Chapter 702: Bruno Offers Paren
Garion waited quietly for a moment.
Atlas had gone completely silent inside his mind, which was rare. Usually, the tiny system avatar would at least complain, mock him, throw in some sarcasm, or say something irritating just for the hell of it.
This time, there was nothing.
Garion tapped one finger against the table as the silence dragged on.
A few seconds later, he finally raised an eyebrow. "Well?"
Atlas’s voice returned inside his mind, although there was a strange hesitation in its usual tone.
[Fortunately, she received my message.]
Garion leaned farther back in his chair, his interest immediately rising. "Oh? So she actually answered?"
[Yes.]
Atlas paused briefly before continuing.
[She said she could give you the mission.]
Garion’s expression brightened. "Good."
[However, she also asked whether you are sure you want to receive it.]
Garion blinked once.
For a moment, the office fell strangely quiet.
He looked at the blue-purple system panel floating in front of him before slowly raising his gaze toward the ceiling, almost as if he could somehow stare through it. "She asked if I’m sure?"
[Yes.]
Garion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That sounds suspicious as hell."
Atlas immediately agreed.
[It is probably suspicious as hell.]
A short laugh escaped Garion. "Nice. Then I definitely want it."
Atlas released a long, exhausted sigh.
[Of course that is your answer.]
Garion spread both hands innocently. "What? You seriously think I’m going to back off just because something sounds interesting and dangerous?"
[No. I was simply hoping your survival instinct might finally appear for once.]
"My survival instinct is strong."
[Your survival instinct is dead, buried, and currently being crushed underneath your ego.]
Garion completely ignored that insult and leaned forward again, planting one elbow on the table. "Just give me the mission."
Atlas remained silent for another moment.
A second later, a new system panel slowly materialized in front of Garion.
This one was different.
Instead of the familiar blue-purple glow surrounding most system notifications, faint golden-black light flowed continuously around the edges of the panel.
The instant it fully appeared, the atmosphere inside the entire office seemed to become heavier.
Garion’s casual expression faded slightly.
Even he could immediately tell that this mission was different from the normal bullshit Atlas usually threw at him.
---
[Mission Triggered.]
[Special Mission: First Celestial Ascension.]
[Requirement: Turn one Star Realm cultivator trained by God Gym into a true Celestial Realm cultivator.]
[Condition: The cultivator must form a stable Inner World, develop a complete world foundation, and survive the Celestial transformation without collapsing.]
[Time Limit: None.]
[Failure Penalty: None.]
[Reward: Divine Celestial Ascension Hall.]
---
Garion stared silently at the mission panel.
A second later, the seriousness in his expression was gradually replaced by unmistakable excitement. "Turn one Star Realm cultivator into a Celestial Realm cultivator..."
His finger tapped against the table once as he reread the conditions.
This was exactly what he had wanted.
Atlas’s dry voice immediately interrupted his thoughts.
[That is one very casual way to describe creating a Celestial Realm cultivator from scratch.]
Garion’s excitement only grew. "Good."
He pushed himself out of the chair and stood up, already looking like he had forgotten every suspicious warning from less than a minute ago.
Atlas immediately sensed trouble.
Garion rolled his shoulders once and looked toward the projections of God Gym’s training grounds floating around his office. "Then let’s pick the first monster."
---
Before Garion could even move from his chair, his phone suddenly rang.
He stopped, glanced down at the screen, and raised an eyebrow when he saw the caller’s name.
Bruno.
Garion picked up the call without much hesitation. "Hey, Bruno. Why are you calling me?"
Bruno’s face appeared on the screen, looking as calm and refined as usual. There was, however, a faint trace of unusual interest in his eyes, enough for Garion to immediately notice something was up.
"Straight to the point as always," Bruno remarked.
Garion leaned back in his chair and rested one arm against the armrest. "You’re the one who called me, aren’t you?"
Bruno gave a faint chuckle. "True."
Atlas’s suspicious voice immediately sounded inside Garion’s mind.
[Suspicious timing.]
Garion ignored him and focused on Bruno. "So? What do you want?"
Bruno did not bother wasting time with pointless small talk. "I just wanted to ask you something."
Garion tapped one finger against the table. "Ask."
Bruno’s expression became slightly more serious. "Can you turn someone into a Celestial Realm cultivator now?"
The office suddenly went quiet.
Garion stared at Bruno through the screen for a moment.
Of all the damn questions Bruno could have asked right now, it just happened to be that one.
A second later, Garion released a slow breath, his expression becoming unusually thoughtful. "Not yet... but..."
Bruno looked ready to say something, but Garion casually lifted one hand and continued before he could interrupt. "I’m currently searching for a victim to test it on."
Bruno’s composed expression stiffened. "Victim?"
Garion waved dismissively. "Basically a test subject. I’ve never helped anyone break through to the Celestial Realm before, so obviously I need someone to test the process on first."
Bruno stared at him through the screen for several long seconds.
Eventually, he slowly exhaled. "I see."
The fact that Bruno did not immediately end the call after hearing the words victim and test subject was probably proof that he had known Garion for far too long.
His expression gradually turned thoughtful.
Garion noticed the change immediately.
His posture shifted forward slightly. "Judging by that face, do you have someone in mind?"
Bruno did not answer right away.
For a moment, the head of the Astral Dragon Cosmic Terminal genuinely looked like he was weighing whether introducing someone to Garion under these circumstances was a good idea.
Eventually, Bruno gave a slow nod. "I think I can help you with that."
Garion’s interest instantly rose. "Oh?"
Bruno spoke calmly. "I have one person at the Peak Star Realm, and you should already know who he is."
Garion thought about it for a second.
There were plenty of Star Realm cultivators he knew through the Astral Cosmic Terminal, but if Bruno was personally bringing someone up...
Realization quickly appeared on his face.
"Paren?"
Bruno nodded. "That’s right."
Garion immediately looked more interested.
Bruno continued, "Paren has been stuck at the Peak Star Realm for a very long time. His talent isn’t bad, and his foundation is extremely stable, but he has almost no hope of reaching the Celestial Realm through normal methods."
Garion rubbed his chin as he considered it. After all, Paren fit all the requirements, and furthermore, he was someone Garion already knew and trusted.
More importantly, if anything went horribly wrong, Garion could probably explain it to Bruno afterward.
His expression brightened. "So, if I need a victim..."
Bruno’s mouth visibly twitched. "Please stop calling him that."
Garion completely ignored the complaint. "Paren is perfect."
Bruno closed his eyes for a brief moment, clearly regretting his choice of words somewhere along the way, but he did not disagree.
"If you can truly give him a chance to enter the Celestial Realm, then this may be good for him as well. Without some extraordinary opportunity, he may remain at the Peak Star Realm for the rest of his life."
Garion nodded in approval. "Good idea, Bruno."
Bruno gave a small nod in return. "I’ll contact him later and explain the situation."
Garion’s eyes lit up with growing interest. The mission had barely appeared, and somehow a perfectly suitable test subject had practically dropped into his lap. "Tell him to prepare himself."
Bruno’s brows pulled together slightly. "Prepare for the breakthrough?"
Garion let out a laugh, sounding almost offended by the question. "Of course it is."
Bruno immediately had a bad feeling.