Heretic Trainer: The Gym Is My Cultivation Method

A month soon passed.

Inside the [Divine Celestial Ascension Hall], golden-black light continued flowing around the central pedestal.

Slowly, those streams of divine light gathered toward the center of the hall, twisting together until the vague outline of a humanoid body began taking shape.

Blood, skin, energy pathways, and countless deeper structures were reconstructed layer by layer until Garion’s new body was finally complete.

The moment the physical body stabilized, another strange light appeared above it.

It was faint and almost transparent, carrying the unmistakable feeling of Garion’s soul.

The soul slowly descended and merged with the newly rebuilt body.

HUMMMMM!

A pulse of golden-black energy spread throughout the hall.

A few seconds later, Garion’s eyes slowly opened.

His purple eyes seemed deeper than before, glowing with a strange intensity that had never existed in quite the same way.

For several seconds, Garion simply remained there, looking down at his newly reconstructed body.

Before he could properly inspect what the hell had changed, however, a small flash of blue light appeared directly in front of his face.

WHOOSH!

Atlas materialized in his usual chibi fairy form, hovering in midair with an unusually serious expression.

[There’s trouble.]

Garion paused.

He looked at Atlas for several seconds before slowly raising an eyebrow. "I just got reborn again, and that’s the first thing you say to me?"

Atlas did not look apologetic in the slightest.

[Yes.]

Garion released a tired sigh. "Fine. What kind of trouble?"

Atlas crossed his tiny arms.

[Guests.]

Garion blinked. "Guests?"

[Yes.]

Garion tilted his head slightly. "So what’s the problem? We have guests almost every day now, don’t we?"

Atlas’s expression became even flatter.

[These guests are different.]

Garion stretched his neck from side to side, testing his newly rebuilt body while listening. "Different how?"

[They came from another High Grade World.]

Garion’s movements slowed slightly.

Atlas continued.

[More specifically, they belong to one of the top dragon clans of the Red Dragon Race.]

Garion rubbed his chin. "A top dragon clan, huh?"

[The Volcanion Dragon Clan.]

Garion slowly nodded. "I see."

A second later, he looked at Atlas strangely. "So what’s with that face? They brought Celestial Realm experts, and you’re suddenly afraid of them?"

Atlas immediately frowned.

[Of course not.]

The corner of Garion’s mouth lifted. "Really?"

[I already know you can fight Celestial Realm cultivators, especially now that you’ve completed this ascension.]

Garion raised an eyebrow. "Then what’s the problem?"

Atlas’s bright blue eyes became noticeably more serious.

[What worries me isn’t the Celestial Realm envoys.]

Garion’s expression finally changed.

Atlas floated a little closer before speaking slowly.

[Based on the energy signature accompanying their vessel, there is a high probability that a God came with them.]

The hall fell silent.

Garion stared at Atlas, and Atlas stared back.

Several seconds passed.

Garion eventually gave Atlas the flattest look possible. "So what?"

Atlas stared at him.

For a moment, the tiny system avatar looked genuinely speechless.

[What do you mean, "so what"?]

Garion slowly stretched both arms above his head, looking as though Atlas had just told him about some mildly troublesome guest instead of a genuine God.

Atlas flew closer, his tiny blue crystalline wings flickering rapidly behind him.

[This is a goddamn God, Garion.]

Garion rolled his shoulders, testing the movement of his newly rebuilt body. "Yeah. I heard you. So what?"

Atlas pointed at him with both tiny hands.

[Do you even understand what a real God is? I’m not talking about some fake world-authority bastard like Odren.]

Garion raised an eyebrow but let him continue.

[A true God possesses Divine Energy, a fully developed world, believers, laws, faith systems, and divine authority far beyond what ordinary Celestial Realm cultivators can wield.]

Garion nodded casually. "Sounds impressive."

Atlas’s face immediately went flat.

[That is not the reaction I wanted.]

Garion lowered his gaze toward his hands and slowly flexed his fingers.

Faint purple-black lines pulsed beneath his skin for a moment before disappearing again. "They’re guests, right?"

Atlas paused.

[For now.]

Garion nodded. "Okay, then that’s enough."

Atlas frowned slightly.

Garion continued, "Whatever happens later can wait until later. For now, they came here as guests, so we treat them like guests."

Atlas crossed his arms tighter.

[And if they aren’t friendly?]

Garion’s expression changed slightly. "Then they stop being guests."

Atlas stared at him before his face darkened again.

[Goddammit, Garion. Did you already forget what your own body is?]

Garion glanced toward him. "What about it?"

[Your body is a God Physique prototype.]

Atlas flew directly in front of his face.

[To an actual God, you are basically a walking divine treasure filled with an absurd amount of pure Divine Mana and a foundation specifically designed to approach godhood.]

Garion burst out laughing.

Atlas frowned harder.

[This is not funny.]

"Relax." Garion waved one hand dismissively. "You worry too much."

[I worry exactly the correct amount.]

Garion looked down at himself again.

The amusement on his face gradually changed into curiosity. "I’ve been rebuilt again, Atlas."

He slowly clenched one fist. "This time, I can already feel that my power is way stronger than before."

The air around him subtly distorted.

Garion had not deliberately released his aura. He had not even consciously activated his gravity.

Yet with nothing more than a passing thought, the space surrounding his fist bent faintly toward him.

Atlas noticed it immediately.

Garion looked toward the entrance of the hall. "Even if a God really came, I don’t think it matters that much."

Atlas raised one tiny eyebrow.

[Are you actually sure about that?]

Garion nodded confidently. "Yeah."

Atlas stared at him.

Garion waited for two seconds before adding casually, "About ten percent sure."

Atlas’s entire face froze.

[What the hell kind of confidence is that?!]

Garion spread both hands. "What do you want me to say? I don’t exactly have a God standing around waiting for me to punch him, so I can’t properly test how strong I am yet."

[That is exactly why you shouldn’t be acting this relaxed!]

Garion stepped down from the pedestal and rolled his neck again. "Don’t worry so much, Atlas."

Atlas immediately crossed his tiny arms.

[That sentence has never once led to anything good.]

Garion chuckled as he started walking toward the exit. "Come on. We’ve never had a real problem before, even when we fought another candidate."

Atlas stared at the back of his head.

[You killed Odren, nearly got swallowed by his world authority, and had to undergo another complete reconstruction afterward.]

Garion thought about that for a moment. "Good training."

Atlas slowly slapped one tiny hand against his forehead.

[I hate you.]

Garion laughed and continued toward the enormous doors of the [Divine Celestial Ascension Hall]. "Come on."

His purple eyes carried obvious curiosity as the doors began opening before him. "Let’s go meet the dragons."