​"Ahem—the smell doesn’t matter right now," Ian said, waving his hand and changing the topic fast. "Anyways, I talked to my mother about the guard situation, and she said she will send a letter to the Family Head about the issue. Maybe there will be a reply by tomorrow or the day after."

​"Oh... I understand," Trevor said. He was still firmly holding his nose, shooting scrutinizing eyes at Ian. "I will get out of your way then."

​"Ah, before you go, can you have someone prepare another room for me to sleep in tonight? This one is... you know, it kinda... ha ha," Ian said, scratching the back of his head shyly. He didn’t want to finish his sentence, letting out an awkward, light laugh instead.

​"Don’t worry, Young Master. I will keep your little secret," Trevor said. He quickly opened the door, desperate to get away from the smelly room.

​"I did not shit myself, if that is what you are thinking!" Ian shouted at Trevor, who paused right in the doorway.

​"I didn’t say anything about shitting yourself, Young Master. But the idea did cross my mind, and I was like, ’Nah, the Young Master I know wouldn’t do such a thing.’ But now that you mention it yourself... pfft!" Trevor looked back at Ian, his shoulders shaking. He quickly closed the door fast because he couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore. Ian could hear his heavy footsteps moving fast down the hallway, followed by loud, echoing laughter.

​"Fuck," Ian cursed, standing all alone in the smelly room.

​’I thought that if I took a shower, the smell would be gone. But how could I forget that the room I broke through in would still be this smelly?’ Ian thought, facepalming. ’I didn’t notice it before since I was already inside the room during the whole process, but when Trevor pointed it out, I really started noticing the awful stench. This is the worst. I can’t even explain to anyone that it is just a cultivation technique!’

​— The Next Day —

​Ian could be seen sitting in the quiet study office, working hard at his desk. His mother, Caroline, was sitting at the other desk across from him, but she kept throwing quick glances at Ian while she was supposed to be working.

​’Is it only me, or did my son’s face change a bit?’ Caroline thought, tapping her pen against her chin. ’Well, it’s not only his face. His skin also changed a bit; it became much smoother. I felt it this morning when I touched his hand. And his hair is darker, too. What product did he even use? If it’s a new lotion, I want it too.’

​"Sigh... Mom, it is the technique that I showed you yesterday. That is what made me look like this," Ian said with a heavy sigh. He kept doing his paperwork and didn’t even glance up at his mother.

​"What are you even talking about?" Caroline asked, acting confused.

​"You keep throwing glances at me nonstop," Ian said, still writing. "The technique I showed you is a Skin Cultivation method. It strictly strengthens our skin and makes it purer. That is why my face looks like this, and I guess it changed my hair a bit too." He still didn’t even look in her direction.

​"For real? Now I’m even more motivated to use that technique of yours," Caroline said, her voice filling with sudden excitement. "I wanted to give up at first, but now that you show me these results, how could I back out?"

​"What do you mean by that? When did you want to give up?" Hearing her say that she almost gave up, Ian finally stopped writing and glanced over at her. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

​"It’s just that I tried what was written in the book you gave me—which, by the way, I noticed had Emma’s handwriting," Caroline said, leaning back in her chair.

​"Mom, be serious for a second," Ian said with a serious expression.

​"Fine. I tried it last night, and I didn’t seem to advance at all. I just felt completely stagnant. I eventually stopped because I just felt like an idiot holding that stance," Caroline said, the mood in the room becoming serious. "But you just told me that you became like that after advancing in the technique. So, I will just work harder! Maybe I don’t have a talent for it, but I don’t care. People used to mock me when I was always training with my sword, saying I didn’t have talent at all. But look at me now, I am a Second-Stage Aura User. Although it’s not much, it is at least better than some people. So I will not give up on becoming more beautiful... sorry, I mean stronger."

​She finished her speech with a bright smile on her face, completely filled with resolve.

​’I don’t understand why it is not working for her, though. Is she not as talented as me?’ Ian was deep in thought, trying to figure out the exact reason his mother couldn’t break through. ’I thought the reason I wasn’t advancing before was because my trashy system would think that it’s a glitch and I could not cultivate, and I could only advance using the Prosperity Points from my clan’s breakthroughs. But hearing this... does it mean I really was just trash who couldn’t cultivate manually?’

​"Ian, hello?" his mother called out, waving her hand at him.

​Ian ignored her, still lost in his own thoughts. ’But my mother actually has a bit of talent. She even reached the Second Stage of Aura... wait a minute! Did she try to cultivate the stance while having Aura in her body? Even a First-Stage Aura User has their body naturally strengthened a bit by mana. So if she was cultivating my mortal technique using the tough body of a Second-Stage Aura User, I don’t think she would even break a sweat! It would feel like child’s play to her muscles. The technique will not strengthen anything because her body is already too strong from the Aura!’

​"IAN!" Caroline called out loudly.

​"Yes! I got it!" Ian replied with a massive smile, looking directly at his mother.

​"Mom," Ian called.

​"Yes?"

​"To cultivate my technique, you just have to let go of your Aura cultivation and your swordsmanship training," Ian stated simply.

​"WHAT?!" Caroline gasped, completely shocked by what Ian just said.

​"Wait, let me explain it properly..." Ian then spent the next few minutes explaining his hypothesis to his mother. He explained how her muscles were already too durable from her Aura to feel the mortal tearing and rebuilding process required by the Adamantine Ox Hide Technique.

​"I understand now. So... you basically want me to completely destroy my Aura Core," Caroline said, nodding slowly as she understood his logic.

​"Aura Core?" Ian tilted his head, confused. It was his first time hearing that exact term.

​"Yes. The Aura Core is where us Aura Users keep our gathered energy, right in the middle of our chests. It is just like how Magicians have Mana Hearts where they keep their energy," Caroline explained smoothly. "I guess you didn’t know this type of basic information since you always stayed locked inside the family estate. And, of course, you don’t have any friends to tell you this kind of basic knowledge." Caroline smiled, happily teasing Ian.

​"Of course I have friends to talk to!" Ian said, his face becoming slightly flustered.

​"Of course you have them. Ha-ha-ha!" Caroline started laughing loudly at Ian’s defensive reaction.

​"Anyways! But for real... are you going to do it? Are you going to destroy your core?" Ian asked seriously.

​"OF COURSE NOT! WHY WOULD I DO THAT?!" Caroline yelled back without a second of hesitation.