Heretic Trainer: The Gym Is My Cultivation Method

Chapter 532: Congrats… I Think?

Rachel kept her eyes fixed on the crater, still trying to make sense of what she was feeling.

"But how? Even Garion hasn’t stepped into the Fourth Realm yet... so how did she surpass her own master?"

Mersha let out a bright, self-satisfied laugh, lifting her chin proudly. "Hehe... it must be my elixir. I really am the best."

Rachel rolled her eyes, though the tension in her expression didn’t ease. "Is that seriously your explanation?"

Mersha placed a hand on her hip. "Of course. Don’t forget. I also helped with Giselle’s delivery."

Rachel exhaled slowly. "You did make that part easier."

She paused, then added dryly, "But it was terrifying having someone known as a maniac assist with the delivery. Never again."

Mersha grinned, unfazed. "Oh, come on."

Rachel ignored her and turned back to Sianor. "Sir Sianor... do you know what’s actually happening?"

Sianor shook his head slowly, his gaze still fixed ahead. "Not exactly."

He crossed his arms, deep in thought. "This... has never happened before."

After a moment, Sianor exhaled. "Without a Perfection Realm manual, a breakthrough like this shouldn’t even be possible."

His eyes shifted, then stilled on Mersha.

A thought struck him.

He turned abruptly to Sorien. "Sorien."

Sorien glanced back at him, calm as ever. "What is it, Sovereign?"

Sianor met his gaze. "The demonic dragon you killed, the one you handed over to God Gym. Which one was it?"

Sorien frowned slightly, searching his memory. Then he nodded.

"If I’m not mistaken, it was Navrel, a demonic dragon duke sealed by the Draconia Clan decades ago."

He adjusted his stance. "When the seal broke, he was still weakened. I defeated him before he could fully recover."

Sianor fell silent, absorbing the information. "I see..."

Rachel looked between them, unease creeping into her expression. "What does that mean?"

Sianor spoke slowly, choosing his words with care. "I don’t think Dahlia was breaking through as a Perfection Realm cultivator."

Rachel frowned, confusion deepening. "Then what’s happening to her?"

Sianor’s gaze returned to the crater. "Navrel’s bloodline... I believe it’s fusing with her own dragon bloodline."

He paused briefly before continuing. "If her bloodline were compatible enough, that fusion could force a breakthrough."

Rachel’s eyes widened. "You’re saying..."

Sianor nodded once. "She didn’t step into the Perfection Realm as a cultivator."

A low rumble echoed again from within the crater.

Sianor narrowed his eyes. "She stepped into it as... a beast."

Silence followed.

Rachel’s expression tightened, uncertainty flickering across her face.

She couldn’t tell if this was a blessing or something far worse. "Is that dangerous? Will she still be herself?"

Sianor didn’t answer right away. His gaze remained fixed on the crater before he finally shook his head. "I don’t know."

His voice was calm, but the uncertainty beneath it was unmistakable. "This has never happened before. Not even once."

He glanced back toward the arena, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And she absorbed the power of a demonic dragon..."

A faint sigh escaped him. "I’m concerned she might become one herself."

Rachel drew in a slow breath, her fingers curling tightly at her side. "Let’s just hope that’s not the case."

Sianor said nothing. His eyes remained locked on Dahlia, watching, waiting, for what would happen next.

---

Far below the surface...

Fifteen kilometers down, where light no longer existed, Garion stood alone.

The pressure was constant, crushing in from every direction, forcing his body inward.

His muscles trembled as he held his stance, feet planted firmly against the seabed.

Inside him, countless cells pulsed with mana, working without rest.

They repaired, reinforced, and stabilized his organs and muscles, forcing them to adapt to the immense pressure.

Even so, it was only enough to protect his core; his outer skin had long since collapsed inward under the strain.

Then, suddenly, something changed. For some unknown reason, his body grew stronger.

His skin began to regenerate, something it hadn’t done even once since he passed five kilometers deep.

Garion blinked, staring at his own body. "What the...? How is this happening? Did I just get stronger?"

A small smile crept across his face. "Don’t tell me... did my body finally evolve?"

[Hahaha... you wish.]

Garion’s expression flattened. "If not that, then what?"

[Come on, host. Did you forget one of my abilities?]

He frowned, thinking. "Which one?"

[Seriously? The first thing you ever got from God Gym. How can you forget?]

Garion narrowed his eyes, trying to recall. "Is it the one where every workout performed inside the God Gym increases my strength?"

[Yeah, that’s the one.]

He crossed his arms slightly, still bracing against the pressure.

"That only boosts strength from workouts done inside the God Gym."

He paused, frowning. "But that’s negligible now. After reaching the Third Realm, it barely makes a difference."

[It was small... but it never stopped.]

Garion’s expression shifted. "You’re saying it kept stacking?"

[Every single time. That’s why your body is approaching the Fourth Realm.]

Garion nodded slowly, absorbing the realization. Then his brow furrowed again. "Wait..."

He looked up slightly, as if thinking through it. "If that’s the case... I didn’t need to come all the way here."

[Wrong.

That effect only works below the Perfection Realm.] Garion tilted his head, confusion flickering across his face. "Then how am I this much stronger now?"

[Alright, listen carefully.]

Garion exhaled, steadying himself against the crushing pressure. "Go on."

[That talent of yours... it already evolved after multiple system rank-ups.]

His eyes narrowed. "Evolved into what?"

[Gods’ Trainer.]

Garion fell silent, waiting.

[The new effect is simple: whatever a member of the God Gym gains... you receive half.]

He blinked. "Half?"

One eyebrow rose. "That sounds worse. It used to multiply my gains ten to twenty times, if I remember correctly."

[Hear me out. Before, it only amplified physical training. Now... it applies to everything.]

Garion went still. "Everything?"

[Everything. Even Ascension.]

His pupils shrank. "...Ascension?"

For a moment, the immense pressure of the deep sea vanished from his awareness.

No... don’t tell me...

[You’ve got it.]

Garion’s fist clenched, his body trembling not from the pressure this time.

"How... how is that possible...? Am I really about to be surpassed by my own disciple... Just because they managed to get a God Physique first?"

[Haha. That expression... priceless.]

Garion’s face darkened into a scowl. "...Damn you, Atlas."