Garion finished his lecture with a grin.
"Now just get some sleep."
"Tomorrow’s the elimination stage. You’ll need every bit of power to smash whoever they throw at you."
Dahlia stood, her eyes shining with determination.
"I’ll win. I won’t let you down, Master."
"You couldn’t even if you tried."
With that, Dahlia pulled the blanket over herself and fell asleep.
Garion lingered momentarily, watching her sleep, before quietly leaving the room.
The hallway outside was quieter and cooler.
As Garion turned the corner, an older man stood waiting.
His hair was silver at the edges, and his robe was plain compared to the colorful sect elders above.
But his eyes were sharp, and when they locked onto Garion, they gleamed with curiosity.
The old man quickly approached Garion, stroking his beard.
"Ooo... Are you that girl’s master?"
Garion straightened, smirking.
"Indeed, I am. Isn’t my disciple great?"
The old man chuckled softly.
"Great? It’s more than that. I never thought a young girl could make it into the top thirty-two with just her body."
The old man soon narrowed his eyes.
"I have watched her fight closely, and to my surprise, she never used her mana. Not even once. Just how did you train her?"
Garion’s grin widened. He rolled his shoulders back, then flexed one arm.
His bicep bulged, veins popping like cords beneath his skin.
"Of course, it was gym training. A path that hones the body."
His eyes widened slightly as they scanned Garion’s big frame that he just noticed when Garion showed it.
The sheer density of his muscles, the balance of size and definition, the strength rippling under his skin.
The light quickly showcased his shoulders and chest, throwing deep shadows across his body.
"Impossible... I’ve never seen a body . Even most body tempering cultivators I see don’t look like you."
Garion smirked, patting his abs like a drum.
"What’s impossible? This results from discipline, good breathing, and good form."
The old man frowned slightly, circling him.
"But without mana... You wouldn’t last a second against a real strike from a second realm cultivator."
Garion chuckled and jabbed a thumb toward his chest.
"We train mana too, old man. But it’s secondary. The body comes first."
He tapped his body once again.
"Mana fuels the body, not replaces it."
The old man stroked his beard again, studying him carefully.
"I see... so you are a body cultivator. It’s the first time in my life I’ve seen one."
Garion threw his head back and laughed hard. The rightful source is novel⦿fire.net
"Body cultivator? That’s one way to put it. But we call our cultivation with better names. God Physique Cultivator!"
The old man raised an eyebrow.
"God Physique Cultivator? Bold words."
Garion just grinned, flexing his muscles.
"Bold, but true. You saw my disciple, didn’t you? Her movements when she fought. Those weren’t ordinary martial arts."
"They were just purely movements resulting from her training that built a foundation no mana can replace."
The old man paused, eyes thoughtful now.
"Interesting... most sects teach their disciples to cultivate their mana. But your disciple... she’s built her body to carry mana without relying on it."
Garion clapped him on the shoulder, happy the old man understood it.
But still, his clap made the old man stumble a step.
"Exactly. She trains her body first before mana. That’s why she was stronger than others at the same level."
The elder quickly steadied himself, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head with a small smile.
"Dangerous philosophy... but it explains her success and her fighting style. It was efficient and brutal but crude and non-elegant in the eyes of us, cultivators."
Garion laughed again, louder this time.
"Who needs elegance when a simple punch gets the job done?"
The old man gave him a sideways look, then chuckled quietly.
"You’re an odd one, stranger. But... I’ll admit, your methods work. I’ll be watching your female disciple closely tomorrow."
Garion smirked, leaning against the wall.
"Watch all you like. Tomorrow you’ll see what the result of real training looks like."
The old man laughed and then wiped his hand on his robe before turning serious.
"I’ll be waiting. But... since you made me laugh, I’ll give you a warning."
Garion perked up, eyebrow arching.
"A warning? From you? Go on then. Spill it to me. Just who dares have bad thoughts about me!"
The elder’s gaze sharpened. He leaned in a little, lowering his voice.
"You know your disciple beat four boys in red robes, don’t you?"
Garion waved his hand, still smirking.
"Yeah. If I remember correctly, his name was Deon, right? He and his cronies didn’t even stand a chance against her."
"Even their own master had left the elder stands with a red face. A classic temper."
The old man nodded slowly.
"Right. The elder who had left, his name is Feron. He’s the sect leader of the Red Fang Sect."
He paused, letting Garion remember the name before continuing.
"Although his sect was small, don’t let that fool you. Feron is already a second realm cultivator, and that’s why his small sect can have a big reputation."
The elder’s hand tapped his staff, slow and deliberate.
"And this year his disciples... were quite gifted. That’s why their defeat will sting him personally."
Garion let out a low whistle and flexed one hand, rolling his shoulder.
"Second Realm, huh? That’s quite interesting."
The old man’s eyes narrowed.
"I’m just warning you that he won’t tolerate this humiliation."
"He will look for the one who trained that girl, and when he finds you, he will crush you as an example for others."
Garion didn’t fade, but now it had a sharp edge.
"If he comes wanting to crush me, he’d better bring more than words. I’m not afraid of big men with loud robes."
The elder gave a short and humorless chuckle.
"Don’t underestimate him. Feron won’t come to you alone. He will bring even his sect to ensure his opponent is crushed completely."
He tapped the ground with his cane.
"You should be careful, especially with your disciple. Feron could easily kill her in one strike."
The moment Garion heard this, he quickly frowned as he looked back at Dahlia’s room.
"I appreciate the warning. But I didn’t get her this far to have some elder bully her. If Feron shows up, I’ll show him how a gym-trained body fights."