?Chapter 406:


    Lance frowned slightly. Only yesterday, his father had given him simr advice, and now his mother—who once encouraged him to pursue Trinity—had changed her tune. He began to wonder if maybe there really was no future for him and Trinity.


    Louisa did not hold back. “I have seen problems in Trinity’s character for a while, but I allowed you to chase after her because she had influence in both the Evans and Craig families. She could have helped you seed. But that is no longer the case. Her standing has dramatically fallen, and she holds no value. It’s best to let go of her to avoid endlessplications.”


    Choosing not to respond, Lance simply waved goodbye and drove off.


    Meanwhile, after leaving the Evans household, Elliana made her way to the Ublento Hotel without dy. About thirty minutester, she emerged from the hotel,pletely transformed. Gone were the wild hair and tattooed face. Instead, she now looked like a young man dressed in ck satin casual clothes, with short hair and a visible scar on her left cheek. This was the look Lexi was known for.


    When it came to disguises, Elliana’s skills were unmatched. No one would suspect that she was a woman beneath the convincing exterior. Once everything was in ce, Elliana took the ck SUV Matthew had arranged for her and drove from the hotel’s underground lot to the Star Society headquarters.


    At the same time, under Elliana’s instructions, Matthew continued to stir up trouble, intensifying the feud between the Star Society and Moonveil.


    Perched atop Crossvista Mountain, a hundred kilometers west of Ublento, the Star Society’s headquartersmanded sweeping views and an air of rare seclusion.


    When Donovan established the Star Society, he envisioned a sanctuary devoted solely to the practice of martial arts. He invested his fortune into acquiring the entire mountain andmissioned awork of elegant, old-world courtyards, each resonating with the thud of practice mats and the crisp air of discipline. Only the most promising students were ever invited inside.


    Crossvista Mountain was not just the birthce but the very soul of the Star Society—a stronghold that clung fiercely to its roots, even as Elliana expanded the Society’s reach into other lucrative ventures. No matter how sessful these side businesses became, the mountain always preserved the traditional values, standing as a living monument to martial excellence.


    Through the years, the Star Society and its longtime rival, Moonveil, had vied for dominance, their reputations spreading across borders. Both factions produced prodigies—students who went on to shine in countless arenas, with a select few achieving true fame.


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    Though many of Ublento’s archaic customs had faded with time, one tradition remained entrenched in the city’s martial arts circles: the right to challenge. To promote the relentless pursuit of excellence, any base could issue a challenge to another, demanding an open contest of skill. Victory in these bouts depended entirely on whether the challenger could overpower their opponent. If martial arts enthusiasts came knocking, the defending base was obligated to respond. A loss meant more than just bruised egos—it was a public humiliation that could destroy a base’s reputation and force it to shut its doors for good.


    Tensions between martial arts factions were notoriously vtile, so no one initiated a challenge lightly. A single loss could spark grudges, forge lifelong enemies, and drag a base into a spiral of retaliation and disgrace.


    However, the Star Society and Moonveil had never tiptoed around this tradition. Their respective founders, Donovan and Seth, had been locked in a decades-long rivalry, trading challenge after challenge in a stubborn stalemate that left neither base victorious nor defeated.


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