Garion crossed his arms as he watched the arena, his eyes following every movement between Arden and Asro.

"Not bad. That elder of yours really knows how to control those thorny roots of his."

He leaned slightly forward, analyzing the movement of each thorny root.

"And when you add his trait, the [Nature Absorption], it makes sense why he's this strong. He basically can make any opponent of his weaker while make himself stronger."

Dahlia frowned slightly. "So the longer he fights, the stronger they become?"

Garion nodded. "Exactly. It's quite a nasty trait to deal with. The more you get hurt by him, the longer he can remain as your enemy without running out of steam."

Aveline smiled, hearing what Garion said.

"Let me tell you that the trait is the reason he earned his title as an elder. It even let him fight stronger people than him, and he could still win against them."

Raviel grunted, watching the area with crossed arms.

"And now that he had reached the completion stage, his control had gotten even better, and he had become an even nastier opponent."

Garion smirked. "Yeah, yeah, impressive and all. But my disciple, Arden, should still be able to beat him."

Aveline turned to him, one eyebrow raised.

"You sound awfully sure of that. You do realize he's fighting one of my elders, right?"

Garion met her gaze, unfazed.

"Of course I do. That's exactly why he wants this. There's no better way to prove growth than facing someone stronger like him."

Aveline exhaled softly, her tone a bit more serious.

"Even so, you shouldn't underestimate Asro. He's a strong and experienced cultivator. Arden might have talent, but he's still young."

Garion's grin widened.

"Young, yeah. But not foolish. Arden's not like most cultivators, as he doesn't panic when cornered. He thinks, adapts, and strikes when it matters."

Raviel let out a small chuckle. "You sound more like a proud father than a master."

Garion shrugged. "Well, I did train him. If he can't handle one overgrown plant, I'll just make him train even more later."

Dahlia, who had been leaning against the railing, grinned. "You'll probably make him do that even if he wins."

Garion laughed. "True."

Aveline shook her head, amused. "You really are something else, Sect Leader Garion."

Garion looked back at her with a smirk. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Then he turned toward the arena again, his expression sharpening.

"Anyway, words don't win battles. Let's see how this ends."

Aveline nodded, folding her arms as her eyes returned to the fight.

"Agreed. Let's see just how far my nephew has come."

And as the countless thorny roots burst out of the ground and shot toward Arden, Garion didn't look worried at all.

In fact, he was quite surprised as suddenly a small screen appeared before him.

"Huh... you can do this?"

[Name: Arden]

[Realm: Mana Core Realm]

[Transformed Mana Core Cells: 98%]

'Ninety-eight percent already?'

He blinked a few times, trying to see if it was real.

'That's almost a complete transformation. Even Dahlia hasn't reached that level yet.'

He glanced sideways, opening Dahlia's status window to compare.

[Name: Dahlia]

[Realm: Mana Core Realm]

[Transformed Mana Core Cells: 85%]

Garion rubbed his chin, thinking.

'So… Dahlia's still at eighty-five percent, and Arden's almost at full transformation. How the hell did this happen so fast?'

His gaze returned to the arena, where Arden was surrounded by thorny roots lashing in every direction.

He got numerous cuts from those thorny roots, and at the same time, he got even weaker thanks to Asro's traits.

But thanks to his mana core cells, his cut could quickly heal on its own with more mana, and when this happens... Garion suddenly realized it.

'Wait a minute... how can those injuries be healing even faster when his mana got sucked?'

He observed, and he quickly pieced it together.

'So that's it. Asro's root drains Arden's mana and stamina, but instead of weakening, Arden's body is pulling even more mana from the surroundings for defense.'

He smirked even more, tilting his head.

'And instinctively, as his mana core cells had not fully transformed, some of the mana was used to transform the rest of the mana pool cells.'

His smirk widened as the realization hit him.

'He's not just healing, but converting all of that mana that he got, to make his transformation even faster.'

Garion's eyes shifted toward the area around the arena, noticing the shimmer of green mana floating in the air.

"And this place... the Avenora Clan's territory. It's rich with nature elements and mana, and seeing that Arden's basically a member of Avenora..."

He chuckled as he turned back to Arden.

'Nature mana should be compatible with him, basically making this place a natural steroid for him.'

He turned his gaze toward Asro, who was confidently manipulating the thorny roots to attack Arden, and smirked.

"Oh, Asro… you think you've already won, but you have no idea what you've just done."

Then he cupped his hands and shouted, his voice echoing across the arena.

"Arden! Be ready! It's time for the Hall of Pain!"

Arden, still weaving between the incoming roots, frowned and called back.

"What do you mean, Master?!"

Garion laughed, resting his hands on his hips.

"Simple! Be prepared for trillions of needles!"

Arden froze for a split second, blinking in confusion.

"Wait... what?!"

Dahlia's eyes widened, realization hitting her instantly.

"Master! You mean he's about to go through that already?!"

Garion grinned like a proud maniac.

"Of course. It looks like his progress sped up faster than I expected. This place is practically built for him. It's the perfect setup."

Raviel chuckled beside him, arms crossed.

"So he's about to experience it, huh? I still remember when you were the one screaming in pain during it."

Garion's grin immediately dropped. He frowned and turned to Raviel.

"Please don't say that out loud. You're ruining my image."

Raviel just smirked. "Too late."

Meanwhile, Aveline looked between them, clearly confused.

"What are you people talking about? What's this… Hall of Pain?"

Garion just waved a hand casually, eyes still on Arden.

"You'll see soon enough. Just keep watching."

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