"Uncle Steven, does this mean you already stand at the very peak of what humans can reach?" Sienna wondered aloud. "I won't claim unmatched strength, though when it comes to potential, I've reached my ceiling." Steven's expression remained steady. He wasn't trying to boast. As the greatest talent the continent had produced in a century, he carried the qualifications to make such a statement. "What about Nighthale?" Sienna glanced at Aiden. The first floating crystal ball beside him shifted into a faint blue. "Is it possible for him to trigger the third one?" "That is difficult to predict." Steven tapped his chin briefly. "Although he earned the Medal of Dominion, his odds aren't low." "That sounds exactly like him." A soft smile lifted Sienna's lips, brightening her features. Steven caught that smile and felt something twist in his chest. Hold on. I'm your uncle. I light three crystal balls and get zero reaction.This kid might reach his third, and suddenly you're glowing like a lantern? Where is the fairness?He swallowed his tiny heartbreak and focused on Aiden instead, because the first crystal ball had already finished turning blue. "As expected. He stabilized that immediately. His potential is absurd." Even with high expectations, witnessing it firsthand still struck Steven. Sienna's eyes gleamed, excitement simmering under her calm exterior. Time continued its steady march. Then, the second crystal ball ignited. It didn't pause. Moments later, the third crystal ball lit as well. Three glowing crystal balls illuminated the chamber with brilliant sapphire light. "He actually did it." Sienna's voice trembled with joy. "That is remarkable." Steven couldn't hide his admiration. "Now we wait for the class awakening to settle. Dominion just gained another prodigy." "How long will that take?" Sienna asked, leaning forward slightly. "If the crystal balls begin spinning, the process is nearing completion. It should—" Steven's voice was cut off. His face froze as his mind short-circuited because the fourth and fifth crystal balls simultaneously flared to life. "Uh..." Sienna's lips parted, shock written across her features. "Uncle Steven... weren't the last two impossible for humans?" Steven stood motionless. Do not ask me. I have no idea what this means. Those crystal balls spin only when the process is finished. I may have wrinkles, but I'm not blind. If the ritual ended, why is it sucking up soul energy all over again? Those final crystal balls respond only to the old divines; only they were ever able to fill them. What kind of nonsense is this? Steven's face tightened with confusion. He was lost—absolutely and completely. Nothing in my long life has ever looked like this. Unless… the kid isn't human. The thought wasn't meant to offend. Steven simply lacked any other explanation. The sight bordered on absurdity. "Uncle Steven?" Sienna stepped closer. His uncharacteristic silence only stoked her curiosity. Steven drew a slow breath and stared at the air in front of him like a meditating master. If you cannot explain the impossible, pretend you've transcended it. Please stop asking, child. I am hanging on by a thread. Would I be standing here stunned if I actually knew what was happening? "So Uncle Steven doesn't know either?" Sienna chuckled softly and let the matter go. "Who claims I don't?" Steven bristled with pride. He might be clueless, though he was still the Royal Chief Beastmaster. His dignity refused to die so easily. Fine, he didn't know—but improvising? That he could do. "I was recalling some older manuscripts. Based on those, Nighthale is lighting all the crystal balls is most likely—" Steven kept weaving his "explanation," and Sienna snapped upright with a sharp gasp. "It's... overflowing?!" Her typically regal calm blew apart like glass. "Overflowing?" Steven spun in confusion. A thick tide of deep blue soul power spilled from the crystal balls, pouring across the chamber floor like liquid light. "Holy hell!" "Holy hell!" Both voices overlapped in perfect unison. Steven felt his mind go blank, as if someone had hit him with a hammer repeatedly. Is this legal? Five crystal balls are already insane. Now he's spilling extra soul energy everywhere? We're both men. How is he running on a completely different engine?! Silence gripped the chamber, heavy and stunned, creating an impossible stillness.