CHAPTER 82

Clara Atherton waved her hand dismissively, her tone comforting yet firm. "There's no need for such concern, Father. We don't usually use the crystal. Its energy is scarce, yes, but for family, the price is not an issue." She leaned forward, her eyes shining with strategic wisdom. "Besides, awakening a day earlier means you train a day earlier than your peers. In the race to the top, this is a priceless advantage. When it's time for the university entrance exams, no one cares if you awakened on the unified day or a year in advance. They only care about your strength and your talent. Awakening early simply means you have the backing to do so."

Hearing this, Arthur Atherton nodded slowly, his hesitation giving way to hope. He turned to his other grandson. "Leo, my boy, give it a try."

Leo took a deep, shuddering breath, his heart hammering against his ribs. He slowly placed his hand on the cool surface of the crystal ball. In that instant, it thrummed with a low hum, and a dazzling, pure white light bloomed from its core. It wasn't harsh, but soft and powerful, like the birth of a star, washing out all the color from the room.

His father, Steven, leaned forward, his voice filled with awe. "Pure white… it's either the rare light element or a non-elemental physical type. And the sheer intensity of this light… his innate talent is Celestial-rank."

"Celestial-rank!" His grandmother, Eleanor, gasped, her jaw dropping. His mother, Laura, couldn't help but shed tears of profound relief, a hand flying to her mouth. At that moment, the only thought in his parents' minds was: My son has made it!

"Leo, quick!" Eleanor urged, her voice trembling with excitement. "Tell us what your ability is."

Leo closed his eyes, sensing the new power surging within him. Then, his body began to change. His mouth elongated into a sharp, powerful beak. His hands flattened and stretched, bones shifting as they became massive, feathered wings. His legs thickened, the skin turning scaly as they became powerful talons, and golden feathers grew rapidly all over his body. After about a minute of this unsettling but majestic transformation, where the teenage boy once stood, there was now a magnificent, golden-feathered avian creature.

"A beastification ability?" Ethan asked, his own eyes wide with surprise.

Eleanor and Laura looked at the scene, so excited they were on the verge of tears. A flying-type beastification was a symbol of nobility and immense potential. Leo flexed his new wings, the movement powerful even in the confined space. With a clear effort of will, he restrained his burgeoning curiosity and reverted to his human form.

"My ability is beastification!" Leo said excitedly, a huge grin on his face.

"That's great!" Eleanor hugged her grandson. "Your future will be outstanding!"

Ethan added, "I remember reading in the old pre-Resurgence myths that the Golden-Winged Roc can cross a continent in a day and breathe fire, with feathers harder than steel. You should have similar abilities, right?"

"First," Leo corrected with a proud grin, "it's ninety thousand li, a poetic description of its flight. Second, you're not far off. My form has three attributes: metal, wind, and fire. When I advance in rank, I can obtain psionic skills from all three at the same time. When others get one skill at Rank One, I can potentially get three!"

"Aiya, that's all the same," Ethan waved his hand. "But three skills! Then aren't you practically invincible?"

Lily chimed in, a voice of cool reason. "Don't get too happy, Leo. If he had a Legendary-rank talent, perhaps. But with a Celestial-rank, the power of those three skills will be divided and weaker than a specialist's."

Leo nodded. "True. But I have the advantage in versatility. And my awakened form will be three times larger with each major rank!"

Ethan's jaw dropped. "Three times! You're about two meters tall now. You'll be six meters at Rank One! Eighteen at Rank Two!"

"That's right," Leo replied proudly. "A full transformation will be the day of the apocalypse—"

"Then at that time," Ethan eagerly interjected, "you can be my personal plane!"

Leo was speechless. His powerful, awesome new ability… was just a mode of transportation in Ethan's eyes. "No! This awesome ability of mine, in your eyes, is just a plane?"

"Well, can't it be used like that?" Ethan retorted righteously.

Leo was speechless again. He knew that after he broke through to Rank One, he could indeed carry a person or two on his back. Before he could protest, Ethan's hand was on his shoulder.

"Leo, you have to train well. I'll be waiting for you at Pinnacle University. When the time comes for our grand adventures, you'll be my personal mount!"

"Scram!" Leo yelled, and the room, once tense, erupted in joyous laughter.

"Alright," Steven said, still chuckling. "Let Ethan have his test."

"Right," Leo added. "Let me see what level you really are, cousin."

Ethan smiled, walked over, and placed his hand on the crystal. A brilliant light, no different in intensity from Leo's, shone out.

"Celestial-rank?" Steven said, confused. "That can't be right. With his multiple forms, he should at least be Legendary."

Ethan knew it was time for his performance. The secret of his true power was too dangerous. "Although I have many forms," he lied smoothly, "I don't get any new, growable skills when I break through a major rank. I only get the new form."

Clara's eyes lit up with understanding. "So that's how it is. You gain versatility in forms but lose the advantage of a powerful, scaling psionic skill with each rank-up."

Lily nodded, playing along perfectly. "Exactly. An ordinary person gets one new skill per rank. Ethan gets multiple new forms. If he supplements them with absorbed skills from Aura Cores, his potential is no worse than a Legendary-rank."

"Of course," Ethan said with a satisfied smile. "I'm also very satisfied with my ability."

Just then, the waiter brought the lavish dishes to the table.

"Alright, alright," his grandfather, Arthur, declared. "The awakening is done, the test is also done. Let's eat!"

With two Celestial-ranks now in the family, the celebratory meal was truly a joyous one. That night, the family dispersed to their various accommodations, their hearts full, the earlier anxieties replaced by a bright, shining hope for the future.