Back in the scholar house, the big shots were all staring at 'Grandma', Third Sister.
She smiled bitterly and shook her head.
"I should thank you all for not asking about my background all these years...
I know most of you saw a thing or two about me that was suspicious.
But I hope you can bear with me a little more, because with him around, my special identity is indeed useless now..."
Charm Goddess couldn't accept it, though.
"Third Sister, at least give us a little hint!
I'm dying out of curiosity!"
Third Sister closed her eyes, as if thinking about what to say, then opened them and said,
"The only thing I can share with you is that I, in the 'Little Boss' category that he shared with us about living beings, am a Level 3 creature."
The crowd's jaws almost dropped!
So many things came to their minds related to this!
'So that's why everyone under the Immortal Realm was respectful to her!
That's why everyone likes her!
That's why, even though she can make pills that no one else can, nobody asks how she can!
She is two levels higher than living beings on this planet so that everyone can be under her influence to some extent!
She made everyone not bother her!'
They all felt it was a blessing that she was a good person in every way—or it would have been a disaster for them!
Seeing their faces, Third Sister smiled knowingly and said,
"You guys are overthinking.
From the first day I arrived here, I was under Heaven's Will surveillance.
One wrong step, and I would be facing Him...
You might not know, but the Heaven's Will of each planet is always two levels higher than the starting point of the beings on that planet.
For a cultivation planet that starts with Level 1, Heaven's Will power is equal to a Level 3 being."
Then she shook her head and laughed mockingly.
"Anyway, I'm not like a certain someone who dares to go on a rampage in here without anyone questioning him."
Hearing her, the rest of the big shots started laughing.
Indeed, with this little unknown monster messing around on their planet like he already owned it, even a Level 3 creature wasn't that big of a deal anymore.
So they all calmed down, and Scholar poured another round of tea for them to discuss the new information they had gained from their boss.
"Here, fellow Daoists, have some tea."
Charm Goddess said,
"Tea or spirit tea?"
The group of big shots just felt cold sweat on their backs from hearing the familiar question and glared at her annoyingly!
....
Demoness Sect, outside the outer sect city.
Near the farmlands, Scarlet was watching over the 'gang members' while on vigil.
Then she suddenly felt an unfamiliar aura coming her way.
The other party was strong—at the peak of the Mahayana Realm!
So she stood up to confront them if they had any bad intentions!
Not long after, when she saw who it was, she sighed in relief.
The Little Senior was riding his tricycle toward her with a big, muscular man sitting atop the backpack.
The muscular man was the source of the aura she had felt.
The senior himself was like a nonexistent being!
When they arrived, Little Mortal parked his tricycle and said,
"Last station!
All passengers, get out!"
Elder Iron, who didn't even know what happened for 90% of the way due to the high speed, jumped down.
His hair was disheveled, his clothes were a mess,
and he looked around blankly for a while, as if he didn't feel well at all.
Scarlet went forward and greeted them.
"Greetings, Boss, and fellow Daoist."
"Sup, Little Scarlet."
Elder Iron, who felt the aura of another big shot, came back to his senses and bowed.
"Greetings, Senior."
"Little Scarlet, I have a mission for you."
Scarlet gulped and wondered if it was another mission like the previous one.
But this time, it was an easy mission.
"Go back to the capital, give these two candies to the Emperor and my sister-in-law, and take this one for yourself as your reward.
But remember, don't eat it now. Please also tell my little brother and sister-in-law not to eat it until the day of my guardian ceremony.
I'll contact you guys that day, so stay with them until then."
Scarlet took the three candies—two blue and one red—and asked,
"Which one is mine?"
"Blue for the ladies, red for men."
"Then I take my leave."
Little Mortal was going to wave at her and say goodbye, but she was already gone, as if she were fleeing!
His hand froze in the air, speechless...
Elder Iron, at first, wondered why she had left, as if she were running away from something. But when he saw thousands of people lying on the ground, all of them brimming with spiritual energy equal to some big shots, his hair stood on end, and he thought he'd better run too!
"S-Senior, are these people fine?
S-Should we go somewhere else?"
"They're fine. I gave them Spirit Creatine."
Then he asked in confusion,
"Don't you use illegal drugs? Why are you so shocked by a little supplement?
I mean, how else can you be this big?"
Elder Iron was puzzled.
"What drug, Senior?
I only eat chicken and rice, with some Power Grass for dessert..."
Little Mortal gasped, as if hearing something unbelievable.
"First, tell me—you mean spirit rice and spirit chicken?
Or normal chicken and rice?"
Not understanding what was so unbelievable about it, he answered,
"Spirit rice and spirit chicken."
Little Mortal walked around him, looking suspicious.
