Chapter 724: Horrifying Character Development
Garion soon stepped out of the [Divine Celestial Ascension Hall].
The moment he emerged, two figures appeared in front of him almost at the same time.
Rachel and Dahlia.
Rachel’s expression carried obvious relief at seeing him standing there safely, although a trace of lingering worry remained in her eyes.
Dahlia, meanwhile, crossed her arms and immediately began studying Garion from head to toe with open curiosity.
Before either of them could say anything, Garion raised one hand. "Don’t tell me anything. I already know."
Rachel paused.
Garion continued, "Guests are coming, right?"
Rachel slowly nodded. "Yes."
Dahlia nodded as well. "Yeah. Guests from some top dragon clan. The Volcanion Dragon Clan, if I remember correctly."
Garion gave a small nod. "I see."
A hint of amusement appeared on his face. "So after fifteen years, the Dragon Race finally noticed us."
Rachel stepped closer and looked at him seriously. "Since you already know, then you should also know that you need to be careful with how you talk to them, right?"
Garion immediately looked offended. "Why does everyone keep telling me that?"
Rachel and Dahlia simply stared at him in silence.
Neither of them needed to explain.
Garion held their gazes for several seconds before clicking his tongue. "Fine, fine. Don’t worry."
Rachel released a soft sigh. "That does not make me feel any better."
Garion spread both hands. "Come on. Forget the guests for a second."
He pointed toward himself. "Did neither of you notice anything different about me?"
Rachel and Dahlia paused.
Only then did they realize that, because of the sudden situation with the dragon envoys, they had barely taken the time to properly examine him.
Both women looked at Garion more carefully.
A moment later, their expressions changed.
Rachel’s eyes widened slightly. "Your body..."
Dahlia stepped closer and openly examined his face. "You changed again."
Garion looked pleased by their reactions.
Dahlia tilted her head, studying him from another angle. "Even your face changed a little. Not completely, but... sharper?"
She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Deeper somehow."
Garion nodded approvingly.
Dahlia added, "More annoying too."
Garion laughed. "That last part is probably your imagination."
Dahlia countered bluntly. "It definitely isn’t."
Rachel ignored their nonsense and slowly reached out, placing one hand against Garion’s arm.
Her expression became more complicated the instant she sensed what was hidden beneath his skin.
The body felt familiar. Yet at the same time, it was fundamentally different.
Rachel looked directly at him. "Your body feels completely different."
Her fingers tightened faintly around his arm. "Much stronger than before."
Garion nodded proudly. "Yeah."
He casually placed both hands on his hips. "I’ve reached the Celestial Realm."
Rachel froze.
Dahlia’s eyes widened. "Already?"
Garion raised one finger. "Well, not exactly the normal Celestial Realm path."
Dahlia frowned slightly.
Garion continued, "But close enough for now."
Rachel was less interested in the technical difference.
A familiar worry immediately returned to her expression. "Wait."
She looked him over again. "If you became something equivalent to the Celestial Realm... and your body had changed... did your body get rebuilt again?"
Garion nodded without hesitation. "Yep."
Rachel rubbed her forehead. "How can your body keep getting rebuilt like this? Does everyone have to go through something this ridiculous when they reach the Celestial Realm?"
Garion thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Normal cultivators don’t."
Rachel lowered her hand.
Garion pointed at himself and then at both of them. "It’s mainly us, the cultivators of [God Physique]."
Dahlia’s face immediately became complicated.
Since she also possessed a God Physique, that answer suddenly became very relevant to her future.
She stared at Garion for a few seconds. "Damn."
Her tail shifted faintly behind her. "Just how many times are our bodies supposed to get destroyed and rebuilt?"
Garion rubbed his chin with genuine thoughtfulness. "I don’t know."
Dahlia’s mouth twitched.
Rachel gave him a helpless look.
Garion noticed both of their expressions and laughed casually. "Come on. Think about it."
He spread his arms. "If we’re eventually supposed to become Gods, then we obviously need the best bodies possible, right?"
Rachel remained unconvinced.
Garion continued confidently, "So if that means getting rebuilt two times, three times, ten times, or however many times are necessary, then that’s probably just part of the process."
Dahlia stared at him. Her mouth twitched again. "That sounds fucking horrible."
Garion gave her a cheerful look. "Character development."
---
Garion finally waved one hand. "Alright, forget about that for now. Everyone does whatever the hell they can to become stronger anyway."
He raised both hands and shrugged. "Some people spend thousands of years locked away in closed-door cultivation. Some risk their lives fighting monsters, some swallow poisonous pills hoping they don’t explode from the inside, and others sacrifice half their organs just for a chance at breaking through."
Garion pointed first at himself, then toward Rachel and Dahlia. "Compared to all that bullshit, we just go to the gym, train like hell, and occasionally get rebuilt into better versions of ourselves."
He spread his arms as if the conclusion were obvious. "Isn’t that actually pretty good?"
Rachel stared at him silently.
Dahlia also stared at him.
Neither woman looked remotely convinced.
Atlas floated beside them, his tiny arms crossed as he muttered,
[That is the most horrifyingly optimistic description of complete body reconstruction I have ever heard.]
Garion ignored him without hesitation. "Anyway, enough about my beautiful new body."
Dahlia immediately snorted. "Shameless."
Garion acted like he had not heard her and turned toward Rachel. "More importantly, have those dragons arrived yet?"
Rachel shook her head. "Not yet. Bruno contacted me earlier. According to him, they should arrive in roughly a week."
Garion nodded slowly. "I see."
That gave them enough time to prepare properly.
His gaze shifted toward Dahlia. "Call your four fellow brothers and sisters."
Dahlia straightened slightly. "Arden, Mersha, Valtor, and Seira?"
Garion nodded. "Yeah. All four of them."
Dahlia studied him briefly, sensing that his tone had become more serious than before. "Alright."
Garion then turned toward Rachel. "And call Raviel and Aveline too."
Rachel’s eyes shifted slightly. "You want the both of them present as well?"
Garion nodded. "Exactly."
He then slipped both hands into his pockets, his expression losing most of its earlier playfulness. "We need to talk about something before those dragons arrive."
Rachel and Dahlia exchanged a brief glance.
The fact that Garion himself wanted everyone gathered beforehand made it clear this was not simply about preparing rooms, food, or some formal welcome.
Rachel nodded first. "Alright."
Dahlia followed with a nod of her own. "I’ll contact the others."
Garion looked toward the distant sky beyond the island. In just one week, the top dragon clan would arrive, and among them would be a genuine God.
For the first time ever, Garion would finally have the chance to see just how much the gap between himself and a true divine existence had narrowed.
His lips slowly curved upward. "This should be interesting."