With the news of Leyvi’s marriage to Caterina spreading throughout the South Region, it naturally reached Tal and Tasya while they were on their tour. They quickly made their way to Holy Cat City and arrived two days before the wedding.

"Hahaha! Tal, you’ve grown more handsome now. How have you been? You’re not slacking on your cultivation, right?" Leyvi greeted him warmly, pulling him into a shoulder hug.

"Master, I’m doing well," Tal replied politely as he returned the hug. "Although I went out to accompany Tasya a lot, I didn’t slack on my cultivation. Just a little bit more and I will reach the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm."

Unlike Leyvi’s candid and somewhat rough personality, Tal always carried himself in a refined manner. He was calm and composed, which perfectly matched his scholarly and neat appearance.

Leyvi had taken Tal under his wing when he was still a child. Even though Tal still called him Master, their relationship felt more like that of an older brother and younger brother rather than a strict master and disciple.

Leyvi had never really guided Tal much in his cultivation except at the very beginning. He had given Tal the freedom to develop however he preferred, only occasionally sparring with him. The rest of the time, Tal figured out his own cultivation path with the help of the vast collection of cultivation methods and knowledge that Layla had compiled over the years.

However, Leyvi would always remind Tal not to slack off on his cultivation, something he very rarely urged his wives to do.

Half of his wives only did the bare minimum when it came to cultivation, especially the maids. It could not be helped. They had very little interest in cultivation, and Leyvi did not plan to force them. Even the bare minimum was something Anda had strictly enforced within the family so that nobody would completely neglect their cultivation.

Take Fifi for example. She did not even consider using one of her stamina talent slots for cultivation and had chosen cooking instead. Although it might seem like a bad decision at first, it was actually quite the opposite. Even if she had given the slot to cultivation, it would likely be wasted if she had no real desire to practice it. In the end, it was better to allocate the slots to activities she truly enjoyed.

Aside from Layla, who was always busy, these four women had the slowest cultivation progress among the family. Fortunately, with the abundance of resources available in the household, their progress was still faster than most people outside. And now that they had access to the Spiritual Vein, even if they remained lazy toward cultivation, their progress would become even faster.

Leyvi hoped that after they learned that they could sculpt their souls to become much more beautiful, they would feel more motivated to cultivate.

He was very lenient with his wives when it came to cultivation, but he could not treat Tal the same way. He had to constantly remind Tal to cultivate seriously.

Why was this? It was because Tal was a man. As a man, he carried the responsibility to lead and to protect. To fulfill that responsibility, he needed real power. Therefore, Leyvi could not allow him to slack off on his cultivation.

Ultimately, Tal was someone Leyvi had adopted into the Leyan Family. Although he never brought it up, Leyvi believed that one day Tal might want to start his own family, choose his own family name, and leave behind his own legacy. After all, Tal had grown up watching him do exactly that.

"Is that so? Good. We brought back many good things for cultivation. When you go back home and focus on cultivating later, I’m sure you can reach the Core Formation Realm in no time," Leyvi said while patting Tal’s shoulder.

However, Leyvi noticed a slight hesitation in Tal’s expression.

"What’s wrong? Do you have something on your mind?" Leyvi asked.

He then leaned closer to Tal’s ear and whispered, "Are you having problems with Tasya? Is she too difficult for you to handle now?"

"Big Brother Leyvi! What are you saying? I can hear you!" Tasya turned around with a flushed face. She had been acting spoiled with Anda just moments ago.

"Oh shit. Did I say it too loud? Hahaha!" Leyvi laughed heartily.

"Hmph, what do you mean I’m too difficult to handle?" Tasya pouted. "I’m the most well-behaved child in the world, right Master?" She hugged Anda again and continued acting spoiled.

"Do you believe that, Tal?" Leyvi said, poking Tal lightly with his elbow. "She even calls herself a child when she’s already grown up. Someone must have spoiled her too much."

Before Tal could say anything, he received a dangerous glare from Tasya.

Tal coughed lightly and replied, "Tasya has never done anything that inconvenienced me. It’s always a pleasure to be with her."

Tasya immediately showed a satisfied smile and turned to Leyvi. "Hear that, Big Brother? I wasn’t lying."

