Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

"Miss Edel?" The middle-aged wizard's voice was gentle and magnetic.

"You're back? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? Young Master could have arranged for someone to pick you up."

Adele stopped and looked at him, her face expressionless.

"Rodney is in charge, but my brother is very busy and I dare not bother him."

Rodney, one of Edmund's most trusted confidants, is in charge of some family affairs and resource allocation.

He appears gentle and refined, but in reality, he is cunning and ruthless.

Rodney smiled, his gaze naturally falling on Ian, lingering for a moment on the temporary guest badge on his chest.

"And this is...?"

"My guest, Ian Marcus," Adele said calmly.

"Oh?" Rodney's smile softened, and he nodded slightly to Ian.

"Welcome to the Just family, Wizard Marcus. I am Rodney, the steward of young master Edmund. If you need any help in the family in the future, please come to me."

He spoke very politely, but Ian didn't believe a word he said.

He glanced at the other person, nodded, and didn't reply.

Rodney didn't care and turned to Adele.

"Miss Adele has just returned and is not yet familiar with many things. The conditions on Golden Statue Street are a bit basic. Would you like me to have someone move you to another place? Young Master has always been concerned about you."

"No need," Adele replied crisply.

"I'm used to living in the place my mother left me."

Rodney's smile faded slightly, but his tone remained gentle.

"Alright, but... with the selection process imminent, the choice of guest elder is of utmost importance. Sister Edel should be cautious, after all... the elders of the family are very discerning."

He phrased it tactfully, but the meaning was clear.

The level-two wizard you found on this remote island is probably not even worth trash in the eyes of the elders.

In the hall, suppressed chuckles could be heard from several groups of people watching this scene.

Adele's fingertips dug into her palms, but her face remained expressionless.

No need for you to worry.

After she finished speaking, she didn't linger and walked straight towards the gate.

Ian and Delia followed behind her.

Just as the three were about to leave the hall, another person emerged from another passageway.

This time it was a young male wizard wearing a silver-white robe with purple trim, at the mid-level of level two.

This man was handsome, but his eyes held a sinister and malevolent aura, and he was followed by two level-one peak guards with solid auras.

On one of their shoulders perched a thunder eagle with dark purple feathers and sharp eyes.

Second brother Edwin.

Upon seeing Adele, Edwin stopped in his tracks, his eyes flashing with undisguised malice.

"Hey, isn't this our Xiao Qi?"

His voice was somewhat shrill, like the friction of metal.

"What, you couldn't make it out there, so you finally decided to come back?"

Adele didn't stop walking, as if she hadn't heard.

Edwin stepped aside and blocked her way.

He was a head taller than Adele, looking down at her with eyes as cold as a viper.

"Why are you running away? You didn't even greet your second brother when you saw him?"

He clicked his tongue, his gaze sweeping over Ian and Delia behind Adele, pausing briefly on the badge on Ian's chest.

Then he laughed, a very exaggerated laugh.

"This... is the guest retainer you were looking for? Early stage level two? Or did you pick him up from that... little island?"

The two guards behind him also let out low sneers in agreement.

The Thunderhawk on his shoulder tilted its head, its sharp eyes fixed on Ian, and a threatening growl came from its throat.

Adele finally raised her head and looked at Edwin.

Her gaze was calm. "Get out of the way."

Edwin's smile froze for a moment.

He never expected that his younger sister, who had always been relatively unknown in the family and was even somewhat timid, would dare to speak to him in such a tone.

His eyes darkened.

"Xiao Qi, it's been years, and your temper has gotten worse!"

He took a half-step forward, his aura as a mid-stage level two cultivator emanating slightly, carrying the unique ferocity and oppression of lightning.

"Let me teach you a lesson: in the family, if you don't have the power... you have to learn to bow your head."

He paused, his gaze falling on Ian again, the malice at the corner of his mouth almost overflowing.

"Especially, don't recycle just any kind of garbage. It's fine if you embarrass yourself, but don't embarrass the Just family."

The air froze instantly.

All eyes in the hall were focused on this side.

Those gazes held a mixture of amusement, schadenfreude, and indifferent observation.

Ian stood half a step behind Adele, his face still expressionless.

Gaga, however, wouldn't have it and immediately bristled.

"Ian, this guy is too arrogant. I'm going to teach him a lesson."

Ian looked at the huffing and puffing Gaga and felt a warmth in his heart, finding it both warm and amusing.

"Don't come out, just stay put, I'll be fine."

He didn't even look at Edwin; his gaze was fixed on the black crystal on the dome of the hall in the distance, as if studying the reflection on it.