"You're telling me you're 'natural'?
No way. I don't believe it!
Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror?
You're like a 300-pound (136 kg) bodybuilder with ripped muscles!
Like when you were at your peak!
You're telling me that your natural peak here is as good as your enhanced peak from 2003?"
The look of disbelief on his face was a sight to behold!
It wasn't acting, like most of the time—it was real!
Then he ran to his backpack, took out a big pouch of Spirit Creatine, mixed it into a bucket of water, and ran back to Elder Iron, who was looking at him blankly...
He didn't understand what 'natural' meant here, or 'enhanced' and '2003'!
What was he even talking about?
Little Mortal handed him the big bucket and said,
"Drink it. If you're telling the truth, you can prove it right now!"
Elder Iron didn't say anything and just drank the whole thing.
Little Mortal stared at him intensely and suspiciously!
Then he gasped.
"No way! You're still natural!"
Then, as if he'd found the reason, he said,
"I'm so silly!
This is the cultivation world!
There are no drug dealers to sell you anything!
Science here is so primitive it's embarrassing!
There's no 'spirit steroid' to begin with!
Let alone anyone selling it!
So that's why!"
Elder Iron did not understand how anything was proven at first, but he suddenly felt something and looked down.
On the back of his hands, a vein was popping out.
He rolled up his sleeves, and it was the same.
Then he felt his body getting warmer and warmer.
His muscles started to pump, as if he were under heavy training, and began to emit steam.
He felt an overwhelming surge of energy in his body — energy he had never experienced before!
'What did he feed me?
Wait, these people drank the same thing?
That's why they're full of spiritual energy?
Oh no, am I going to explode now?'
While he was panicking, Little Mortal was running around, giving orders!
"Guardian Token, give Ronnie a Special Force Token!"
A black token was thrown at the dumbfounded Elder Iron.
The moment he caught the token, the rampaging spiritual energy in his body came under control!
"Big guy, send out the parts! It's time to build the squat rack!"
The parts, made of heavy material, dropped to the ground.
When the barbell landed, it made the ground tremble, and it sank.
"Make a flat ground with the rest of the sphere!
Thin and wide!
We need it for the fighting scenes too!"
Under the gaze of the speechless Elder Iron, who saw this little senior connecting every part and moving them around like they were nothing but toys, a big pillar suddenly came out of the backpack and dropped on the ground!
It was more than a thousand meters tall!
Silver in color!
Then it started rolling and opening like a carpet!
Not long after, a silver surface—1 square kilometer in size (3280 feet)—
appeared on the ground!
Little Mortal, already done assembling the squat rack, started putting all the plates (that were supposed to be used as weights) on the barbell. He picked it up with one hand, alongside the squat rack with his other hand, and ran to the center of the silver platform, placing it there.
"Ronnie, come over here! It's time to break through your butter-neck with my gang!"
The confused Elder Iron, when he heard the words 'break through the butter-neck', came back to his senses and started running to the center.
But on the way, he felt he was no longer alone and looked behind.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw the scene.
Thousands of people were all running alongside him!
All full of muscle—not as developed or unreasonably massive as him, but close!
Seeing them running alongside him, he felt at home!
He didn't know why, but they were like his lost family members, suddenly reunited!
Little Mortal shouted:
"Little Pot, give them the pills!"
The Little Pot flew to the sky above the gang members (who were running with closed eyes)
and started sending the unnamed breakthrough pills down on them, as if it were raining!
Their mouths opened by themselves, and the pills went inside!
Even Elder Iron, without knowing why, opened his mouth, and ten pills went inside!
When he reached the center, the whole crowd started returning to their former places—but this time in a circle formation, with Elder Iron and Little Mortal at the center!
Men and women are separated.
Shorter people in front, taller people at the back!
Just them moving like puppets under control made a chill run down Elder Iron's spine!
'What is going on?!
What is this senior going to do with us?'
A moment later, he saw Little Mortal looking around, as if checking if everything was in place and ready.
Then he nodded and jumped inside the backpack.
Not long after, Coach Mambod came out with his encouraging smile once again.
Elder Iron, looking at the senior's new appearance—bald cap and circular beard—didn't know what to do.
While he was debating whether to greet him or remain silent, the entire scenery suddenly changed!
He looked around and, once again (like when he saw all those muscular people), he felt he was back home!
'Where is this place?'
He was sure it was just an illusion—one he'd never seen before—but why did it feel like home?
While lost in thought, the gang members started opening their eyes one by one.
They were all confused at first, as if they didn't even know where they were.
But when they saw the familiar 'gym' and the familiar coach with that 'evil' smile (trying to hide its intentions behind an 'encouraging' one), they all understood:
The nightmare had begun once again!