Leyvi rolled his eyes. This girl really thinks I’m blind. And Tal... it’s hopeless for you. You’re completely under her grasp.

He shook his head inwardly.

"Then if it is not because of her, why did you look troubled just now? What problem do you have? Did you offend someone you cannot afford to offend?" Leyvi asked again.

"No, it is not anything like that," Tal shook his head.

"Big Brother, let me tell you. I know what he is hesitating about," Tasya said as she walked over to stand next to Tal.

"I’m listening," Leyvi said.

Despite her playful and spoiled antics toward Tal, she always seemed to know exactly what was troubling him. This was one thing that made Leyvi feel relieved about their relationship.

"Actually, Tal is being recruited by the Bureau of Investigation’s South Region Grand Inspector," Tasya paused for a moment.

Leyvi and Anda were both surprised to hear that. Grand Inspector? That was the highest rank in each region.

Tasya continued, "During our tour last year, we visited Dua City, the second largest cultivator city in the South Region. There, Tal solved multiple unsolved homicide cases by himself. His efforts eventually exposed a long-running crime syndicate that involved the city lord and several big sects nearby. Thanks to the evidence Tal provided to the Bureau of Investigation, the entire organized crime network was busted in one go. Everyone involved was caught.

Later, the Grand Inspector personally met with Tal to ask some questions. After that meeting, he desperately wanted to recruit and train Tal. He even said that Tal has the potential to become the Director of the Bureau of Investigation in the future."

"What? The Director? That’s basically the Protector!" Leyvi exclaimed, his surprise plain on his face.

The Director of the Bureau of Investigation was, in essence, one of the Protectors of the Cloud Continent. Saying they wanted to train Tal for that position was no different from saying they saw him as a future Protector.

Leyvi hadn’t expected something like this at all. While he had been away, Tal had somehow risen to the point of catching the attention of a Grand Inspector. It didn’t take much thought for him to guess the reason. Tal’s Chess talent must have evolved far beyond simple strategy, reaching a level where he could apply its logic to real-world situations. To unravel multiple homicide cases and expose a web of corruption... that was no small feat.

"Hahaha! As expected of my disciple," Leyvi laughed happily while praising Tal. "You are still so young, yet they already want you to become the next Protector of our continent. I must say, they have quite the foresight."

Anda blinked.

Aren’t you in the same situation? she thought. You are also a candidate to become the next Protector. You even received the Deed of Sovereignty as your test. This man... he must have completely forgotten about it. He really does not want to become a Protector after all.

"So, what are you worried about, Tal? You don’t like it? Just be honest. I’m not going to scold you if you don’t feel like doing it," Leyvi said.

Tal shook his head. "No... I want to accept the offer." His tone grew firmer, his fist tightening slightly at his side. "After exposing that crime, I felt something I’ve never felt before. A sense of accomplishment... and purpose. It resonated with me deeply. My actions saved lives. I want to keep doing that."

A smile spread across Leyvi’s face, easy and approving. "Then go do it. What’s the problem? You think I’d hold you back?"

Tal hesitated. His eyes drifted toward Tasya for a brief moment before returning to Leyvi. "I’m worried about her. Before you adopted us, I promised myself I would always stay by her side and protect her. If I accept this... I won’t be able to do that anymore. Not for a long time."

Leyvi and Anda exchanged a glance, both caught off guard. Of all the possibilities, this wasn’t what they expected. Tal had always been with Tasya, almost inseparable, so his concern wasn’t surprising, but the weight he placed on it was.

Before either of them could respond, Tasya suddenly shouted.

"Tal, you idiot!"

Her voice cracked through the air, sharp and loud enough to make him flinch. She was glaring at him now, her expression filled with anger.

"So you’ve been hesitating all this time because of me? Are you crazy?" she continued, her words rushing out in a storm. "Idiot! Stupid! Mr. Bison! I don’t want to talk to you anymore!"

Without waiting for a response, she turned and shot into the sky, leaving the mansion in a blur.

"Tasya! Wait!" Tal called out, panic flashing across his face as he immediately chased after her.

The two figures disappeared into the distance, leaving behind a stunned silence.

Leyvi and Anda stood speechless. They had not expected to witness such drama.