But within his spiritual sea, that pale golden crystallized core,

It began to rotate slowly.

The elementalization of 10% of his spiritual energy made his senses extremely acute.

He could clearly "hear" the flow of lightning magic within Edwin's body and could detect the subtle signs of the lightning eagle's muscles tightening slightly.

They could even sense several more subtle and powerful auras emanating from the depths of the hall, quietly watching this area.

That's... the aura of a level three wizard.

At least three.

The family elders, or the high-ranking officials on duty in the affairs office, are watching.

Ian's fingers twitched slightly inside his sleeve.

Three floating crystal guardians silently slipped into my palm, ready to be activated at any time.

He secretly assessed that if he were to clash with this person, it would take approximately several spells to break through their defenses.

Adele just looked at Edwin, and then she suddenly smiled.

"Second Brother." Edel's voice was very soft, so soft that only a few people nearby could hear it.

"My father is only in a coma, not dead."

Edwin's expression changed instantly.

Adele stopped looking at him, turned aside, and walked past him.

Ian finally looked away from the dome and gave him a brief, indifferent glance.

His gaze was calm and unwavering, as if he were looking at a stone.

Edwin stood there, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

"How dare you...ignore me?"

The thunder eagle on his shoulder seemed to sense its master's emotions, letting out a sharp cry and its feathers bristling.

But Edwin ultimately held back and did not lash out.

He stared intently at Adele and Ian's retreating figures, his teeth grinding, but ultimately he didn't dare to make a move in the hall.

Family rules dictate that private fights are prohibited within the administrative hall.

Those who violate this rule will be disqualified from inheriting the inheritance.

"Hmph! So what if I let you live for three more months? Next time, during the review..."

Edwin looked away, his eyes filled with resentment.

Edel and the other two walked out of the office and stepped back into the dimly lit corridor.

The massive metal door behind him slowly closed, shutting out all the diverse gazes in the hall.

Stepping out of the cold, gloomy corridor of the administrative office, the sunlight once again bathed my shoulders.

Edel stopped at the doorway, her dark blue robe fluttering gently in the breeze.

She didn't leave immediately, but took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly.

The gazes, the mockery, and the undisguised contempt from the people in the hall felt like needles pricking me.

She turned her head and looked at Ian.

His eyes held a complex mix of emotions: apology, resentment, and a deep-seated weariness.

"I'm sorry," Adele said softly, "that this happened to you as soon as you came in."

Ian stood half a step to her side, his black robe appearing somewhat thin in the sunlight.

His gaze fell on the carriages and horses hurrying by on the distant street, his face expressionless.

"It's alright." He paused, then added, "As expected."

On the shoulder, a little head popped out from deep inside the hood.

The anger from the hall still lingered in his heterochromatic eyes, and his feathers ruffled slightly.

It nuzzled Ian's cheek, its voice filled with grievance and resentment.

"Ian, that guy is so annoying!"

"I'm going to bite him!"

Ian raised his hand and gently rubbed its little head.

"Not now, you can't beat him."

His voice was calm, but the way his fingers stroked the feathers was gentle.

Gaga pursed its lips, snorted, and shrank back into its hood, leaving only its eyes peeking out as it warily scanned its surroundings.

As Edel watched this scene, her eyes softened for a moment.

"Edwin has always been like this," she said slowly, her voice devoid of emotion.

"He is the second brother, and behind him stands the elder of our mother's lineage."

"They won't let me off easily this time I'm back."

She paused, then looked at Ian.

Why didn't you say anything just now?

Ian turned his head and met her gaze, a faint silver glint in his eyes.

"What are you saying?" he countered. "Arguing? Proving? Or...?"

His lips curved slightly, a very shallow curve, carrying a certain coldness.

"Shut him up on the spot?"

Adele paused for two seconds. "You can hold back?"

"It's not about enduring," Ian shook his head, his gaze returning to the distance. "It's about not needing to."

He raised his hand, his fingertips lightly rubbing together in the sunlight.

A wisp of pale golden light flowed through my fingertips, like stardust, or the manifestation of some kind of rule.

"During the three-month observation period, they will be watching me closely, waiting for me to make a mistake, waiting to see me make a fool of myself."

He paused, then withdrew his finger. "Then I'll let them see."

Look at what I can do...

Adele's eyes lit up.

She looked at Ian, the second-level wizard from the remote island, whose face remained calm, but whose back was ramrod straight.

Like a sword hidden in its sheath, its sharpness is concealed, yet it may be drawn at any moment.

"it is good."

She took a deep breath, her voice becoming firm.

"I will fully support you."

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