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This incantation was so different from anything she had encountered before, it was difficult to accept.

In truth, Lina Jones wasn\'t lacking in talent. The reason she hadn\'t been able to grasp the magic was due to the resistance she felt toward these strange incantations.

The two sisters from the Michelle family were different. They had been on the brink of life and death, knowing that without trusting Dean Bruce, there was little hope for their family\'s revival.

So, despite finding the incantations odd, they chose to believe in them.

Nicholas William, after having the meaning of the incantations explained by his elder, was also able to embrace them without resistance.

But Lina Jones was different. She already had considerable status, and once she officially became the saintess of the Temple of Wisdom, she would have access to not just high-level spells, but even Ultra-High-Level spells.

Given her position, Lina was less inclined to explore something she didn\'t understand, and her skepticism held her back.

Dean Bruce noticed the doubt in Lina\'s eyes and couldn\'t help but feel disappointed. It seemed relying on her to improve his own power was not going to work.

After a moment of hesitation, Dean finally spoke. "Do you find these incantations strange?"

"Yes," Lina admitted softly. "Sometimes I wonder how you managed to draw magic from something so odd. Or is it that everyone on your continent learns magic this way?"

"No," Dean replied calmly. "Nicholas and the others are from this continent, and they still managed to grasp the magic in a short time."

Lina fell silent.

Dean sighed. "It\'s fine. Maybe it\'s just that your talent isn\'t on par with theirs. If you can\'t figure it out, we\'ll leave it at that. It seems our connection is limited to mere cooperation."

"I…"

Lina hesitated, wanting to say more.

She didn\'t desperately need to learn high-level spells, but the sting of Dean\'s remark about her talent not being as strong as the others ignited a competitive fire within her.

She certainly didn\'t believe she could be outshone by the son of some provincial lord.

Taking a deep breath, Lina said firmly, "I will do my best to understand it."

Dean smiled. "No need to force yourself. If it\'s a matter of talent, don\'t push too hard. Although this is the most suitable spell I\'ve selected from many, I imagine it may still be difficult for you to succeed."

"..." Lina Jones ignored the first part of Dean\'s statement, her eyes widening in surprise. "The most suitable one for me?"

"That\'s right," Dean Bruce responded calmly. "Though you present yourself as genuine and innocent, deep down, your mind is much more guarded than you let on. This isn\'t a good thing—it can darken your soul."

"I hope, as you learn this spell, you\'ll also transform your inner self."

Lina\'s pupils shrank, but she didn\'t argue.

She knew Dean\'s assessment of her was spot on. Outwardly, she appeared to be someone who knew very little, a naive girl, even in the dangerous situation at Lulu Ruins. She had acted as though she hadn\'t experienced much of the world.

In reality, she was well aware of many things.

There were countless secrets she kept hidden, ones she had never shared with anyone.

She had always viewed those secrets as her trump cards, to be used only when her life was truly in danger.

What she hadn\'t expected was that Dean Bruce would single-handedly defeat numerous powerful enemies and somehow be connected to the mysterious woman who had manifested at the end. In the end, she hadn\'t even needed to use those hidden cards to escape unharmed.

After a long pause, Lina softly remarked, "When you\'re out in the world, isn\'t it better to keep your thoughts guarded? It\'s the best way to survive."

"But life isn\'t just about survival," Dean said, shaking his head. "It\'s true that having depth in your thoughts is important, but humans are complex. You can\'t always live with a guarded mind, just as you can\'t be purely innocent. Both extremes will harm you in the end."

"I won\'t say more about it. You\'ll have to figure it out on your own. If you can fully understand this, then you\'ll also master the spell."

Seeing that Lina was about to respond, Dean cut her off, his tone serious. "This spell is called Soul\'s Choice. It\'s an Ultra-High-Level spell, and if you master it, you might even touch the realm of forbidden magic."

With that, Dean turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

Leaving Lina standing there, stunned.

"An Ultra-High-Level spell? One that could even reach the level of forbidden magic? And Dean just... taught it to me like that?"

"Even in the Temple, learning such a spell would require paying a heavy price... How can he be so bold, passing on magic of this level so casually?"

Lina Jones was completely stunned.

