"The Awakening Test commences now," Charles declared, his voice booming across the courtyard.
In an instant, the atmosphere was electric, the air charged with the excitement of the young men eager to prove their worth. Of course, many were here simply for the spectacle of Edward's downfall.
"This damned Edward, daring to bet against my uncle—must have a death wish," one voice sneered.
"Isn't it perfect? If he's proven to be a dud, we'll have free rein to mess with him, won't we, Joseph?" another chimed in.
"Absolutely! I'll be first in line to give his sister a hard time," Joseph leered.
"What kind of trouble do you have in mind, Joseph?" his crony asked.
"The kind that involves getting up close and personal, like with her, on her and into her!" he snickered.
A raucous fit of laughter soon filled the air.
Edward's gaze burned with fury as he retorted,
"You keep scheming about my sister, you're as low as your uncle Larry. After I'm done with him, I promise you're next."
"Bold words from a nobody. I'll be waiting, waste," Joseph scoffed.
The majority wrote Edward off, and he quickly became the target of more ridicule.
But he was used to the barbs and mockery, not giving a damn.
This time, however, he was determined to make those who flaunted their power kneel before him and lick his shoes.
As the crowd continued their chatter, a round of cheers erupted.
The first participant in the Awakening Ritual had stepped forward—a handsome young man in a black robe, his bushy brows set with determination.
As he pressed his palm against the Awakening Stone, a burst of red light flared to life.
"Bill Gold, Exceptional Talent," the presider of Ritual announced with a pleased smile, casting an approving glance at the young man.
On contemporary Earth, influenced by the gravitational pull of other planets, humanity had entered the Age of Awakening. While enjoying technological advancements, individuals could also unlock their latent potential to become an Awakener.
An Awakener's ultimate achievement was closely tied to their innate talent, categorized into five ranks: Inferior, Average, Exceptional, Super, and Supreme.
The height of one's talent would determine the caliber of cultivation resources one could garner from their family or society.
Exceptional Talent was considered a mid-tier gift, a rarity. In all of Zago, there were only a few hundred with Super Talent, and even fewer in New Hook.
As for Supreme Talent? Across the entire Earth, there were probably only a handful.
Basking in the elders' praise, Bill Gold strode with the pride of a victorious general. He sauntered past Edward, snorting derisively, casting a fleeting glance as if looking at Edward for too long would soil his eyes.
"What's so great about that?" Yvonne muttered under her breath. "Exceptional Talent? If I were tested, I'd be at least Exceptional, no doubt."
"John Gold, Average Talent..."
"Sam Gold, Inferior Talent..."
Sam's lackluster result was met with a collective groan from the crowd.
He deflated like a punctured balloon upon hearing the announcement, his head hanging low so much as almost touching the ground as he slunk away.
Feeling like the world's biggest pariah, he wished he could disappear into a hole.
Even his parents sighed in disappointment, a sense of doom settling over them.
Such was the harsh reality of competition.
Now it was Joseph's turn to face the test.
"Come on, Joseph, show that waste Edward what real talent is!" Larry, with his bloated face, hollered, his words dripping with arrogance.
"Bring it, Joseph, we're all behind you!"
A few high-pitched cheers from some girls pierced through the murmurs.
"Damn, this guy's got his own fan club," Edward quipped, a smirk playing on his lips.
"What's the big deal? Not everyone's as despised as you, trash!"
"But after today, these girls might be fawning over my brother," Yvonne fired back.
"Humph, let's see my true colors," Joseph strode past Edward and his sister, his conceit hanging heavy in the air.
Under the watchful eyes of all, Joseph pressed both hands firmly against the Awakening Stone.
As a blinding light burst forth, the crowd roared in unison.
"Joseph's amazing! It's yellow light, oh my God."
"Yellow light is only for those with Super Talent; this is out of this world."
"That's right, Super Talent. Joseph possesses Super Talent."
For a moment, the entire courtyard was bathed in a brilliant yellow glow, the crowd's astonished cries echoing louder.
Blue for Inferior, green for Average, red for Exceptional, yellow for Super, and gold for Supreme.
In the diverse city of New Hook, a Super Talent individual was a rare gem, a sight to behold once in a blue moon.
For a moment, Joseph was treated with reverence reserved for the divine.