The adults all wore looks of fear (but mostly numbness) on their faces.
The children, however, didn't even know what was happening.
Unlike the adults (who had witnessed the process of getting muscular in real-time), the children had slept through 99% of the training sessions!
The sound of gasping could be heard from the children.
The boys were happy and astonished by their muscles—as if their dreams for the future had suddenly come true!
The girls, however, looked at their massive, muscular arms with fear and disgust, thinking, 'How did we turn into monsters?!'
However, all of them, without exception, felt as though they were about to explode!
While they were asleep, they'd all had the same dream.
In that dream, they felt an urgent need to pee!
When they found a toilet (or a hidden spot) and started, another problem arose:
There was no end to it!
No matter how much time passed, it didn't stop!
It was like drinking too much water before bed, then not waking up when you need to 'release'.
The same dream plays out in that situation—but usually, you'd wake up eventually.
Here, they had no control over their bodies.
Someone else's orders overrode their brains' commands!
So the dream of endless 'release' continued... until now.
Frustrated, they also felt a strange, inexplicable joy in this dream.
The crowd, with mixed feelings, looked at the source of these new experiences—Coach Mambod, who smiled back 'encouragingly'.
Then, as one, they cupped their hands and shouted:
"Welcome back, Coach!"
The Little Coach's smile widened.
"It's good to be back, my friends."
Then he walked to the center, speaking:
"After 100 years of training, today has finally come."
The gang members grew confused.
'What day? What 100 years?'
They glanced at the children (still young but now muscular) and wondered:
'100 years, and they didn't grow up?
Did all those years go into our muscles?!'
"I know the pain was unpleasant. The suffering was unbearable. The discomfort you still feel is hard to endure. But..."
Hearing 'but', the crowd tensed.
'But what?!
It's not enough?
More training?!'
"But there are always two sides to a coin, right?
If one side is pain and suffering, then the other side is...?"
He pointed at a random little boy (no smaller than himself) at the front, as if saying:
'You finish the sentence.'
The boy looked around timidly—he had no answer—but just as he was about to say 'I don't know', he suddenly shouted:
"It's the payoff for enduring the pain!
The glory of reaching our goals after all the suffering!"
The Little Coach nodded.
The crowd raised their eyebrows, wondering who'd taught him that.
The boy himself was shocked—he hadn't said that!
Elder Iron gulped.
'They're like a crazy cult!
How can a child act like this?'
The Little Coach continued:
"Indeed. For 100 years, awakening your spirit root was your dream, wasn't it?"
The crowd ignored '100 years' and nodded.
The Little Coach raised his voice with each sentence:
"For 100 years, you trained for this dream!
For 100 years, you slept thinking of this dream!
You ate thinking of this dream!
You wrote about this dream!
You talked about this dream!
And now—BOOM!—
YOU'RE ONE STEP AWAY FROM YOUR DREAM!"
The gang shouted in 'excitement':
"TODAY, WE REACH OUR DREAM!"
The Little Coach joined:
"TODAY, YOU REACH YOUR DREAM!"
The crowd roared again (this time, unprompted):
"TODAY, WE REACH OUR DREAM!"
Elder Iron gulped again.
'This is definitely a cult.
What have I gotten myself into?!'
The Little Coach waited for the excitement to cool, then said:
"Today, another man joins you to take this final step toward his dream."
He turned to Elder Iron, admiration in his tone:
"The man. The legend.
8-time Mr. Olympia.
The King.
RONNIE COLEMAN!"
The crowd erupted:
"RONNIE! RONNIE! RONNIE!"
Elder Iron was dumbfounded.
Yet, inexplicably, it felt familiar—as if he'd heard this chant before.
Tears welled in his eyes.
His heart pounded.
While his mind reeled, his body moved on its own.
He puffed his chest, smiled at the crowd, and spoke—without willing it:
"In all my life, in this world of cultivation, I've felt alone...
I felt different...
At some point, life was just about surviving.
Nothing else.
And I think... it was the same for you, wasn't it?"
The crowd nodded.
In this world, for the powerless, life was avoiding the wrath of 'high and mighty immortals'.
"But now, here, today—we can change that!
Because an opportunity stands before us!"
He stepped under the squat rack (now loaded with just a barbell).
Simultaneously, squat racks of varying sizes appeared before everyone—larger for adults, smaller for children.
Following his lead, they all positioned themselves:
Barbell on their traps.
Feet shoulder-width apart.
They lifted the barbell, stepped back three paces, and started squatting.
The crowd (already versed in bodybuilding) recognized this move—the legendary 'awakening' exercise the Little Coach had saved for this moment!
