Although Donari wasn't the most powerful of the core disciples, it didn't matter. He was, by far, the most feared. Not only was he a member of a family rivaling the Soul Rending Peak, he was also far younger than any of the other core disciples. In fact, he was the youngest core disciple in the history of Unseen Peak.
He didn't have a title yet because he had yet to take his trials, but no one doubted that when he did, he would become yet another Duke of their quadrant.
And now… That Duke was attacking a mere 1st stage essence gatherer without holding back a single ounce of his strength…
Dyon turned toward the punch, and watched as it slammed into his chest.
BOOM!
Force winds blasted from the center of the collision, sending the inner disciple flying and the core disciples along with Nikolaos trotting backward leisurely, it was as though they had a tacit agreement to allow Donari to do whatever he wanted.
The bricks of the pavilion went flying, creating a small crater of dust and cracked flooring.
Dust flew into the skies, even as the inner sect elder watched worriedly from the skies, unable to deal with the inner turmoil he was facing.
However, just when everyone assumed that Dyon was heavily injured, the dust began to slowly settle, revealing two silhouettes.
Under everyone's shocked eyes, Dyon was revealed, nonchalantly looking down at the mangled fist resting on his chest.
Donari's face was contorted in pain, unable to stop the blood from seeping from his mouth.
Dyon grabbed Donari's wrist, taking out one of his knees with a sickening cracking that made Donari call out in pain and fall to the ground.
"Just a few days ago, I said it was Unseen Peak's fortune to have me as a core disciple. It seems none of you truly believed me, or else you wouldn't attack me with such pitiful cultivation. Did you think a mere 4th stage essence gatherer was enough to do much of anything to me?
"You see, I wasn't planning on dealing with your arrogance. I simply didn't care. Whether it be what you thought in your minds, or whispered amongst your friends, I simply don't care.
"However, the moment you think you have the right to treat my name like dirt, and my life like soil, that's when you've truly earned my anger."
Donari's features were a mix of unbridled anger, shame and complete disbelief.
They had long since guess that Dyon was likely a body cultivator first and foremost, or else he wouldn't have been powerful enough to deal with an inner disciple so easily. However, the problem with body refiners was that the difficulty in understanding their power level was far more difficult than it was for the soul and energy.
Unless you were highly learned and also had senses capable of being ranked amongst the top members of your cultivation level, you wouldn't have a chance of seeing through a body cultivator until you fought them personally.
Even worse for all of them, even if they were such a person, they still wouldn't be able to see through Dyon because of his mask!
How could Donari know that he was attacking a celestial body, albeit suppressed? How could he know that Nikolaos' suppression worked on Dyon, but it was hardly a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the suppression he was facing? How could he know just how serious Dyon was when he said there was no one more worthy of being a core disciple than him?
The core disciples felt their scalps go numb. Although there were some of them more powerful than Donari, if they were asked to defeat Donari, would they be able to do so, so easily? They didn't know…
They couldn't help but look toward Violet and Nikolaos, as things were going, maybe only they could defeat Dyon completely.
However, when they looked at Violet, they noticed that her once deadpan expression had turned into a smile while Nikolaos was still in a daze.
Dyon didn't bother with Donari anymore, instead walking over to the inner sect disciple who lay shivering in the distance.
"You have one of two choices," Dyon spoke slowly and meaningfully. "The first is that I remove two of your limbs in accordance with the 20 minutes you made me wait. The second is for you to be strapped to the pole until the true date of our departure. Which is it going to be?"
"I – I… You can't do this! It's against the rules! I at most only lied to you a little bit, how does that warrant such punishment! You speak of bullying, are you not bullying me now?!"
"I wonder…" Dyon began. "When you were scheming against me, would you have done so if you knew exactly how powerful I was?"
"I…" The inner sect disciple had no response. He truly wouldn't have dared to do anything if he knew Dyon was so powerful.
Feeling his world breaking down, the inner sect disciple could only drop to his knees, slamming his head against the cracked ground. "Please! I'm sorry. I was forced to do this, or else how would I as a mere inner disciple dare to act against a core disciple?"
Dyon looked at the kowtowing inner sect disciple before looking back toward the writhing Donari, the stunned Nikolaos, and the, surprisingly, smiling Violet.
His brows furrowed slightly when he noticed Violet's odd countenance, but when he saw her blush after their eyes met, his confusion only deepened. 'What the hell is wrong with this woman? She hated my guts just a few days ago…'
Without a word, Dyon left, leaving the inner sect disciple on the ground.
He didn't need to say a word for everyone to understand his meaning: 'This time I've shown mercy, but don't cross me again.'
**
After Dyon's actions, no one dared look down on him anymore. Although characters like Violet and Nikolaos were not afraid of him, because they could also beat Donari just as easily, Dyon had left them with enough apprehension that they didn't dare to act rashly.
In truth, Violet felt her feelings for Dyon flip. She had been very angry that her innocence was ruined by him, but since Dyon was so powerful despite being so young, she could likely use this to her advantage. 'As long as he's obedient, I'll allow him to become my husband. If not… Hmph.'
Dyon, of course, had no interest in Violet. He simply didn't feel the same feelings he had when he first interacted with Madeleine or Ri or Clara. In his mind, she would never match up to them.
As for Nikolaos, he did not want to risk losing face. He found that he couldn't see through Dyon at all, and even worse, from beginning to end, Dyon hadn't used that large sword on his back. In fact… he seemed to intentionally allow Donari to strike his chest. Although on the surface, this didn't seem like much, but the speed at which Dyon turned toward Donari meant that he could have easily dodged… Yet didn't…
There was another reason Nikolaos didn't take action, though. From the start, he had said that Dyon didn't deserve his spot among the core disciples. Yet, he had just used the most direct method to slap him in his face. If he pressed forward, not only would he shame himself, he would bring the ridicule of Violet upon him. Despite the fact many said branch clan Legatees and Soul Rending Peak core disciples were on the same level, Nikolaos knew better than to believe this… He couldn't hold a candle to Violet, and he knew it. If he wanted to win her heart, it had to be with his demeanor. If not, he didn't stand a chance.
Just like this, the events of Unseen Peak came to an end. Days later, the core disciples gathered together with several elders, Violet and Nikolaos.
Dyon was, of course, there, dealing with Donari's hateful stare. Due to the poor alchemy available in this quadrant, Donari's wounds were far from fully healed. However, he planned on heading to his family first before heading to the assessment. It was clear that there would be trouble, but considering everyone thought Dyon was a Jafari, they found his nonchalance about the matter only to be expected.
With those final thoughts, they all gathered near a teleportation formation before disappearing toward Soul Rending Peak.
