After the Rift Valley crisis, the Skybound’s voyage was anything but calm.
「On the seventh day, they traversed the outskirts of the Storm Corridor.」
A wall of gray-black clouds towered thousands of meters high, with lightning writhing like giant serpents within. The ship’s shield screeched as it ground against the gales.
On deck, six Level Two Wizard Guards took their positions and performed a Sealing Technique in unison.
A pale blue Hexagram Array lit up beneath the ship, forcefully holding back the hurricane’s onslaught.
Ian stood behind a porthole, watching quietly.
A faint light swirled at his fingertip—the sign of a Gravity Collapse Ball ready to be unleashed.
But in the end, he didn’t act. The storm was blocked by the Giant Sail Alliance’s Guard Team.
「On the thirteenth day, they flew over Bone Eagle Gorge.」
The entire sky was blotted out by a dense mass of shadows.
Tens of thousands of bone eagles, each with a wingspan of over five meters, circled overhead, their eye sockets burning with eerie green Soul Fire.
They were a flock of Undead Demon Birds, extremely sensitive to the aura of the living.
"Prepare the Dispel Potions!"
Derek’s voice boomed over the broadcast. On deck, fifty Liquidation Wizards simultaneously scattered a pale yellow powder.
The powder exploded in mid-air, turning into a pungent sulfurous smoke.
The flock of bone eagles shrieked and scattered to avoid it.
But three Tier Two Bone Eagle Kings still broke through the smoke and lunged at the ship.
Three Level Two Guards attacked at once: a Fire Pillar, a Thunder Spear, and an Ice Storm.
Three seconds later, the Bone Eagle Kings were blown to pieces.
Ian remained in his cabin, meditating. On his shoulder, Gaga tilted its little head, watching the battle outside the window.
"Ian, are we really not going to help?"
"It’s not our time to act yet."
Ian closed his eyes. In his Sea of Spirit, a pale gold crystal slowly rotated.
Energy from the Star Core Fragments was seeping into the crystal, thread by thread. The progress of his Spiritual Power Elementalization was advancing steadily.
1%... 1.5%... 2%...
Time passed amidst the voyage and occasional attacks.
A month and a half went by, and they had completed more than half the journey.
At the edge of the Endless Sea, the silhouette of a landmass was faintly visible.
Gray-black mountains stretched across the horizon like the spine of a colossal beast.
The Central Continent’s Eastern Territory was now in sight.
Ian awoke from his deep Meditation.
As he opened his eyes, the silver starlight deep within them shone several degrees brighter than a month ago.
He raised his hand, palm up.
His Spiritual Power surged, and the phantom of a pale gold crystal materialized in his palm.
The crystal’s surface was now covered with a thin layer of silver Star Orbit patterns.
Like cracks spreading across ice, it was the Assimilation of a Rule—the beginning of a qualitative change.
"6%..." Ian murmured to himself.
’It’s nearly twice as fast as I expected. The effect of the Star Core Fragments is far beyond my projections.’
Gaga emerged from the shadows and landed on the edge of the table.
Its little claws pawed at the thick roll of Parchment.
"Ian, you’ve been looking at this for three days. Is this thing... really important, gaga?"
"Yes, very important."
Ian picked up the Parchment, his fingertips tracing the Dark Gold threads.
The scroll unfurled, revealing dense text and charts.
This wasn’t just simple information.
It was precious intelligence that Adelle had painstakingly collected, organized, and analyzed.
It was a complete diagram of the struggle for succession within the Justice Clan.
Ian’s gaze fell on the first page.
The Justice Clan: Controller of three territories in the Seventeen Cities of the Eastern Border.
Strongest Member: Alister Justice, a Level Four Morning Star Wizard.
He has been missing for nearly a hundred years, and no one knows where he went.
Perhaps he is traveling the outer Void, seeking a breakthrough.
Current Clan Leader: Titus Justice (Adelle’s father), suspected to be afflicted by a bloodline-related Curse and in a deep coma.
Elder Council: Nine Level Three Great Witches who hold the clan’s authority.
Heirs: There are currently ten heirs in the line of succession, and Adelle Justice is now seventh.
Third from the bottom.
Ian tapped his fingers on the desk. ’A Level Four Morning Star...’
He had felt the residual aura of a Level Four being in the Star Spirit Race ruins.
The giant hand that crushed the Star Spirit Race’s altar... he felt it had the Power of at least a Level Five Wizard.
But a Level Four Wizard was already a terrifying existence capable of founding their own faction, with a lifespan of up to five thousand years.
