"Steady now. You're making it seem like I, as the head of the family, would snatch up the crap legacy your mother Sophia left behind."
Charles feigned disdain for the treasures left by Sophia, even as he coveted them in secret.
He fancied himself a cunning master, believing his true intentions were veiled from all.
Yet, he overestimated his cleverness; everyone present knew exactly what he lusted after.
"Do you truly dismiss the things left by Edward's mother, Sophia, as 'crap'?" questioned the white-bearded elder, stroking his long, coiled beard that resembled that of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh.
"You're quite mistaken in your words, but it's understandable," Elder Daniel mused thoughtfully.
"Thirty years ago, our family produced a pinnacle youth, a Super Talent prodigy."
He glanced at Joseph, lying on the ground, and continued,
"Unlike this one here, who is all bark and no bite. Thirty years ago, we had a true young hero. He made his name on the summit of Mount Fancy in New Hook."
"I've heard of this battle; it's one of the most legendary," murmured someone in the crowd, a stir of excitement rippling through the assembly as they hungered for details of the Battle of Mount Fancy.
"But what exactly happened in this battle? All I know is that it brought about a seismic shift in our Gold family," another voice chimed in.
"Hold your tongue and let Elder Daniel finish," someone chided.
"That's right, it was this battle that catapulted our Gold family from obscurity to become one of the most elite families in New Hook. The top contenders from every family gathered at Mount Fancy to vie for supremacy," Daniel gestured for silence.
"This hero represented our family in combat, fighting for three days and nights against the crème de la crème. He nearly defeated all the top contenders, only to be left with a tough battle against the young prodigy from the Wind family."
"The prodigy from the Wind family wielded the power of wind, disappearing like a gust whenever the battle reached a critical moment, making our hero unable to find a target to strike. It seemed as if he was about to be defeated by the Wind family's prodigy."
"What happened then?" someone in the crowd couldn't help but shout out.
"At that crucial moment, our hero's lover arrived just in time, presenting him with her six magical artifacts, which significantly boosted his combat strength. He used one of them to reveal the Wind family's prodigy, who was swiftly defeated by our hero."
Daniel stroked his beard again and asked,
"Does anyone know who this hero was?"
The crowd, not foolish, guessed that this hero must be related to Edward and his sister.
"Was it Edward's father, Edward Senior?"
"That's correct. It was Edward's father, Edward Senior," Samuel, another elder, spoke up. "Later, his lover married Edward Senior. She was the once-famous Lady Sophia, Edward and Yvonne's mother."
"I didn't expect Edward's father to be so powerful!"
"I think it's not just him; his mother seemed even more formidable. But where did she come from, and where did she get those six artifacts?"
"That has always been a mystery. It's only rumored that she came to our city of New Hook from the capital."
Most in the crowd expressed admiration for Edward's parents, though some of Charles's followers sneered.
"So what if they were powerful? They're dead now, a thing of the past. Perhaps Edward Senior was indeed formidable, but his son, Edward Junior, is nothing but a waste."
"Yeah, it took him so long to awaken, and he's just an inferior-talented nobody. He only inherited his father's name; as for the rest, ha-ha, he's utterly useless."
"That's right, someone like him doesn't deserve the artefacts left by his mother. I say these artefacts should be left to the strongest youth in our family."
"That makes sense. The strongest youth in our family now is our patriarch Charles's son, Mike. I think only he is worthy of inheriting these artefacts."
Yvonne, with her sharp tongue, immediately retorted,
"These things originally belonged to us, and no one else has a claim to them. Besides, didn't the patriarch just say that the things my mom left were just scrap?
I don't think his son, Mike, would even look at these things."
Charles began to regret calling those artefacts scrap, intending to belittle them to indirectly gain possession.
But now it seemed to backfire.
He quickly changed his tone,
"What I said earlier was a slip of the tongue. Since these things are so important to the family's development, it's indeed a good suggestion that they should be passed on to the strongest youth in our family."
"You mean you're not planning to return them to me, right?" Edward snorted coldly.
"I didn't say that. It's simple; you just need to prove that you are the strongest youth in the family, just like your father did back then, showing great strength.
You're just a newly awakened one with Inferior Talent.
If I give you your mother's legacy now, I'm afraid you won't be able to hold them long.
If that's the case, it would be a huge loss for our family. I suggest I go on keeping them for you."
"Humph," Yvonne snorted coldly, "You're just trying to avoid giving them back to us. And that's all!"
"You can't say that. Everything I do is for the sake of our family and you two.
He who carries valuables invites disaster. If your brother isn't powerful enough, carrying these artefacts will only lead to disaster. What do you all think, elders?"
Charles used the family's interests to pressure the other elders, thinking they wouldn't dare to argue further.
As he expected, Elder Daniel said,
"Charles does have a point. It's not too late for Edward to inherit these artefacts when he becomes stronger."
Samuel had nothing to say and kept silent.
Charles's followers took the opportunity to say,
"Our patriarch is indeed wise, having everything considered thoroughly."
"Our patriarch is admirable, always prioritizing the family's interests, a role model for us to learn from."
Charles revealed a long-lost smile and said to Edward,
"Since everyone has said so, you should be obedient and follow my arrangements."
Edward thought Charles was a sly old fox, but he was unwilling to give up easily.
"If that's what you say, I must prove that I am the strongest youth in the family. Tell me how to prove it?"
Charles thought this guy was easy to fool; he was just an inferior-talented awakener. He could arrange for his strongest youth, his son, to compete against him and eliminate any thoughts Edward had of obtaining his mother's artefacts.
"It's simple. Among the youth of your generation, my son Mike is the strongest.
