He already knew he was special right from the moment he was born, possessing the memories of his past life. The appearance of the system when he became one year old hinted that he was more special than he thought.
Now he had been proven correct. It made him sigh in relief and relax visibly.
He didn't know it before, but he had been stressed ever since the conversation he had with his mother after the naming ceremony of his stepbrother. Now he felt like laughing.
He didn't bother to hold back. He actually laughed out loud. It scared the coachman, who thought that something was wrong with his head for laughing without a reason.
But how could he not be happy? From what he has heard and seen, children's bodies have the power of 1, or the first transformation. Teenagers and some weak adults have the power of 2, or the second transformation.
Adults have the power of 3, or the third transformation. This is the limit of the natural potential of humans. Other races and beasts have more power, so they will reach higher transformations when they become adults.
As for adults, only those who have trained their bodies, be they weightlifters or athletes, have the power of 4, or the fourth transformation.
Back on earth, the fourth transformation is the natural limit. It can only be broken by those who use performance-enhancing drugs or those who are exceptionally talented, like world record breakers.
That's the limit of what is possible on earth, though. Here on Ethera, humans go beyond the fifth transformation and the first mortal coil. It is all because of mana present everywhere.
Mana makes personal growth and evolution possible. Even though it is possible to continue to evolve, it is not easy. But Mountain Sitting Dao had essentially cut the difficulty in half for him.
With the Mountain Sitting Dao, he will enjoy twice the benefits of his evolution. And it is only the beginning. He can still do more and achieve more.
He thought to himself, "I guess that's why it is called mountain sitting." I sit on the mountain, and I am elevated by it. The higher the mountain I build, the stronger I will be."
It took them 30 minutes to reach the servant's quarters. But it only took them 20 minutes to return. A lot had happened back at home during that time.
When he got back home, he saw that one of his neighbors had come to visit. It didn't look like a cordial visit, though. It looked more like a confrontation because of their stance and because they were shouting at his mother.
His mother was in front of the house with her arms folded beneath her ample bosom. She didn't speak, but she had a lot of impatience and irritation on her face.
Opposite her was the mistress of the house whose soup he had sanded earlier in this morning. It was chief cook Sheila's employer.
This mistress was shouting and saying awful things to his mother. Even before he reached his house, he could hear what she was saying because of how loud she spoke.
"He is a menace that should be punished heavily for what he did. This kind of behavior cannot be condoned. You would be a bad mother to condone it. I would be ashamed for you even if you're not ashamed of yourself. This is why..."
Arthur frowned and muttered, "Tattletales and snitches. I guess I will have to up the ante tomorrow and teach them a heavier lesson."
He wasn't worried that they had come to report him, though. He chuckled when he thought about the futility of their actions and said inwardly, "Joke's on you. My mother is a bad mother. She doesn't care."
When the coach stopped in front of the house, both sides stopped whatever they were doing to turn to look at him.
The new mistress on the block said, "Here comes the little scoundrel. Speak of the devil and he will appear."
He tried to get down on his own, but the coachman insisted on helping him. This drew a frown from his mother.
She asked, "What's wrong with him?"
She didn't mean to be menacing, but the look in her eyes told the man that he would pay with his life if he had allowed something untoward to happen to her child. Even worse, he and his family would pay with their lives if he had done the untoward thing to the young master.
The coachman became afraid, so he explained the situation to the best of his abilities, "Nothing happened. The young master just began to stumble. He couldn't walk right. I swear nothing happened."
As the coachman was talking, Arthur's wet nurse, Geltra, came forward anxiously to take him from the man's hands. Despite her anxiety over his health, she noticed his sudden weight gain and was very surprised by it.
After all, she had carried him to bed yesterday night and the past nights for the last five years. So she, above everyone else, was the most familiar with his weight.
The sudden weight gain made her very worried. She checked his temperature and fussed all over him checking for injuries.
When the coachman was done, his mother's frown had deepened. The frown on her face didn't ease up because of his explanation.
But she didn't lash out. Instead, she turned to Arthur and asked, "What happened?"
He replied, "I just felt woozy."
She nodded and said, "I'll call the doctor to come and check up on you."
Then she turned back and began to enter the house. Geltra followed after her while clutching him tightly to her chest.
She cooed at him, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. Let's get you something to eat as soon as possible."
The new mistress and her entourage had been ignored and disrespected. It made her fume. Her face reddened as her anger threatened to erupt from her head.