"This is incredible. I didn't expect Joseph to have Super Talent. From this day forth, the resources of our Gold family are yours to command. You are now one of our top priorities for cultivation."
Charles, who had been scowling, now radiated excitement, his face flushed with exhilaration.
Twenty years ago, it was a Super Talent individual who catapulted the Gold family from a third-tier clan to the premier family in New Hook city.
And just half a year ago, with the help of this Super Talent, the Gold family secured the support of the Rockefellers from the capital, elevating their local status.
Now, with another Super Talent emerging, in a few years, when Joseph comes into his own, what other family in Gold's vicinity could compete?
Charles held his head higher, feeling empowered to act without impunity, disregarding the interests of those self-important families.
The girls who had been cheering for Joseph couldn't help but dance a lively jig at the forefront of the crowd.
Before, when Sam discovered his Inferior Talent, he couldn't hold his head up, and the crowd booed incessantly.
Now that Joseph was confirmed to have Super Talent, he was revered like the moon in the sky, his status skyrocketing.
Since the birth of the Earth, the human competition for one-upmanship has never ceased.
With Joseph's revelation of Super Talent, the subsequent two individuals with Exceptional Talent seemed almost ordinary in comparison.
"Next up, Edward."
The presider's voice cut through the silence. Edward's name once again quieted the venue.
People stared at him in silence.
This space of waste was asking for humiliation. He dared to offend both the family butler and the patriarch.
His life was doomed to be miserable.
But no one felt any regret for him; it was his sister people pitied.
Her beauty was heavenly, yet she was to suffer with him in the suburbs, reduced to the most menial of tasks—washing dishes.
Perhaps never to rise again.
The same beauty, born into wealth for some, and into destitution for others—such is fate.
" I'd like to see if you've actually awakened, you good-for-nothing. You dared to bet against my uncle. You will lose utterly."
"Did you suckle at your mother's breast with that foul mouth of yours?" Edward sneered, "Calling me waste, you'll see who the real waste is today. I'm going to show you up close and personal."
"You've got a big mouth for a waste. My nephew is now a Super Talent individual; if you dare fight against him, it's defiance against my master," Larry said furiously.
When he was angry, his already swollen face turned the color of liver, an ugly sight indeed.
"Don't waste words on him now, uncle. Soon he'll know his place. Start the test, waste."
"It seems you're eager to send your uncle to the suburbs to wash dishes, huh," Edward said nonchalantly.
"You, you, you—"
"What's with the stutter? Got a frog in your throat?"
"Now, now, no more arguing," the presider suddenly interjected, "Shut up, Edward, take the test!"
"Why can't I speak? You'd better ask them to shut their pieholes!"
"Are you testing or not?" the host said impatiently.
"It's just a test, what's the big deal? I'm afraid you're going to have your jaws drop," Edward said confidently.
Then, Edward swiftly placed his right hand on the Awakening Stone.
A few seconds passed, and the stone showed no change.
"Hahaha, you piece of trash, you dared to deceive everyone. No light, you're the biggest fool without any awakening talent," Joseph began to laugh maniacally.
"What do you have to say now? Scram to the suburbs and wash dishes. And he should be given fifty lashes before he leaves, Patriarch, "
Larry was also ecstatic; he had been right, Edward's so-called awakening was just a fleeting mistake in his energy flow.
Edward's sister suddenly felt uneasy, her brows furrowing with worry for her brother.
"Beat him, beat him, he dared to disregard the family rules and blatantly deceive us. A hundred, two hundred lashes are not too much for him, Patriarch!"
The girls in the crowd each showed a fierce glint in their eyes, seemingly eager to vent their anger for their idol Joseph.
"Edward, what do you have to say now? My Four Guardians, hear my command, give him two hundred lashes!"
The patriarch was secretly pleased.
But Edward remained calm and leisurely,
"What's the rush? My hand has only been there for a few seconds."
Suddenly, Edward activated his Infinite Primitive Energy.
The energy quickly gathered in his right hand, and in an instant, the Awakening Stone lit up.
It first emitted blue light.
"Good heavens, it's glowing, he has truly awakened," someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
"This is too unbelievable. Wasn't he previously judged to have no awakening talent? How did he manage this?"
"This can't be." Larry's face changed dramatically, "He must be cheating."
