“Seamie!” Connor’s voice carried the deep, powerful force of his cultivation, and it finally pulled Seamus out of that dark, dejected mood. “Your talent is leagues above Skyler’s. You’ve only lost once, so don’t tell me you don’t even have the confidence to turn things around and overtake him. “Besides, Skyler only beat you by a dozen or so points on this exam, and once your military merits are added in as bonus points, your total still comes out ahead of his.” At that, Seamus’s spirits lifted. That was right—he still had military merits to earn him bonus points. If today had been the martial SAT, he’d still have come in first, and no matter how impressive Skyler was, he’d still rank behind Seamus. Taking a deep breath, Seamus finally spoke. “Dad, don’t worry. When the martial SAT actually comes around, there’s no way I’ll lose to Skyler. “And you’re right. I shouldn’t lose my nerve over a single defeat. I’ll crush him under my heel!” Seeing Seamus regain his confidence, Connor let out a huge sigh of relief. “As long as you’ve got your confidence back, that’s what matters. Let’s head home first and get ready for tomorrow’s celebration banquet.” It didn’t matter how that little bastard Skyler had suddenly gotten so powerful. As long as Connor was behind him, backing him with everything he had, no matter what other lucky breaks Skyler stumbled into, Seamus would still come out ahead of him in the end. His eye for talent and his judgment couldn’t possibly be wrong. … By noon the next day, the Yount Residence was bustling with activity, luxury cars streaming in one after another. As the commander-in-chief of Southmere’s Demon Suppression Division, Connor was not only formidably powerful in his own right but also held high rank and great authority. With him throwing a celebration banquet for his own son, which of Riverspire’s great families would dare snub the invitation? “Chief Yount, congratulations on your golden boy coming home from the service. Congratulations, truly.” “Mrs. Yount, Seamus must have racked up plenty of military merits while he was in the army. With the bonus points on the martial SAT, the state top scorer title is well within reach.” Inside the main hall, the guests offered up their gifts and congratulations one after another. Connor and Alice exchanged a few pleasantries before quickly seeing everyone to their seats. Just then, Patrick Sullivan, the head of the Sullivans, walked in with his son Winston and his daughter Freya. Patrick greeted Connor first, then turned to Seamus. “Seamus, I’ve already heard about what happened yesterday. A single win or loss doesn’t mean a thing, and both Freya and I believe in you.” As he spoke, he took out a small box and handed it to Seamus. “Inside is an Innate Realm breakthrough pill. Once you take it, you’ll be able to break through to the second stage of the Innate Realm in no time at all, which will give you a real edge going into the martial SAT.” Since Freya had chosen Seamus, it only made sense for the Sullivans to place all their chips on him. And besides, he thought very highly of Seamus’s talent. He had no idea how that good-for-nothing Skyler had suddenly gotten so strong, but with the gap in talent plain as day, he still had far more faith in Seamus. “Thank you so much, Mr. Sullivan!” Overjoyed, Seamus quickly took the box. While Connor was over there seeing Patrick and the others to their seats, Rosie and Teagan came over to Alice. “Alice, this must be Seamie. Three years without a visit, and he’s grown into such a handsome young man. You can really tell the army toughened him up.” Rosie showered him with praise, a smile on her face. As she spoke, she handed Seamus a gift she’d prepared well in advance. “Here, this is a little gift I prepared for you. Please don’t turn it down.” Alice just smiled and said nothing. “You’re too kind, Mrs. Webb.” Seamus took the gift, though his expression was a little awkward. After all, Teagan had witnessed the whole scene of him being outshone by Skyler the day before. “Seamie, you’re too modest. I heard all about it. You’re gearing up to make a run for this year’s state martial SAT top scorer.” Rosie went on, then turned to Teagan beside her. “Teagan, weren’t you always going on about wanting to meet Seamus? So why aren’t you saying anything now?” She found it strange, because ever since the day before, Teagan had worn a distracted, faraway look. Only then did Teagan snap out of it, forcing a smile. “Oh, Seamus and I already met yesterday.” “You met yesterday?” Rosie was a bit puzzled, since Teagan had never once mentioned it to her. Alice didn’t want to dwell on the matter, so she quickly saw Rosie and Teagan to their seats. “Teagan, I’ve been meaning to ask you since yesterday. Why have you been in such a strange mood?” The moment she sat down, Rosie couldn’t hold the question back. Teagan was just about to answer when the butler came rushing in. “Mr. Yount, Mrs. Yount. Governor Eaton is here.” “What?” For a moment, even Connor and Alice were taken aback. The celebration banquet they were holding for Seamus this time wasn’t all that grand, and they’d only invited the great families of Riverspire. On top of that, his relationship with Lorenzo Eaton was lukewarm at best, with no close ties between them. Why had Lorenzo shown up uninvited? And in person, no less? But before he could give it any more thought, a hearty voice carried in from beyond the door. “Connor, you throw a celebration banquet for your son and don’t even invite me? “We’ve worked together, after all. Isn’t this treating me like a bit of a stranger?” No sooner had he spoken than Lorenzo himself strode in, roaring with laughter. The day before, he’d suddenly gotten word that a major figure from Imperia had come to Southmere, and he’d quickly sent people to look into it. Hearing that the person had come for the Younts, and knowing Connor was holding a celebration banquet for his son Seamus that day, he’d hurried over uninvited. After all, a powerful family from Imperia wasn’t the kind of connection just anyone could latch onto. As he said this, Lorenzo glanced at Seamus, who stood off to the side, and gave a slight nod. “So is this your son, Seamus? Not bad at all. “Your father didn’t invite me, but I can’t afford to be that petty.” With that, Lorenzo took out a fiery red bead and handed it to Seamus. “This is an earthflame pill I happened to come across in my younger years. It can help you cultivate a Crimson Flame Body, and by weaving the power of fire into your internal energy, it’ll boost your strength by at least threefold.”