Battling a cobra head-on was foolish. A single attack could result in numerous holes smaller than the eye could see tearing through your skin, bone and muscle. Knowing this, it was no wonder Dyon could the bold type path for them.
The bronzed took in all of the light type stones they gathered from raiding underground caves while the cobras ate the bold type stones.
Dyon knew that there were many other energy types to exploit. However, it seemed this area only had holy, light and bold type. Still, even if he had more, it wouldn't matter considering he had yet to find another den of newborns to make use of.
Like this, the cobras slowly grew toward maturity. Unfortunately, Dyon's main body wasn't experiencing such smooth progression.
Though Calming Lake was a true paradise unlike the Ancient Battlefield, it was hiding a hell far worse than the latter.
Dyon's face remained serene, but there was a war going on his mind.
[Let go of that arrogance, what sort of silly path are you trying to follow? Did you not want to be calm and calculating? A person like this knows when to put their pride away and bow their heads]
As expected of the first and simplest tier, the attacks were bordering on juvenile. Did they really believe they could convince him this way? Their thoughts were shallow and unfounded. This level of consciousness could never shake Dyon.
Dyon mind began to claw forward, ripping all those he came across apart.
[Boy, there is nothing wrong with arrogance. Embrace it, laugh at the skies from on high, even if it means losing your head in a shower of blood.]
However, there were attacks that stuck more firmly, ones that a deep part of Dyon truly believed.
He wanted to be a person who could act on a whim and still find a path to victory no matter what odds he faced, no matter what trouble he placed himself him.
Wasn't that the type of person he was already? Wasn't that why he couldn't cultivate an Undefeatable Spirit? He had such confidence in himself that he never doubted victory…
Dyon's mind was in shambles even as he clawed through consciousness after consciousness. He didn't know the path he should take.
He didn't want to forsake himself and the mentality that brought him to this place, but at the same time, he still felt he had to change.
That feeling he grasped that day. The moment he learned Clara's life was in danger and Madeleine was fighting for her own… That instant where he thought Amphorae might die along with his little brother and sister… That eerie calm when he thought he might lose everything due to his arrogance.
That day, no, those several weeks, he felt like everything was in the palm of his hand and out of his hands at the same time. He had 'lost' everything, but he had also gained everything.
[Yes, that's the true martial path, one that discards everything to gain everything. If you care for nothing, you can remain calm in the face of death. Discard love and family, discard even the will to keep your own life, only then can you reach the pinnacle of there is.]
Dyon's calm expression cracked before recovering.
[Transcendents must learn to do this. To transcend means to shed away mortal matters. You must watch your wife, your parents, your children, all of them, callously die by the will of the Heavens. If your heart is shaken by such events, how could you ever be worthy of transcending?
[There's a calm that comes with letting go of everything, of existing above everything. You must grasp this feeling once more… That calm feeling that allows you to accomplish everything.]
Dyon hadn't realized it, but in his focus, he had fallen to the second tier of Calming Lake and the attacks on his path had grown fiercer…
**
"It's been over a week already… Is this safe?" Ri couldn't get Dyon off of her mind. He seemed calm and serene, and had even made it to the next tier, but this sort of constant battling couldn't be healthy for anyone to take over such a long period of time.
The limit for most, even dao experts, was about a few hours to a day. Only those with special abilities like Lyla who was used to constantly hearing the thoughts of others could last this long. But Dyon's case was something they had never seen before.
He should be performing the worst amongst them, having only just entered the second tier after so long, but his endurance… It was unlike anything ever recorded. Who cared if you went slowly if you were able to last so long?
"I don't know…" Damaris bit her pink lips. "… We can only trust Sect Master. Calming Lake shouldn't be a dangerous place, there are countless safeguards…"
What Damaris didn't say so as not to worry Ri further was that these safeguards were only effective if the person in question accepted their help. Many dragons of her Clan had died arrogantly believing that they didn't need any help… And she had a feeling that Dyon's arrogance was greater than even theirs.
Amphorae, having awoken from her meditation on Calming Lake remained silent as she observed Dyon. In the end, she turned to leave. Like Damaris said, she could only put her trust in Dyon.
**
The Mellow Tribe. A Failed Clan from the late Chaos Era period.
In truth, they had given up on ever forging their path toward the Mortal Plane once more. Mellow wasn't even their original Clan name either, it was a tribal name they were forced to take up because they lost the right to their true name.
These so-called Tribal Names were rampant on the outer edges of the Ancient Battlefield. It was a symbolic way of expressing a Clan's lost hope and also a way to establish hierarchy. Clans were stripped of their rights and demoted to Tribes in order to herd the masses like sheep. By making these tribes lose their sense of identity, they became easier to control.
Usually, Clans were stripped of their names and given a number. Only after they perform meritorious feats under the name of their ruling Tribes were they given a name.
The Mellow Tribe was one such tribe.
