"Go and undergo the test," Mr. Barnes instructed, his voice steady.

"Show them what my unique acupuncture therapies can do."

"WiLL do!" With an affirmative nod, Roy turned, his expression one of arrogant pride.

Roy glanced over at Anthony with contempt, then let his eyes linger on Maria with a covetous intensity. He thought to himself how it would thrill him if Maria, with her beauty, admired his ancient martial prowess, dismissing the unfortunate Anthony. It would be a satisfying twist of fate.

Roy then approached the Oracle Stone with a strut, laying his hand upon it.

The stone responded immediately, pulsing with an aura that grew brighter by the second.

"Bring out the detector, now!" Mrs. Jenkins urged, her tone laced with urgency.

Having prepared, Reuben had the detector ready in moments. It hummed to life, and not long after, the information from the Oracle Stone was revealed.

“Talent Type: Healer," the detector read.

"Talent Grade: Sixth Grade."

The reading suggested Roy's healer talent was just shy of that of a pill alchemist, edging into the Sixth Grade.

Mrs. Jenkins was aware that Roy's talent wasn't naturally this advanced. It was temporarily enhanced by Mr. Barnes' unique acupuncture therapies.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Jenkins couldn't help but beam triumphantly as if she had stumbled upon a rare gem.

“What a remarkable young talent from the Barnes family!" she exclaimed.

"A Sixth Grade talent? Such a caliber hasn't been seen in our Jenkins family for ages," Mrs. Jenkins continued.

“Though, in all fairness, with Roy's impressive skills, Maria seems mismatched for him. Mr. Barnes, it's our family's fortune to witness such talent today."

Mr. Barnes gestured dismissively, feigning modesty.

Fully aware that his newfound talent was artificial, Roy showed no sign of embarrassment. Instead, he basked in the awed looks from the Jenkins clan, acting every inch the sixth-grade prodigy he was believed to be.

Canaan seethed in anger. The audacity of comparing Roy to Maria was absurd. To have a sixth-rank talent was simply to suggest potential after extensive training, and Roy hadn't even mastered the first rank!

And as for Maria, she was already an established sixth-rank pill alchemist, a credential far beyond mere potential talent. Roy, brandishing a talent of the same numerical grade but in a different field and under questionable circumstances, couldn't possibly measure up to her.

Canaan felt a mix of indignation and disappointment.

“Our family's reputation is at stake! To suggest a match between Maria, a genuine sixth-rank prodigy in pill alchemy, and Roy, whose talent has just been artificially inflated? It's preposterous, utterly preposterous!

Such things should not be proposed," he muttered to himself.

Canaan's eyes then quickly sought out Maria and Anthony.