Two more months passed quietly, and every day they had the same routine.
Chaos breakfast, drink Demonic Creatine, train and cultivate, study, chaos dinner, drink Demonic Protein, and sleep.
It was a brutal cycle, but somehow, everyone got used to it.
The disciples had grown stronger.
After the first mana pool cell was formed, the process became passive.
The new mana pool cells split on their own while they trained, spreading like fire through their bodies.
And even better... training while cultivating double the effect. Every rep made the cell transformation even faster.
Everyone also chose the heart cell to be the first cell to be transformed, but after that, each disciple chose a different cell of their body to transform next.
Some focused on their arms for explosive strikes and strong punches.
Some focused on their legs for speed, and more explosive and stronger kicks.
Some even focused on their lungs to increase their endurance while training.
The process for the next transformation was also quite simple... at least in theory.
Visualize your perfect mana pool heart cell splitting and imagine the new mana pool cell being carried to the chosen part.
Then picture it consuming the chosen cell and then transforming into that chosen cell, turning it into that organ’s mana pool cell.
In practice, though, it was quite painful and difficult. Many fainted during training, and some others screamed during it.
But Garion only smiled when it happened.
"Good. That means it’s working."
Then, one morning, as the disciples were mid-workout, a familiar voice appeared from the corridor.
"Why does it sound like a battlefield in here?"
Dahlia stood at the entrance, arms crossed, her hair tied up, and a confident smirk appeared on her face.
"Senior Sister Dahlia!" several disciples shouted, stopping mid-training.
Garion glanced over and grinned.
"Finally awake, huh?"
"You make it sound like I was sleeping, Master. I was cultivating."
"Same thing, knowing how you snore."
Dahlia glared at him, pretending to be offended.
The disciples couldn’t help but laugh quietly at the exchange.
It had been months since they last saw her, and even now, her presence felt sharp and commanding.
As she stepped inside, Dahlia looked around and froze in shock.
The God Gym had changed.
She could feel the walls were wider, the ceilings higher, and there was a new door with a new plaque: [Learning Hall].
"When did this appear?"
Garion shrugged casually.
"It’s new. The gym upgraded itself when you began closed-door cultivation."
"Oh, don’t look so surprised. You’re not the only one who’s been making progress."
She looked around again and saw the disciples studying thick anatomy books between sets, reciting numerous systems in their bodies.
"What in the world... When did they all get so... disciplined?"
Garion leaned on a dumbbell rack.
"They’ve been studying while cultivating. It’s part of the training now."
Dahlia raised an eyebrow.
"You made them all do that? Even the lazy ones?"
"Not me. Someone else did."
He nodded toward the far side of the hall. Arden stood there, guiding a few disciples who were meditating.
His expression was calm but focused, completely different from the timid body she remembered.
Dahlia’s eyes widened slightly.
"Arden? He’s teaching them?"
"More like... leading them. He found a new path... a simplified way to cultivate."
Garion flexed his hand, smirking.
"Instead of forcing all cells to transform at once, like we used to do, he focuses on one at a time and uses cell splitting to spread the perfect mana pool cell."
"That’s the same method we used to reach the second realm, isn’t it?"
"Exactly," Garion said, smirking.
"Smart body, isn’t she?
She folded her arms and looked at her junior brother, who was now explaining something to a group of disciples using small chalk diagrams.
"So he figured it out himself? Without your help at all?"
"He did. Said it came to him when he questioned the original method."
Dahlia let out a soft chuckle.
"Huh... maybe I should start calling him ’Senior Brother’ instead."
"Don’t flatter him too much. His head might explode."
"He deserved it, though. For someone who used to hide behind everyone... that’s quite a leap."
Garion nodded approvingly.
"He’s sharp and brave enough to think differently. Reminds me of a certain someone who once kicked down my training dummy and called it stupid."
Dahlia rolled her eyes.
"I was right, though, wasn’t I?"
"You were. That’s why I didn’t stop you."
She only sighed, then finally asked.
"Now that I’ve reached the Mana Core Realm... should I tell them?"
Garion smiled faintly.
"No need. It’s better to be a sheep than a wolf, at least when you want to fool your enemies."
Dahlia frowned a little.
"But they’re not my enemies, Master. They’re my fellow disciples.
"True. But to fool your enemies, you must first fool your friends. That’s how you make it believable."
Dahlia tilted her head, half amused, half annoyed.
"You’re quite horrible, you know that?"
"And yet, you still listen to me."
She let out a small laugh.
"Yeah... because your horrible ideas always work."
"Exactly. Results don’t lie."
There was a short silence between them before Dahlia’s expression shifted again.
She looked thoughtful, her brows slightly furrowed
"By the way... I have another question."
Garion raised an eyebrow.
"It’s about my mana trait," she said slowly.
"Now that I’m at the Mana Core Realm, it should’ve awakened completely, right? But it feels the same as before."
Garion blinked, rubbing his chin. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
"You mean your dragon trait?"
"Yes. But that one appeared when I was still at the Mana Refinement Realm."
She looked back at her fist, clenching it.
"Now that I’ve broken through, it should have evolved or at least changed. But it hasn’t. It feels... quiet."
Garion fell silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Hmm... interesting. That’s the same as me."
Dahlia looked surprised.
Garion nodded as he also didn’t know the reason why their traits didn’t appear.