What she didn\'t realize was that Dean Bruce was bluffing!

The spell he mentioned didn\'t even exist. He could describe it however he wanted.

If Lina\'s talent was sufficient and she actually managed to grasp magic at such a high level, she\'d only see Dean as more powerful.

And if the spell she mastered turned out to be at a lower level, she\'d likely blame herself, thinking she hadn\'t fully grasped its essence.

Dean had sensed that Lina wasn\'t particularly impressed by high-level spells, so he had to up the stakes.

Even using reverse psychology to trigger her competitive side wasn\'t enough to guarantee she\'d stay committed.

That\'s why he had to label it an Ultra-High-Level spell, hoping the allure of such powerful magic would keep her focused and determined to truly dive into her studies.

In Dean\'s mind, Lina had strong potential. Letting that potential go to waste by not bringing her into his circle would be a massive loss.

And as expected, Lina was thoroughly taken aback by the words "Ultra-High-Level spell," standing there in a daze, unable to react for a long time.

Satisfied, Dean descended the stairs, his mind already turning to the next task: exploring the Jones family estate and figuring out how to subtly convince the muscle-bound Herbert Jones to come to him, asking to learn magic.

"Dean!"

Deep in thought, Dean was jolted by Herbert Jones\' voice, sounding right beside him. Dean was genuinely surprised.

Looking up in the direction of the voice, he saw Herbert descending from the other side of the staircase, dressed in a training outfit.

Jogging over, Herbert smiled sheepishly. "Why\'d you come down? Aren\'t you going to spend more time with my sister?"

"Everyone needs their own space and time," Dean replied with a light laugh. "If you spend too much time together, it\'ll just increase tension between two people."

Herbert\'s expression froze, and he scratched his head, not quite grasping the meaning behind Dean\'s words. Not wanting to dwell on it, he quickly changed the subject. "Wanna train together for a bit?"

"Oh?" Dean raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "I thought we were heading to the governor\'s mansion?"

"What for?" Herbert scoffed. "We were only going early to talk about my sister\'s engagement. Now that that\'s off the table, we don\'t need to rush. We barely know the governor, so as long as we don\'t show up late to the banquet, there\'s no point in getting there early!"

"There\'s still plenty of time before the banquet. How about we train together for a bit?" Herbert suggested eagerly.

"..."

Dean nodded slightly. He saw no reason to refuse and figured this would be a good opportunity to bond with Herbert and see if he could nudge him toward learning magic.

"Great! Finally, someone to train with!"

Herbert exclaimed, practically pulling Dean along as he led the way to the training room.

With Herbert leading the way, no one dared to stop them, giving Dean a chance to take a good look at the rest of the estate.

He mentally noted how the Jones family estate was much larger than the Michelle family\'s, with numerous buildings scattered throughout. It certainly wasn\'t sparse.

There were two stables and even a courtyard converted into a makeshift prison, housing a few low-level beasts.

Seeing this, Dean finally understood why Lina had referred to most of her siblings as lacking talent, except for Herbert.

They had access to beast meat from a young age and received a decent education, yet their progress in cultivation seemed slow.

Even Herbert\'s current level of strength didn\'t seem particularly impressive for someone labeled as a genius.

Of course, Dean kept these observations to himself—it wouldn\'t be wise to insult the Jones family like that.

In a world ruled by the strong, the training room was a family\'s most vital asset.

The Joneses had multiple, each large and brimming with concentrated magical energy.

It was clear there were magical formations nearby.

And from the strength of the magic, the formations weren\'t low-level either. The environment was almost on par with a magic academy.

This was just a family estate!

Once inside Herbert\'s private training room, Dean was greeted by the sight of various sandbags and boulders.

All marked with signs of heavy impact.

This sight left Dean genuinely surprised. "You... you\'ve been training your body like this the whole time?"

"Yep!" Herbert replied, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. "My father and the rest of the family focus on magic, so they don\'t really know much about physical training. I\'ve just been relying on brute force for my workouts."

"By the way, Dean," Herbert continued, his curiosity piqued. "Earlier, when Ezra shook your hand, I felt like your hand turned rock-hard all of a sudden. How did you do that?"

Dean grinned in response, amused by Herbert\'s keen observation.