Garion continued reading, turning the page slowly.

His expression shifted again.

"…There's more."

The book explained that there was another reason the [Mana Core Realm] was officially placed as the second realm.

Garion leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

The moment a cultivator forms a mana core… their mana changes.

Not just in amount or density but in nature.

Garion's eyes moved faster as he read the examples.

One person's martial arts suddenly became warmer.

Another one became colder.

And another one... became faster for some unknown reason.

Garion paused.

"…So that's it."

He sat back slightly.

"This is where mana traits appear."

The book explained that once mana condensed into a core, it began to carry unique characteristics.

Subtle at first.

But clearly it's different from person to person, and the book didn't give a clear answer to why it's different.

It only recorded what people observed.

Garion flipped the page again.

And just like he thought, the people repeat the process.

They absorb mana, send it to the core, and let the core circulate mana through the meridians or mana pathways.

The mana pathways and mana gates also began to transform to withstand this new, thicker mana.

The book described how muscles, bones, and organs were gradually reinforced as the new mana flowed again and again.

Garion closed his eyes briefly.

"I see… So this is the real truth of the second realm of the mana path."

He opened them and tapped the page lightly.

"It's not just about the core. It's about the body surviving stronger mana."

Satisfied, he turned the page.

"Alright," he muttered. "Let's read the third realm."

His posture straightened.

The book explained that once cultivators reached the peak of the second realm...

Their control over mana reached a completely new level.

They could shape mana freely and were able to do things way better than martial arts.

It was to cast spells, and because of this, many cultivators began to abandon martial arts.

Garion frowned slightly.

"Makes sense. Why punch when you can blow things up from far away?"

But even with spells, power, and status…

They still weren't satisfied.

Garion exhaled through his nose. "Of course."

One group of cultivators tried the most obvious idea.

"If the mana pool evolved into a mana core… then the mana core should evolve too."

He flipped the page and sighed, knowing it already.

They tried ramming more mana into it.

Once, twice, and thousands of times, but the mana core didn't even change a little bit.

"It seems the mana core is already at the peak," Garion murmured.

So they changed direction.

Another idea appeared... simpler, yet stranger.

Garion's eyes narrowed as he read.

"If we can't change the core… then maybe the problem isn't us."

He leaned forward.

"Maybe the problem is the world."

One cultivator proposed something insane.

Instead of forcing the core to evolve, why not force the surroundings to adapt?

He tested it by letting his mana out... not to cast a spell but to try his idea.

He wanted to let his mana influence the world around him.

But it didn't work like he thought, but instead of giving up, he persisted through it.

The book stated it took one to two years of constant effort until the cultivator finally succeeded.

The area around him was influenced by his hand, slowly turning into his territory.

The mana inside the body stayed the same.

But inside the territory, his spells became even stronger, and he felt like he could do anything there.

For this very reason, it was directly decided that this will be the third realm.

Garion leaned back, stunned.

"So that's it."

He let out a quiet laugh.

"To think the third realm was… this simple."

He closed the book gently.

"The [Domain Realm], a realm where one doesn't change the body but changes the world."

Garion stared at the ceiling again, silent.

Then he smiled.

"…Now I understand why this doesn't fit me."

---

Garion frowned deeply.

He closed the book and rested it on his lap, staring at the cover like it might suddenly give him answers.

"…Now I really don't know what to do."

He leaned back in the chair and ran a hand through his hair.

After reading everything, the path ahead wasn't clearer at all.

If anything, it felt worse.

"I don't even have a direction."

He exhaled slowly and forced himself to calm down.

"…Alright. Calm down."

He straightened a little.

"In just a little over a year… I reached the peak of the second realm."

He paused, then added quietly, "That's already insane."

Even with the system helping him, that speed was absurd.

Normal cultivators would need decades.

Also, his disciples... Dahlia, the twins, and Arden had also reached the second realm.

All in a little over a year, and of course with his system's assistance.

But after thinking this...

Instead of calming him, the thought made his chest feel tighter.

"I need to reach the third realm," he said quietly. "And I need to do it fast."

Reaching the peak of the second realm meant they were already standing at the threshold of the third realm.

They were ready to break through at any moment.

So how could he, their master, have no idea how to step into the third realm himself?

Where did that leave his dignity?

But no matter how much he thought about it...

He still didn't know how.

The book's answer didn't help him at all.

"The mana in this world isn't strong enough to change the mana core further…"

He looked down at his hands.

"And my mana core cells… are my body."

That was the problem.

"…Do I need a stronger world?" he muttered.

The thought made him freeze.

"Another world?"

He laughed once, short and dry.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

Travel between worlds wasn't something you just decided to do.

That idea alone gave him a headache.

Garion rubbed his temples, eyes closing.

"Great. Now I'm thinking about world-hopping."

He sighed heavily and stood up.

"Enough. My brain's done."

He pushed the chair back and walked out of the library.

"If I keep thinking like this, I'll become crazy sooner or later."

His stomach growled right on cue.

"…Yeah. Food."

He headed toward the cafeteria, shoulders finally relaxing a little.

"Thinking on an empty stomach is useless anyway."

The doors to the restaurant opened, and warm smells hit his face.

Garion exhaled again, slower this time.

"Alright. Eat first."

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