Chapter 697: Garion Meets Candidate Odren
A few days later, Paren finally arrived at God Gym.
He stepped off the teleportation platform and looked around the vast training area with a complicated expression.
The last time he had visited, God Gym had already been ridiculous.
Somehow, it had become even worse.
The energy filling the air was far denser than he remembered, the facilities had expanded enormously, and the pressure leaking from some of the distant training zones was strong enough to make even his Peak Star Realm body instinctively tense.
Garion was already waiting nearby with both hands casually shoved into his pockets. "Long time no see, Paren."
Paren turned toward him and gave a small nod. "Yes. Long time no see."
His gaze wandered across the surroundings once again before he released a quiet sigh. "Honestly, it’s still difficult to believe."
Garion raised an eyebrow. "What is?"
Paren looked back at him. "In only ten years, your faction has already become one of the strongest forces in this entire region."
Garion’s expression immediately became unbearably pleased with itself.
Paren noticed it and continued before Garion could start bragging. "Even without a single Celestial Realm cultivator, God Gym’s influence is already terrifying. Your Star Realm members are abnormal, the results of your training are abnormal, and your customers are spreading God Gym’s name everywhere they go."
Garion nodded with obvious satisfaction. "Good. That means my marketing strategy is working."
Paren stared at him for a moment.
"You call that marketing?"
"What else would you call it?"
Paren answered without hesitation. "A cosmic disaster with a membership system."
Garion burst out laughing. "Damn. That actually sounds cooler."
Paren rubbed his forehead, already remembering exactly why conversations with Garion tended to become exhausting far faster than they had any right to.
A moment later, his expression grew more serious. "Sir Bruno told me why you called me here."
Garion nodded casually. "Good. Saves me the trouble of explaining everything."
Paren studied him for a few seconds before finally asking the question that had been bothering him ever since Bruno contacted him. "Are you really sure you can turn me into a Celestial Realm cultivator?"
Garion answered without the slightest hesitation. "Of course I can."
Paren’s brows drew together slightly. "You sound extremely confident."
Garion pulled one hand out of his pocket and spread both arms. "I haven’t failed once in the past ten years, have I?"
Paren paused.
He really couldn’t argue with that.
Every insane thing Garion had promised somehow ended up working.
No matter how ridiculous Garion’s claims sounded at first, God Gym somehow always produced results in the end.
Paren slowly nodded. "Yes. That’s true. You haven’t failed."
His voice became noticeably heavier as he added, "However, you have also never trained someone into the Celestial Realm before."
Garion calmly nodded. "Yeah."
Paren waited.
Garion pointed at him. "You’re the first one."
Paren’s expression immediately stiffened.
For several seconds, he simply stared at Garion, as if waiting for him to reveal that he was joking.
Garion clearly wasn’t.
He walked over and gave Paren a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don’t worry too much."
Paren lowered his gaze toward the hand resting on his shoulder before slowly looking back at Garion.
For some strange reason, those words did absolutely nothing to comfort him.
Garion noticed his expression and gave his shoulder another encouraging pat. "At worst, we learn something useful."
Paren’s face instantly darkened. "That is exactly what I was fucking worried about."
---
Garion pulled his hand away from Paren’s shoulder and casually crossed his arms. "Anyway, before we start, tell me something. How do cultivators normally break through from the Star Realm to the Celestial Realm?"
Paren stared at him.
For several seconds, he said absolutely nothing.
His expression slowly shifted from concern to complete disbelief before he finally blurted out, "What the hell?"
Garion tilted his head. "What?"
Paren immediately pointed at him. "You just told me you could help me reach the Celestial Realm, and now you’re asking me how someone reaches the Celestial Realm?"
Garion clicked his tongue and waved one hand dismissively. "Don’t make it sound worse than it actually is."
Paren scoffed. "How the hell am I supposed to make that sound any better?"
Garion completely ignored the question. "I already know the general process. I’m asking you to explain it again so I can confirm whether my understanding is correct."
Paren continued staring at him suspiciously, clearly wondering whether coming here had been a terrible mistake.
Garion shrugged. "Come on. If I’m going to experiment on..."
He paused. "...I mean, train you. Yes, train you into becoming a Celestial Realm cultivator; I should at least make sure I’m not remembering anything incorrectly."
Paren slowly rubbed his forehead.
Somehow, that explanation actually made sense.
At the same time, it did absolutely nothing to make him feel safer about what Garion intended to do to him.
In the end, Paren could only release a tired sigh. "Fine."
His expression gradually became more serious as he organized everything he had learned about the Celestial Realm over the years.
"The Star Realm is primarily about developing the [World Seed] inside our body. Throughout the entire Star Realm, we continuously nurture and strengthen it using everything we have accumulated."
Paren raised one hand and slowly curled his fingers into a fist.
"The breakthrough into the Celestial Realm begins when that [World Seed] finally opens and starts transforming into a genuine [Inner World]."
Garion’s casual expression faded slightly as genuine interest appeared in his eyes.
Paren continued, "You need enough energy to support the transformation, sufficient comprehension to stabilize the emerging world, and a body and soul strong enough to endure the entire process without breaking apart."
He paused briefly before adding, "The [World Seed] essentially becomes the foundation of everything that follows. If the transformation succeeds, the cultivator officially possesses an [Inner World] and steps into the Celestial Realm."
Paren lowered his hand.
"If any important part of the process fails, however, the newly forming [Inner World] can collapse before it completely stabilizes. Depending on how badly the breakthrough fails, the cultivator could suffer severe injuries, cripple their foundation, or even die."
Garion nodded several times as if everything had finally clicked back into place. "I see, I see. Good."
Paren waited for something more profound.
Garion tapped his fist against his palm. "Yeah, that’s basically exactly what I remembered. Now I fully remember all of it."
Paren’s face went blank.
He stared at Garion for several seconds before speaking in a flat voice. "You seriously made me explain all of that just to refresh your fucking memory?"