Under the weight of the clan leader's pressure, the elders quickly put on agreeable smiles.
"We have no objections, Clan Leader."
"Yes, yes. Of all of us, you're the most qualified to teach."
"Exactly, under the Clan Leader's guidance, Paul Weiss will become the next rising star of our region."
One after another, they laid on the praise as sweetly as they could.
Gabriel Valen gave a small nod. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Ethan Weber and Oliver Lopez sitting in silence.
They weren't flattering him like the others, but neither did they openly oppose him.
It was a quiet display of power: the two greatest families in Valen didn't need to grovel… yet they still showed respect by not challenging the clan leader's decision.
"Amelia Karlsson!"
The academy elder's voice rang out again. He forced himself to calm down and returned to his role, reading the next name from the list.
From the line stepped a tall girl with dark hair tied back neatly, her face set with determination. The crowd around her was still whispering, half-stunned, unable to accept that among the Weiss brothers, Paul had awakened A-rank talent while Roland had only C.
As she walked toward the lake, she passed Paul Weiss, who still wore a dazed, disbelieving expression, as if his mind hadn't caught up to reality.
She didn't even glance at him. Her eyes were locked on the lake.
Standing at the water's edge, she frowned slightly, drew in a few deep breaths, then jumped in with resolve written on her face.
But the youths in the crowd barely spared her a look. Their attention stayed on Paul, now standing among them, their eyes filled with envy and reluctant awe as they understood what he would become: a future pillar of the clan.
Even the elders on the balcony had begun to turn their gaze away from the lake, already calculating how the balance of power would shift once these talents were pulled into different factions.
Only one pair of eyes still watched the ceremony with quiet interest.
The only woman among the elders.
She wore cultivation robes and a thin diadem that wrapped around her temples. Delicate clasps woven into it held strands of black hair in place, keeping them from falling across her face.
"It looks like the Awakening Ceremony is nearly finished."
"True. We're extremely fortunate this year, two B-ranks, and even an A-rank."
"But look at the overall number of cultivators. It's still ten percent lower than five years ago."
"That's normal. Our ancestor's bloodline weakens with every generation."
The elders murmured to each other, pleased with the day's haul...
... when the academy elder suddenly shouted, eyes wide as he stared at the lake.
"Amelia Karlsson, thirty-nine meters! B-rank talent!"
At once, the elders snapped their heads toward the water.
They saw the tall black-haired girl, soaked through, pushing herself up from the stone floor after the lake spit her out.
The academy elder strode to her immediately and placed a hand on her abdomen without hesitation.
For a second, the girl looked surprised by his bluntness, but she didn't stop him, only waited for his verdict.
The elder closed his eyes, falling into focused silence as he examined her Essence Core.
Then he opened them and said gravely, "Membrane quality is thick and compact. No sign of damage."
A smile touched his lips as he added, "Amelia Karlsson, you can cultivate without issue."
The students stared at Amelia in shock. They still hadn't recovered from Paul's A-rank revelation, and now another genius had appeared.
She wasn't as gifted as Paul, but B-rank still meant she would become one of the clan's most important figures in the future.
"It hasn't happened in over a decade, three B-ranks in a single ceremony."
"And on top of that, an A-rank. We haven't seen one in years."
"I'm jealous. If I had talent like that, my future would be guaranteed. With my average aptitude, all I can do is dream."
The youths whispered, half-awed, half-bitter, complaining about their own cultivation potential while processing what they'd just witnessed.
On the faces of those who had awakened nothing at all, envy was plain, some of them would have accepted even D-rank with grateful hands.
"Amelia Karlsson, huh…" Roland Weiss thought as he watched the tall girl return to the crowd, a smile she couldn't hide.
Out of all the young talents he remembered, Amelia had been the most hardworking.
She came from an ordinary family, not one of the major lineages of Valen.
But her father, James Karlsson, had once helped an elder of the Valen Clan, earning a promise of repayment.
James hadn't cashed it in immediately. He'd only said that when he truly needed her help, he would come.
That day arrived thirty years later.
A week before the Awakening Ceremony, James approached the elder and asked her to bring his daughter into her lineage.
At first, the elder hadn't been eager to accept an outsider, especially when she didn't even know what the girl's cultivation talent would be.
But remembering how James had helped her in a difficult time, she ultimately agreed.
And so Amelia became engaged to a member of the Gonzalez line.