"This clan’s foundation... is truly terrifying. To think they’ve produced more than one Morning Star Wizard!"
Gaga scooted closer, its little eyes scanning the text.
"Doesn’t that make Adelle’s situation pretty bad? She’s ranked seventh, gaga."
"It is indeed pretty bad." Ian turned to the next page.
Clan Culture: Values contracts, foundation, and achievements. Internal struggles are brutal, but a decorous facade is maintained.
And they take special pride in the ’Ancestral Time Trace Bloodline’.
He paused and looked at Gaga.
"When a Morning Star Wizard ascends, their bloodline traces back, strengthening direct relatives within two generations above and below them."
"This means... the heirs of the Justice Clan are born with a huge advantage."
Gaga tilted its head. "So Adelle has it too?"
Ian narrowed his eyes slightly and thought for a moment. "She should."
’Adelle likely saw through my disguise thanks to her bloodline Talent.’
’She might have even... sensed my real age.’
Ian continued reading. This was the most important section, marked with a red line by Adelle.
Candidate Evaluation: Four Main Dimensions.
First, Strength and Foundation, weighted at 30%.
Below the text were detailed notes. It wasn’t a simple matter of "who is the better fighter."
It was a comprehensive assessment of one’s Realm, combat experience, Contractors, resource reserves... and more.
Being a Level Two Wizard was the minimum requirement.
A Level Three Wizard... would instantly pass with a perfect score.
Ian’s eyes fell on the section for "Adelle."
Realm: Level Two Middle Stage. Passable, but no advantage.
Combat Assessment: A gauntlet battle against three Tier Two Late Stage Demons in the clan’s Beast Fighting Arena.
Purpose: To test combat ability, tactical wisdom, and mindset under pressure.
Bonus: If an invited ’Honored Guest Elder/ally’ fights alongside them and performs spectacularly, it counts toward the heir’s ability to ’judge/recruit’ talent.
Ian’s gaze hardened. ’A Beast Fighting Arena...’
’A gauntlet against three Tier Two Late Stage Demons. For a Level Two Middle Stage Wizard, that’s a life-or-death trial.’
’But if I could fight alongside her...’
Ian immediately shook his head. ’Too dangerous. I’ll just watch for now.’
Besides the candidate’s own strength, there was also an evaluation of their Contractors.
The Justice Clan valued contracted partners, seeing them as a touchstone for an heir’s ability to ’command the powerful’.
Evaluation Criteria: Contractor’s rank, bloodline potential, and synergy with the heir.
A slight smile touched Ian’s lips.
’On this point, Gaga and I... might just be Adelle’s trump card.’
He wasn’t a Contractor, but fighting as a ’Deep Collaborator’ would have the same effect.
Moreover, Gaga’s Shadow Messenger bloodline would be seen as a ’rare potential asset’ by the Elder Council.
Gaga puffed out its little chest, its feathers fluffing up slightly.
"Of course! I’m a Shadow Messenger!"
Ian ruffled its little head and turned to the next page. Resource Acquisition and Personal Network, weighted at 30%.
Quality of Honored Guest Elders/Allies.
Each heir could invite up to six ’non-clan members’ to attend the competition as allies.
Evaluation Criteria: Personal strength, affiliated faction, and the depth of their bond with the heir.
Ian’s expression was grave. ’I’m currently at Level Two Initial Stage, so my apparent strength is a bit weak.’
’But my true strength... as long as my Spiritual Power Elementalization reaches 10%, I should be able to match a Level Two Late Stage Wizard.’
’And... with Gaga’s help, the outcome is far from certain.’
Adelle had been trying to win him over, and it wasn’t just because she valued his strength.
Competitors needed to prove their ability to bring ’new resource channels’ into the clan.
He had never revealed his identity as a Magic Potion Alchemist on the ship.
’Adelle doesn’t know about my abilities in this area. Perhaps... this is an opportunity.’
Ian was confident that if he were given any new Magic Potion formula, he could definitely give Adelle a surprise.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the Parchment.
On this point, Adelle herself knew she was very weak.
To this day, she still hadn’t managed to recruit a single Tier Two resource-producing Wizard.
’But perhaps... I can make up for some of that weakness.’
With a focused gaze, Ian looked at the last page.
Two years from now, the candidates would engage in a final battle, weighted at 40%.
The competition would take the form of a battle in a set of partially unexplored ruins controlled by the clan.
All competitors would enter the ruins for a final life-or-death struggle (or a point-based system).
