At that moment, Chris immediately understood-this had to be Brian Jefferson’s doing.
Why would Brian Jefferson go to such lengths? Was it simply because Chris was Archer Wintersong’s apprentice? Chris didn’t dwell on it for long and placed his hand on the crystal orb.
In an instant, the orb radiated five dazzling colors: green, blue, red, yellow, and gold.
Seeing this, Rafael Jefferson, standing nearby, frowned deeply.
Noticing Rafael’s reaction, Chris curiously asked, “Does this mean I have a single-element Soulseed?”
Rafael shook his head.
“Then… am I a special Soulseed?”
Rafael shook his head again.
“Could it be… an exceptional Soulseed?”
Chris’s voice began to tremble. He could hardly believe it. Could he really be one of those rare Aetherbinding geniuses?
Of course, the truly remarkable always stand out wherever they go, Chris thought to himself.
But Rafael Jefferson’s lips twitched involuntarily as he stared at Chris.
“Are you dreaming?” Rafael snapped impatiently. “You have a five-element hybrid Soulseed, also known as the Useless Soulseed. It’s the worst of all Soulseeds. And you think you’re some kind of prodigy? Keep dreaming.”
“What?”
Chris froze.
A Useless Soulseed? What did that even mean? Did that make him some kind of Aetherbinding failure?
Chris glared at Rafael Jefferson, resisting the urge to curse. So, this was it? He was just a Useless Soulseed, and Rafael had acted so mysteriously, making him think he might be an unparalleled Aetherbinding genius.
In the end, it turned out he was nothing but a failure.
Disappointment welled up in Chris’s heart. Was it possible that someone as extraordinary as himself could have such a poor Aetherbinding constitution? He had initially thought that, at the very least, he might have a single-element Soulseed. Clearly, he had been overthinking it.
“What? A Useless Soulseed!”
Brian Jefferson stood up in shock. In ancient times, a five-element hybrid Soulseed would have been considered a rare Aetherbinding genius.
But as spiritual energy grew increasingly scarce, the five-element hybrid Soulseed had become the Useless Soulseed.
The reason was simple: a single-element Soulseed absorbed spiritual energy quickly, allowing for faster cultivation. The more elements a Soulseed had, the more types of energy it required. For instance, someone with a water-element Soulseed only needed to absorb water-based spiritual energy to advance.
But for a five-element hybrid Soulseed, all five types of spiritual energy were required to make any progress.
In ancient times, when spiritual energy was abundant, the more elements a Soulseed had, the greater its power. But in today’s era-an age of declining spiritual energy-absorbing such vast amounts of energy was a pipe dream.
In the Aetherbinding world, slower cultivation meant weaker potential. And weaker potential equaled a lower chance of success.
For someone like Chris, with a Useless Soulseed, the Jefferson family would simply cast him aside.
Brian Jefferson sighed and said, “Chris, if you were born over a thousand years ago, you’d be a one-in-a-million cultivation prodigy. Unfortunately, you were born too late. In this era, you’re little more than a failure.”
Rafael Jefferson nodded in agreement. “Exactly. With a Useless Soulseed, there’s no place for you in the Jefferson family.”
From the stands, Elias Dorneles looked on in astonishment. “I never expected to encounter someone with a five-element hybrid Soulseed. What a shame. These days, it’s no different from being a Useless Soulseed-it means you’re destined to be disconnected from Aetherbinding.”
Chris, unwilling to accept this, asked, “Is it really that bad to have a Useless Soulseed?”
Brian Jefferson glanced at him and replied, “There’s nothing you can do about it. Spiritual energy is growing thinner and thinner. Unless you could somehow travel back to ancient times, there’s no changing your fate.”
Though Chris had no desire to join the Jefferson family, the realization that he had a Useless Soulseed left him deeply disappointed.
Beside him, Esther tried to console him. “Don’t lose heart, darling! Even if your Soulseed is considered useless, I believe you’ll surpass everyone one day!”
Chris looked at Esther, feeling deeply moved. She was right. Even with a Useless Soulseed, he was still an Aragosti!
According to his mentor, Aragostis were said to have the same constitution as the legendary Lord Dragon from a millennium ago.
Chris refused to believe that his Aragosti heritage would doom him to mediocrity.
The Jefferson family’s clan gathering soon came to an end. Out of tens of thousands of participants, fewer than a hundred were selected. It became painfully clear just how rare it was to possess a Soulseed.
Of the few who remained, most were direct descendants of the Jefferson family. The branch descendants, whose bloodlines had grown diluted over time, had a much lower chance of possessing a Soulseed.
From this gathering, Chris also gained deeper insight into the Aetherbinding world.
In this world, the most valued traits were Soulseed aptitude and bloodline strength.
The importance of Soulseed aptitude was simple-the better the Soulseed, the greater the potential for future power.
Bloodline strength referred to having ancestors who were Aetherbinding masters. At a certain level, Aetherbinding could alter one’s bloodline, and this enhanced bloodline could be passed down to future generations.
This was the foundation of the Jefferson family’s status as an Aetherbinding clan. Their ancestor had once been a powerful Aetherbinder. But over time, the strength of this bloodline had diminished.
This explained why, out of tens of thousands of young Jefferson descendants, fewer than a hundred had the qualifications to practice Aetherbinding.
Those branch descendants who did qualify were considered extremely lucky, as they would now be allowed to stay within the Jefferson family. Once accepted, they would receive abundant resources for their cultivation.
These resources included manuals, elixirs, weapons, and more. Exceptional branch descendants could even be promoted to the status of direct descendants.
Who wouldn’t want to practice Aetherbinding? It represented the possibility of immortality. No one wanted to die-everyone dreamed of living forever.
Lindsay Windson, who possessed a single-element Soulseed, was naturally allowed to stay within the Jefferson family.
Yet, her face showed no hint of joy. Instead, she cast a complicated glance at Chris.
Chris noticed and turned to meet her gaze. However, Lindsay quickly looked away.
Her behavior left Chris puzzled.
Ever since arriving at the Jefferson family estate, Lindsay had been avoiding him. He couldn’t figure out why.
Finally, Brian Jefferson announced the list of those who had passed the selection process. These individuals would remain within the Jefferson family.
For most, this was a wish fulfilled. Even those who didn’t want to stay had no choice-after all, the Jefferson family would never let them leave.
Soulseed holders were already rare, and those with exceptional Soulseeds were even rarer. There was no way the Jefferson family would let them slip away.