Chapter 9: Mana FX
Garion stood, arms crossed. He was watching over Dahlia’s training.
Her body was getting steadier daily, mana flowing smoother through her veins.
He was quite satisfied with her, and suddenly, he remembered something.
"By the way, Dahlia. There’s been some noise around the city lately. Do you know what it’s about?"
Dahlia opened one eye.
"A commotion?"
She thought for a moment.
"It should be one of two things, Master. Looking at the city’s history and location, it’s usually famous people who have arrived..."
"Or something big has happened, like the opening of a Treasure Realm."
Garion raised an eyebrow.
"Treasure Realm?"
Dahlia nodded, beginning to explain.
"Yes, Master. Sometimes, pocket dimensions appear across the world. They’re unstable and dangerous because nobody knows what’s inside."
"But they’re usually filled with numerous treasures or even strange cultivation opportunities. That’s why people call them Treasure Realms."
Garion scratched his chin, muttering.
"A dangerous pocket dimension full of treasures, huh? Sounds like a dungeon run in a game..."
Dahlia nodded.
"So, if there’s a commotion, the highest possible thing is that a Treasure Realm has appeared near the city."
Garion was about to reply when suddenly a glowing screen appeared.
[Treasure Realm Detected!]
[Classification: Materials Land]
[Objective: Enter and secure all resources to unlock Second Function]
[Navigation Arrow: Activated]
[Opening Countdown: 2 hours]
Garion’s eyes widened.
He blinked once, then twice, before rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
"Wow, I never thought you could do this. Not only can you tell me the time, but also its direction."
He rubbed his hands together in excitement.
"If I clear this, I’ll unlock the second function. I don’t even fully use the first one, but more is always better."
Dahlia noticed Garion’s grin and was curious.
"Master, did something happen?"
Garion waved his hand casually.
"Nothing you need to worry about. Just some stuff. Anyway, looks like I’ll be leaving for a while."
Dahlia tilted her head in confusion.
"Leaving? Where to?"
Garion smirked as he turned toward the gate.
"Treasure Realm. If what you said is true, one just opened nearby. I wanted to check it out."
Dahlia blinked, then nodded.
"I see. Then please be careful, Master."
Garion patted her lightly on her shoulder.
"Don’t worry. It’s just a Treasure Realm. You keep training while I’m gone. Try to make it passive cultivation."
Dahlia bowed her head.
"Yes, Master. I’ll try my hardest to transform it."
Garion walked toward the door, cracking his knuckles.
"Good girl. Now, time to see what kind of treasures this Treasure Realm is hiding."
---
Garion followed the arrow the system gave him. It led him just outside the city, not too far.
No wonder there had been so much commotion in the city these days.
When he arrived at the location, he stopped and hid in a tree.
"Whoa. It’s already so crowded."
The area was filled with cultivators. Some formed groups, while others stood alone, scanning the area.
Garion glanced back at the system to check how long it would be for the Treasure Realm to open.
"An hour, huh? I guess it’s first-come, first-served the moment it opens."
He folded his arms and looked around.
From what he could sense, every single cultivator here was still in the Mana Refinement Realm.
"It make sense. This is a small city on the side. How can there be a Mana Core cultivator here?"
Just then, something caught his attention.
"You stepped on my foot, bastard!"
Garion quickly turned to the one who was shouting.
Another man then sneered and pushed the one who was shouting back.
"Then move your damn foot! What are you, a baby?"
The first man’s face turned red.
"You looking for a fight, bastard?"
The second one also argued back.
"Bring it on, bastard!"
In seconds, the two cultivators prepared to fight, and the crowd backed down slowly, letting them fight.
Garion’s eyes quickly lit up.
"Oh, nice. Free entertainment and the chance to see how the cultivators fight. Let’s see what these guys can do."
The first man raised his sword high. He roared, stepping forward with a heavy step.
"Take this! Rising Tiger Slash!"
He swung the blade down with both hands. Mana soon surged, forming a faint shape of a tiger claw.
The second man snorted, lighting his stance and raising his sword horizontally.
"Flowing Wind Slash!"
He cut sideways, spreading his mana thin like a sharp breeze.
The two slashes collided mid-air, tiger and wind clashing, resulting in a shockwave that made the weaker cultivator step back.
Garion’s eyes narrowed as he observed how the duel played out.
"I see. So this is how cultivators fight. They use mana inside their martial arts to strengthen their attack and show how flashy and strong their attack is, but..."
He tilted his head, unimpressed.
"Their movements were just too bad? Their body movements and footwork were just ass. They’re just using mana to cover their weakness."
With that, Garion turned away. He stretched out and lay back on the tree branch.
"Alright, nothing good to see here. Let’s just wait for the main event to start."
He yawned, turning back to the system.
"Wake me up the moment the Treasure Realm opens."
The system gave no response, but he knew the system understood it.
Garion then began to sleep, and suddenly a sharp chime rang in his head.
He quickly woke up to find out that the Treasure Realm had opened.
The cultivators had already gone wild and quickly went inside, shoving others out of the way.
"Out of the way, the treasure is mine."
"I’ll be the first to claim the treasure!"
"Don’t push me, you dog!"
It was pure chaos, and Garion only smirked, looking down from above.
"Looks like everyone’s rushing without thinking. Perfect chance for me to sneak in and see what this place is about."
He quickly rushed toward the glowing entrance while everyone else scrambled like children.
Garion was a cultivator focusing on the body, so it was easy for him to move in without alerting others.
"Alright, let’s see what kind of playground this Treasure Realm is."