This was also why faith seeds were called as such. They represented the god-like figures who had reached the pinnacle of this concept, allowing their names to easily influence weaker societies. Which was why so many religions and myths in Dyon's human world were carried by their names.

This faith is even more tangible than Heaven's Blessing. While Heaven's Blessings deal with the intangible, reminiscent of a human world game's "luck stat", while also helping with cultivation and Presence, faith directly affects battle power, allowing stronger clans to lord over weaker ones.

Having this knowledge was exactly why Dyon didn't underestimate the geniuses of the Epistemic Tower. Almost without fail, they would all be the legacy holders of these powerful clans. This meant that their battle prowess wouldn't be limited to just their own merit, leaving Dyon at a terrible disadvantage.

For context, if Dyon's grand teacher hadn't taken measures to prevent faith from influencing the Epistemic Tower trials, Dyon wouldn't hold a record so easily. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if his record was shattered.

This, was of course, not a for sure thing. Even with faith, it would be ridiculously difficult for them to do so. This was why Dyon still had a fighting chance. It was just important to note and understand why walking all over the geniuses of Dyon's universe meant nothing in the grand scheme. Because they couldn't compare to the geniuses of King and Emperor God Clans at all!

A genius that earned the legacy of their Emperor God clan could completely annihilate even a peak saint at the lower essence gathering level, as long as that peak saint wasn't also a legatee!

Not only was the strength of this legacy reliant on the power of the clan, but it was also reliant on the strength of the universe. An Emperor God Clan of a top ten quadrant was worlds apart of an Emperor God Clan of a bottom ten quadrant.

The martial world was, without a doubt, a land of survival of the fittest. Even if the fittest were your powerful ancestors.

There was no doubt that this was unfair. But, such was the way of the martial world. There was no such thing as perfect fairness, and Dyon didn't expect it.

This was why, when a friend of King Viserion's caliber stood before Dyon, even if he floated loftily in the air, Dyon wouldn't feel even small bit of disdain or dissatisfaction.

With how weak the Angel Clan had been under his rule, and how much internal conflict there was, anyone would have attacked long ago, let alone waiting 30 years!

There was only one reason King Viserion didn't attack. And that was because he still hoped for the day Dyon would become his friend of old!

So, Dyon looked up at him, rolling his wrists and neck before shedding his robes and rolling up his pants.

His caramel skin bronzed under the high sun, vibrating with vitality and reflecting veins that pumped with a faint gold liquid King Viserion couldn't help but narrow his slit eyes at.

Luna's violet eyes sparkled with desire as she looked at Dyon's tattooed back with an unconcealed longing. It was as though she didn't feel the aching between her legs at all. If anything, the pain made the wetness far more pronounced before she blinked her eyes to fight back the desire.

The moment King Viserion noticed Dyon's knew bearing, he couldn't help but immediately touch down to the ground. Could it be his friend had finally come back to him?

He was far too used to battle, and his instincts weren't any less than that of a true dragon. Everything from the determination in Dyon's eyes, to the robustness of his body, not even a tiny detail escaped his eyes.

Not only was this an added ability of fusing with a transcendent level dragon bloodline that being overwhelming eyesight it was also an ability that came with his Perception. Unlike humans, beasts were born with a much higher baseline of this martial art.

This said, although King Viserion could see the changes in Dyon, he couldn't just erase 30 years of pain so easily. Unlike the fool that was Dyon's past persona, King Viserion was highly intelligent despite what his bestial appearance might denote. He had long since placed spies within the Moon Clan. After all, they were his strongest, most immediate, opponent. How could he neglect such a thing?

Therefore, he knew about their odd movements even before Dyon's trial started. And therefore, he also knew why Dyon was here. The problem was that his Viserion clan, despite his arrogance, still wasn't ready to face the Moon clan quite yet. Unless Dyon could prove to him that he was truly back, and that he could contribute as much as his Viserion clan, he wouldn't lift a finger!

Dyon smiled, noting the intelligence in his friend's eyes, "Little garden snake, it seems you've gotten more intelligent. That's good. It means I don't have to talk as much. It's also good that you've come in your battle form. Shall I beat you into submission as per usual?"

"Same pigeon brain I remember. Should I get some bread crumbs for you to peck off the ground?" King Viserion sneered, his half-step King dragon domain pulsing within him and threatening to erupt at any moment. "It might befit that cowardly persona of yours a bit more."

"Aiyah. I heard you snakes were color blind, but to think you'd see my majestic wings as comparable to a pigeon's. It seems you're only fit to continue wiggling through the soil, never knowing how high the heavens are." How could Dyon lose in a battle of wit so easily? This friend of his was going to have to try harder than that.

King Viserion suddenly laughed a sinister laugh, darkening the light of the day, "I'm going to have fun tearing that arrogant smile off that gigolo face of yours."

Dyon grinned. "Maybe if you didn't cover your face with those disgusting scales, you could be a tenth as handsome as me."

Silence reigned for what seemed like eternity as the two former friends radiating with battle intent.

The atmosphere seemed to respond, turning an eerie shade of red and black as the clouds began to swirl in the once clear sky. Violent winds wrapped around them, causing small rocks to tear through the air.

The two of them held no expression, as though none of what was happening had anything to with them. Their fists were relaxed, their eyes nonchalant, and their techniques unready.

Suddenly, they both spoke at once. "The usual?"

Two former friends grinned at each before they disappeared in a flash.

The observers immediately ran back, giving them hundreds of meters of space, grimacing as they watched the once immaculately paved marble roads destroyed beneath the feet of their two young geniuses.

And then, their fists met.

A loud bang sounded out. It was no longer as though skin was slamming against skin, but was rather akin to boulders falling from a tall cliff before being crushed against the hard ground.

Dyon's fists groaned in pain as they threatened to give way. How could his defenses compare to King Viserion's? Even if he tapped into his demon qilin bloodline, it wouldn't even remotely make a difference.

Dyon had only integrated 5% of that bloodline, an integration level that was only beneficial at the meridian formation level. That was why he hadn't bothered to use it. He also ignored his celestial deer bloodline for the same reason. The remaining percentages of both were now a part of his humanoid manifestation, but that was only helpful in aiding him comprehend and boost their related wills. So, since his wills were locked away, it couldn't help him with his battle prowess.

Even worse, even if his soul and wills weren't sealed, he wouldn't be able to use them anyway.

"The usual?" only meant one thing to these two friends. With nothing more than their body's prowess, they would fight until one of them yielded. Dyon would only have himself to fight against this dragon scaled friend of his.

And yet, he didn't have a bit of pain on his face when he was forced to retreat. In fact, he grinned like a maniac.

"Demon Emperor's Will. Act Two. Stage One. Perfection."