Ye Jin was just a branch member of the Ye family, but her exceptional talent had set her apart.
Especially in stark contrast to Ye Shaohua, who was considered a waste, Ye Jin’s A-rank spiritual power was incredibly rare. Even Duke Ye, the strongest in the Ye family, only had B-rank spiritual power. Ye Jin’s talent was truly extraordinary.
Duke Ye only had one daughter, Ye Shaohua, who was deemed hopeless due to her lack of magical talent.
But Ye Jin was different. She was the future of the entire Ye family. The elders didn’t care about Ye Shaohua’s feelings and pressured Duke Ye to adopt Ye Jin as his foster daughter.
Not only that, but Ye Jin’s treatment was even better than Ye Shaohua’s had been.
Ye Shaohua used to have her own courtyard and a dedicated space for practicing magic, all of which Duke Ye had spent a fortune to create for her. Now, all of that belonged to Ye Jin.
“Steward Fu said that Duke Ye was strongly against it at first,” Kali said, clenching her fists to hold back tears. “But the elders argued that since you have no magical talent, it would be a waste to keep such a good place for you. They said it should be given to Ye Jin, and Duke Ye eventually gave in.”
Kali couldn’t help but cry. She had been picked up by Duke Ye from the streets and had grown up with Ye Shaohua.
Although they were master and servant, Ye Shaohua had always treated her like a younger sister.
Duke Ye often secluded himself to practice magic, so the two of them spent most of their time in that courtyard. Every corner of it held their deepest memories.
Now, it had been given to Ye Jin just like that. It was impossible not to feel heartbroken.
Ye Shaohua remained silent for a moment before saying, “I understand.”
Kali had expected Ye Shaohua to be devastated, but her calm response left Kali stunned.
In the plot provided by the system, this had also happened. At that time, the original host had just been publicly humiliated by Lance, who broke off their engagement. Not only had her home been taken away, but her only father had also been given to someone else.
Under the weight of these blows, the original host had fled to the monster forest. When Duke Ye finally brought her back, she was nearly crippled, and Duke Ye himself was severely weakened.
By the time she returned, Ye Jin had already broken through to become a first-rank mage.
She was accompanied by a handsome young man.
The original host had only glanced at them before being struck down by a wind wall cast by one of Gu Hong’s subordinates. The way Gu Hong looked down on her like she was an insect had left a deep impression on her.
According to Gu Hong’s henchmen, she wasn’t worthy of even looking at him.
It was this incident that had made the original host determined to practice magic seriously. But she never expected Lance to do what he did. In the end, she died without a proper burial, and the Ye family was nearly destroyed, with Duke Ye sacrificing himself to protect the city.
This time, the system had given her two tasks.
The first was to become a top-tier mage on the continent, so she would never be a burden to anyone again. The second was to protect Duke Ye and Kali and prevent the monster siege.
The reason Ye Shaohua found this difficult was that she knew what was coming.
The monster siege was a confrontation between dark mages and the continent’s mages, and it involved a saint-level monster capable of destroying the entire magical continent.
Although the magical continent was vast, the number of people capable of learning magic was small—only one in ten thousand. And those who could become third-rank mages or higher were even rarer.
The Wolf Duchy, where she was currently located, only had one sixth-rank mage as its strongest. Even that was enough to intimidate an entire nation.
A saint-level monster was equivalent to a saint-level archmage, higher than a seventh-rank mage.
In the original plot, the casualties were devastating. It was only when the Holy Son of the Light Temple summoned a projection of the God of Light that the catastrophe was averted.
[The second task is quite difficult. Many hosts have failed in this world. I took this task for you,] 008 said with a frown. [Don’t feel pressured. With your talent, the first task should be easy to complete. At least we have a guaranteed minimum of points.]
“By the way, Shaohua, Steward Fu is waiting for you outside,” Kali said, wiping her eyes. “Duke Ye was furious when he heard about what Lance did. He wants you to go back so he can seek justice for you. Also… to attend Ye Jin’s inheritance ceremony.”
“Let’s go, then,” Ye Shaohua nodded.
The group traveled from the border town to Cangyun City on a first-rank wind-type magical beast, arriving in less than an hour.
“Steward Fu, you’re back,” the guard at the Ye family’s main gate bowed respectfully. When he saw Ye Shaohua behind Steward Fu, his expression became strange, and he awkwardly greeted her, “Miss.”
Ye Shaohua responded indifferently and walked through the gate.
Steward Fu, who was a step behind her, looked at Ye Shaohua in surprise.
With such composure, if she had even a bit of talent, her future achievements would be remarkable. Thinking this, Steward Fu sighed. Why hadn’t she inherited even a fraction of Duke Ye’s B-rank spiritual power?
“I’m so happy to be Duke Ye’s daughter,” a clear voice rang out before Ye Shaohua even entered the hall.
Ye Jin was wearing the robe of the Mage Guild, with the emblem of an apprentice mage on her collar. Around her neck hung a colorful fifth-rank magical beast core.
She sat below Duke Ye, next to a golden-haired young man with a proud expression.
Ye Shaohua’s arrival caused a momentary silence in the hall, and everyone turned to look in her direction.
Duke Ye, who had been holding a cup, paused, surprised.
He had expected his daughter to be angry and refuse to see him, but she had actually come.
Ye Shaohua also noticed that all the seats in the hall were occupied. The seat she used to sit in was now occupied by Ye Jin. She stood awkwardly in the hall.
The Ye family members, who had once looked up to her as the shining young lady, now sneered at her.
“So the young lady has returned,” a few elders said coldly, their voices filled with impatience. “You came back just in time. The fifth-rank magical beast core your mother left you—we’ve taken it out and given it to Ye Jin. Since you have no talent, it would be wasted on you. You don’t mind, do you?”