"He's a cheater."
Joseph's eyes widened, not understanding what was happening.
Edward's sister's eyes suddenly brightened; she had witnessed her brother use the long-lost Lightning Nirvana, and he couldn't possibly lack awakening.
Now seeing the stone light up was only to be expected, and she let out a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.
"What do you have to say now? Larry, you've lost."
"This can't be, he must be cheating," Larry roared, unable to accept this reality.
"Yeah, he's a big cheater. Look at his light, just a dim blue, it can't prove he's awakened at all," Joseph chimed in.
"I've never heard of that kind of logic. This..."
Everyone present knew that if one could make the Awakening Stone glow, it proved the presence of awakening talent.
But after all, most people were not judges and had no say. Everything still depended on the Patriarch's decision.To everyone's surprise, the patriarch said,
"Joseph has a point. His opinion should be heeded. Your blue light is too dim; it proves you almost have no awakening talent."
"Patriarch is wise, Patriarch is wise!" Larry cheered.
"This is too unfair. " Yvonne exclaimed. "What do you say, Mr. Samuel Gold?"
Samuel Gold, the presider of the test, and also an elder of the family, felt the same way, but he didn't want to go against the patriarch.
"The patriarch is right, such a faint blue light is equivalent to having no awakening talent."
Edward's sister stomped her feet, shouting,
"You're clearly bullying my brother!"
"Don't worry, sis!" Edward assured, "They just want the light to be brighter? Piece of cake."
Edward quickly gathered more energy into his right hand, and in an instant, the blue light illuminated the entire courtyard, even the marble floor seemed to emit a blue glow, dazzling and bright.
"Bright enough for you?" Edward laughed. "Wanna me to blind your damned eyes?"
"This... " The patriarch, Charles, could no longer deny what was before him, even if he wanted to lie.
"Now you've lost, admit it," Edward said to Larry. "Patriarch, you know what to do now."
The patriarch wanted to protect Larry but was powerless.
He turned to Larry and said nonchalantly, "You should know what to do. Go to that shop in the suburbs and be a happy dishwasher."
"No, patriarch, you can't do this. I don't want to do manual labour. I was just following your orders to deal with the siblings."
The patriarch gave him a fierce look.
"And as for Jim's death, wasn't that you ordering me around?"
"You're talking nonsense. Drag him away and give him fifty lashes."
"Patriarch is wise, patriarch is wise!"
Edward clapped his hands, a sardonic tone to his voice.
The family's Four Guardians stepped forward, their grips like iron on Larry's body.
"Joseph, save me, Joseph, I don't want to leave here," Larry's voice was tinged with desperation.
"Patriarch, it's known that anyone in the family who possesses Super Talent can demand one thing from the family." Joseph spoke up without hesitation, "I'm calling in that favour now. I demand you spare my uncle and absolve him of all punishment."
"Indeed, such a rule exists," the patriarch acknowledged. "Since you're invoking your right to protect your uncle, I cannot argue. Release Larry."
The Guardians let go of Larry as swiftly as they had seized him.
"Well, well, against me?!" Larry gloated, a smug smile plastered on his face. "you're still wet behind the ears!"
"Hold your horses," Edward raised his voice, his eyes narrowing. "I heard even someone with Super Talent needs the consent of those present to use their veto right. I disagree."
"Samuel, enlighten him on the price of opposing the veto right of a Super Talent in our family," the patriarch sneered, a glint of challenge in his eyes.
"Only by defeating a Super Talent can one prevent them from exercising their veto power," Samuel "Gold recited the family rule, his voice clear and firm.
"Still want to stop him?" the patriarch mocked. "You've only shown a blue light, marking you as inferior. Does an inferior talent dare to challenge a Super Talent?"
"Why not? I'm ready for a fight any time. Come one!" Edward said with a confident smile.
"Since you want to sign your death warrant, " Joseph sneered, his eyes glinting with malice. " I grant your wish!"
"Who ends up dead is still up in the air. I'll beat you up!"
"Are you joking? You're simply with Inferior Talent! Why do I have to fear you? Since you want to stop me from using my veto power, now you'll pay the price!"
In a flash, Joseph lunged at Edward, his movements swift and aggressive.
"Look out, brother!" Edward's sister shouted, her voice sharp with alarm.