Luke's first birthday was coming up next week.
He had successfully completed bone refinement five months ago, but he still hadn't begun muscle refinement.
Due to the horrifying experience he endured during bone refinement, he decided to postpone the next stage until his first birthday.
As a result, he stopped actively accumulating Qi in his backbone.
However, his passive Qi absorption rate had increased from one particle per minute to three per minute.
He now communicates normally with his parents and maids, and they have openly accepted it, believing that Luke is a genius child with exceptional intelligence and learning capability.
"Mary, I'm hungry. Bring me some food," Luke said to Mary with cute, pleading eyes.
After sending Mary away, Luke began actively accumulating Qi for the first time in five months.
He was shocked to discover that he could now absorb seventeen particles per minute.
At this rate, he would only need another two months of continuous accumulation before attempting muscle refinement.
As always, he fell asleep unconscious.
Kevin slowly woke up from his nap, looked around the surroundings, and realized he had slept for half an hour during his Advanced Algorithms lecture.
He quickly composed himself and began attentively listening to the lecture.
After the lecture ended, Roy came up to him and said, "Bro, are you ready for the viva?"
"What viva?! Why can't I remember… aaah! What's my name again? Aaaaah!" Kevin's brain felt like it was short-circuiting.
At the same time, he looked at Roy who suddenly morphed into a crow like creature before his eyes.
And just like that, Luke woke up from his slumber.
"What just happened to me?" Luke muttered to himself. "I dreamt of my past life... but then, I saw Roy transform into a crow-like creature the same one I saw outside the window just before I died in that life."
"Did I really die back then? What exactly happened in that final moment...?"
Suddenly, a sharp, string like pain reverberated through his brain.
Luke clutched his head and forced himself to stop thinking.
At that moment, Mary brought in a bowl of soup-based food.
Pretending to be overly enthusiastic, Luke put on a lively face and exclaimed dramatically, "Mary, give me the soup—quickly!"
His birthday celebration went by normally, without any dramatic twists or clichéd noble fanfare like those often described in novels.
Just like that, two months passed, and now, at the age of one, he was attempting muscle refinement ready to break through to the Body Refinement Realm.
As Luke poured Qi into his muscles—just ten percent to start—his body began to shiver, and a horrifying wave of pain washed over him.
But with unwavering determination, he steadily increased the flow.
When it reached fifty-five percent, his thigh muscles tore open, blood spilling out.
Moments later, the torn muscles reattached on their own, but his consciousness began to fade.
To keep himself awake, he grabbed his reattached thigh, using the pain to anchor his mind.
Gritting his teeth, he forced more Qi through his body at a rapid pace.
When it hit ninety-nine percent, the world around him finally came into focus—he could clearly see the wall.
And with one final push to one hundred percent, he fully broke through to the Body Refining Realm.
Without another thought, his body collapsed into sleep.
Moments later, Mary entered the room.
Seeing the blood on Luke's bed, she screamed in terror.
Wilson, Sarah, Mary, and two guards surrounded the castle's doctor, Gray—an expert in the Path of Vision Realm, whose vision domain specialized in healing.
He thoroughly examined Luke and finally said, "There are no wounds. He's completely fine—no signs of injury or illness."