About ten meters ahead, a tall youth dressed casually leaned against a bamboo stalk, chewing a leaf and watching him with interest.

"Hey, morning!" the tall boy greeted cheerfully.

"Morning," Endymion replied coolly, turning to leave. He didn't know this person and wanted no further conversation.

"Hey, Endymion, I spent the whole night here keeping you company, and you're just going to leave?" the boy called after him.

"The whole night?" Startled, Endymion stopped and faced him. "What do you want?"

"Nothing much, just really interested in you," the boy smiled brightly. "I'm Fang Yang, first-year, Mech Department, Class Three."

Interested in me? A chill ran down Endymion's spine. Could this kid's preferences be…?

"Uh, sorry, I'm not interested in men." Seeing Fang Yang's gaze, Endymion quickly made his stance clear.

"Damn, I'm not into men either!" Fang Yang shot him a glare. "My biggest dream is to charm all the beauties at Noding Academy!"

Endymion chuckled helplessly. That was quite a lofty goal—Noding had many girls, many beauties, and even at one a day, it'd take a decade or more.

"Anyway, to avoid being labeled a coward, I'll be upfront—I'm very interested in your ability!" Fang Yang said frankly.

"Ability?" Endymion frowned. "You're mistaken, I don't have any special abilities."

"No way. I clearly saw you use one." Fang Yang was convinced. "I know you don't want others to know, but don't worry—I'm an ability user too!"

"You use special abilities?" Endymion was taken aback. "Then why don't you go to the Ability Mech Academy?"

"Pfft, that place is like a prison. No freedom at all," Fang Yang said with a disdainful pout. "Most importantly, no beauties there!"

The Ability Mech Academy was a secretive institution. Few knew its location, but all ability users in the Galactic Alliance were sent there for special training, emerging as formidable Ability Mech Knights.

"Believe it or not, I'm really not an ability user," Endymion said, turning toward the grove's edge, wondering why Fang Yang thought so. Had he seen Endymion casting magic? But last night, after arriving, Endymion had only used one basic wind spell—the Wind Blade—no others.

"Hey, hey, wait! I've studied abilities—yesterday you clearly used a wind control ability." Fang Yang was persistent.

Endymion felt exasperated. Magic and abilities looked similar on the surface, so the mistake was understandable. Still, he refused to admit it. As he walked forward casually, he said, "Since you know my name, you must know my background. If I truly had abilities, do you think I'd keep it secret?"

"True." Fang Yang scratched his head, puzzled. "If you had abilities, you wouldn't be called the waste of the Millennium Knight family… uh, sorry!"

"It's fine—I'm used to it," Endymion said with a dismissive smile. "I have things to do today, so I'll head off first."

"Wait! You haven't eaten breakfast, have you? Let's go together!" Fang Yang wasn't ready to give up on him.

"Fine, I don't mind." Endymion was going to eat anyway, so he let him tag along.

Fang Yang's chatter was relentless, mostly about girls, confirming Endymion's belief that Fang's dream to charm every beauty at Noding was genuine.

"By the way, Endymion, you're in Mech Department, first-year, Class One, right?" Fang Yang suddenly asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You know Liu Qinglin, right?" Fang Yang looked hopeful.

"I don't," Endymion shook his head. The name sounded vaguely familiar but he didn't know her.

"No way! Liu Qinglin's in your class. You don't know her?" Fang Yang exclaimed. "I wanted you to set me up!"

"Is Liu Qinglin a beauty?" Endymion was curious; otherwise, Fang Yang wouldn't be so interested.

"No, no, no! Not just a beauty," Fang Yang exaggeratedly repeated several times before solemnly adding, "She's a supermodel-level beauty!"

"Oh." Endymion nodded carelessly. "I barely attend classes this term, so it's normal not to know her."

"What a waste! If I were in your class, I'd definitely win over Liu Qinglin!" Fang Yang swooned. "You have no idea—her face, her figure—perfectly gorgeous and irresistibly sexy…"

Suddenly Fang Yang shut up, staring blankly ahead.