This would also be a clash of the candidates’ full strength.
Ian’s expression darkened slightly.
’Ruins... a life-or-death battle... two years’ time.’
He could participate directly as an ally, or he could choose not to, depending on Adelle’s performance in the early stages and his own strength at the time.
As for the competition process, he only skimmed it, memorizing a few key dates.
Within seven days of Adelle’s return to the clan, she had to submit a list of allies, proof of resources, and materials demonstrating her strength.
After the Elder Council’s preliminary assessment, Ian would have to undergo a ’background check’ before the clan’s Elders.
Following that was the preliminary combat assessment, which would take place one month after Adelle’s return.
After passing the initial qualification test, they would be given two years to develop.
Two years later, the final battle in the ruins would begin.
Adelle needed to gather all her ’allies’ within those two years, enter the ruins, and finally, the Elder Council would combine the scores from all three rounds to select the top two for a final duel.
Ian closed the Parchment and was lost in thought for a long time.
Gaga tilted its head. "Ian, do we have to help Adelle fight all those people, gaga?"
"Not necessarily."
Ian stood up and walked to the porthole.
Outside, the silhouette of the Central Continent was growing clearer.
The mountains cut through the sky like blades.
"First, we need to pass the qualification review, then the combat assessment. As for the ruins two years from now..."
He turned to look at Gaga.
"By then, if my luck isn’t bad... I should already be at Level Two Late Stage."
"And you... will have long since reached Tier Two."
Gaga’s eyes lit up. "The Eternal Shadow Remains!"
"Even without the remains, I’ll find another way."
A sharp glint flashed in Ian’s eyes. Two years was enough time to achieve Limit-Breaking with the Bloodline Purification Technique at least once.
By then, with countless high-quality Blood Essences, he could definitely push Gaga to Tier Two.
"So, whether or not we wade into these muddy waters... will depend on our strength two years from now."
He unfolded the Parchment again, turning to the last few pages.
There, Adelle had compiled information on the main competitors.
Eldest brother, Edmund Justice (first in line): Level Two Middle Stage, Summoned Demon unknown, specializes in Time Witchcraft, has developed the ancestral bloodline the furthest.
He is unfathomably cunning, betrays no emotion, and has a powerful maternal lineage.
Ian’s gaze hardened.
’Time Witchcraft...’
’This type of Witchcraft, which touches upon the Rules, is extremely rare and also extremely dangerous.’
Second brother, Edwin Justice (second in line): Level Two Middle Stage, specializes in Thunder Witchcraft.
Appears gentle and refined, but is in fact extremely cruel.
He once refined a defiant servant into a Thunder Puppet, which still wails in the family dungeon to this day.
He keeps a Tier Two Late Stage Thunder Eagle and is secretly allied with his third brother, Adrian.
Ian tapped his fingers.
’Thunder Element... high Attack Power, fast, and coupled with a Tier Two Late Stage Thunder Eagle. He’s indeed a tough opponent.’
Third brother, Adrian Justice (third in line).
Level Two Initial Stage, keeps a Wind and Thunder System Summoned Demon. Greedy, short-sighted, bullies the weak and fears the strong. He outwardly serves as Edwin’s henchman.
Ian quickly skimmed past. ’This kind of person isn’t much of a threat.’
Fifth sister, Ashia Justice (fourth in line).
Level Two Initial Stage, also a Magic Potion Alchemist. She is low-key and neutral, with no obsession for the Clan Leader position, only wishing to protect her own branch of the family.
Ian’s gaze paused. ’A Magic Potion Alchemist...’
’Perhaps she can be won over.’
But Adelle had added a note next to the information.
"Fifth sister appears neutral, but she actually holds an old grudge against our eldest brother. She can be used, but not fully trusted."
Ian took a deep breath, closed the Parchment, and stored it in his Dimension Ring.
’The reason I’m being so cautious right now... is simply a lack of strength.’
In his Sea of Spirit, the pale gold crystal spun slowly, its surface covered in silver Star Orbit patterns that flowed with light.
While 6% Spiritual Power Elementalization was enough to handle a Level Two Middle Stage challenge...
...it was far from enough.
On his shoulder, Gaga nuzzled his cheek.
"Ian, are we really going to live in that big clan?"
"Yes."
"Will there be a lot of rules?"
"There should be."
"Then... will we be able to eat our fill?"
A slight smile touched Ian’s lips.
"Yes."
"Not only will we eat our fill..."
He looked out the window, a sharp glint in his eyes.
"...we’ll eat well."