Adam was frustrated. He could’ve been using this time to train, but instead, his parents were gushing over the fact that he could talk.Maybe I should’ve just pretended to be mute... tsk.His mom was smiling from ear to ear.“Our son said his first words—Lake! He can talk, and he’s only five months old!! And I didn’t want to tell you until you saw it but… he can crawl!”Lake’s face lit up. “Of course he can! He’s my son. He takes after his father, after all!”“Nuh uh,” Irina shot back proudly. “I carried him for nine months! He takes after his mom, obviously!”Adam internally rolled his eyes at his parents’ antics. But to be fair, they were young—barely in their early twenties. The two bickered like excited teenagers.Eventually, Irina set him down.Adam stood—well, waddled—before them and declared in a clear, firm voice:“Mother. Father. I will no longer use diapers.”“Eh?!” Lake blinked in disbelief. “You just said your first word yesterday—and now you’re speaking in full sentences!?”Sorry, Adam thought. But I am not dealing with that humiliation anymore. I was a magus, for god’s sake.Irina and Lake exchanged glances, then both burst into warm, helpless laughter. Their child was weird. Maybe even borderline creepy. But he was theirs.“What do you think?” Lake asked, nudging his wife. “Should we start teaching him?”“Now? He’s not even a year old.”“But he can speak! And understand! Can you imagine how smart he’ll be if we teach him politics and cultivation before he awakens?”“I don’t know...” Irina glanced at Adam. “He’s still a toddler.”

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  Later That WeekAdam sat under the old tree behind their home, propped up on a little pillow his parents had placed for him. Unlike his usual calm demeanor, his brows were furrowed in frustration.“I can’t continue Skin Strengthening… I’ve hit my current limit. The Qi just bounces off now.”He sighed. “I guess it’s time.”I need to start Muscle Tempering… but that breaks down muscle fibers and rebuilds them. I’m still an infant. If I rush it, I could cripple myself.Normally, a cultivator would wait for their internal Qi to awaken to support the process.But Adam wasn’t normal.Fine. If I can’t brute-force my way through it… I’ll grow into it. Slowly. Like vines weaving through stone.He gathered the ambient Qi around him. Carefully filtered it into his muscles—not enough to tear them. Just enough to coax change.It hurt.Even done gently, Muscle Tempering reached far deeper than Skin Strengthening ever had.But he didn’t stop. He focused. He controlled his breath. He endured.

  The Next MorningAdam was still asleep—deeply, heavily. Unusual for him.His parents didn’t mind… but they were confused. He usually woke up at dawn with a curious sparkle in his eye.What they didn’t realize was that something had shifted.A new chapter had begun.Muscle Tempering had officially started.