Garion leaned back with a lazy smirk, waving his hand like the whole topic was nothing.

"Don't stress about what's 'evil' or not. As long as your clan, your family, and your people stay safe... What else matters?"

Raviel lowered his head, thinking for a moment. "…Yeah. When you put it that way, it makes sense."

Garion's grin widened.

"And besides… body knowledge is only the start."

He reached into the shelves and pulled out two thick books and shoved one into each of their hands.

Raviel blinked. "Huh? What's this?"

Aveline frowned. "It feels… heavy?"

Garion tapped the covers.

"That is the God Physique Cultivation Manual."

Both Raviel and Aveline froze.

"What the hell? A cultivation manual? YOUR manual?"

Garion nodded casually, like he had just handed them a cookbook.

"Yep. My real one. The actual guide on how I cultivated myself into this monster you see standing here."

Their jaws dropped.

"You're giving this to us so easily?!" Raviel shouted, gripping the book like it might explode.

Garion shrugged. "Why not? Just open it first."

They exchanged a nervous look… then flipped through the pages.

One second later...

"What are these words?!"

Aveline pointed at a page, horrified. "What is a 'mito… chon… dria'?!"

Raviel slapped his forehead. "What the hell is an 'oxygen cycle'?!"

Garion burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! That's because you need to understand the body first. Without body knowledge, you can't cultivate my manual at all."

Raviel groaned. "So we really… have to learn everything."

Garion nodded. "Exactly. And since you two already have the body knowledge books, you CAN learn it. Slowly… painfully… confusingly… but you can."

Aveline narrowed her eyes. "Hold on… If we can cultivate your method… doesn't that mean we become..."

Garion cut her off with a smirk.

"Affiliated with God Gym? Pretty much."

Raviel choked. "Wait... WAIT! Does that mean..."

Aveline gasped. "You tricked us into joining your God Gym?!"

Garion lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "Tricked is a harsh word. I prefer… guided."

Raviel covered his face, laughing loudly. "Damn it, Garion… You really planned this from the start, didn't you?"

Garion flashed a wicked grin.

"Of course. But hey, think about it."

He pointed toward the newly built island, the glowing buildings, and the fresh energy in the air.

"It's better than running a clan alone. Why struggle when you can join ME?"

Aveline let out a long sigh.

"So instead of building a new clan… we ended up joining the God Gym."

Garion clapped twice, cheerful.

"Fantastic! Congratulations, you two are now part of the strongest gym in the world."

Raviel stared at him in disbelief, mouth half open.

"…Damn. Never in my entire life did I think the patriarch of one of the strongest clans would join another sect. This feels illegal."

Garion laughed loudly, slapping Raviel on the back hard enough to make him stumble.

"Illegal? Please. It's called upgrading your life."

Raviel rubbed his back, frowning. "Upgrading my ass! You tricked us!"

Garion held up both hands. "Hey, hey. I guided you. Big difference."

Aveline crossed her arms. "Guided us straight into your hands."

Garion smirked.

"And look where it got you. An entire archipelago, new buildings, and an upgraded cultivation path. Pretty good deal, right?"

Raviel clicked his tongue. "Still feels weird…"

Garion leaned in with a grin. "Weird but beneficial. You'll get used to it."

Aveline looked around at the clean, modern buildings rising from the nature island. "I'll admit… this place is impressive."

Garion's eyes lit up. He snapped his fingers.

"Good! Then come on. There's something else I want to show you two."

Raviel narrowed his eyes. "Every time you say that… something insane happens."

Aveline nodded slowly. "Last time you said that, the island split into three."

Garion pointed down the path, smirking even wider.

"Exactly. So follow me. I promise this time won't shake the entire island."

Raviel whispered to Aveline, "That means it definitely WILL."

Aveline whispered back, "I know… Just prepare your heart."

Garion walked ahead, hands behind his back, humming casually.

"Let's go, Clan Leaders... Time for the next surprise."

---

Dahlia sat on a fallen tree trunk, wiping sweat from her forehead while the others gathered around.

Rynar stretched lazily. "Man… I still can't believe it. Our whole Revalis Clan actually joined the God Gym."

Rynor crossed his arms, electricity flickering across his fingers.

"Yeah. If someone told me this last year, I'd have punched them for lying."

Arden nodded, leaning back against a tree.

"Same. And the Avenora Clan too…? This is getting ridiculous. In a good way… but still ridiculous."

Clara held her hips with both hands. "Honestly, it feels like we became part of something huge overnight."

Eliza nodded with a quiet smile. "We'll have more comrades… and more competition."

Dahlia took a deep breath, then pointed at all of them.

"Which means we can't slack off. God Gym is expanding now and fast. We can't be weaker than the new guys."

Arden grinned. "We won't be. We already made big progress."

Rynar smirked, flames dancing along his tattoos. "Yeah. We awakened our [Unique Physiques], remember?"

Rynor gave a cocky thumbs-up. "Twin Flame and Twin Thunder. Pretty cool names."

Arden sighed, half-annoyed. "Show-offs…"

Dahlia glared at the three boys, cracking her knuckles.

"Just wait. When the three of us awaken ours… we're kicking all your asses."

Rynar smirked, flames flickering along his hair. "Sure, sure. But don't forget... you'll be screaming in pain first."

Rynor raised a hand. "A lot of pain. Like, a lot."

Arden nodded seriously. "They're not exaggerating. It hurts."

Dahlia's eyebrow twitched. "Shut it."

Clara leaned forward with a grin. "Yeah. If you three survived it, there's no way we can't."

Eliza smiled calmly. "Pain is temporary. Victory is forever."

The boys gulped together.

Dahlia stepped closer, cracking her neck. "So be ready. When we awaken ours… we're kicking all your asses."

Clara leaned forward with a wild grin. "Especially yours, Rynar. You laugh too much."

Rynar flinched. "Eh?! What did I do?!"

Eliza simply folded her arms, eyes calm but sharp. "We'll surpass you three. Eventually."

Rynor held his hands up defensively. "Whoa, whoa... why do I feel targeted suddenly?"

Dahlia smirked at him. "Because you should be."

The group went silent for a moment… then burst into laughter together.

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