He is now in the most famous and top-tier Aurora Awakening Academy in New Hook for intensive training.
If you can defeat him, then your mother's legacy will naturally be returned to you in full."
Mike, the patriarch's only son, had been trained strictly by Charles since childhood. Charles had been grooming him to be the family's successor, providing him with the best cultivation resources from a young age.
Mike himself was also promising, discovered to have Super Talent at the age of eight.
After seven or eight years of hard work, Mike naturally became the strongest awakener among the youth in the family.
"It's so unfair," Yvonne exclaimed loudly, "My brother is just a new awakener. You don't want to return the legacy our mom left us on purpose."
"This concerns the significant interests of the family. You can't be so selfish, Yvonne, only considering the growth of you two. If your brother can't accept this challenge, I suggest you forget about your mom's legacy."
Charles's mouth twitched slightly, showing he was very satisfied with the strategy taken this time.
"Brother, you can't accept this challenge. It's a trap."
"Don't worry, Yvonne, I know what I'm doing. Becoming the strongest young awakener in the family? I can do it!"
"Great! I'm glad you're so ambitious! So it's settled then!"
Charles hurried to respond, afraid that Edward would immediately go back on his word.
"Edward is crazy. Doesn't he know he's just a new awakener? He hasn't even mastered basic martial skills; how dare he compete with the strongest Mike in the family?"
"Yes, it's like an egg hitting a rock. His parents would roll in their graves if they knew they had such a son."
"I don't think so; maybe Edward is a genius! Look, he just defeated Joseph, didn't he?" A girl with blonde wavy hair suddenly said. "To be honest, I'm optimistic about Edward."
Everyone looked at her strangely; this girl was none other than Samuel's beloved daughter, Sally Gold.
Suddenly, noticing everyone's gaze, she blushed, lowered her head, and stopped speaking.
Then, people turned their attention to Joseph, who was still lying on the ground, unable to get up. He mumbled something, but no one could understand what he was saying.
"Yes, what Sally just said made sense. What I don't understand is why Joseph, with super talent, was so defenseless against Edward?"
"He must have cheated. That's the only explanation," someone in the crowd grumbled, frustration evident in their voice.
"That's probably why he couldn't even handle a newly awakened nobody."
"It must be so; he's all talk and no substance," another chimed in, shaking their head in disgust.
Charles, the patriarch, was equally disappointed in Joseph, and with the reminders from those around him, he seemed to realize the cause of Joseph's downfall.
To him, those who couldn't get things done were useless waste.
Waste should be dealt with accordingly.
"Unbelievable," Charles snapped, "Joseph is suspected of cheating in the awakening test. Lock him up in the family dungeon until we get to the bottom of this."
Joseph mumbled incoherently, desperate to defend himself, but no one could make sense of his words.
"E...le...tri...city," he tried to say.
"Wait no longer," Charles ordered, "Drag him away. He's an embarrassment to the Super Talents, a disgrace."
Soon, Joseph was hauled away by one of the Four Guardians, known as Ironclaw.
"Ha, That's why I doubt your son Mike is any better, probably another Joseph to me!" Edward scoffed. "Set a date. I challenge your precious son, Mike, to a duel."
"I admire your arrogance, and your audacity," Charles replied with a hidden glee, "But challenging my son won't be that easy. He is now the chief disciple of the revered Master Skyrage at the Aurora Awakening Academy.
"But you're nothing now. To challenge him, you must first prove you're worthy of being a student at the Aurora Awakening Academy."
"That's right," Heartless Whip, the Guadian, butted in, "If you can't even do that, then you're not even fit to hold a candle for our young master."
"You're just a waste," Steel Plate, also the Guardian, added, "Why don't you just give up now? You're not just embarrassing yourself, but your parents as well."
Even the leader of the Four Guardians, known as Merciless Sword, spoke up.
The white-bearded elder also felt pessimistic about this uneven challenge.
"Forget it, Edward. Don't fight a battle you can't win. Just be an ordinary person. You're not your father!" the white-bearded elder advised. "Stop this before it's too late."
"Elder Daniel is right," Samuel chimed in, "Heed the advice of your elders, or you'll suffer greatly. We've tread more over bridges than you've over roads, Edward, my boy. Take my word for it!"
Their words seemed to sway even Yvonne's faith in her brother.
The crowd began to murmur in agreement.
"You just got lucky against Joseph. You won't always have such fortune," someone remarked.
"Think about your parents. Don't tarnish their last bit of dignity," another warned.
"Why bother to talk him out of it? If he wants to dig his own grave, let him. It's a saying, 'No zuo no die,'" someone laughed.
"It seems everyone has little faith in me," Edward said with a cold smile, "I may not have many virtues, but one thing I have is unwavering resolve. The more people doubt me, the more determined I am to prove them wrong. Otherwise, living an ordinary, cowardly life, what's the point?"
Edward continued his impassioned speech,
"Have any of you ever considered what it truly means to be an awakener? What is the essence of being an awakener?"
Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd.
Although most of them had become awakeners in this new era, they had never pondered this question.
"To be an awakener means to stand out, not to follow the herd, to blaze your own trail. It means to dare what others cannot dare, to endure what others cannot endure.
If an awakener lives forever in their comfort zone, accepting the established rules of society, their mind as programmable as a robot's, then what's the point of awakening at all?
From this perspective, I am the golden one to be Supreme Awakener."
Edward was about to continue his speech when he was interrupted.
"My diagnosis is straightforward: Edward is nothing but a lunatic. He's totally off his rocker."
"Couldn't agree more! He's the perfect one to be sent to a mental asylum," someone jeered.