Chapter 88: Bodybuilding Class Turned Real
The disciples kept staring at the cadaver, their faces pale. No one dared to move or even breathe too loudly.
Finally, one of them gulped and raised his trembling hand.
"Master... isn’t this kind of knowledge... demonic?"
Garion blinked for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
"Demonic? What the hell are you talking about?"
The sudden laugh made everyone flinch, and a few even leaned back in their seats.
Garion wiped the corner of his eye and grinned.
"We’re studying the human body, not raising the dead. This isn’t dark magic... It’s the anatomy of the human body."
He pointed at the corpse with the back of his knife.
"We’re using the dead, not the living. How is that demonic?"
The room went silent.
The disciples exchanged nervous glances, unsure what to say.
Garion folded his arms and looked around the hall.
"Now, tell me, all of you... What’s the difference between demonic and righteous?"
The group hesitated. Then one brave disciple stood up slowly.
"Demonic people kill mercilessly and spread evil. Righteous people protect others."
Garion nodded.
"Exactly. And do you see anyone here spreading evil? Are we sacrificing anyone? No. We’re learning."
He spread his arms wide, justifying his own words.
"There’s nothing wrong or evil about trying to understand your own body inside and out."
He then tapped the table beside the cadaver.
"And for the record, this body isn’t some innocent villager. It’s the corpse of a bandit I killed myself."
A wave of whispers spread across the disciples.
"So it’s from a bandit?"
"Alright, it was a bandit, it’s still kind of scary... to use a real person."
"Still, at least it’s not a random villager."
Garion just smirked, hearing them.
"See? Nothing to be afraid of. Think of it as recycling."
A few disciples couldn’t hold back and snorted.
"Recycling, Master? That’s a strange way to put it."
Garion grinned wider.
"It’s the truth. He wasted his life committing evil, and now his body helps you learn. I’d say that’s a better use."
Laughter rippled throughout the hall, easing the tension
Garion nodded, satisfied.
"Good. You’re starting to think properly."
He placed one hand on the cadaver’s chest.
"Now listen carefully. The more you understand the human body, the better you’ll understand your body."
A young disciple in the second row raised his hand slowly.
"Master... how does this help us in cultivation exactly?"
Garion smiled.
"You’ll know it later. For now, just listen. But before that..."
He waved his hands, and two large crates appeared beside the table.
"Drink this first. It’ll help you focus."
The disciples groaned in unison the moment they recognized the label.
"Demonic Creatine again!?"
"Master, my tongue still burns from last time!"
"I thought this was supposed to be a class, not a torture!"
Garion chuckled.
"Quit whining. You survived before, didn’t you? Now drink it. If you faint from boredom later, don’t blame me."
The group reluctantly came forward, each grabbing a black bottle.
The moment they opened it, the familiar spicy scent filled the hall.
A few already gagged just from the smell.
They soon looked at one another miserably, then took a deep breath and drank it with one gulp.
"Argh!"
"It’s still so hot!"
"My throat’s on fire again!"
Garion laughed, clearly taking pleasure in their suffering.
"Good. That means it’s working. The burn is just your focus sharpening."
The disciples coughed a few more times, but their faces slowly straightened.
Their breathing steadied, and their eyes sharpened.
Garion nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Now all of you are ready to learn."
He picked up a small knife from the tray beside him and held it steady.
"We’ll start with the basics... how the body works in real life."
The disciples leaned forward, tense but curious.
Some gulped quietly, others covered their noses even though there was no smell.
Garion sliced cleanly along the chest.
"First lesson. Don’t be afraid. Every single one of you has this same structure inside your body."
One disciple whispered weakly.
"Still looks creepy, Master."
Garion smiled slightly.
"Then stop looking at it like a corpse. Look at it like a map. This is the map of your body."
He opened the chest carefully, exposing the layers beneath.
"Look here," he said, tapping with the flat side of the knife.
"These are muscles. See how they connect from one bone to another? Muscles pull, not push."
He then moved the cadaver’s arm.
"When you move your arm, this one here contracts, this one relaxes."
He then flexed his hand and pointed at the bicep.
"When I lift, this part tightens. Feel it."
A few disciples hesitated, then came closer to touch his arm.
"It’s firm," one said, surprised.
Garion nodded.
"That firmness is just the muscle shortening. Training makes these fibers stronger and thicker. That’s what you’re all doing every day in the gym."
He returned to the cadaver.
"Now, look underneath the muscles. This thin yellowish layer? That’s fat. Don’t laugh. Fat isn’t useless."
He cut the fat and put it on the tray for the disciple to look more closely.
"It protects the organs and stores energy. Without it, you’ll collapse after a few days of hunger."
A quite chubby disciple scratched his neck awkwardly.
"So... being fat isn’t that bad?"
Garion smirked.
"Only if you can control it. If not, you’ll just roll down the hills faster than others."
The group laughed, tension breaking for a moment.
Garion then pointed deeper into the chest.
"Now here’s where it gets interesting. This red organ in the middle... this is the heart."
He cut it and removed it, placing it on a tray.
"This heart is a pump, so it never rests. It beats tens of thousands of times every day to send blood through your whole body."
A disciple leaned closer,
"So the blood... moved thanks to this one organ?"
Garion nodded.
"Exactly. The heart pumps the blood full of nutrients and air that your body needs. Cut it off and you die."
He traced a thin line along one of the exposed vessels.
"These are veins and arteries. One sends blood out, one brings it back. They work in a loop, keeping everything alive."
Another disciple frowned.
"But Master, why does the blood come out red?"
Garion looked up.
"Because it carries oxygen from your lungs. When it’s full of air, it looks bright red."
Garion then showed them his arm, pressing and showing his veins.
"When it’s empty, it turns darker. That’s why veins look blue under your skin."
A few disciples looked down at their arms, pressing and studying their veins.
Garion nodded.
"Exactly. Every second. Whether you’re awake, sleeping, or training."
The disciples were surprised. There was so much new information that they never thought possible.