As Roland recalled the details, a cold smile flickered across his face, because he remembered exactly what kind of man the one she'd been engaged to truly was.
On the balcony, the elders fell briefly silent, eyes on Amelia as she, soaked and shivering, returned to the youths.
The clan leader wore a massive grin.
In one Awakening Ceremony, the clan had gained four talents.
"B-rank…" one elder murmured, leaning forward. "And without a known bloodline."
"That's exactly why she shouldn't end up just anywhere," said the elder in charge of internal affairs. "Talents like this need to be secured."
"Secured?" Oliver Lopez snorted, folding his arms. "Meaning handed to someone who already has more than enough influence?"
Several eyes shifted toward him.
"Better that than letting the academy claim her entirely," the elder responsible for the ceremonial island's defense replied calmly. "A B-rank is a future pillar. In three years, she could be a Second-Tier Myrks Master."
"And in six or seven, Third Tier," someone else added. "A potential future elder."
"Which is precisely why she shouldn't become a tool in someone else's hands," Ethan Weber cut in, stroking his long white beard. His voice was calm, but calculation lurked behind his eyes. "The most reasonable option is to assign her under my direct supervision."
Oliver's smile turned sharp.
"How convenient. Whenever a talented person appears, 'direct supervision' always seems to mean your side of the balcony, Ethan."
"Watch your words, Oliver," Ethan replied coldly.
"And you should watch yourself," Oliver snapped back, irritation bleeding into his voice. "Don't confuse concern for the clan with concern for your own ambitions."
Other elders began speaking at once.
"She should be bound to a lineage with a stable foundation!"
"Let her finish the academy first, then we decide!"
"If her talent is guided poorly, we'll waste years!"
The voices rose, the discussion turning into a quarrel.
And the Valen Clan Leader didn't intervene, allowing the elders to argue over who would "take" the girl.
Then, cutting through the chaos, a calm female voice spoke.
"Excuse me."
The elders frowned and turned toward the woman who had spoken.
The only female elder stood from her seat near the front of the balcony. The thin diadem across her temples caught the cave's bluish glow as she stepped forward, smiling.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," she said politely. "But I'm afraid your dispute over this girl's future may be… pointless."
Ethan Weber narrowed his eyes.
"Explain."
Oliver Lopez frowned as well. "What do you mean?"
Seeing she had their attention, she continued evenly.
"A week ago, that girl entered an official engagement with a member of my lineage, specifically, Carl Gonzalez."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then a lesser elder sucked in a sharp breath.
Ethan's smile vanished.
And Oliver spoke with a note of reluctant resignation.
"That… changes things."
"Definitely," someone muttered from the back.
"You knew before the ceremony?" Ethan asked, voice turning colder.
By Valen's rules, no lineage could bring in a new member if that person was already engaged to another lineage, unless the engagement was broken.
"I knew about the engagement," the Gonzalez elder replied without hesitation. "Not about her talent."
Gabriel Valen studied her closely as she sat there smiling, calmly announcing that the girl already belonged to the Gonzalez line.
Oliver let out a heavy sigh. Then, with a wry smile, he said to her, "Congratulations, Julia. You really do have a nose for talent, snatching her right out from under us before the ceremony even started."
Ethan only snorted, glaring at Oliver before sitting back with arms crossed. He understood that for now, his hands were tied. There was nothing he could do to claim the girl for his own side.
Unless…
If something unfortunate happened to Carl Gonzalez, the girl would no longer have any ties to the Gonzalez line.
A cold smile tugged at Ethan's lips as the thought sprouted.
But a moment later, he shook his head.
If she were A-rank, it would be worth risking everything. But for B-rank… it isn't worth breaking clan rules and gambling that much.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Julia Gonzalez returned to her seat, smile steady even as she felt the jealous stares of the other elders.
That man really is my lucky star, she thought, remembering how she'd taken Amelia in only because she owed her father a favor.
Not only did he help me back then… he delivered a B-rank talent right to my doorstep.
Fate really is smiling on me.
In her wildest dreams, she hadn't expected the girl to awaken B-rank talent. If she raised Amelia well, the girl could become a pillar of the Gonzalez line, and even of the entire sect.
But then Julia's brows tightened as another memory surfaced, her impression of Carl Gonzalez.
I need to speak with that boy in private later… and make sure he understands just how important this girl is to our lineage.