"The central pillar world is opening up soon. Because Meiying will soon marry into my Daiyu family, I was given the opportunity to join. As you know, other pillar family members of the older generation who still haven't stepped into the Meridian Formation realm find the world very beneficial, and since they're a part of the academy's pillar families, they forego the rule of having to be a part of the academy to join in, that's why we're here.

"So, we'll be going to the banquet in a few days as well. Originally, Akihiko was hoping to ask lady Sapientia to be his date, but it seems this won't be possible anymore. Sorry for the inconvenience, we'll be going now."

Draco fully merged with the illusion once again and gusts of wind took the trio away. Dyon slowly walked to the ground using his golden stairs.

Beads of sweat ran down Dyon's face as he caught his breath. He knew fully well if those 3 hadn't been fooled by his act and decided to attack together, he would have been left in a sorry state. His soul was still in tip top shape despite having formed so many arrays in such a short period of time, but his arms and legs had numerous fractures in them due to his body being unable to keep up.

Still, if it had come down to it, if there was anything Dyon was confident in, it was enduring pain.

Dyon sat down stiffly, feeling his soul qi spreading throughout his body.

'Hm, it seems like it really was more because of my soul that my injuries healed so fast before. No, it was my Aurora Flame specifically. But, regardless, my body is still too weak'

After a few minutes, Dyon looked up to find 3 pairs of eyes staring at him. He had been so caught up in catching his breath that he didn't notice when he became a zoo animal.

"What is it, do I have something on my face?" Dyon said, touching his nose.

Madeleine giggled lightly while Delia rolled her eyes.

"You know you just beat one of the best geniuses this academy has ever had within an inch of his life in the matter of less than a minute," Delia said.

Even when she said it, she felt that it was incredulous. How had he defeated Akihiko but lost to Darius? Wasn't that a bit too ridiculous? Darius couldn't shine Akihiko's shoes. In fact, Darius would be an obedient little dog if he ever came face to face with Akihiko, the true geniuses of the Storm family were on a completely different level from him.

"Best geniuses?" Dyon looked at Delia weirdly. "You all use that word too lightly. Every supposed 'genius' I see is more inept than the last.

"Just look at my Madeleine, she's been sick for years and has been unable to cultivate, on top of that she's four years younger than him, and she's already at the peak of the formation stage. When you have an example like her, how could he be a genius," Dyon said laughing.

[Author's Note: Akihiko is 22, not 18. I forgot to shift all the ages up like I did for Dyon. My mistake, hopefully won't happen again]

"You can see my cultivation?" Madeleine said in surprise. No one still in the Foundation Stage should be able to do that, least of all Dyon who had no cultivation to speak of.

"Big sister, you're that powerful?" Even Delia's eyes opened wide. Clearly, she had no idea.

"Wow" Eli looked shell shocked as well.

Dyon laughed. It seems that he had let something out of the bag that he shouldn't have. But, this only made Madeleine's lovely golden eyes sparkle all the more when she looked at him. He knew her cultivation yet he didn't treat her with any sort of fear or trepidation at all.

My aurora is pretty good at deciphering cultivation. That's why I attacked him, I was pretty confident in beating him if I took him by surprise." Dyon explained.

"You were reckless. You have no battle techniques, no movement techniques, no cultivation, and your attack methods are as good as you being a masochist. Why do you love self-harm so much?" Madeleine berated.

Dyon rubbed his nose embarrassedly, "You could tell I was hurting myself? You're so attentive and caring, how could I let a scumbag like that have you for a wife? After I find you a proper cure, I'll make you mine," Dyon laughed.

"Maybe, but if you can't beat me, how could you find something I couldn't?" Madeleine said teasingly.

Dyon chuckled, not bothered at all by Madeleine's words. He was actually happy she was so strong, that way, when he cured her, he could take her around the world to dominate it together. On the day he found a way to revive his parents, she would be by his side.

Dyon shook his head, finding his own thoughts to be weird. 'I just met this girl. I need to calm down.'

He found himself to be almost too infatuated. For someone who grew up in the Mortal World, and even its Western portion with countries like America and Canada, something like thinking such words about a girl he had only known for a few weeks would make him out to seem like a maniac.

Although Dyon thought those words, he knew that he was already captivated by her gentle nature. For a girl to have been suffering in silence all this time to still have a smile on her face, if she wasn't worth him thinking so much there was probably no one else that was.

However, what Dyon didn't know was that his noncommittal chuckle made Madeleine's heart skip a beat. Though Dyon hadn't said a word, that confident laugh to her cheeky reply spoke volumes. He didn't take offense because there was nothing to take offense to.

Her defeating him? Sure, maybe for now. But how long would that last? It felt like these were the exact words he was conveying even without saying them.

Even so, Madeleine couldn't help but probe Dyon's bottom line. Even she didn't notice that she had become like a young woman vetting her future partner.

"I hear you're quite a playboy though. Martial artists live for so long that it's impossible to have just one partner, so if you're too weak, won't I just have to find myself another man? There are plenty of Sapientia women with reverse harems." Madeleine said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.