Garion smiled faintly as he walked toward a nearby tree. Dahlia watched, already suspicious.
"Master... Why are you smiling like that?"
Garion didn’t answer. Instead, he clenched his fist and punched the tree once.
The thick trunk snapped cleanly, the whole tree crashing down with a thud.
Garion nodded in satisfaction.
He grabbed the fallen log, lifted it with one hand as if it weighed nothing, and turned his gaze toward the distant shoreline.
Then, with a grin, he twisted his body and hurled the entire log high into the sky.
The log shot off like a cannonball, flying far.
Dahlia’s eyes went wide.
"Master... Don’t tell me..."
Garion just smirked, turning toward her.
Dahlia frowned, trying to run, but before she could take two steps, Garion appeared beside her in an instant.
She didn’t even have time to react before he scooped her up, slinging her over his shoulder.
"Master! Please put me down! I’m not a rice sack!"
Garion ignored her, crouched slijglty, and the ground beneath him cracked from the pressure.
"Next stop... the shore!"
Dahlia could only shout out loud.
Before Dahlia could finish shouting, Garion launched himself up with a thunderous BOOM.
He rocketed himself into the sky, chasing after the log he’d thrown earlier.
The wind howled past them, Dahlia’s voice echoing like a siren.
"MASTER, WE’RE GOING TO DIEEEE!"
Garion laughed, enjoying every second.
"Relax! This is faster than any flying ship!"
Dahlia continued to shout.
He landed on the log midair, balancing easily as it soared over the island.
Dahlia clung to his shoulder for dear life, her eyes squeezed shut.
"Master, I swear, if we survive this, I’m going to kick you!"
"Then you’d better survive."
As they continued to fly through the air, the wind grew stronger, the shoreline already visible in the distance.
Garion adjusted his stance, preparing to land.
"Alright, hand on tight!"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK I’VE BEEN DOING?!"
A moment later, they came crashing down, the log slamming into the sandy beach with a heavy THUD!
Garion stood tall, brushing the sand off his arm.
"See? Told you we’d make it."
Dahlia groaned, face buried in the sand beside him.
"...Next time, I’m flying the ship."
"Where’s the fun in that?"
Meanwhile, not far away, the scene at the shore had turned into total chaos.
The grey-robed elder and the hundreds of young cultivators who had come with him stood frozen, staring at the crater Garion had just made.
The flying log still smoked faintly beside him, half-buried in the sand.
"Did... did he just fall from the sky?"
"He was riding a fucking tree trunk. How the hell is it even possible?"
The group exchanged looks of disbelief.
Even among seasoned cultivators, dropping from the sky without a scratch was something unheard of.
The elder himself couldn’t help but stare.
He had seen many things in his life, but this entrance was ridiculous even by Garion’s standards.
"To think that you arrived on a flying log... with your own disciple on your shoulder... You’re truly an insane one."
The elder soon quickly composed himself and walked over.
As he approached him, his eyes narrowed instantly. Garion’s aura was vastly different from before.
It was deeper, denser and carried an almost tangible weight around it.
"This aura... You have broken through to the second realm?"
Indeed, Garion’s presence now had the unmistakable aura of a Second Realm cultivator.
Yet what unsettled the elder the most wasn’t the second realm aura, but the feeling behind it.
It wasn’t stronger than his own, but there was something off about it.
Something that carried faint danger, as if Garion’s power didn’t entirely belong to the same system of cultivation.
"How can this be? He just advanced, yet I feel a sense of threat from him..."
He forced a calm smile and finally greeted Garion.
"Garion, it’s good to see you again. As promised, I’ve brought those interested in joining your... unique sect."
He gestured behind him. Rows of young men and women stood at attention, still whispering nervously.
"There was a total of eight hundred forty-one applicants who wanted to join after hearing about Dahlia’s performance in the tournament."
Garion nodded slightly, scanning the crowd. Most were around Dahlia’s age.
"I see. There are quite a lot of them, so we still need to test them first."
"Of course. Then let’s go to your sect and..."
Garion waved his hand.
"What? Are you thinking... to test them here?"
Garion nodded firmly.
"Yeah. It won’t take long... I think."
The elder hesitated for a second, then sighed.
"Alright then. The ones who fail will return to the ship immediately."
Garion smirked, cracking his knuckles.
"Good then. And now let’s begin."
He turned toward Dahlia, who was still brushing sand from her jacket.
"Dahlia. It’s now your turn."
She looked up at him, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
"Finally, some good fun."
"They’re all yours for the first round."
Dahlia’s eyes lit up. She stretched her neck from side to side, smiling.
"Understood, Master. I’ll make sure to pick the best ones among them."
The hundreds of young cultivators instantly stepped back a little as Dahlia began walking forward, smiling like a predator.
The elder didn’t know what Dahlia was planning, but he decided to ignore her for now.
Instead, his eyes went toward Garion’s current outfit.
It was... odd. Not a robe, not armor, just a set of simple, baggy clothes.
The elder frowned slightly.
"Those are some strange clothes you’re wearing."
Garion caught his gaze immediately.
"What? You interested in my training outfit?!"
"Not really. It’s just... too thin and strange for me to wear."
"Then why keep staring?"
The elder hesitated, then shrugged.
"It’s just... unusual. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Make me curious, that’s all."
Garion nodded, amused.