Elder Iron was horrified at first—but then realized:
'The senior is using me for two reasons:
1. To motivate these people.
2. To teach me how to use this device!'
How? He didn't know—and didn't care.
His body kept speaking:
"This move is called Squat!
It seems simple—just sitting down and standing up..."
After 20 reps, he reracked the barbell.
The crowd followed.
He added a thin plate, one he'd struggled to lift when he was helping the blacksmith, effortlessly.
Everyone mirrored him.
They squatted again—thousands of buffed gym rats in unison, a mesmerizing sight.
"...But when done right—with the right intensity, in an endless cycle—
It creates miracles beyond imagination!"
15 reps. More weight added.
The Little Coach's eyes gleamed.
Elder Iron now understood what "natural" means and what "enhance" means.
The plate he couldn't pick up easily!
The barbell that he and the blacksmith could only lift if they did it together—he was now moving it alone!
And it wasn't hard at all!
'How could a simple drink make such a difference?'
The next set started after a half-minute rest, with Elder Iron's motivational speech:
"To achieve our goal, we need to apply principle and consistency!
Every day, and not just today!
What you did for 100 years, and I did for thousands of years!
It's called hard work!
And hard work works!"
Another set of 12 reps ended.
The crowd felt a little pressure in this set.
The third plate was added to the barbell on both sides!
Next, 12 reps, and the fourth plate.
The crowd finally started sweating!
The pressure was real!
The fifth set started with the fourth plate.
"There is an old saying: If you do squats, your last set is when you start bleeding!
So, as you can see, we are far from that 'last' set!"
The crowd, who were scared out of their wits from inside, all together shouted 'excitedly':
"We squat until we bleed!"
Elder Iron, who felt he had gained control over his body,
Finally, he sighed in relief—not because he feared this senior harming him, but because he really wanted to make this move by himself!
He didn't care about these crazy cult members anymore, who were shouting, "We squat until we bleed!"
Just the first 20 reps, and he felt like he knew how to do it from the first day of his life!
Like it was engraved in his blood!
When this set ended, the crowd was sweating profusely!
The pressure was so much that they felt it might crush them!
But it was not the end—they knew it!
Because they hadn't bled yet!
They added the fifth plate and started the sixth set.
This time, Elder Iron didn't say anything, but the little coach did!
"Everyone,
Listen to me carefully!
Squats can redesign your genetics!
Squats can change the path in front of you!
Squats can even change your fate!
My brothers, my sisters, let's use squats—today, here and now—to change this stubborn fate!
This is your last set!
You either awaken your root, or you die!"
Then everyone together shouted with a tone that showed only bravery, courage, and unstoppable momentum:
"We squat until we bleed!"
While inside, they screamed:
'Let us go, devil child!'
And this time, at the 10th rep, all of them started bleeding from their noses!
Only Elder Iron was fine!
He put the barbell back, added another plate, and continued!
But there was still no sign of a breakthrough!
The gang members all shouted:
"We'd rather die than give up!"
And started doing 10 more reps!
Under their feet, a small lake of blood and sweat formed—though they didn't know the blood was fake!
Elder Iron added the seventh plate and continued.
He was like a possessed man at this moment!
He didn't care what was going on around him, as if he were in another 'zone', while the gang members kept going without rest or adding weight!
30th rep—they were on the verge of giving up!
But then they heard the little coach shouting at them:
"How much do you want to succeed?
You should want it as bad as you want to breathe!
How bad do you want to breathe?
That's how much you should want to succeed!
Be confident in yourself!
Believe in yourself!
Do it!
Do it until you make it!"
Thousands of people—old, young, men, women—started roaring toward the sky!
Bleeding fake blood from their noses like a river!
"HAAAAAAAAAA!"
At the 40th rep, they felt something in their bodies break!
At first, they thought it was a bone—that their bodies had finally given up under the hands of this unreasonable devil and started crushing...
Because in the end, it doesn't matter how much you want something—if your body can't handle it, then it doesn't matter.
But suddenly, they felt their bodies move on their own, placing the barbell back on the squat rack, stepping back,
and sitting down cross-legged!
It was only now that they understood: This last set—it was they who had been doing the reps the whole time!
No one was forcing them!
While fascinated and excited, they suddenly felt a new energy inside their bodies!
It was like a new kind of power moving through their veins.
What was that?
And why was it moving in a specific way?
And at this moment, they heard the little coach saying:
"Congratulations, everyone."
The crowd all looked at the little coach, who now wore a genuine smile, and felt tears gathering in their eyes...
Even though it was sudden, even though they had just woken up and didn't know what was happening until now...
They did it.
They had finally awakened their spirit root...