The old man coughed.Laughing bitterly, he wiped blood from the corner of his lips, "To think such a pathetic showing of power would put me in this state…"
He would never tell Dyon this – partially because of his pride, and partially because that brat was too serious when it came to things like this – but something like projecting a technique through so many dimensional barriers was too much for him in his old age.
Even worse, when he had felt like Dyon would die, he had extended the time past his limit. That small extra fractions of a second may have seemed like nothing in the face of 6 months, but that was only if you didn"t consider how far the old man was already pushing himself to match that 6-month total in the first place.
In fact, because of the old man"s kindness, Dyon was able to reach a state where he thought his death was inevitable, and yet it didn"t occur. Because of that extra split second, Dyon was able to grab onto life, deepening his understanding of death and increasing his life by increments.
By the time the old man couldn"t hold on any longer, Dyon had taken the reigns, fighting for his life himself.
"He"s laid down a one with heart for himself that will make it exceedingly difficult to move forward in… His comprehension is already at the one with soul level, and yet his intent is still stuck at one with heart. The universe isn"t so easy to toy with Dyon… There may come a point where it"s impossible to move forward, even with all the arrogance in the world…
How will you react then? Will you stay your course?... Or will your heart crumble along with your life?..."
**
Dyon held onto Ri and Madeleine tightly as he sent an unwavering gaze toward Patriarch Ragnor.
"A look?" Dyon responded coolly, "If you were as old as you say you were, then shouldn"t you be aware that cultivation is a private matter by now?
If that isn"t the case, I"d very much like to take a look at your clan"s lightning tribulation technique. I hear it makes the heavens so angry that stepping into the saint realm is nearly impossible for you all, that must be quite the grand technique. How about it?"
Dyon had heard about this technique long ago. When he eavesdropped on a conversation between Elder Daiyu and Elder Kami at Focus Academy, they had spoken about how the Ragnors likely placed so much importance on the blood sacrifice technique because their lightning techniques made it nearly impossible to survive the lightning tribulations of stepping into the saint realm and beyond.
Tribulations often came hand in hand with increasing cultivation. Although the heavens ignored body and soul cultivation in terms of these trials, energy cultivation was never ignored in such a way.
The reason was simple. As Dyon had lamented during his fighting for his life, his demon generals had higher comprehension ability than he did because of their saint cultivation. This was because higher forms of energy gave way to better connections with the universe. This was why it was necessary to comprehend an intent before you could become a saint!
With each successive step up in energy quality – from essence to saint, from saint to celestial, and from celestial to enigmatic – the connection with the universe deepened again and again. And, no step gave a deeper connection than becoming a transcendent being!
As such, martial warriors underwent four tribulations. One for saint hood, one for the celestial stage, one for dao formation, and yet another for transcending.
In addition to this, the universe would often become angry and cast down tribulations for mastering supreme laws. However, it would only be a showcase of anger. There would be no real trial unless a warrior attempted to form a dao on the basis of a supreme law. That is when the universe would truly act. This was also what made the tribulation of dao formation among the most dangerous.
Of course, these tribulations were based on talent. Dyon was quite lucky to not have to face tribulations for his soul, or else his likelihood of survival would be near non-existent. But, this was where the problem for the Ragnors came into play.
Because of their techniques, lightning was essentially the most comfortable thing in the world for a Ragnor. This meant that if they faced trials that were similar to those on their level, it would be much too easy, and the universe understood this.
As a result, Ragnor trials were something of a death sentence for many of them. The cruel reality shaped much of the Ragnor culture, making much of them twisted and depraved – after all, they were basically sentenced to death from the very start of their lives. Dyon would never have sympathy for those who handled their fate like Baal or Vidar did, but that didn"t mean he didn"t understand.
Patriarch Ragnor"s eyes flashed with something imperceptible, but other than that, his smile didn"t change, "I would be more than willing to show you the technique, if it was under my power to do so. However, as you know, we are a mere branch of our lauded family," He sighed, "I simply don"t have the power to make such a decision. That said…." Patriarch Ragnor smiled, looking toward Dyon with piercing eyes. "If you joined our family, I"m sure there wouldn"t be a problem."
An uproar sounded through the arena. Very few here had an understanding of the overall landscape of their quadrant, but, what they did understand was that the Ragnors were an unprecedented power house. To be invited to an Emperor G.o.d Clan was unheard of! Even if it was by a mere branch!
"I say we"re a mere branch family, but as you can see, we"ve birthed two faith seeded geniuses through our humble lineage. A meritorious feat like this would of course sky rocket us into the good graces of the main branch. With an endors.e.m.e.nt from us, you"ll be valued just as much as either Vidar or Thor!" Patriarch Ragnor"s voice boomed.