You’re still scared of me, huh?" Ian said, stepping toward her.

​"N‐no... no... no... I’m not scared at all. It’s just... you startled me, that’s all." Tracy stammered, backing away from him slowly, her eyes wide.

​Ian just stared at her for a moment, watching her intently. "You should rest for the day and even take tomorrow off, if you want too. Just make sure you don’t tell anyone what you saw this morning...okay." Just after saying that Ian then went into his room, leaving her standing outside.

​"Now... what do I do? It seems he is angry with me because of how I’m acting, but the way he talked to me at that time reminded me of how he used too..." Tracy said in a low, troubled voice. A sudden vision of someone with white hair appeared in her mind, and she shivered. ’No... no... no... they are not the same person and I’m not even that close at home. I should be happy that, the young master at least treats me nice, and I feel like a person unlike when I was home.’ She thought, shaking her head a bit and smiling at the end as she head towards her own room.

​Just after entering his room, Ian collapsed onto his bed. "Aaaah... I’m so tired. But does swinging a sword aimlessly even increase swordsmanship?" Ian muttered, closing his eyes.

​’From the memories of the previous owner, Aura users swing a sword all day and they can at least improve a bit. But me? I feel like I’m stagnant. Do I also not have any talent for the sword? Should I keep on relying to Prosperity points for everything?’

​Ding!!

​Just as Ian was lost in thought, a system notification chimed.

​’Who broke through this time?’ Ian thought, opening the system window.

​[DETECTED THAT ISAAC THORNE HAS BROKEN THROUGH TO THE EARLY STAGE OF SKIN CULTIVATION. REWARDED 20 PROSPERITY POINTS.]

​’What? He already broke through? Didn’t he just go and talk to his mother about the technique less than five hours ago?’ Ian was shocked, staring at the system interface from his bed. "I thought Adam and Emma were fast, but this guy is something else. It’s good for me, though. If he breaks through fast, I get more points too," Ian said with a smile.

​’I should also look into martial arts that are suitable for me, since I’ve broken through to the Bone Cultivation stage,’ Ian thought, opening the Prosperity Shop and tapping the ’Martial Arts’ window. ’ The Martial Arts window was closed all this time. So when I brokethrough it opened and not only that but also the auxiliary class also.

​Upon entering the Martial Arts tab, he was presented with a list of four categories.

[Sword and Saber Techniques]

​

[Spear and Staff Techniques]

​[Fist and Palm Techniques]

​[Movement Techniques]

​’I should first look into the Sword and Saber category, then later look into movement techniques.’

​Ian then pressed the Sword and Saber Techniques category. The moment he opened the section, the entries were all blurred, and he couldn’t see anything but only points needed. The price range was the same all costing 150 Prosperity points.

’Tsk.... It must be because I don’t have enough Prosperity Points; that’s why I can’t see anything,’ Ian thought, looking at the system. Then he scrolled to look at the other tabs and he saw the same blur leaving only prices.

​’Tsk, this is frustrating. I can’t even do anything without points.’ He then closed the window and opened another new window for ’Auxiliary Classes.’ In the Auxiliary Classes window, there were also four professions: Alchemy Techniques, Blacksmithing Techniques, Talisman Making techniques, and finally, Formations technique.

​Looking at these categories, a small smile appeared on Ian’s face. ’I’m pretty sure even if I open these, they will be blurred all over, so there’s no need for disappointment,’ Ian thought, closing the system window.

​"I should sleep early today since Uncle Vincent wants to teach me tomorrow in the morning and I don’t know how long it would take," Ian said.

​In another room at the Thorne estate, Isaac could be seen practicing the Adamantine Ox Hide Technique in his room, moments after his breakthrough.

​’This is surely the opposite of what mother said. She claimed that it would be hard and would take almost a whole day or two to break through since thats generallyhow long she took. But it took me less than two hours, and I can feel that by tomorrow morning, if I persist, I will be able to reach the Middle Stage,’ Isaac thought, sweating profusely. "Is it talent that differentiate us or is it something else. If it is then I guess I’m a bit talented maybe’

​’But this technique... sure is weird. It can strengthen the skin to this level. And mother also said that it can also strengthen bones. So, technically,if it can strengthen the bones then it can also strengthen the whole body and bring our weak bodies to the level of a superhuman strength,’ Isaac pondered.

​"It’s just a shame that although it strengthens the body, it does not make up for the lack of combat ability," he said, thinking about how Ian struggled during his session with Vincent.

​’I guess I should also attend their morning practice tomorrow if I want to get strong,’ Isaac thought, his resolve hardening.

The next morning, Ian stood in the dim, echoing expanse of the underground training grounds, his foot tapping impatiently against the cold stone floor as he waited for Vincent.

​"Talk about irony," Ian muttered, pacing the length of the arena. "The man demands we be here by nine, and yet, here it is, eleven o’clock, and he’s nowhere to be seen." He stopped his pacing and turned his glare toward the bench, where Isaac sat. "And what are you doing here, anyway?"

​Isaac didn’t look up, his posture relaxed. "I want to get strong, too. Just training my body with the techniques I have won’t be enough to reach the next level."

​Ian’s eyes narrowed as he studied his brother. ’This guy... he really is something else. When I woke up this morning, I was suprised when the System notification told me he had already broken through to the Middle Stage of Skin Cultivation. This is just too fast, even for me and he didn’t even say anything. I guess he is one of those guys who likes to keep things to themselves and a low profile...’ Ian thought

​Isaac remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ground. He knew Ian was watching him, but he saw no reason to offer an explanation for his rapid growth.

​Creaak...

​The heavy iron door swung open with a groan. Vincent stepped into the room, his usual stoic expression replaced by a rare, apologetic look.

​"Sorry, you two. I kept you waiting far too long," Vincent said, closing the door behind him. "I had to handle some final arrangements with the family head and get permission."

"Permission? For what?" Ian asked

​Vincent’s expression melted, replaced by a sharp, meaningful grin. "Well, you see, ... it’s about your outdoor training of course."