All of the disciples sat cross-legged, breathing slowly, faces tensed with concentration.
Some were trembling slightly, others had sweat rolling down their faces.
They were all trying to imagine the cell cultivation process like Garion had said, but it was just too hard.
Several of them frowned and muttered quietly.
"I can’t picture it..."
"How do I even imagine trillions of cells?"
"This feels impossible..."
Arden sat among them, trying his best.
His brows furrowed as he focused, but the more he tried to imagine the entire system, the harder it became.
He could see flashes in his mind, blood flowing and mana swirling, but it all felt too big and too messy.
He sighed softly, whispering to himself.
"Is this really Master’s method? It’s not that it’s wrong, but... It’s too difficult."
Then, suddenly, a thought crossed his mind as he remembered something Garion had told them earlier.
"Question everything. Don’t just follow blindly."
Arden’s eyes widened slightly.
He clenched his fists.
"Master said we don’t have to follow exactly. Maybe there’s another way."
He thought hard for a few minutes, whispering under his breath.
"Master’s method focuses on transforming all cells at once... but that can’t be the only way."
He took a deep breath and smiled faintly to himself.
"Then... I’ll try with my own method."
Instead of forcing himself to imagine his entire body, Arden focused on only one cell.
"Just one. Let’s start with only one cell."
He closed his eyes and imagined all the mana inside his body flowing toward one single cell.
Minutes passed, then an hour.
Arden’s breathing slowed, his face relaxed, and the air around him began to shift slightly.
Two hours later, he finally opened his eyes, a small smile formed on his lips.
He stood up quietly and walked toward Garion, who was standing at the front, watching everyone.
"Master... I... I did it."
Garion blinked. "Did what?" Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
Arden smiled weakly. "I’ve managed to transform my cell into a mana pool cell."
The room fell silent as several disciples gasped in shock, including Garion.
"Wait... what did you just say?"
"I said... I did it," Arden repeated.
"One of my cells has become a mana pool cell."
Garion stared at him in disbelief.
"Already? That’s impossible..."
He stepped closer, studying Arden carefully.
"Even Dahlia and I needed days to manage to create a single mana pool cell."
Arden looked down, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.
"It’s true, Master. But... I didn’t follow the same way you taught."
Garion raised an eyebrow.
Arden took a deep breath.
"You told us to question everything. Not to follow blindly."
Garion crossed his arms, nodding.
"So," Arden continued.
"I wondered... do I really have to transform all my cells at once? What if I just focused on one at a time?"
Garion’s eyes narrowed with interest.
"At first, I thought of the red blood cells, but they’re just carriers. Then I thought about bone marrow cells, but they already make mana-blood, and I didn’t want to burden them with two jobs."
He pointed to his chest.
"So, I decided on the heart, so I focused on one heart cell and channeled all the mana I could into it to fill and temper it."
The disciples leaned in, listening carefully.
"After about two hours, that single cell changed. I became a mana pool cell... no, a perfect one."
Arden clenched his fist in excitement as he continued.
"It was full, stable, and flawless. When it formed, I could feel it clearly, like it was glowing inside me."
Garion was silent for a moment, eyes wide in disbelief.
Finally, he exhaled and muttered, "Unbelievable..."
He looked back at Arden.
"Let me guess. After that, your mana pool heart cell started to absorb mana on its own, right? And then... it began to split."
Arden’s mouth fell open sligtly,
Garion grinned as he continued.
"The new cell probably ate another heart cell and replaced it, didn’t it? And then it repeated the process."
Arden nodded quickly.
"Exactly! That’s what happened!"
Garion let out a laugh. A loud and proud one, echoing through the hall.
"Haha! Amazing, Arden! You’ve done what I didn’t even think to try!"
The other disciples stared at Arden in awe.
Garion grinned wider.
"So, instead of changing your whole body at once... you’re evolving it cell by cell. It’s slower in the area but faster in progress and self-sustaining."
Arden scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I guess so, Master. Once it started, it felt like it didn’t need me anymore. The new cell just kept absorbing mana and creating another one."
Garion laughed again, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Good! Really good, Arden! You’ve just found a second method, the split growth path. A passive vultivation route born from your intelligence."
Arden blushed, lowering his head.
"I... just followed what made sense."
"And that’s exactly why you’re my direct disciple. You think, not just obey."
The disciples around them were still whispering in amazement. Some looked sinpserd, some overwhelmed.
Garion turned to them.
"Learn from Arden. Don’t just copy. Understand it. That’s the essence of the [God Physique Cultivation Art]."
Arden smiled shyly again, stretching the back of his neck. he couldn’t help but feel proud.
For the first time, he wasn’t the timid one anymore.
Garion looked at him with genuine pride.
"You’ve done it well, kid. Keep going. At this rate... you’ll surpass even Dahlia soon."
Arden’s eyes widened.
"M-Master, don’t say that, she’ll kill me!"
Garion laughed hard, shaking his head.
"Hahaha! Then train fast enough to survive her."
The other disciples burst into laughter, the tension melting away.
After the laughter faded, Garion crossed his arms.
"Alright then, genius. Since you’ve discovered a new approach, you’ll help the others understand it too."
"Why not? You figured it out. Now make sure the rest don’t melt their brains trying."
The disciples chuckled again as Arden scratched the back of his head, embarrassed but nodding.
"Alright, everyone, listen up. I’ll explain how I did it. Just focus on one cell first..."
The others leaned forward, listening carefully, and this sight made Garion really happy.