The elders finally exhaled in relief as one after another managed to complete their [Mana Core Cell] transformation.

Some fell to their knees. Others sat down, shaking. A few just stared at their own hands like they were seeing a new world.

Garion clapped once, loudly.

"Good. You all did it."

A tiny hope flickered in their tired eyes.

Then Garion grinned.

"Now for the fun part."

Several elders froze.

"…Fun?"

"The mana core–destroying part," Garion said casually, as if he were announcing lunch.

Every elder stiffened at once.

"C–Can't we keep both?" one elder asked, voice cracking.

"Y-Yes! I think we can keep both!" another blurted out desperately.

Garion waved his hand dismissively.

"No can do."

A chorus of groans filled the room.

Garion stepped forward, pointing at their chests and lower abdomen.

"You can feel it, right? The difference."

The elders exchanged looks. Some nodded slowly.

Their breathing deepened as they tried to sense the subtle changes inside their bodies.

Garion continued,

"Your [Mana Core Cells] pull mana from your blood. But your old Mana Core? That thing sucks in mana from the air."

He tapped his temple.

"Two different systems. Two different energies. They don't play nice together."

One elder weakly raised his hand like a terrified student.

"But… maybe… if we balance them carefully..."

Garion cut him off with a sharp laugh.

"Balance? Do you want your body to explode? Because that's how you explode."

A few elders flinched.

Garion crouched slightly so he was eye-level with them.

"If you keep both, your body will constantly switch between mana blood and air mana. Back and forth. Over and over."

He flicked a finger against an elder's forehead.

"That back-and-forth will tear you apart. Slowly and painfully. From the inside."

Silence settled. Cold sweat dripped down necks.

Garion straightened his back and shrugged.

"So… no. You can't keep both."

An elder swallowed hard. "T-Then… we really have to destroy our mana cores?"

Garion smirked.

"Oh, absolutely."

He cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing through the hall.

"And don't worry... I'll help."

Every elder suddenly stepped back at the same time.

Garion grinned wider.

"Relax. Raviel and Aveline survived. You will too."

Rynar whispered to Rynor behind Garion's back.

"They survived because they're monsters."

Rynor nodded. "We should prepare bandages."

Garion snapped his fingers.

"Alright everyone. Line up. It's time to crush some cores."

Garion snapped his fingers.

"Alright everyone. Line up. It's time to crush some cores."

A wave of dread rolled through the elders.

Their legs shook, their breathing grew uneven, but… they still stepped forward.

Garion looked completely unbothered.

Before touching anyone, he turned his head toward Arden and the twins.

"You three. Since you've awakened your [Unique Physiques], you're learning this too."

Rynar blinked. "Learning… how to break mana cores?"

Garion smirked. "Yep. If you're going to lead one day, you better know how to drag people onto the real path."

Rynor lifted a hand slowly. "Isn't this kinda… dangerous?"

Garion shrugged. "That's why I'm teaching you."

Arden nodded seriously. "Understood, Master."

Garion patted his shoulder. "Good. Watch closely."

He stepped to the first elder, who already looked like he was walking to his execution.

The man stopped in front of Garion, sweating from the neck down.

"M-Master Garion… p-please be gentle."

"No promises."

Garion placed his palm on the elder's lower abdomen.

The elder's entire body tensed. "W-Wait..."

CRACK!

A surge of mana burst outward.

The elder screamed, knees buckling as he fell forward, clutching his stomach.

Rynar flinched. "Oof… that sounded bad."

Rynor muttered, "Pretty sure it is bad."

Garion didn't even blink. He shouted over the elder's scream:

"FOCUS! Put all of it into your Mana Core Cell! Direct it! Don't resist it!"

The elder, shaking uncontrollably, forced himself upright and closed his eyes.

His mana spiraled wildly inside him, but slowly, it began to flow toward the single glowing cell he had formed earlier.

Garion nodded, satisfied.

"That's it. Feed it everything. Don't hold back."

Beside him, Arden was watching with a calm but pale face. "Master… is this process always this intense?"

Garion chuckled. "Yep. This is the easy part."

The twins exchanged horrified glances.

Rynor whispered, "This is the easy part?!"

Garion ignored them and stepped to the next elder.

"Alright. Who's next?"

Nobody moved.

Garion raised a brow.

Rynar and Rynor quickly shoved the nearest elder forward.

"There! He volunteers!"

Garion grinned. "Good enthusiasm."

The elder looked betrayed. "B-BUT I DIDN'T... AHHHHH!"

CRACK!

He collapsed, trembling, while Garion barked:

"FOCUS! Direct your mana! Don't cry on the floor!"

Arden exhaled slowly. "Master… I think I understand how it works now."

Garion nodded. "Good. You'll be doing the next one."

Arden stiffened. "…Wait. Now?"

Garion smirked. "Yep. Have fun."

The next elder's soul visibly left his body for a moment.

Rynar whispered to the others, "This training… is hell."

Rynor nodded. "I'm so glad we already finished ours."

Dahlia crossed her arms, watching from afar. "You three screamed too, remember?"

All three boys instantly looked away.

Garion clapped his hands once again, loud and commanding.

"LET'S KEEP IT MOVING! We've got dozens of cores to crush and only one month to rebuild two clans!"

The elders trembled… but they still stepped forward... one by one.

Garion watched Arden and the twins work, arms folded, expression proud and annoyingly smug.

Arden calmly guided the next elder. "Steady your breathing. Don't resist and direct it."

Rynar grinned viciously. "Good luck. Try not to scream."

Rynor added, "Yeah, don't embarrass yourself...AH WAIT, NO!"

Garion shot him a glare.

Rynor straightened instantly. "…I mean… good luck, elder."

Garion smirked. "Better."

He stepped closer, observing each of his disciples closely as they worked.

"Good. Very good. Your technique is clean. Your pacing is steady. And your insults are… well, we'll work on that."

Rynar scratched his cheek and muttered, "Old habits."

Garion waved a hand. "Anyway... after this process, they're fully converted to our path."

Dahlia approached, brushing dust off her hands. "So after their cores are crushed and their first cells perfected…?"

Garion nodded. "You know what to do next. Cultivate like usual and..."

He pointed at a rack of metal bars, weights, benches, and strange-looking equipment. "Do some lifting."

A few elders gulped as if weight training was scarier than core destruction.

Garion ignored them.

He clapped once more. "Dahlia, Arden, twins... keep going. Make sure everyone completes the conversion."

"Yes, Master," Dahlia said, already moving to the next group.

Arden nodded firmly. "We'll handle everything here."

Rynar cracked his knuckles. "Leave it to us."

Rynor grinned. "We'll whip them into shape."

Garion smirked wider, satisfied.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.